Series: Blessed Be
Psalm 112:6 ESV
Romans 3:23-24 ESV
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 ESV
I John 4:7-10 ESV
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
Genesis 1 God created; Day 1, Light; Day 2, Expanse separated Waters with Heaven and water under heaven and Earth with vegetation; Day 3; Day and Night with Sun, Moon, Stars, Day 4; Birds and Sea Creatures, Day 5; Animals and Man, Day 6
Genesis 2:15 ESV
Psalm 24:1 ESV
Right is always right, right?
I mean Psalm 112:6 tells us, “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.”
This psalm verse might make us wonder, what IS righteousness? First, understand we aren’t looking at a world view of righteous, we are looking at righteousness through the lens of God and creation. In that sense righteous is a person who is living in “right” relationship with God, our fellow man, and creation.
First we need to establish that we are not perfect. Scripture tells us, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23-24).
So since we are not looking for absolute perfection from a human standpoint, what are we looking for?
Simple put (very simplified) we are looking at what it would look like for man to desire to live in right relationship with God and God’s creation.
Once again, from a practical standpoint what is a right relationship with God?
Let’s say it’s someone who is in God, who loves God, and who genuinely tries to seek God in life.
Being a new creation in and through God is from the standpoint of 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We become new. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Being a new creation from love that comes from God, is explained in I John 4:7-10, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Being a new creation from God we learn from 2 Timothy 1:7, “God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
In each case we did not create or attain reconciliation, love, power, and self-control. God gives those to us when we turn to God.
Next, that person seeks to live in right relationship with fellow man.
In my estimation this is the hard part.
Does that include fellow believers?
Does it also include others who do not believe? Loving others who do not turn to God can be difficult but we must remember that those who do not believe may not come to a point of belief unless they see a difference in those who do believe. We need to let them see Christ IN us.
Lastly, the person who seeks righteousness will desire to live in right relationship with creation.
So, what might that look like?
Understand that for our purposes this is not a book. Volumes could be written on man’s relationship with creation. For our purposes we are exploring a high level view of man in creation.
Having said that, what would it look like for a man/woman who seeks to be in a good relationship with the earth? It might be something as simple as not throwing trash on the highway or as complex as caring about legislation that relates to caring for the planet earth.
What would it look like for a man/woman who seeks to be in a good relationship with animals? Once again caring for animals can be your dog or cat, or it can be supporting (maybe by not interfering with) animals in the wild.
Finally, when considering what it might look like for man to seek to be in a good relationship with creation we can look at scripture. In Genesis 1 we are told that God created sky, God created land and plants, God created sun, moon, and stars, God created water and sky animals and God created land animals (which included people).
Everywhere we look outside we see evidence of God’s creation.
God made it beautiful for us to enjoy. Our responsibility is to keep it beautiful.
Thankfully, while we may try we cannot succeed all on our own. In addition to that, God made a way that we do not need to do it on our own.
God blessed creation and continues to bless creation.
God created a world that will sustain itself if we respect that.
We re told in Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
We are reminded in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”
God created and blessed it. God created man to enjoy and care for it.
We need to be mindful of the blessing.
Spiritual Practice: Prayer Walk
Go for a prayer walk. Pray for creation you See and be blessed by the gift of creation.
In God, Deborah
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