Saturday in the Word | On the Sixth Day

Welcome to Saturday in the Word, my friend. I enjoy starting my Saturday mornings with a hot cup of my favorite coffee (French Roast these days) and soaking in God’s word. Being that we just turned the page on 2021 and started a new year, I determined that in 2022 I would once again read through the Bible in one year.

After doing some research and exploring different reading plans (there is an embarrassing abundance of them), I landed on the ESV One Year Bible plan offered through my YouVersion Bible app (whatever did we do when we didn’t have an app for that?).

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31 (English Standard Version)

On the sixth day, after He had finished creating all that there is to hear and see and after giving life to everything under the sun that had breath, including hanging the Sun in the sky, God paused to survey His work. Not only was it good, but it was VERY good.

When I think of something being very good, I think it is exceedingly good. Very good, to me, means it is exceptionally good, or outstanding. Very good means something is extremely good. And that’s how God saw all that He created. He viewed it as extremely good.

As I meditated on the the words of verse Genesis 1:31 that morning and throughout this past week, I discovered I had a lot to ponder, unpack, and work through. That’s the beauty of spending time in God’s word. Ultimately, we grow spiritually and are drawn more closely to Him, our Creator.

What God saw when He finished creating He saw as excellent. Perfect, even. But, what I see everyday, especially in working with the homeless population living in Dallas, is far from very good. It’s certainly not perfect or excellent. If I look hard enough, I am blessed to catch a glimpse of what God saw on that sixth day of creation.

When I sit and talk with a young man who is very confused and distraught to the point he no longer identifies with his birth gender, I am dismayed by how far we have fallen from what God had made on that sixth day. It’s hard to see excellence in what happened to this young boy, barely a man now, at the hands of his own parents—the people he should have been able to trust the most in this world. It’s hard to see because it’s not there. What was sacred, they desecrated. The boy that was theirs to love, they defiled. I lean into his pain, as I am overwhelmed with discouragement. But, if I look close enough, I can see a glimmer of hope, like on a cold winter’s night when another unsheltered man with nothing offers to share his bowl of chili with another homeless man sitting next to him.

All I can do at that moment is pray.

Sometimes it’s easy to miss the light amidst the darkness because the darkness is so vast. “I have overcome it,” I hear Him say. “I have overcome it. Do not be discouraged. Do not be dismayed. Look for me. You will find me.” The Lord reminds me that He is with me, His Holy Spirit resides in me and that in this situation He can shine light through me. He can add salt to any moment by using me as a vessel to deliver it. I just have to be watchful and pray. He reminds me that He has overcome it and that in the end, He will redeem it all and make it very good again.

God knew how much we had given up when Adam and Eve fell short in the Garden. “Who told you you were naked?” They lived in a perfect place called Eden. They had it all. God came down and walked with them in the Garden—-can you imagine what that must have been like?

They had everything, but everything wasn’t enough.

God knew how much it cost and what it would take when He asked Cain, “What have you done with your brother?” God knew it would take sacrifice to restore Creation to the way He saw it on that sixth day. Not just any sacrifice. It would take giving His beloved Son. It would take His beloved Son being faithful and obedient in fulfilling the will of His Father. Even then, we would need the Holy Spirit to sustain us as we walked the path from unrighteousness to righteousness. I can only imagine.

I think it is helpful for us to remember that what the Lord created on that sixth day was excellent. It was very good. And, I believe it is helpful for us to also remember, especially in those moments when the night appears darkest, that He is in the process of redeeming all of it, including us, for we too, fall short.

Have you started a Bible reading plan as part of your spiritual growth journey in 2022? It’s important to exercise and eat right. Make sure you add a dose of God’s word to your daily diet and fitness regimen. You’ll be glad you did.

I pray the Lord blesses your day today and the week that lies ahead. May He shine His favor upon you and shower you with His abundant love. Godspeed, friend. Godspeed.

Blessing,

The Devotional Guy™

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Rest In Peace, Jay Weaver.