"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" -Genesis 1.26-28
As the initial work of creation wraps, God places His representative on earth. God makes man in His own image, and places him to steward and care for the rest of His creation. "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." Psalm 24.1 declares. This world is God's. Every plant, animal, and person belongs to Him. And God has entrusted the world to the care of humans.
God makes man so that man can represent Him as he cares for creation. Man is made in the image of God, male and female, so that together they can show the rest of creation what God is like. He charges man to this end, instructing Him to explore, enjoy, and care for the world He has made. God makes His world, and then makes man to represent Him. Man exists to show creation who God is. Man exists for God.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2016
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Variety
"Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind'; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good." -Genesis 1.24-25
The sun shines on the trees, as birds soar through the sky, and fish swim in the sea. While the creation to this point is amazing, God is not done yet. The sea and air are full, but the land is not, and so God speaks again, and the animals that fill the earth are created. Everything from elephants to ants is formed. Lions and dinosaurs, zebras and cows (that thought makes me smile, there were cows in the Garden of Eden), dogs and elk, squirrels and orangutans (that's one of my favorite words).
The shear number of animals is amazing. Think of all the types of bears there are. Now think about all the big cats. How many species of dogs are there? There are thousands of mammals, and nearly one million insects in the world,* and these numbers don't include the undiscovered or the extinct species. It's estimated that more than five billion species, 99% of all the species that have ever lived, are now extinct.** Think about that, the amazing variety of life on this earth (including plants, birds, and fish, as well as the animals created on day six), is only 1% of God's original creation.
God is infinitely creative, and that creativity results in wondrous variety. God is not boring, He thought up the platypus and the ostrich. He gave elephants trunks and moose antlers. He made horses run and kangaroos jump. With infinite creativity comes wondrous variety, and each species is unique, made according to its own kind. That is how God made the animals, in wondrous variety.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0934288.html
**Stearns, Beverly Peterson; Stearns, S. C.; Stearns, Stephen C. (2000). Watching, from the Edge of Extinction. Yale University Press. p. 1921. ISBN 978-0-300-08469-6.
The sun shines on the trees, as birds soar through the sky, and fish swim in the sea. While the creation to this point is amazing, God is not done yet. The sea and air are full, but the land is not, and so God speaks again, and the animals that fill the earth are created. Everything from elephants to ants is formed. Lions and dinosaurs, zebras and cows (that thought makes me smile, there were cows in the Garden of Eden), dogs and elk, squirrels and orangutans (that's one of my favorite words).
The shear number of animals is amazing. Think of all the types of bears there are. Now think about all the big cats. How many species of dogs are there? There are thousands of mammals, and nearly one million insects in the world,* and these numbers don't include the undiscovered or the extinct species. It's estimated that more than five billion species, 99% of all the species that have ever lived, are now extinct.** Think about that, the amazing variety of life on this earth (including plants, birds, and fish, as well as the animals created on day six), is only 1% of God's original creation.
God is infinitely creative, and that creativity results in wondrous variety. God is not boring, He thought up the platypus and the ostrich. He gave elephants trunks and moose antlers. He made horses run and kangaroos jump. With infinite creativity comes wondrous variety, and each species is unique, made according to its own kind. That is how God made the animals, in wondrous variety.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0934288.html
**Stearns, Beverly Peterson; Stearns, S. C.; Stearns, Stephen C. (2000). Watching, from the Edge of Extinction. Yale University Press. p. 1921. ISBN 978-0-300-08469-6.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Creative
"Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.' God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day." -Genesis 1.20-23
Creation continues, God continues to speak and the words of His mouth continue to be obeyed. The earth is full of plants, the sky is full of stars, and day five, God fills the sea and the air with fish and birds. Each one is unique, and the creation of the first animals shows God infinite creativity.
I did a quick google search, and there are nearly 10,000 known species of birds in the world, that doesn't include all of the extinct varieties, or the ones deep in the rain forest that no one has discovered. God said "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures", this goes beyond fish. Whales, shellfish, turtles, krill, sea horses, even the microbes. There are over 17,000 species living in the depths of the oceans where no light reaches, and in a single liter of sea water there are 38,000 different microbes. Estimates greatly vary, but some experts say that the most explored region of the oceans, the coast to 65 feet deep, could contain up to ten million different species.* And all of these originated from a few words from the mouth of God.
