The Creator God revealed in the first few pages of Scripture does not merely create a wonderful garden and place two people in it to lounge around forever. He gives them work to do. First, He calls them to be fruitful and multiply (hooray for sex!). Then He gives them the task of managing the garden. All of creation was under their dominion, just as they were under God’s dominion.
Even after many millennia, this idea that humans are stewards of God’s creation has never been repealed. We should be custodians of the beauty and diversity of this earth. Those who are in a relationship with their Creator should lead the way in matters of environmental concern. Clearly, we must do this with wisdom and discernment, but do it we must.
In our work, however, we would be wise to follow God’s example of resting regularly. In the Ten Commandments given to Moses (more about that presently), God called His people to a weekly period of rest that reflected the pattern He began at creation. We are not obligated to keep the law of the Sabbath any longer, but it is still our goal to manifest an ever-increasing level of godliness in our behaviour. One godly thing we can all do is rest, whether we think we need to or not.
Because humans matter so much to our Creator, our fellow humans must also matter to those of us who seek to reflect His glory in our own lives. This may mean fighting for the rights of the unborn and the elderly. But it means much more than that. It means bringing aid to those in need — water for the thirsty, food for the hungry, companionship for the lonely. It means loving our neighbours —those on the other side of the planet, those on the other side of the street and those on the other side of the political spectrum. God not only values human life, He values human community. In our activities, we should not only champion the sanctity of life but the sanctity of fellowship as well.
There are simple things most of us can do to reflect godliness in our behaviour. For a starter (and this one is far too often neglected among Christians), married people can have sex. There, I stated the obvious! God created sex, and sex is really, really good in the proper context. Enjoy physical intimacy with your spouse as a gift from God. That’s godly behaviour.
Plant a garden or work in the yard. Physical labour is beneficial for your body, mind and spirit. It gets you in touch with the elemental qualities of life. It reminds you that one of the reasons God put you on this planet was to care for it.
Create a work of art. Paint a picture. Mould some clay. Play a song on the piano. Write a poem. God is the greatest artist in the universe, and you’ve been created in His image. Do something to reflect God’s creative spirit.
Take a nap. God put you on planet Earth and gave you work to do. That work is meaningful, but it is not the end-all-be-all of your existence. God rested. You should rest, too.
Have friends over for dinner. Enjoy their company. Build community with them. Let them know how much you value their friendship. God does not simply want a string of relationships with individuals; He wants a relationship with a people — a group that is rightly related to Him and to one another.
Do something for a stranger. Sponsor a child through Compassion International or World Vision. Plan a short-term mission trip. Volunteer in a soup kitchen. Counsel an unwed mother. Adopt a child. Do something out of your comfort zone that shows how much you agree with God that human life and human dignity are worth working to preserve.
While you’re having sex, working in the garden, creating a masterpiece, taking a nap, enjoying a great dinnertime conversation or being an activist, remember this. It’s all worship. The reason you’re able to think, speak, walk, draw, plan, rest, breathe and work is because there is a God who created you for a purpose and has called you into partnership with Him to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
If you can’t find cause to worship that Creator, you might need to start over with Monday.
Prayer
Lord, You have called me to participate in Your purposes through the work I have been given to do during my earthly sojourn. May I do my work with care and excellence in the desire to be pleasing to You. I realise that all things become spiritual when they are done in Your name. May I honour You in my choices and activities and view the works of my hands as a mode of worship. I want whatever I do in thought, word and deed to be honouring to You and edifying to others. I ask for a clearer sense of purpose and calling and for the power to accomplish that for which You have placed me on this earth.
In Jesus’s name, Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment