Let There Be Life...

On the fifth day of creation God created the fish and the birds. "And God said, 'Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind'" (Genesis 1:20). And so the earth finally contained life. Scientists occasionally discover a new species of bird or a new form of life in the oceans that was previously unknown. All of these "unknown"as well as the "known" lifeforms were created and declared to be good on the fifth day. Isn't it amazing how creative our Father was in dreaming up the various sea creatures? I love to go to big aquariums and watch the amazing diversity and creativity of God at work. The ocean is a world of its own--a world by the way that we have yet to fully explore. With that in mind, I want to use the fifth day of creation as day in which to stand in awe of God's gift of life. Today I will attempt to slow down and take the time to appreciate the diversity of life. I'll watch the birds...I'll gaze at the fish...I'll be impressed with all of the crazy-looking people and their pets. In Genesis 1:26, God gives man the responsibility to govern these living creations. "They (people) will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals (NLT). So, my fifth day needs to also include an awareness and practice of good stewardship of God's created life-forms. Let there be life...

Let There Be Lights...

The fourth day of creation saw the creation of the "bright lights"--the sun, the stars, and the planets.

"Lights" are separate and unique from "light". The light was created on the first day--the lights are created on the fourth day. I know--you thought that light came from the Sun. Well it does--but before there was a Sun--there was light!

"And God said, 'Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. Let their light shine down upon the earth.' And so it was" (Genesis 1:14-15).

According to the text, the "bright lights" do three things: 1) they separate, 2) they are signs, and 3) they shine light upon the earth.

From the earliest days, the stars have been used as navigational aids in order to help us find our way. A clear example of this is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew's gospel. "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him'" (Matthew 2:2). According to their testimony, the magi found the Messiah by following a star.

I want to use this fourth day of creation as a call to look for God's activity and to discover His vision. I want to be aware of this particular season in my life. I want to notice the signs and walk in the light as He is in the light. Today I will be looking for the "bright lights". I will be searching for signs that will lead me to the activity of God--the very presence of God.

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall" (Malachi 4:2). I'll be looking today for the rising of the Sun of Righteousness--healing wings and all. I plan to do some leaping...

Let There Be Land...

"And God said, 'Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear.' And so it was. God named the dry ground 'land' and the water 'seas.' And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed- bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees form which they came" (Genesis 1:9-11, NLT).

This third day of creation (my Wednesday) is about the creation of land and the plants and trees that it produces. Jesus himself uses "land" as a metaphor for the human heart. Let's go with that idea today. Jesus tells a story in Luke 8:4-11 in which a farmer sows seed. This seed falls on land that is in a variety of conditions. Some is hard, some is filled with thorns, some is shallow, and some is good. Of course, only the land that is good ultimately produces a crop. Jesus lets us in on the secret meaning of the story when he says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by perservering produce a crop" (Luke 8:15, NIV). The land is the human heart and the seed is the Word of God. My aim today is to have a "noble and good heart" in which the seed of the Word may be planted and then grow. It's not my aim to make it grow--only God can do that. Jesus says in another place that a man scatters seed on the ground and then, "Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head" (Mark 4:26-29, NIV). As I go throughout my day, I want to be aware of the condition of my heart and to be quick to allow the hard, dry, and dusty places to become broken up and then watered by the Holy Spirit's living water. May may life then become a bumper crop in the midst of the world's famine.

Let There Be Limits...

"And God said, 'Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water.' And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. And God called the space 'sky.' This happened on the second day" (Genesis 1:6-8).

I have always had a hard time with boundaries--perhaps we all do to some extent. I tend to want to go where I'm not supposed to go. I'm kind of rebellious that way. I serve our local police department as a chaplain and the funnest part of the role is being able to get through a police barricade by showing my credentials--it just feels important. There is a second type of boundary though that is perhaps equally important in our lives. These are the boundaries that we use to protect ourselves from the potential abuses of others. I don't respect these personal boundaries very well. As a recovering "people-pleaser", I tend to naturally let others abuse my time and my talent. I don't respect myself enough to draw clear boundaries and to enforce them. But I'm learning.

God created some boundaries on the second day to make some space called sky. The sky is good because it contains the oxygen that we need to breath and it allows us the room to grow and thrive. My Tuesday's this year will be all about discovering and maintaining healthy boundaries so that I can breathe and grow. These aren't rules but rather guiding lights that will hopefully keep me honoring God by accomplishing the things that He has placed before me to do without being distracted by the tyranny of the expectations of others. Perhaps you would join me in my quest for boundaries by examing your own life today. May we all learn to do exactly what God has for each and everyone of us--nothing more--nothing less!

Let There Be Light...

On the first day of this new year (last Thursday), I studied the work of God's creation found in Genesis 1. The thought occurred to me that perhaps the work of creation could be applied to my own work week. And so, this week I am making that application.

For the first day of creation (my Monday) I am using "light" as a metaphor for knowledge and understanding. I will attempt to spend the day learning. I don't believe in coincidence and so I will be looking for God's fingerprints and listening for God's still small voice in every detail of the day's activities. Every person I meet and everything I read will be considered a message from God.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light'" (Genesis 1:1-3, NLT). May God do His work of creation, beginning in my heart this morning, and extending into my whole day. May the Holy Spirit hover over my darkness, my emptiness, my formlessness. "Let there be light!"

It has been my habit for several years to take a name for God (there are many lists available) and to meditate on that name as a portion of my prayer of praise. Uniquely enough the name for God today (sequentially from my list) is "He Who Reveals His Thoughts to Man" (Amos 4:13). "Let there be light!"

Those of you who know me well are also aware of a prayer system that I use that assigns different types of prayer to eleven bead--each bearing a different color. The first bead that I pulled this morning was the black bead which symbolizes darkness and my need for understanding. The black bead calls me into prayer and meditation by asking God for understanding about all that is presently occurring in my life (the known and unknown). It's a chance to ask God about decisions that I need to make and then to wait and listen for the answer. The second bead that I pulled was--you can perhaps guess--yep--the black bead again. "Let there be light!"

While I was writing these thoughts into my journal a little bit earlier, a particularly relevant song began to play on my sound system. Again, those who know me, know that I have music playing all day long in my office. The song was, "Open the Eyes of My Heart" I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the gracious goodness of our Lord's affirmation. "Let there be light!"