During the summer, put out a bird feeder and look at the variety of birds that show up in your own backyard (no the brown fluffy thing with the bushy tail doesn't count). Do a google image search of fish, if that doesn't blow your mind, try searching tropical fish, or sea life. And remember, that the pictures available only show the ones we're aware of.
God is infinitely creative. The life contained in the sky and the oceans of our own planet show that. If you need further convincing, go back one day of creation, and do a google image search of the universe, or two days back and search flowers. Everything on this planet originated from the mouth of God. The gentle sound of water falling over rocks and the booming clap of thunder. The brilliant flash of lighting and the breathtaking colors of a sunset. The scent of a rose and the taste of strawberries. The way gills of a fish work and how birds are able to fly. All of these amazing things came from the words spoken by God who is infinitely creative.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://ocean.si.edu/census-marine-life
Creation continues, God continues to speak and the words of His mouth continue to be obeyed. The earth is full of plants, the sky is full of stars, and day five, God fills the sea and the air with fish and birds. Each one is unique, and the creation of the first animals shows God infinite creativity.
I did a quick google search, and there are nearly 10,000 known species of birds in the world, that doesn't include all of the extinct varieties, or the ones deep in the rain forest that no one has discovered. God said "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures", this goes beyond fish. Whales, shellfish, turtles, krill, sea horses, even the microbes. There are over 17,000 species living in the depths of the oceans where no light reaches, and in a single liter of sea water there are 38,000 different microbes. Estimates greatly vary, but some experts say that the most explored region of the oceans, the coast to 65 feet deep, could contain up to ten million different species.* And all of these originated from a few words from the mouth of God.
During the summer, put out a bird feeder and look at the variety of birds that show up in your own backyard (no the brown fluffy thing with the bushy tail doesn't count). Do a google image search of fish, if that doesn't blow your mind, try searching tropical fish, or sea life. And remember, that the pictures available only show the ones we're aware of.
God is infinitely creative. The life contained in the sky and the oceans of our own planet show that. If you need further convincing, go back one day of creation, and do a google image search of the universe, or two days back and search flowers. Everything on this planet originated from the mouth of God. The gentle sound of water falling over rocks and the booming clap of thunder. The brilliant flash of lighting and the breathtaking colors of a sunset. The scent of a rose and the taste of strawberries. The way gills of a fish work and how birds are able to fly. All of these amazing things came from the words spoken by God who is infinitely creative.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://ocean.si.edu/census-marine-life
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Purpose
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day." -Genesis 1.14-19
As creation progresses, God continues to bring order and to show his authority. He has made light, and now He contains it in a source. He makes the sun, the moon, and the stars, and in doing so, He creates the seasons and years with the earths revolution around the sun, days with the earths rotation on it's axis. He makes these lights to illuminate the earth, the sun fully by day, and the moon and starts partially by night, so that darkness will never dominate.
With the fourth day of creation, we see that God makes everything with a purpose. The earth rotates so that days occur. If the earth did not rotate, one side would be a scorching desert, while the other would be a dark frozen wasteland. The moon is created, and we now know that it reflects light from the sun, to give light at night. The stars are there, and by them people can navigate where they are in the world. There is a point to everything in creation, and ultimately that point is to glorify God.
Louie Giglio gave two talks years ago, Indescribable* and How Great is our God**, and in them he talks about the stars, and how they exist to give God glory. In the beginning, God said "Let there be light" and there was light. It came from the mouth of God, and Revelation 21 and 22 tells us that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates the inhabitants of the city. The sun, moon, and stars, serve as a reminder of God. They are not God, and they should not be worshiped, prayed to, or sought for the future, but as God's creation, they reveal and remind us of who God is. The sun gives light, warmth and comfort. At the same time it is powerful and dangerous, too long under it's rays, and your skin will burn. The moon gives light to the darkness by gently reflecting the light of the sun. The stars remain constant and can lead a lost sailor or traveler home. God is warm and comforting, but He is also powerful and dangerous. God is gentle, reaching into the darkness, and God is constant and unchanging.
