Beginnings: Created by God and for GodSample

Life is hard! But it is even harder when you try to do it alone. People were meant to live in relationship with one another. Regardless of how independent or self-sufficient you are, the reality is that you need other people in your life. I couldn’t fathom life without people around me. First and foremost, my family are my immediate community. My wife is my partner in ministry and life, and we spur each other on to become all that God intended for us. Second, my church family has my back. I know they will be there through the mountaintops and valleys of life. Finally, my neighbors (many of whom are a part of our church) are a constant source of encouragement and a joy to do life with. We were made for friendship and companionship. All our lives are a reflection of the community around us. Family and friends shape every aspect of our being. The imprint of our parents, teachers, pastors, friends, children, grandchildren, coworkers, and spouses can be found in all of us. God, in his grace, has recognized this from the beginning. In the very opening pages of Scripture, the truth that humans were not supposed to do life alone is front and center, as we read in the following passage: > The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” > Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. > But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. > The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man. > That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. > Genesis 18:18-24 Adam was given Eve to help him accomplish his mission in the world. But there’s more than merely a functional relationship at play in this chapter of Genesis. God sees there is a problem with the good world he made—that something is not right. Adam is alone. Adam is not the one to point this out to God. We don’t read about him walking through the garden begging God for a wife. Rather, God sees it is not good for Adam to be alone, so he gives Adam a gift to address this void. The woman is literally bone of Adam’s bones and flesh of his flesh, which is a picture of the relational oneness that God intended for the first couple. They are one-flesh—an intentional model of intimate relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From that time forward, God intended for a husband and wife to leave their families of origin and be united to one another in permanent oneness. Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, points to marriage as a picture of the way God loves His church. Everything about the marriage relationship is meant to show the world the love of God. In reality, all of our community-building attempts are messy and imperfect. There are no perfect churches, just like there are no perfect marriages, workplaces, or neighborhoods. The impact of the Fall on all of humanity is evidenced all around us. This is why life is hard. Because of sin, our human attempts at building relationships will always lead to dead ends. The good news, however, is that we can live our lives through Jesus’ power. Our ability to be in community is not dependent on our own strength but rather is made possible because of Jesus’ work on the cross. Scripture says that through Christ we are being reconciled to each other (see 2 Corinthians 5:18). He gives us the ministry of reconciliation to act as agents of restoration in our community. Without grace, building and maintaining relationships would be impossible—and grace is impossible without Jesus. Paul instructed the church in Philippi, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3–4). Fighting for healthy relationships with others is not as easy as it seems, and it is impossible without Jesus. We need to continually look to him for our example as we seek to live our lives in community. Respond Do you live your life in community? Explain. How did God lead you to this community? Describe his role in your community. Prayer Heavenly Father, I am so blessed by you. Thank you for placing people in my life who know you and people who need to know you. Give me a heart for community. These six daily devotions are based on the Beginnings: The Story of How All Things Were Created by God and for God Bible study guide.