Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 10, 2023
Genesis 1:20-31
20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. 22 Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening, and there was morning: the fifth day. 24 God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. 25 God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. 26 Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.” 27 God created humanity in God’s own image; in the divine image, God created them, male and female God created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. 30 To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. 31 God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day.
Good Morning. God saw everything he had made: it was good!
Do you remember the first time that you were put in charge of something? For me, I couldn’t wait to be in charge. I was confident that I knew what to do, and I was ready. I was put in charge of preparing supper for one night. I quickly learned that it was not as fun as I imagined.
First, I needed to decide upon a menu, make a shopping list, and gather all the needed items. Of course, I wanted to show how good I was, so I wouldn’t settle for a basic meal. I wanted to prepare a special meal. Because it was summer, I wanted to use fresh vegetables from the garden, so I needed to pick and prepare them as well.
I decided upon grilled pork chops, stir-fried zucchini and squash, roasted potatoes, cornbread (my dad’s favorite), and jello for dessert. Because I wasn’t old enough to drive, I sent Mom to the store with my list, which she completed for me. While she was gone, I decided to make the jello so that it would have enough time to jell properly. Before she returned, I went out and prepared the grill for cooking and picked the vegetables from the garden. Everything was going very well, but I was beginning to realize this was much more work than I realized.
In the end, I could not organize the cooking so that everything would be ready at the same time. When the veggies and pork chops were ready, the potatoes were far from done. The cornbread was very crumbly, and the jello was a bit too jiggly. I was confused by my struggles because I had used mom’s recipes and methods for putting the meal together. Why didn’t my meal come together as I expected?
The biggest problem was that I tried to do it all by myself. When I cooked with Mom, we were a team. Dad would gather the vegetables and man the grill. I prepped the veggies while Mom mixed the cornbread. When I needed guidance, Mom reminded me of the next step. I had been so sure that I could manage this by myself.
God gave us dominion over all the earth, including the plants and animals. This is not a one-person undertaking. We must work together as a team to manage this immense task. We have and will continue to make mistakes along the way. Like Mom working as the master chef overseeing my work. God is there to oversee our work, and when we allow it, God provides help and guidance.
Loving God, We love you! We think we want to be in charge, but then we learn that this is more than we imagined. Thank you for guiding and leading us when we get overwhelmed and lost. Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: How am I being a caretaker of God’s creation?
Join God’s team! Pastor Liz
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