The Sun, the moon, and the stars, declare the glory of God. That is their purpose.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvNs8IrfKWk
**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFFc20_Ub4
As creation progresses, God continues to bring order and to show his authority. He has made light, and now He contains it in a source. He makes the sun, the moon, and the stars, and in doing so, He creates the seasons and years with the earths revolution around the sun, days with the earths rotation on it's axis. He makes these lights to illuminate the earth, the sun fully by day, and the moon and starts partially by night, so that darkness will never dominate.
With the fourth day of creation, we see that God makes everything with a purpose. The earth rotates so that days occur. If the earth did not rotate, one side would be a scorching desert, while the other would be a dark frozen wasteland. The moon is created, and we now know that it reflects light from the sun, to give light at night. The stars are there, and by them people can navigate where they are in the world. There is a point to everything in creation, and ultimately that point is to glorify God.
Louie Giglio gave two talks years ago, Indescribable* and How Great is our God**, and in them he talks about the stars, and how they exist to give God glory. In the beginning, God said "Let there be light" and there was light. It came from the mouth of God, and Revelation 21 and 22 tells us that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates the inhabitants of the city. The sun, moon, and stars, serve as a reminder of God. They are not God, and they should not be worshiped, prayed to, or sought for the future, but as God's creation, they reveal and remind us of who God is. The sun gives light, warmth and comfort. At the same time it is powerful and dangerous, too long under it's rays, and your skin will burn. The moon gives light to the darkness by gently reflecting the light of the sun. The stars remain constant and can lead a lost sailor or traveler home. God is warm and comforting, but He is also powerful and dangerous. God is gentle, reaching into the darkness, and God is constant and unchanging.
The Sun, the moon, and the stars, declare the glory of God. That is their purpose.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvNs8IrfKWk
**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFFc20_Ub4
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Life
"Then God said, 'Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them'; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day." -Genesis 1.9-13
As the creation progresses, God continues to bring order and show His authority, and the use of His authority continues to bring about greater and more complex things. The second day of creation God separates the waters, making the sky, and at the beginning of day three He commands the waters to be gathered into a place and for dry land to appear. At His command the waters become seas, and for the first time the continents appear on the earth. But that isn't where God stops.
Once there is dry land, God begins to fill it. He commands vegetation, plants and fruit trees to come forth and it happens. Think of the creativity this shows. God simply said vegetation, plants, and fruit trees. He doesn't specify anything, but from the words of His mouth come apples and oranges, raspberries and blue berries, plums and peaches. At a single word, oaks, pines, and maples appear, along with cacti and palm trees. Roses and lilies, tomatoes and green beans, all of them come from the mouth of God.
Over the past few years I've really gotten into gardening, and as I have, I've noticed something about this passage that I hadn't before. God does not simply create the plants, but plants the produce seeds. He creates a way for life to continue and spread. I once heard the question, "How many apples are in an apple seed?" Within a single seed is the potential for a tree, and that one tree has the potential to produce countless apples over decades, maybe centuries. Within each apple are more seeds, each one containing a tree that will produce countless apples. That was God's design, ongoing life.
When God creates life, He does it in a way that allows that life to create more life. Death and barrenness are not part of His design. God is a god of life.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
As the creation progresses, God continues to bring order and show His authority, and the use of His authority continues to bring about greater and more complex things. The second day of creation God separates the waters, making the sky, and at the beginning of day three He commands the waters to be gathered into a place and for dry land to appear. At His command the waters become seas, and for the first time the continents appear on the earth. But that isn't where God stops.
Once there is dry land, God begins to fill it. He commands vegetation, plants and fruit trees to come forth and it happens. Think of the creativity this shows. God simply said vegetation, plants, and fruit trees. He doesn't specify anything, but from the words of His mouth come apples and oranges, raspberries and blue berries, plums and peaches. At a single word, oaks, pines, and maples appear, along with cacti and palm trees. Roses and lilies, tomatoes and green beans, all of them come from the mouth of God.
