Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Why from dust?

A while ago I heard someone say, ( I think it was Bishop Jakes ) Genesis chapters 1 and 2 is God's vision, his original intent for creation. It was found here just how God intended things to be. And that Genesis chapter 3 through Revelation was God's way of getting us back to Chapters 1 and 2. This explains the relation or connection if you will, found between Genesis (the book of creation) and the rest of the Bible. Whenever I get stuck as to why things are, God leads me back to Genesis. As if to say we gotta go back to the beginning. Ok, so as the subject asks why did God create man from the dust of the ground. As I sit here at Denny's on a Wednesday night after a powerful Bible study teaching on forgiveness, I will share what God has shown me in regards to this matter. Bare with me because even as I type His progressive revelation is amazing. I was following along in the responsive reading one Sunday morning when something I had read over for years jumped up and slapped me across the face. Genesis 2:4-5,74. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Wow, all this time I missed this. God created man from the dust..... The ittie, bittie particles of matter that once gathered and put together formed the ground. Kinda puts you in mind of a puzzle. This made me look at how God uses life to shape us into who we become. The trials, tribulations, storms, incidents, lessons, tests, and everything else (dust particles, puzzle pieces) in our life work together to form us into the man or woman we become in Christ (ground). The funny thing about dust is that it is complete yet still only a part of something bigger. Much like a bread crumb, it is everything that the whole loaf is, yet only just a piece. If it be the responsibility of a loaf to feed a family, a crumb won't do it. It has to join the rest of the loaf to accomplish its objective. (Wow, that last statement can go so many different directions) God allows us to feel pain so that we may grow closer to Him. Thus gathering yet one more particle of dust and using it to form ground. Psalm 119:25,71 supports this,25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust:quicken thou me according to thy word.71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. However, God also allows us to see pleasure for the very same reason. Ok, so now that we understand what this dust is. Let's go into the why of it all. Eden is Kingdom. The garden of Eden can represent the Kingdom of God. Many churches across the globe talk about Kingdom building. God took this dust and made man (ground), for a reason. There is a purpose for our existence. As wonderful as we are, He didn't just create us because he thought we would be nice to look at. Let's go back to Genesis 2. Look at verse 5. The last part of that said, "and there was no man to til the ground". Wait, so is this saying that God braught me from the dust so that I can go play in the dirt. Well, in a way He did. See God never intended for us to forget where we came from. We go through the ups and downs, the in and outs of life (dust) so that we can go right back and teach the world how we got through. The Apostle Paul confirms this in his letter to the church at Corinth. 2Corinthians 1:3-7. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5. For as the sufferins of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 6. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. And for this reason even though sometimes it hurts more than I think I can handle like Paul I glory in tribulation. And like James I count it all Joy. The breath that God breathed into Adam's nostrils was a creative breath. He gave us creative power. The ability to produce something. The creative breath gives us what we need to impact the world. It gives us the key needed to tap into a new deminsion. This breath filled Adam. Sounds like Holy Ghost to me. Much like what happened on the day of pentecost. In Acts chapter 2 The deciples were able to communicate with those whom they normally would not have. They had the ability to tap into a rhelm that was previously unreachable. The bible says that day the church grew by 3000 souls. But check out verse 38. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin , and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Looks like productivity to me. Alright real quick let's go back to Genesis. These people are starting to look at me all kind of funny like. I've been here about 2 hours. This is my favorite part. It proves the sovereignty of God. It illustrates his all knowingness (is that a word). Prior to God creating man he knew why he wanted to. He knew what man's purpose would be. Look at Genesis 2:5 again. "And there was no man to til the ground". He knew what he wanted the creation that he had not yet created to do. Jeremiah 1:5 confirms this. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I santified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Even more confirmation is found in Jeremiah 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you and expected end. I don't know about you but I can't help but love a God who thought enough about me to create you. But that's not where the story ends Isaiah 53:3-53. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath bourne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Dust) 5. But he was wounded (dust) for our transgressions (dust), he was bruised (dust) for our iniquities (dust): the chastisement (dust) of our peace was upon him (dust): and with his stripes (dust) we are healed. (Ground)

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