ONE ANOTHER

January 1 is the signal of a new year… a new beginning. The book of Genesis is a book about beginnings. It tells of how our world came into being and why it is the way it is. Genesis 1-3 is a masterpiece, a painting, an epic story, a beautifully crafted piece of poetry. And like all good poetry, its use of words and phrases are important to the overall message.
 
If you read Genesis 1-2, there’s this phrase that is repeated over and over again in the creation story. God speaks something into existence, and it appears. God surveys His work of creation, while the following phrase is repeated over and over again: “And God saw that it was good.”

 This is the image that we are given of creation at the very beginning. Whatever God created, He saw as good. Everything was good. Everything was right. Everything was as it should be. Except one thing.

 Genesis 2:18 captures an astounding statement. In a world where everything God has created is “good,” one thing in the garden isn’t — “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Now what makes this statement so astounding is that it comes before Genesis 3. We have this image that everything before mankind’s fall into sin was perfect and the way that God wanted it to be, but apparently there was one thing that was not working so good. Aloneness is the only thing wrong in the garden. Humanity was never meant to live life alone.

 From the very beginning of creation, the portrait we see is that humanity is wired for relationship. People crave relationships. The account of Genesis 1-2 tells us why. God is a relational being, and when He created humanity in His own image, He created us as relational beings as well. A human being, out of relationship with the rest of humanity, is… well… un-human.

 According to Genesis 2:18, The LORD God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." We have a need for others. Just consider how many times God has used others in your own life, through a friend or loved one, who was “there” for you at the right moment.

 Forty-six times the New Testament reminds us of what we should be doing for “one another” – loving one another, serving one another, forgiving one another, meeting one another’s needs, bearing one another’s burdens… to mention just a few. The Scriptures from beginning to end proclaim this one fact — humanity was not meant to live life alone. This new year begin anew to live life with “one another.” We really do need each other.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Bounce Back

As a 7th grader in junior high school, I was devastated when I was cut from the starting 8th grade football team and sent to the second team.   I felt disappointed, embarrassed and dejected.   Latter that week, I spoke with my grandfather who passed on these words of wisdom, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back that matters.”   I took those words to heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:11, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” I valued his wise words and committed to doing my best for this second string team, instead of pouting and complaining over my sense of failure. I committed to working hard, giving my all to bounce back. It served me well as I entered high school and played on two state championship teams. I learned that day that what happens to me in life doesn’t count as much as how I react to those things.   I had a choice the day I was cut from the team—I could wallow in misery and quit the team, or I ...
Read more