The Real Order of Life for Everyone
9 MINUTE READ
Stephanie Chizoba Odili
August 9, 2024
Share :
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1 KJV
In studying Genesis chapter one, I noticed that there is an order of life, or perhaps a format for which all things are and become.
Step One
First, God created.
And His creation was beautiful in how it showed the core fundamentals of humanity. He created the earth, a place where we can exist, live and thrive. Then he created light to figuratively let us know what is good and what is bad. After we are born, isn't it amazing that we also begin to form our moral compasses?
He created the sky and water which were separated, teaching us the importance of boundaries and the balance in sustaining life. Then, He created land and vegetation; necessary for sustaining life on earth.
Following that, God created the heavenly elements (the sun, moon, and stars) to govern and give us the day and night lights, also helping us mark seasons and time. Isn't this how we measure the order and timing of life?
Our Father then created the sea creatures and birds filling the waters and skies with life to inhabit their environment. What an intentional, diversified interconnectedness of all living beings. What dependency on the Creator for sustenance.
It is so interesting that God creates the places and the elements the creatures need to survive in it before the creatures themselves. (Likewise, I believe a husband should create the place and the elements for survival before bringing in his wife. Same as parents before having children).
We see God finally bringing other creations - land animals and humans (male and female in His own image) to life. This crowning act of creation elevates humanity to a unique position among all creatures, endowed with rationality, creativity, and moral responsibility. We are the only creatures who will replicate after our Creator’s decree.
Step Two
Then God reflected.
After each stage of creation, there is a refrain that highlights God's reflection on what He created. This refrain typically follows the pattern: "And God saw that it was good".
God reflected with His eyes as much as with His mind. Each time God observed His creation, it demonstrated an active engagement and evaluation of His creative work. I can see His active involvement, affirmation of value, appreciation of diversity, establishment of order, and foreshadowing of redemption.
He saw and considered everything He created as “good”. Even when He saw something (not a creation- but a system of relationship and companionship) that was not good, He created the woman THEN considered all things “very good”, “perfect”- which means to be fully developed, lacking nothing, complete.
Why do we continue to admit and profess the opposite?
We profess the opposite when we claim there are more than two genders. We promote the opposite when man and woman are constantly at war with each other.
We claim the opposite when we allow injustice and inequality, when we serve other gods but the one True God and Creator.
We go against His perfect plan when we become estranged from God and destroy the earth and lives He created.
We go away from His original plan and wonder why all things are not as they ought to be?
Thankfully, the Christian faith teaches us that God continues to be actively involved in the world, having redeemed and reconciled all things to Himself through the ultimate restoration promised in Christ. You just have to accept and believe it.
Now, back to the creation in relation to work. When you work do you like what you see? Do you need to develop your skills and talent? Do you need to update a system or product? What is that good thing about your work? What is not good and needs adjustment? Do you value your work and care for it? Do you reflect on what you see and know?
Step Three
After that, God allocated and delegated.
To the man:
God assigning work and delegating the care of creation to Adam as seen in Genesis 2:15 (NIV), emphasises that work is not just a means of sustenance but an essential aspect of human identity and fulfilment. By entrusting Adam with the task of caring for the Garden, God shows He is the one who purposes our existence, creates work for us to do, leads us there and expects us to do it.
What are you finding your hands to do? Are you creating? Are you being idle? Are you working but doing the bare minimum? Are you valuing the work He assigned to you? Are you being led to the work He wants you to do? Is your work in alignment or contradiction to His will? Unless He has asked you specifically to leave your work, God uses our labour to teach us stewardship and creativity.
When we cooperate with God in cultivating and sustaining the world, we understand and recognise the importance of work as a sacred calling, a means of contributing to the world and in a way, fulfilling our role in God's redemptive plan for humanity.
To humankind:
God says in Genesis 1:28 (NIV) "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."
This points out God's trust in us humans to participate in the ongoing work of creation, exercising stewardship over the earth and its resources. By entrusting humankind with the responsibility to care for and cultivate the earth, God grants purpose, dignity, and significance to human labour, inviting us to collaborate with Him in the unfolding of His divine plan for creation.
He also blesses our bodies to replicate humanity, in His image and His likeness to also serve, obey, create and dominate. Are you among those obeying this mandate?
Step Four
God rested.
This concept of God resting is often misunderstood as God needing to recover from fatigue or exertion. However, the rest of God in this context primarily signifies completion, satisfaction, and the establishment of a pattern for human life.
Hence, those rest days are to be kept for the Lord as remembrance and seen as holy. And to be holy in this Biblical context means to be “set apart”, to be “preserved and revered”, to be “whole”. Those rest days you take are supposed to be God’s day. Use it to remind yourself that God created everything and God was satisfied in His complete work.
God in Jesus died for me to redeem me from sin and was satisfied in His complete work. God has blessed me and is satisfied in His complete work of my life. So, we gather in churches and in our homes to keep it holy by keeping it for God. It's not the time to keep working, or to neglect the family He gave you, or to be found doing things that are not priority, pleasing or mindful of His completion. Rest. Rest please; physically and spiritually, it is good, and it is Godly.
***
This order or steps of creation reveals God's wisdom, purpose, and sovereignty in designing the world and its inhabitants. It serves as a model for us humans, emphasising the themes of stewardship, creativity, diversity, and the oneness of all living beings.
As stewards of creation, we are called to recognise our place within the natural order, honour God as the Creator, and fulfil our role in cultivating and preserving the earth. At least, until Jesus comes again.
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel and checkout my playlist for daily prayers.
See you next week by His grace!