God's First Gifts

Walking to the bus one morning (perfect way to wake up the senses) I was enjoying the mist falling around me. It was so different from the falling of rain! Instead of a thundering race of ten thousand thousands of water droplets smacking the earth, I saw a unified pace, much smaller dew-flakes falling together, gently, in a contented manner until they rested on various earth things. With that bit of heaven's touch, everything looked, seemed, smelled, alive.



I paused mid-pace to notice the sky: a perfect canvas for the painting of promise, a soft, unbroken rainbow. And I considered His perfect creation as I passed each living, blooming blossom by. Man, I wish I had some kind of camera!

• To start off with, God gave man (old Endlish for "the human race") a PLACE. He created the heavens and the earth, and designated to the man the earth. A place of light and of waters, of mountains and valleys, plants and fruits, and so much more!

• When that place was completed and God said "Let us make man in our image", He gave us a PURPOSE. A teacher of mine often said "We are the image-bearers of God Almighty." Not saying we physically look like God (but who knows, I've not seen Him yet), but our spirit is supposed to reflect Him. How? One word: love. Best Bible concordance study ever! Let us show Him for who He is, brethren (and sistren).

• Then God set out to shape Adam's BODY. Whow!! :) Now would be a good time to point out to/remind you (and myself) that God is the Maker, Sustainer, and Keeper of all the universe. HE owns your body, and YOU--you are more like it's housekeeper. Is He happy with your work? Is "your" body serving your purpose or God's? The hands, feet, muscles, skin, eyes, ears, tongue, voice, mind, etc. are the tools He gave us to serve Him with.

• "... and [God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of LIFE..." Our sustainer gives us the very breath we take for granted. Like all God's gifts, this life was not without purpose. He planted a garden, filled it with beauty and fruit. He placed within it the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He purposed to meet with His own creatures there. To walk with, talk with, and be with the man and the woman.

• To this one creature God gave DOMINION. Lordship. [From dictionary.com: –noun
  1.
  the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.] Authority over ALL other living things on the earth! "Mother nature" is the dominion of man. The human race governs this one small territory in God's universal empire. It's our responsibility.

• I find it very fitting that God's next gift was HIS OWN EXAMPLE. "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made."

• "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." So it was that God gave us WORK. Dressing and keeping that garden would be a full time job! Every tree that gave fruit or was pleasant to the eyes was there, and a river flowed through it! Now, think about something that took you a day's work to complete. Or something you worked on/at every day for weeks to get just right. Maybe a piece of art, or a skill, or a gift you made for someone. Adam had the enjoyment of working in the garden of Eden and sharing the outcome with God! That creative energy being put to use, and the pleasure of fulfilling that task, those are true gifts to us from God. What might your hobby/ies be in heaven?

• God is the first to see Adam's need for a HELP MEET. He forms all creatures and brings them before Adam, and Adam names each one. But no help meet is found. Then God takes Adam's rib and forms the female, and brings her to Adam. I can hear him under his breath, his jaw dropping, "Whoah!" So he called her woman. :) But it was this one who held his awe, the one creature beside him who could distract him from God who "helped" him into sin. How careful we must be not to trip each other in the small things! You may not directly hear God or an authority tell you not to (for example) feed the birds, but heed the conscience of your friend who read the sign posted, or else lead him astray. What a horrible misuse of relationship! Think how this applies to music, movies, clothing, activities, speech, etc. and think ahead! Think how you can help maintain a friend's higher standard or even their "ridiculous" cautiousness.

• We must never forget that God gave Adam the CHOICE: he would either obey, or disobey.

• All that was necessary to come to the next gift. For when God declared His righteous judgement on the first of the human race, He gave Adam, Eve, you, and I a PROMISE. This life will be tough, sin's consequences won't be fun, but God would take the doom of man upon Himself, living among us to die on the cross, and forever remove our sins from God's eyes. The KEY TO THE PROMISE: it is conditional. IF you call upon me, IF you follow me, IF you believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, ye shall be saved (Acts 16:31).