26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26 – 31)
Theme: If not You, then Who?
Today and tomorrow we will turn our attention to the Discipline of Creation – the Discipline that calls on us to stop and smell the roses. Our theme this year encourages each of us to actively engage in advancing God’s kingdom. Consistent with the theme, it is helpful to reflect on God’s mission, which includes the restoration of His order. God spoke order into existence and gave Adam and Eve the assignment to help to maintain it. This order was corrupted by sin but if we take the time to focus on God’s creation, we can see numerous reminders of the priority God places on order. Tomorrow we will explore how creation helps to inform our individual missions, but today let’s just bask in the beauty of God’s creation.
Please read the passage above and pursue the requests below.
Requests:
- Take a few minutes today to focus on aspects of God’s creation.
- Meditate on the magnificence of our creator and the order He creates.
- Please share any thoughts from your meditation that we could all benefit from.
March 24, 2021 at 5:52 am
There have been many times I’ve been watching TV or reading a book, and I see a “natural wonder”, or an animal I’ve never seen before, and I’m so impressed and in awe, that I hear myself say, “God is amazing!”
We are tasked with using responsibly, appreciating, and maintaining these awesome wonders that God had blessed us with.
March 24, 2021 at 9:35 am
Just to think that creation in all its magnificence cannot be fully known, how much more Awesome is the Creator.
March 24, 2021 at 5:12 pm
* Seeing God’s beautiful creation prompts me to worship with awe, wonder and amazement, the Lord of my life, my creator, my rock, and my redeemer . It’s Spring in Japan now so it means time to enjoy Cherry blossom trees all over the country. This magnificent view uplifts my spirit. It gives me joy and a heart filled with gratefulness. Indeed, my God is full of wisdom and majesty for only Him can create these wonders and I will not get weary praising and thanking him for He created me and all mankind in His image and likeness. What a privilege to be a child of God, my creator and savior! It is worthy to worship the Creator of heaven and earth. Below is my favorite verse from the book of Psalms. Let’s be reminded that it is the creator we ought to worship and not the creation.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth ,
Worship the Lord with gladness,
Come before Him with joyful songs
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of his pasture. “ Psalm 100: 1-3
March 24, 2021 at 10:21 pm
Hope this is posted as I don’t think yesterday’s was. Nature is what amazes me as it is just awesome? How great our Creator is.
Wish I could experience the cherry blossoms Aurora.
March 24, 2021 at 11:27 pm
The calm blue skies with cotton-like clouds, the scintillating beauty of the soft moonlight, the individual glory of each golden star, the lush green foliage of various heights, the seemingly insignificant but important insects that contribute to the balance in nature, the carefree birds that fly about enjoying the best of fruits all year, the spineless worms that burrow the soil silently, the happy, beautiful, multicolored butterflies that once were the undesirable, ugly caterpillars, the scary watchdogs or cute little puppies, the towering hills dressed mostly in forest green, the mildly capricious ravines that reduced their sizes, the fragrant perfume from the apple blossoms, the green and ripe bananas and other fruits, the glistening, silvery dew on blades of green grass, the unpredictable downpour of rain, the glorious burst of sunlight amidst the light rain that starts and stops suddenly, the heavy laden, unreachable mango trees that I wish I had access to, and everything else that testifies to God’s creation, simply leave me in awe. But there’s nothing like the bold, bright reddish orange “flame of the forest” (Spathodea) , the brightly colored bougainvillea, the bright yellow buttercup, the delicate orchids, the sweet red roses, and peach, pink and white too, the lovely lilies, and other stunning flowers that bring back pleasant memories of my homeland, while reminding me of God’s creation and His goodness. Yes, living in rural Trinidad, has its advantages and disadvantages (like anywhere else on the planet) but one thing for sure, it makes me meditate more on God’s creation and I often join the heavenly choir of birds that sing, “How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
March 24, 2021 at 11:27 pm
Yasmin cherry blossoms is really beautiful! When traveling is back to
normal and no more pandemic, come visit Japan at this time of the year. Even flowers when you think of how it is created, it’s composition and appearance such as the number of petals, the leaves, the time it blooms, every thing about it shows how majestic and full of wisdom our creator is! Everything God created is special in its own way. marvelous and great is our God!