Over the past few years I've really gotten into gardening, and as I have, I've noticed something about this passage that I hadn't before. God does not simply create the plants, but plants the produce seeds. He creates a way for life to continue and spread. I once heard the question, "How many apples are in an apple seed?" Within a single seed is the potential for a tree, and that one tree has the potential to produce countless apples over decades, maybe centuries. Within each apple are more seeds, each one containing a tree that will produce countless apples. That was God's design, ongoing life.
When God creates life, He does it in a way that allows that life to create more life. Death and barrenness are not part of His design. God is a god of life.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Thursday, September 22, 2016
The Beginning
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." -Genesis 1.1
I've heard the debate for so long, young earth vs. old earth. Science says this, faith leads this way. It's one of those arguments that seems like a big deal because the truth, or reliability, of the Bible over science seems to hang on nailing down a date for when all of this started. Christians use the Bible to piece together a timeline and come to the young earth mindset, but science says this dinosaur fossil is 65 million years old. I've heard the theories proposed to reconcile the two opposing views, and I even reached out to one of the most brilliant Biblical minds I have the privilege of knowing, asking his thoughts on one particular theory. His response, "I don't think the Bible provides support for any of the theories. It is theological document, not concerned with our scientific questions. Even in Gen 1 the writer utilizes his knowledge of the world in his description of God as the creator of everything visible and invisible to us. I think it gives us a pattern for us to follow. Could we do the same today?"
The Bible doesn't tell us when the beginning was, because it doesn't matter. The time is not important, the Who is. What matters is not how long ago the creation took place, but who made it happen. Whenever the beginning was, God created the heavens and the earth. God is the one who began time, setting the universe into motion. Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is eternal, existing before everything, and bringing everything into existence. It shouldn't shake your faith when science says, "The universe is 13.8 billion years old"* because if that is the truth, it just means that 13.8 billion years ago, God decided to create everything.
It does not matter how old I believe the universe is. What matters is what I believe about it's originator. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created. That is what matters. The focus is not on me being able to argue that my timeline is correct for these reasons, but that when everything began, when this amazing creation came into being, God was there making it all happen.
The Bible tells us who the creator is, God. The Bible tells us that God existed before the creation. These are the things that matter. God is eternal, and God is all powerful. The universe exists because God created it.
Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is the eternal creator.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
*http://www.space.com/24054-how-old-is-the-universe.html
I've heard the debate for so long, young earth vs. old earth. Science says this, faith leads this way. It's one of those arguments that seems like a big deal because the truth, or reliability, of the Bible over science seems to hang on nailing down a date for when all of this started. Christians use the Bible to piece together a timeline and come to the young earth mindset, but science says this dinosaur fossil is 65 million years old. I've heard the theories proposed to reconcile the two opposing views, and I even reached out to one of the most brilliant Biblical minds I have the privilege of knowing, asking his thoughts on one particular theory. His response, "I don't think the Bible provides support for any of the theories. It is theological document, not concerned with our scientific questions. Even in Gen 1 the writer utilizes his knowledge of the world in his description of God as the creator of everything visible and invisible to us. I think it gives us a pattern for us to follow. Could we do the same today?"
The Bible doesn't tell us when the beginning was, because it doesn't matter. The time is not important, the Who is. What matters is not how long ago the creation took place, but who made it happen. Whenever the beginning was, God created the heavens and the earth. God is the one who began time, setting the universe into motion. Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is eternal, existing before everything, and bringing everything into existence. It shouldn't shake your faith when science says, "The universe is 13.8 billion years old"* because if that is the truth, it just means that 13.8 billion years ago, God decided to create everything.
It does not matter how old I believe the universe is. What matters is what I believe about it's originator. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, God created. That is what matters. The focus is not on me being able to argue that my timeline is correct for these reasons, but that when everything began, when this amazing creation came into being, God was there making it all happen.
The Bible tells us who the creator is, God. The Bible tells us that God existed before the creation. These are the things that matter. God is eternal, and God is all powerful. The universe exists because God created it.
Genesis 1.1 tells us that God is the eternal creator.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY
Peace be with you
*http://www.space.com/24054-how-old-is-the-universe.html
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