While preparing for our VBS, a new concept in the creation story stood out to me: God infused His personality into His creation as he built our world. I think we should do the same.
Creative Like Him
God specifically states that He created man differently than the other creatures. He created man patterned after Himself:
Genesis 1:26a And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
In fact, He not only states that one time but two:
Genesis 1:27b So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
So, we are like God. We can love. We have sorrow. We experience anger. But, as God says this, He is in the midst of creating. It only stands to reason that one of the ways God created us was to be creative. I think as you follow the Bible through, you’ll find that God isn’t just tangibly creative. Look at His plan of salvation. Look at the way that He used other nations to judge Israel and bring them back to Him. He finds creative solutions to all of our problems.
God’s Personality
This is from Answer’s in Genesis’ “IncrediWork Amazement Park” VBS Teacher’s Guide:
And it was very good. His creation was a reflection of Himself, of His good nature. It was full of His characteristics — life, love, peace, joy.
I hadn’t thought about it, but God did infuse His personality into what He created. I mean He made it uniquely His. So, that is why God can say that creation declares Himself to us:
Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Is it possible to show God in our lives by allowing Him to shine in our creativity? Again, I think it’s both in the way we create things such as building a shed or the way we creatively solve problems like the way we talk to people.
How it Shows
I spent just a little bit of time exploring some of those characteristics that you can see in God’s creation.
Life: What’s more obvious through the creation story than life? Genesis 1:20 says, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life”. To Adam and Eve, God said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” in Genesis 1:28. Not only did God create life and create it so that it would grow and multiply, but He also provided food so that it could continue and flourish: “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 2:9). Then, throughout the Bible, God talks about giving eternal life, such as in John 17:2, ” As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
Love: The way God provided everything we could ever think of shows His love in my eyes. He created plants for food, provided both the sun and the moon for light, and built an underground watering system for plants. God created the husband, wife relationship glued together with love. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). We cannot deny God’s characteristic of love throughout the rest of the Bible: “I John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
Peace: You could probably sum up peace with these phrases, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”. In God’s initial creation, you would find no death. God didn’t even create rain: “for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, (Genesis 2:5)”. Instead, he provided a watering system that came from the ground: “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” As a result, that first world couldn’t have even had thunderstorms.
Order: God took it from a state of disorder and created something well-designed and in perfect order. “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.” You can’t help but look at creation and see how everything works together and is properly designed. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (I Corinthians 14:33)”
Involvement/Teaching: God didn’t just create the world and walk away. He wanted to be involved in it. He also didn’t create Adam with complete knowledge. I think He wanted to spend time teaching and showing Adam things. That’s most evidenced by the way that God created Eve: he took Adam through naming the animals to show him that he needed a companion. Throughout the Bible you can see how God is involved and directing His creation.
Perfection: By my count, I see that God said it was “good” seven times through chapter 1. Originally, God’s creation had no sin nor imperfection. I think this goes along with the rest of the Bible that says God is holy, holy, holy.
Beauty: God created the perfect garden for Adam and Eve’s home. I can only imagine how beautiful it was. The Bible mentions that God created trees that were pretty before the ones for food: “made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 2:9) I also noticed the precious stones and the rivers that Genesis 2 describes.
Let Your Light Shine
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to “let our light shine” through the things that we do.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I think one of the ways that we can let our light shine so that others can see Jesus in our lives is to use our talents and be creative like God is. Our personality should show through the creative solutions we come up with and the things we design and build. With God’s help, people can step back and look at our work and lives and say “it is good, He has something special in his life”.
I pray that others would see that in me!
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