Original Post Date: June 24, 2008
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
Throughout the Creation account, Scripture tells us how God created various kinds of creatures. He not only created two birds, but many kinds of birds. Not just two fish, but many kinds of fish. But when He created mankind, He only made two - male and female.
The Bible does not indicate that the various ethnicities were created at the beginning. Only one race was created - the human race. So, how did the various races form?
We see here in Genesis 1 that God instructed the first man and woman to multiply and fill the earth. We know from Genesis 11 that the people did not do this, but rather clustered in one place. Because of their disobedience, God confused their languages and scattered them. Was this the beginning of cultures? If so, does this make cultural and racial differences a result of sin or of natural selection? The Bible doesn't say.
What I think we can gather from Scripture is that God views all people, regardless of race, as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. We are equal in our status, in our sin and in our opportunity for salvation.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A WORD ABOUT DOMINION
Original Post Date: Friday, June 20, 2008
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So 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 said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:26-28
From the moment God created us, we were in control of the earth. We were created to rule. It had to be so. Because God rules, the people created in His likeness had to be given a realm to rule too. And what, specifically, is our domain as God describes it? Fish, birds and land animals.
As I sit here, my pet dove is pruning her feathers and my dog is begging for the crumbs from my breakfast. I am their master. They know it and I know it. It was ordained from the beginning. As their master, it is my responsibility to make sure they’re taken care of.
God wants mankind to do that for all the animals, not just our pets. Sometimes we do well, like when we set apart nature reserves or make a species endangered. Other times we don’t do so well, like when our urban sprawl encroaches animal habitats.
How well we rule will be a testimony to God of our faithfulness to the responsibility He gave us. May each of us do our best to care and influence those in power to care more about the world of our dominion.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So 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 said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:26-28
From the moment God created us, we were in control of the earth. We were created to rule. It had to be so. Because God rules, the people created in His likeness had to be given a realm to rule too. And what, specifically, is our domain as God describes it? Fish, birds and land animals.
As I sit here, my pet dove is pruning her feathers and my dog is begging for the crumbs from my breakfast. I am their master. They know it and I know it. It was ordained from the beginning. As their master, it is my responsibility to make sure they’re taken care of.
God wants mankind to do that for all the animals, not just our pets. Sometimes we do well, like when we set apart nature reserves or make a species endangered. Other times we don’t do so well, like when our urban sprawl encroaches animal habitats.
How well we rule will be a testimony to God of our faithfulness to the responsibility He gave us. May each of us do our best to care and influence those in power to care more about the world of our dominion.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
To my writing group friends:
You'll be happy to hear that I actually posted on Yahoo! the review of Barcelona restaurant that I wrote at group on Monday night. Here's the link...
Yahoo! Local - Barcelona Restaurant & Bar
http://local.yahoo.com/info-15439369-barcelona-restaurant-bar-columbus
I received another e-mail encouraging me to consider turning STICK TOGETHER LIKE GLUE into a book rather than a blog series. I'm getting excited about trying to write a chapter or two and see how it goes.
Thanks for all your encouragement and for letting God work in and through your writing to bless people's lives.
You'll be happy to hear that I actually posted on Yahoo! the review of Barcelona restaurant that I wrote at group on Monday night. Here's the link...
Yahoo! Local - Barcelona Restaurant & Bar
http://local.yahoo.com/info-15439369-barcelona-restaurant-bar-columbus
I received another e-mail encouraging me to consider turning STICK TOGETHER LIKE GLUE into a book rather than a blog series. I'm getting excited about trying to write a chapter or two and see how it goes.
Thanks for all your encouragement and for letting God work in and through your writing to bless people's lives.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
LAND ANIMALS
Original Post Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25
Listen to how God categorizes this day’s creation: livestock, creatures that move along the ground and wild animals. From the very beginning, some animals were destined to be domestic. Farming and grazing were ordained before the Fall of Man.
This brings up a good question, however. We know from the biblical account of Creation and the Flood that mankind did not eat meat until after the Flood (Gen. 1:30, 9:3). If this is the case, why would God have ordained the keeping of livestock when He created animals? I believe it was for the benefit of animal byproducts. Wool, milk and horns could be utilized in various ways. Then, when an animal died, their hide could be used for clothing and their bones to fashion tools. Besides, the animal feces could be used as fertilizer to aid in growing the plants that humans did eat at the time.
The old saying, “Waste not, want not,” probably played a major role in human survival during this time. It’s too bad that we’ve lost that cultural value here in America.
And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25
Listen to how God categorizes this day’s creation: livestock, creatures that move along the ground and wild animals. From the very beginning, some animals were destined to be domestic. Farming and grazing were ordained before the Fall of Man.
This brings up a good question, however. We know from the biblical account of Creation and the Flood that mankind did not eat meat until after the Flood (Gen. 1:30, 9:3). If this is the case, why would God have ordained the keeping of livestock when He created animals? I believe it was for the benefit of animal byproducts. Wool, milk and horns could be utilized in various ways. Then, when an animal died, their hide could be used for clothing and their bones to fashion tools. Besides, the animal feces could be used as fertilizer to aid in growing the plants that humans did eat at the time.
