The very first words in the Bible are: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1.1). The scriptures that follow outline in detail that he took six days to make everything, including mankind. Everyone on board so far?
You can’t help but notice that after he created Adam in his own image, the first man on the new earth, God gave him four instructions. “Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” Gen. 1.28. The verses (29-31) establish that God had given man everything he needed to live and prosper. God’s final act in creation was to bless man, and then declare that it was very good. So, God was pleased with everything he had done.
As an old Tennessee acquaintance was always saying, ‘God don’t make no mistakes!’ But it is true for sure. “His word is trustworthy and true” Rev. 22.6. This is vital as we approach a critical fact in the Psalms. “May the Lord give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth! The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man” Psa. 115.14-16. Lean into the last verse. It ties completely into Genesis 1 and the creation. Life was established on earth, and God transferred the dominion of the earth to us. Not without his help for he promised that he would never leave us nor forsake us. We are his stewards. What an unbelievable act of grace on his part.
Right out of the chute, the first creatures blew it. As we see so much in the world today, they wanted to be their own God, and they listened to the wrong voice. It is hard to imagine how we have literally and disastrously abused the gift that God gave to humankind. We are a literal mess. But the most beautiful part of this picture is that in all of our ‘messiness’, God was sending his Son to live here on earth, be crucified for our sins, raised from the dead, ascended and now is seated at the right hand of God. It took this incredible obedience and sacrifice to guarantee that God’s purpose in Genesis would be fulfilled. Jesus was in this world cleaning up our ‘messiness’.
As my friend, John Maisel, is always heard saying, ‘it’s bad, it’s gonna get worse, so go tell somebody about Jesus.’ For us who have been redeemed, born-again, we have the Holy Spirit as our ever-present help to fulfill God’s plan. You have the very presence of the Holy Spirit, who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent living within you. As we yield to him, he is going to accomplish what the Father promised. And it gets so much better. One day, in Christ, he is going to bring a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem for all who are in Christ to dwell with him for eternity. (Rev. 21) With a guarantee…no longer any ‘messiness’. Hallelujah and amen!! Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!