Partnership

Readings for today: Genesis 17-19

God wants a relationship. This is the basic, fundamental truth that runs throughout the Bible. He loves us the creature He made in His own image and His desire is to partner with this creature to care for all creation. Relationships of love cannot be coerced. They must be chosen. So throughout the Bible humanity is faced with a choice. Will they embrace a relationship with God or will they go their own way? Will they love this God in return or will they keep their love to themselves? Will they partner with this God and fulfill the creation mandate they were given or will they reject His offer of partnership and instead exploit creation for their own purposes? A lot rides on the choices we make. God holds us responsible for our decisions. Because we are given “agency” or free will, we must accept the consequences of that freedom. When we are faithful, the consequences are good. When we are the faithless, the consequences can be terrible.

Consider what takes place in our story today. God appears to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre. Abraham and Sarah welcome Him in true Middle Eastern style. They prepare a meal. They welcome Him to their table. They feast and fellowship with Him. When it’s time for God to leave, Abraham escorted Him from the camp. Along the way, God makes this amazing statement, “Shall I keep back from Abraham what I’m about to do? Abraham is going to become a large and strong nation; all the nations of the world are going to find themselves blessed through him. Yes, I’ve settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God’s way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him.” (Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭MSG) Here we have a window into how God sees His relationship with Abraham. It’s clear He wants a partner in Abraham. He wants someone He can work with for the good of the world. In order for Abraham to be a partner, God has to let him in on His plans.

What a contrast to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah! The brief picture we get shows a city full of horrific violence. They violate the sacred laws of hospitality that govern that part of the world to this day. Visitors to their cities are not safe. They are subjected to all kinds of violence, some of it sexual. We also know from Ezekiel 16 that these cities were filled with pride and arrogance, greed and selfishness, injustice and oppression, as well as “all manner of detestable things.” When God shows up in Sodom, He is attacked rather than welcomed. The people there have clearly rejected any offer of partnership and instead seem hell-bent on destroying all God has made. Things are so bad that God can’t even find ten righteous people. Not even among Lot’s own family.

God loves creation. He loves everything He has made. As such, He hates to see it corrupted. Hates to see it exploited. Hates to see what happens when evil seemingly runs wild. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah made their choice. They used their God-given freedom for selfish, violent, and horrific ends. God cannot allow such injustice to stand so He judges the cities. He literally rains down fire as an act of purifying judgment to cleanse the earth of their sin. It’s terrifying. Lot and his daughters are the only survivors, fleeing to a nearby city that is spared. Lot’s wife makes her choice by looking back with longing on the life they once led and is turned into a pillar of salt. The message seems clear. God will not compromise with human sin. When we reject our partnership with Him, the impact on our lives and the lives of those we love is dreadful.

It’s a sobering read. It’s one of the the things I appreciate most about the Bible. It reveals God in all His holiness and majesty and glory and it reveals humanity in all her corruption and sin and tendency for evil. It forces us to reflect on how far we have fallen and how much we need a Savior. Someone who will deliver us from the eternal consequences of our decisions. Spend some time today taking an honest inventory of your thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the depths of your sin and then let Him lead you to a deeper and greater and fuller appreciation of God’s grace and forgiveness revealed in Christ on the cross. Thanks be to God that the wrath He poured out on Sodom was poured out on His Son so we could be saved!

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 20-23

Renewing the Call

Readings for today: Genesis 8-9, Psalms 12

We aren’t even nine chapters into the Bible and already humanity is a train wreck. Violence. Oppression. Brutality. Their evil is so great that God regrets having made them in the first place. Take a moment and imagine the grief of God? Imagine His disappointment at what the creature made in His own image has become? Imagine the heartbreak of God as He realizes humanity has reached a point of no return? The future of creation itself is at stake unless God acts. So God takes the extraordinary step of flooding the earth. Now whether the flood truly covered the entire earth or was localized to the area where humanity lived at the time is immaterial. The point here is the evil of humanity was so great that God’s justice required Him to give them the death penalty. It’s a stark reminder of how deep our sin runs.

Thankfully, all is not lost. Noah and his family find favor with God and are saved. They are delivered from the flood and, in turn, become deliverers themselves. Through their faithfulness, many species of animals and birds are saved. And once the floodwaters recede, they are able to repopulate the earth. It’s an act of re-creation. God has remade the earth. By sending the flood, the earth became “formless and void” once again while the Spirit of God “hovered over the face of the waters.” Once the waters evaporate and Noah disembarks, he is greeted with a new kind of Eden. An earth that has been profoundly reshaped. And once again, God renews the original mandate He gave to Adam. “God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You’re responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don’t eat that.” (Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭MSG)

God has called us to be stewards of all He has made. There is no “Plan B.” There is no backup if we should fail. God has determined to work in us and through us to cultivate and nourish creation. He has determined to work in us and through us to bring about His plan of salvation. He has determined to work in us and through us to bring blessing and peace upon the earth. We are responsible. Like it or not, we hold dominion and authority over all God has made. And God will hold us accountable for how we exercise such authority. Will we be tyrants? Oppressors? Exploiting others for personal gain? Or will we be servants? Liberators? Caring for and sharing the resources God has given us so all might flourish and thrive?

