January 23, 2013 Genesis 1 2

1 Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. 2 God accepted our ancestors because of their faith. 3 Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen. - Heb 11:1-3 (GW)
The Amplified begins Genesis like this: In the beginning God prepared, formed, fashioned, AND created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2 is where my own heart gets excited and begins to anticipate the wonders that wait within the day. The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The spirit of God was moving, hovering, brooding over the face of the waters. The heart hears this: there was a whole lot of nothing formlessness, empty waste, darknessand YET Gods Spirit was there lingering, movinglike He was looking and waiting. And then in verse 3, He spoke. So many of us today find ourselves in just this very state of existence stuck in a whole lot of nothing our lives having no specific form, just an empty waste, in the midst of heavy, thick darkness. Be encouraged with this thought even though we cannot feel Him, even though we are completely unaware of Him, Gods Spirit is STILL there lingering, moving.waiting to speak into our dark, empty void. Whatever God speaks that is what will be. Genesis 1 2 show that our Creator is not idle, He is actively involved in every part of the process! Look at all the action found in chapter one: God said, God saw, God called, God made, He separated, approved, set and He blessed. God blessed every part of His Creation with the ability be active as well! Every thing has the ability to bring forth, yield and bear fruit make more of what it is! Everything He made has a purpose. Production, multiplication, filling, letting (allowing) are all actions of increase. God desires to see more of what He made! God desires us (every part of His creation) to be active. Activity is how we are made a part! We (humanity) are blessed to be made in Gods Image. Part of that image is having complete authority. God blessed us with all types of activity! The very first action we take when we come into this world is the action of breathing. We have been given the abilities to produce, multiply, fill, subdue and have dominion. The position of authority is NOT a position of idleness it is a position of activity! The action does NOT stop there. After God saw everything and that it was all very good, suitable, pleasant and He approved it completely God took another action: He ended His Work and He rested. When the work was done, God stopped and enjoyed all had been accomplished! This is where we would do well to follow in the One Whose Image we are made in. It is so easy for us to get caught up in doing that we just end up going through the motions of moving from one activity to the next, never taking time to enjoy any part of the process, let alone the results of the process of our labor. God not only wants us to enjoy His Creation and the activities He gives us to do but He wants us to enjoy them WITH Him, as we enjoy HIM! Hebrews 4:9 tells us that a time of rest AND worship exists for His People! Verse 11 of this same chapter encourages us to make EVERY effort to enter that place of rest that God has set for us so that no one is lost. God knows our frailties. He knows how fragile we are. He knows we are not capable of non-

stop activity. He knows, because He made us! So, His last action of making was to make a day for us to rest so that we could continue to actively produce, multiply, fill, subdue and have dominion with Him. For those who insist on being active resting is an action. Resting is the action of being; to be is to exist. Existing / Being are as foundational as breathing. They are intimately intertwined. All of our activity (even resting) is for this one purpose: We are being trained. 1 Corinthians 15:45- 49 is the Hope that we are training for. We are training to BE with Him forever! 45 this is what Scripture says: The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual does not come first, but the physical and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was made from the dust of the earth. He came from the earth. The second man came from heaven. 48 The people on earth are like the man who was made from the dust of the earth. The people in heaven are like the man who came from heaven. 49 as we have worn the likeness of the man who was made from the dust of the earth, we will also wear the likeness of the man who came from heaven. - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (GW) How does God train us? He starts by putting us in a delightful place and gives us tasks to accomplish. These tasks enable us to maintain or keep the place He puts us. Tending and Guarding are a part of maintaining. Knowing how frail and weak we are, He knows we can never maintain alone. He purposely made us like this! We are made to help each other meet the needs we are required to accomplish. We are all suitable, adapted, and made completely for this very purpose! We are not made to be isolated! We are designed to be in the beautiful relationship of partnership with God and each other.