By the end of the sixth day of Creation, the first man and woman had been not only given each other, but had been blessed by God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth — the earth that they were given the responsibility and authority to rule over. On the seventh day, the Rest of God began. Let us look at that Rest and what it meant for God and for humankind. Genesis 2:1-3 TPTAnd so the creation of the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day, God had completed creating his masterpiece, so on the seventh day, he rested from all his work. So God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, because on it, he paused to rest from all his work of creation.” As you look at the full text of Genesis 1-2, you will see something very interesting. At the…
Leave a CommentAuthor: Kathy Oldfather
Genesis 1:26-28 (NET) “ Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.’ God created humankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.’” As we have been exploring and experiencing the days of Creation together through these past blog posts, what stands out to us the most is the love and wisdom of the One who created us — His amazing goodness that is beyond all of our own understanding. (See Ephesians 3:14-21)…
Leave a CommentWho am I? Why am I here? No matter how we express it or understand what we are feeling, these are questions that have been common to humankind from the beginning of time. They are not just topics that we study in a college Philosophy class, but are the cries of our heart from deep within. Through our journey together, we will progress through (1) Our Creator’s original intention, (2) What we are experiencing in our lives and in the culture around us, and why, and 3) How we are restored to God’s original purpose for creating us. In the past three posts, we have looked at the creation of the first man and woman in detail, as seen in Genesis 2, but now let us back up to Genesis 1 and consider what our Creator decreed would be humanity’s identity and purpose: Genesis 1:26-28 (NET) “ Then God said, ‘Let…
15 CommentsIn the previous blog post (“Created in the Image of God: The Power of Our Words“), we left off watching ‘adam, as he named the animals that God had created and brought to him. Would you join me once again in the Garden? I have been sitting here for many days, observing, asking questions of Holy Spirit, and listening to what He drops in my mind and heart. Please pull up a rock and sit with me as the scene continues to unfold: No words can fully describe what ‘adam experienced while working side by side with his Creator, as he developed a close bond with the creatures that he had just named. Any one of us would have gladly traded places with him. And yet … ‘adam still felt that yearning in his heart that had not been fulfilled by any one of God’s amazing creatures, a companion who…
2 CommentsAs you may remember, we left off at the last post, “A Special Creation” with this statement from God: “It is not good for the man to be alone, so I will create a companion for him, a perfectly suited partner.” (Genesis 2:18 VOICE) The Eternal One, Creator of all heaven and earth, the One who is omniscient (all-knowing), full of all wisdom and understanding – this One’s next step catches us totally off-guard. Look at what comes next: Genesis 2:19-20 (ESV) “Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But…
4 CommentsOne day the Eternal God scooped dirt out of the ground, sculpted it into the shape we call human, breathed the breath that gives life into the nostrils of the human, and the human became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7, the Voice) Close your eyes and imagine with me. On the sixth day of creation, the Son of God knelt down, plunging His hands deep into the rich, living soil of the earth that He had just created. In wisdom, He drew out of that soil the elements and minerals of which we are all made and lovingly formed the first human being. As He worked, He thought about you…. and me…. every person who would ever exist because of this one creative act. And He smiled. This Potter molded not only the exterior of ‘adam, as a human artist would, but He, with the finest detail, designed blood cells,…
Leave a Comment“Let’s start at the very beginning, A very good place to start” As I contemplated where to start, these lyrics came to mind. You may recognize them from the song, “Do-Re-Mi” from the musical, Sound of Music. To understand and succeed in our journey in this earthly realm and in the realm of the Kingdom of God, we must understand what happened in Genesis 1-3. It is foundational. May we look through the lens of Holy Spirit as we enter through the door of this Biblical account. A dream I had a few years back ended with me as a toddler. I had been given my “father’s glasses” to wear. As I sat there in the dream, now wearing glasses that were way too big for me, I realized that others might laugh at me, or just think it was “cute”, but I knew that it was an honor and…
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In the rush and noise of life, we may not recognize that there is a Voice who calls to us, beckoning to us to stop, turn aside and listen. There are also competing voices that can distract us, lie to us, and detour us off the path of our identity, purpose and destiny. Sometimes, the voice is even our own. But there is a Voice who faithfully calls us to draw near, leading us onto the ancient path that brings life, peace, joy and truth. That Voice is the Holy Spirit of God. Consider how, through the years, His whispers touched your spirit and soul. Perhaps it was a dream in the night, one that is forever etched in your memory. And then, there are …. the unexplained yearnings of your heart, the unexpected thoughts, the inner pictures or daydreams, or the “knowings” of your spirit…. that tell you “there…
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