Beginnings - A Look In Genesis. Part 3

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."  Genesis 1:27

Isaiah Thomas, a former professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons, once talked in an interview about the rough neighborhood he grew up in as a child.  Gang violence was a huge problem in his community.  One of the things he mentioned is that gang members would leave a nickel on the foreheads of people they killed.  Leaving that nickel meant the victim's life was worth five cents. 

Life is not viewed as sacred or special by many in today's world.  Not at all.  It's viewed as cheap and expendable.  However, when I read the Bible, I see that life is actually the exact opposite of that.  In reality, every human life has immense value and is sacred. 

In the first chapter of Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth.  Then He fills the heavens and the earth with all sorts of spectacular sights, plants, and animals.  Finally, it is time for something extra special : human life.

God makes a man.  Then, He makes a woman.  And He brings them together.

Let's just reflect for a moment on this scripture...

[1]  Human life is sacred because it is a creation of God.  The value of men, women, boys, and girls is sky high because we all are the result of God's workmanship. He made us and put us here; therefore, we are valuable.  Contrary to the gang members I mentioned earlier, we are worth much, much more than a nickel.  (Wow, THAT may be the understatement of the millennium.  Ha!  Ha!)  We are worth a great deal because we were fashioned by an amazing Creator.

[2]  Human life is sacred because it is fashioned with a resemblance to God.  God made us "in His own image."  In other words, we were made in some ways that are a reflection of Him.  On a much smaller scale than God, we were equipped with the capacity to be creative, show love, extend forgiveness, and lead others.  Don't get me wrong.  We are not gods.  And we are not equal to God.  Not at all.  But we are wired by Him in some neat ways to resemble Him. 

[3]  Human life is sacred, regardless of gender.  Notice that God made man in His own image, and woman in His own image.  That's pretty cool, if you ask me!  There are certain things about men that resemble God, and there are certain things about women that resemble God.  Both genders are valuable and unique because both genders highlight certain qualities of God's greatness.  Neither gender is superior to the other.  Men matter and women matter. 

[4]  Human life is sacred because it is given purpose by God.  When He fashioned the man and the woman, He did not throw them into the garden without anything to do.  He did not tell them, "Ok, y'all just need to entertain yourselves and look for ways to stay busy!"  (I know God doesn't say "y'all", but it just sounded good to me!)  The Creator gave the creation purpose.  In Genesis 1:26, He assigned the duty or ruling over the animals.  In Genesis 1:28, He assigned the duty of reproducing and filling the planet with more people.  Right from the beginning, God gave men and women things to do.  He gave them (and us today) purpose.  A reason to get up every morning and to live every day. 

That's just four reasons human life is worth a great deal!  And that's another reason why the creation story of Genesis is so special.  Our worth as human beings is found in knowing that we are here because God put us here.

God views life is sacred.  So should we.  May we look at people today and realize that all of them are precious because they are the handiwork of the one, true, living God!!   

Beginnings - A Look In Genesis. Part 1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Genesis 1:1

If you're a "Bible rookie", that's the first verse in the book.  It kicks off the whole story.  And what a verse it is!

Before there was anything or anyone, there was only God.  Just Him.  I know people like to ask, "Who created God?"  Nobody created God.  He has always existed.  His nature is eternal, with no beginning and no end.  Yeah, that's kind of hard for us to wrap our finite brains around.  Difficult to figure out.  (Even tougher to figure out than how the last person off the school bus closes that funky front door!  You ever wondered about that?)

Notice this:  the central character in the first verse of the Bible is ... God.  And that sets the tone for the rest of the book.  The story of the Bible is about God.  Who He is.  What He does.  How He operates.  It's a book that is inspired by Him and is all about Him. 

So, when we look at the start of our story, what do we see?  Well, we see God creating.  He is at work.  The Divine Artist is making something spectacular.  The heavens and the earth are brought into existence by His perfect craftsmanship.

Here's what makes this extra cool.  He created all of this ... out of nothing.  There was not a stack of supplies sitting off to the side, waiting to be used, when God created the heavens and the earth.  He made something ... out of nothing.  If you ask me, I think that is mind-boggling.

God is flat-out, 100% amazing!  He has always been here.  And He created this planet we live on, along with everything we see up in the sky.  Can I give you a suggestion?  Say a prayer today, and compliment God on a job well done.  Tell Him how awesome you think He is.  He more than deserves some praise, doesn't He?!  So let's give Him some today.  If we can applaud some college kid, who we don't personally know, for scoring a touchdown on Saturday, then surely we can praise God, who we DO know, for making this beautiful universe we get to call "home". 

Finally, remember that God still creates!  His nature never changes.  If God created in the beginning, He can still create today.  He can take struggling, dysfunctional families, and create happy homes of love and peace.  He can take addicts of any kind, and create new lives of freedom and joy.  He can take stuffy, weak, hurting, divided, dying churches, and create vibrant, healthy, passionate congregations that are powerfully turning their communities upside down with the gospel.  You see my point?  If something is not right with you, your family, or your church, there is still hope.  God creates!  Best of all, God creates a new us, when we let Him.  He takes out the old, brings in the new, and makes us right.  This is what David meant when he wrote in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a pure heart, O God..."   

Wow!  What a God He is.  Let's praise Him for what He has created.  And let's trust Him if we need Him to create something new today.