This is our challenge, friends. How will others experience you today? How will you steward the resources God has given you? Resources of time, talent, and treasure? Will you work today for your own gain or for the gain of others? Will you seek today your own good or the good of others? Will you resist the temptation to tear others down and instead do your best to build them up? Will you be an encourager? A man or woman of blessing? Someone who is generous and kind and gentle? Will you lift up those who have fallen? Pray for those who are hurting? Help bear the burdens of those who are struggling? Every day we have opportunities. Every day we make choices. Every day we have the chance to fulfill the mandate God has given us and help make the world a better place.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 10-11

The Fall

Readings for today: Genesis 3-5

Like us, the ancients often wondered why the world is the way that it is. Why is the world so harsh and unyielding? Why is humanity so brutal and prone to violence? Why does evil exist? Why do people die? Why is there suffering and pain? These are existential questions that have haunted the human race from the beginning. Remember, God is speaking to a people who live in the Ancient Near East. He is speaking to people who already have a worldview. People who already have a fully formed set of beliefs about the world around them. He is reshaping their worldview. Revealing to them the truth of how things came into existence and why things are the way that they are. Through the author of Genesis - traditionally Moses - He is letting them in on the truth of human existence and helping them understand their role in the creative order.

So back to those persistent questions…why does evil exist? Why is there pain and suffering? Why do people die? Why is life in this world so hard? God’s answer is clear. The fault lies with humanity. We were given charge over all of creation. We were set in a Garden to work and to cultivate it alongside our Creator. Because God wanted a partner, not a slave, we were given free will which means we had the very real choice to continue working in God’s paradise or seek to remake the world according to our design. Tragically, we chose the latter. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve labored in the Garden, naked and unashamed. We don’t know how many millennia passed with them working side by side in perfect communion with God. We only know that one day it all came to an end. They began to covet the forbidden fruit. Whether the serpent was real or simply a metaphor for the devil, we do know they gave into temptation. They saw the fruit was good. They crossed the boundary God had set. They rejected His law and aspired to a role not their own. They wanted to be like God so like God they became. The problem, of course, is human beings do not have the power of God or the heart of God or the wisdom of God which turned us into tyrants. We began to oppress each other…the woman longing for the man and the man lording it over her. We began to oppress creation…the land itself refusing to produce for us as we exploited it. Conflict. Violence. Brokenness. All these things entered the world as a result of our decision and we’ve been suffering the consequences ever since.

The Bible forces us to confront our deepest, truest nature. We are sinners to the core. Corrupt and depraved. We covet. We get angry. We lash out at those we love. We even resort to violence in order to get our way. Most of all, we want to be like God. We want to be independent and free but we do not have the ability to use our freedom for godly purposes. Because of sin, our freedom gets twisted into selfishness, greed, narcissistic tendencies, pursuit of pleasure, and so many other proclivities that are not healthy nor good. The choices we make don’t just impact us either. They impact those who live with us and around us. They impact the world in which we live. The earth, the sea, the climate, and all manner of living things. Why? Because God never revokes His mandate. He never removes us from our divinely ordained role in the created order. Despite our sin, we remain stewards for good or for ill and God continues to pursue a partnership with us. It’s amazing when you stop to think about it. God could just as easily wiped us out and started all over but instead He chooses to persevere in chasing after us, not wishing any to perish but all to return to a relationship with Him. This is the heart of the gospel, of course, and it is why God will send us His Son.

So take a moment and consider your life today. Think about the people you will meet. The choices you will make. Where you will spend your time and energy and resources. Are you living your life in partnership with God or are you still trying to be your own god? Are you making decisions with His purposes in mind or are you doing what’s best for you? Are you cultivating and caring for all God has placed under your authority or are you using and exploiting these things for your own ends? Take these questions to prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to better align your life with God today.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 6-7

Tikkun Olam

Readings for today: John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, 104

My Jewish friends have this saying, “Tikkun olam.” Literally, it means “repair of the world” and it reflects the responsibility Jewish people feel for all of God’s creation. They believe they are responsible not just for themselves but for their neighbors and for society at large. They seek the good of those around them as well as creation itself. They long for renewal and restoration spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially. For them, “repair” comes as God’s heart is reflected in the people, policies, and politics of our world and they dedicate their lives and resources towards this great end. Why do they feel so strongly about this principle? Where does such an idea come from?

Psalm 8:5-9. “We’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us stewards of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.” (MSG) It’s a restatement of the creation mandate given to us in Genesis 1:26-28. “God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” (MSG)

There’s just no getting around it. We are responsible for the world God has made. We are called to be stewards over all of creation. We are commanded to care for and cultivate creation. We are to work in such a way that creation flourishes and thrives. We are not to use it for our own purposes. We are not to exploit it for our own ends. We are not to consume it to feed our insatiable appetites. We are to dedicate our lives to bring repair, renewal, and restoration. We are to help heal the ravages of sin and death. We are to make whole that which was broken. This is not just our temporal calling but our eternal calling as well. This is the work we will engage in once Jesus returns!

Every day is another chance for tikkun olam. Every conversation. Every interaction. Every decision. Every action or inaction. All carry significant, even eternal weight. Imagine what could break loose in your life if tikkun olam were your daily goal? Imagine how it would change your relationships? Imagine how it would change the way you see your work? Imagine how it would change your perspective on the challenges you face? Ultimately, tikkun olam is an invitation to join God in His work of renewal and restoration. It’s an invitation to partner with Him to care for all He has made including those you love and live among. Why don’t you join Him today?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 3-5