Genesis.
There is water.
There is darkness.
There is not light.
There is not firmament. He creates
heaven.
There is not dry land. He creates
earth.
As He creates each thing, He sees it’s
good and creates something more. He sees it’s good, and creates something more,
continuing this pattern until He ends up with light and darkness, day and
night, heaven, Earth and sea, grass, herbs that yield seeds, fruit trees from which
the fruit’s seed is in itself, the sun, moon, and stars as sources of light to
rule the day and night and give light on earth, sea creatures, every living
thing that moves in the water, and the winged birds of the sky, beasts of the
earth, cattle, and everything that creeps on the earth.
So He’s got this earth, with dry land,
with seas gathered in their place, with living things everywhere, and it’s all
pleasing to him – agreeable and excellent. “For thus says the LORD, who created
the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established
it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the
LORD, and there is no other’” (Isaiah 45:18). God did not create the world to
be formless, empty, and in a state of constant confusion, nor for vanity’s
sake. He formed the earth to be inhabited. But He had no one to tend to it, so
He made man to have dominion, setting him over the works of His hands (Hebrews
2:7) to rule and to reign (Psalm 8:6).
There it is. Case closed.
But a deeper question nags: Why did God even create earth in the
first place? He knew Adam and Eve would eat fruit from the forbidden tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. He knew man would reject Him, and sin would
eternally separate creation from Creator without a Savior. He knew He would
send His beloved Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life, die a dreadful death, and
then raise Him from the dead and seat Him at His right hand in heaven, where He
came from in the first place. And He predestined us, before the foundations of
the earth, “ to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Ephesians 1:5).
Why not just keep everything the way it was, perfectly perfect in heaven in the
first place?
I turn more dirt. Dig for clues.
Evidence.
The trail leads to glory. His glory,
as seen in Isaiah 43:7: “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created
for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."
Glory in the face of Jesus, as 2
Corinthians 4:6-5:5 explains:
For it is the God who commanded light to shine
out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not
in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always
carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to
death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we
have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed
and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that
He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will
present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread
through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet
the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things
which are not seen are eternal.
We are in these earthen vessels that
the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us; that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our body; that grace, having spread through the many,
may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God, a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory.
So it’s really all about Jesus.
“For of Him and through Him and to Him
are all things, to whom be glory forever” (Romans 11:36) All things – including
man – are of Jesus, through Jesus, and to Jesus, for His glory. Colossians 1:16-22
expounds:
For by Him all things were created that are in
heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and
for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is
the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father
that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things
to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made
peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of
His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach
in His sight.
And it’s about family.
Isaiah 64:8 says, “O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay,
and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” We are called sons:
And you have forgotten the exhortation which
speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor
be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He
chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening,
God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not
chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers,
then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers
who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be
in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days
chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers
of His holiness (Hebrews 12:5-10).
Partakers of His holiness and His inheritance. “The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if
children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17).
So it all goes back to His glory.
"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
So here we are on earth. One big happy family (or we should be),
bringing glory to God.
But why earth? Why create man in the
first place? Not to beat a dead horse, but couldn’t we glorify Him just as much
in heaven? Why can’t we be one big happy family in heaven?
That’s when I see it. And it amazes
me. The answer is in the audience.
More Thursday.
Until then, may the Lord bless you and
keep you and make His face to shine upon you as you become more wholly His.
Shauna Wallace
Holy His
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