Imitating God's Stewardship in Creation - Part One

Denise I. Griggs © 2021 

As a child, when I first heard about the Creation story from the Bible, I always thought that God first created man to help him. Was I surprised to discover that man was created last! As an adult, at times, I tried reading the Creation story again, however, it just didn’t make sense to me. Being a person always fascinated with logic and analyzing topics that interested me, still, the order of Creation didn’t add up. I couldn’t understand why certain things were created in the order of their respective days. Yet, I kept trying. Every so often, I would attempt to read it again in the hope of understanding.

It wasn’t until I became a Christian in my early 30’s, I wanted to learn everything I could to help me understand and analyze the logic of salvation. So, I attended weekly Bible study, until I heard the words, meditate on it. Asking a family member how to do this, I was randomly told – just read a chapter from the old and new Testaments and think about what it might mean and its similarities. Well, I knew just where to begin – at the beginning! So, while lying in bed, I read Genesis 1, the beginning of everything, and Matthew 1, the beginning of the birth of Jesus. Just as I was dozing off to sleep, it hit me - they were the same! The birth of the world and the birth of the physical one who created it – God in the Spirit and God in the flesh. I drifted into sleep.

Not wanting to get off track, the next night I did the same thing with Genesis 2 and Matthew 2 and noticed the similarities and differences – in Genesis 2, more is told about the development of Creation and the man's responsibilities for it. In Matthew 2, more is developed about the development of the child Jesus, and his parent's responsibilities for him. By then I knew that I was on point! So, the third night I read Genesis 3, Man, both Adam, and Eve were driven into the wilderness for their sins, and in Matthew 3, John, the Baptist, came preaching in the wilderness, telling people to repent of their sins! I immediately decided that I was going to read a chapter from the Bible every night from the Old and New Testaments to read the entire bible, no matter how long it took. Of course, there were days and nights when I would read entire chapters.

Now, if you ever want to clear a room or a lunch table, pull out your Bible and start reading it. On one occasion, an incident occurred at work at a lunch table. No one said anything to me, but I could feel the anger aimed at me. Then, when I began to laugh aloud as I read about a bunch of Hebrews who railed against Moses and their ultimate consequences. The story was all new to me! Suddenly, one person in the group, who no one messed with, yelled at me, “Why are you laughing? There’s nothing funny in the Bible!” I looked up, still laughing, and said, “you ought to read this story – it’s hilarious!” As I tried to explain it, everyone at the table got up and followed this person out of the lunchroom. I shrugged it off, but they could still hear me laughing for the next 10 minutes, but not at them, I had gone back to finish reading the story.

It finally took me three years to read the Bible in its entirety, thinking about the similarities and differences between Testaments. I also began to see how something said in the Old or New Testaments often aligned with each other. Amazing! Upon completion, I announced to my Christian family and friends that I was ready to discuss the scriptures. Those who were Christians for years said that they had never read the entire Bible. Knowing them as well as I did, it was surprising, but then, not really. It helped me to understand them and myself even more.

What I learned was that the Creation story in the Bible, in Genesis, Chapter 1:1-31, and Chapter 2:1-3 regarding completion and rest is meaningful and purposeful. There was, and still is, more to the rest of the story. The story of biblical Creation is fluid and continuous, from the beginning to this day and beyond!

Have you ever reflected on just what the Creation story really tells us other than the days in which all things were created? How much more is there to it? Why were things created in a specific order, and for what reason? Was it just for God's pleasure, for man only, or vanity? No!

From the Creation story, we discover what was created, who created it, but we also see an obvious pattern. The pattern and the order of Creation are stewardship principles with each created day. It’s not happenstance, but an intentional plan that was given by God to man, and that is to imitate Him!

The Creation story reveals, from the beginning, the God-head and Divine nature of the Father, his Holy Spirit, and his Son, in its entirety. How so? Using the King James Bible as the source for this document:

Genesis 1:1 introduces the Creator.

In the beginning God created the heaven and earth

Genesis 1:2 introduces the Holy Spirit

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters

Genesis 1:3-4 introduces the Son of God, Jesus*

And God said (spoke the words), Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

How can the assumption or verification be made that the light is Jesus, the son?

*Because this light wasn't the sun, moon, or the stars - they were created on the 4th day. Scientifically, this light/energy is still traveling at the rate of 186,000 miles per second in the vast darkness of space. 

John 8:12

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

How can the assumption or verification be made that the Word that God spoke is Jesus, the son?

John 1:1-5 states

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.*

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

What was the stewardship principle for Day One? – Giving First

I WAS HOOKED!