The old saying, “Waste not, want not,” probably played a major role in human survival during this time. It’s too bad that we’ve lost that cultural value here in America.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
THE FISH AND THE BIRDS
Original Post Date: Monday, May 2, 2008
And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23
For those of us who grew up with Star Trek, space is the final frontier. Yet, our oceans are virtually unknown to us. One time, my uncle was watching a nature program on TV while I was visiting his house. They were showing some beautifully colored fish that live deep in the ocean. I commented about how cool it was that God had given the fish bright coloring even though they lived in the ocean and were never seen. My uncle replied, “I’m seeing them.”
King Solomon was renowned for his great wisdom. Scripture tells us that much of what he learned and told others was about the plants, fish, birds and reptiles (I Kings 4:33). I believe that one of the keys to understanding who God is starts with knowing His creation.
This year, I’m going to watch more nature shows. It’s hard sometimes to overlook the references to evolution on these shows, but I’ll try to approach them by asking myself what this animal or plant tells me about God.
And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23
For those of us who grew up with Star Trek, space is the final frontier. Yet, our oceans are virtually unknown to us. One time, my uncle was watching a nature program on TV while I was visiting his house. They were showing some beautifully colored fish that live deep in the ocean. I commented about how cool it was that God had given the fish bright coloring even though they lived in the ocean and were never seen. My uncle replied, “I’m seeing them.”
King Solomon was renowned for his great wisdom. Scripture tells us that much of what he learned and told others was about the plants, fish, birds and reptiles (I Kings 4:33). I believe that one of the keys to understanding who God is starts with knowing His creation.
This year, I’m going to watch more nature shows. It’s hard sometimes to overlook the references to evolution on these shows, but I’ll try to approach them by asking myself what this animal or plant tells me about God.
Monday, April 27, 2009
THE HEAVENLY BODIES
Original Post Date - Wednesday, May 28, 2008
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19
These verses have been the center of controversy for generations. The account of the creation of the sun and moon are preceded in Scripture by the creation of light. Does this mean there was another source of light?
In the Book of Revelation it says that God’s presence will be our light in the eternal Kingdom and we won’t need the sun. Could it have been that when the Spirit of God hovered over the earth that the sheer presence of the Divine brought light to the planet?
Some scholars have also argued that the sequence of Creation in Scripture doesn’t mean that the sun wasn’t created before light. Hebrew writings are often not chronological. We see this in the Gospels. Some of the gospel writers were concerned about grouping the events of Jesus’ life by topic more than in giving an accurate timeline of when things happened.
The sun, moon and stars are our constant companions. They remind us of the greatness of our God. They are essential to the balance of the earth – the sun providing light and energy and the moon providing light and the ocean tides. The stars, consequently, leave us in suspense of how great God really is.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19
These verses have been the center of controversy for generations. The account of the creation of the sun and moon are preceded in Scripture by the creation of light. Does this mean there was another source of light?
In the Book of Revelation it says that God’s presence will be our light in the eternal Kingdom and we won’t need the sun. Could it have been that when the Spirit of God hovered over the earth that the sheer presence of the Divine brought light to the planet?
Some scholars have also argued that the sequence of Creation in Scripture doesn’t mean that the sun wasn’t created before light. Hebrew writings are often not chronological. We see this in the Gospels. Some of the gospel writers were concerned about grouping the events of Jesus’ life by topic more than in giving an accurate timeline of when things happened.
The sun, moon and stars are our constant companions. They remind us of the greatness of our God. They are essential to the balance of the earth – the sun providing light and energy and the moon providing light and the ocean tides. The stars, consequently, leave us in suspense of how great God really is.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
THERE IS NO LIFE WITHOUT PLANTS
Original Post Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seeds in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plangs bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day. Genesis 1:11-13
Plants - we'd be in serious trouble without them. We eat them. They are used to build our homes. They feed our livestock. Even in the ocean and desert, they are essential to life. They had to be created before animals or the animals couldn't have survived. In one day, the earth went from a void to a beautiful garden.
Plans are very resilient. As soon as humans vacate a spot, plants grow almost immediately. They grow up through concrete, literally marking their turf. They are survivors - coming fully back to life after along winter and breaking into our water pipes when we've stolen all the ground water. They're bold - showing up when they're not wanted and stealing the show when they are wanted. Sometimes they require the help of animals to pollinate them or expand their territory, but mostly they'd be just as content if we weren't here.
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seeds in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plangs bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day. Genesis 1:11-13
Plants - we'd be in serious trouble without them. We eat them. They are used to build our homes. They feed our livestock. Even in the ocean and desert, they are essential to life. They had to be created before animals or the animals couldn't have survived. In one day, the earth went from a void to a beautiful garden.
Plans are very resilient. As soon as humans vacate a spot, plants grow almost immediately. They grow up through concrete, literally marking their turf. They are survivors - coming fully back to life after along winter and breaking into our water pipes when we've stolen all the ground water. They're bold - showing up when they're not wanted and stealing the show when they are wanted. Sometimes they require the help of animals to pollinate them or expand their territory, but mostly they'd be just as content if we weren't here.
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