FROM THE DUST

"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:4-7

Genesis Chapter 2 rehashes God’s creation story, adding some critical elements not found in the day-by-day play-by-play of Chapter 1. One of the more interesting account additions occurs in verses 4 through 6 as we learn more about the first man God created.

Chapter 1 states that "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27) but there is little detail about how He did it. That comes in verse 7 of Chapter 2 which explains that "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground".

Question: Have you ever tried to form anything out of dust? You might be able to get a pile formed but outside of that…good luck. Even if you wet dust, you still have difficulty working with mud but at last you can do more with it. So keep this in mind as you picture God forming man from the dust. I don’t know bout you but it only further reinforces how awesome God’s power is to me. This isn’t magic we’re talking about but a God of awesome miracles. And if God can make man out of dust, is there anything He can’t do? Keep that in mind when you are facing what might seem impossible circumstances.

We further learn from these passages that it was God’s breath through the dust-formed man’s nostrils that brought him to life. Without the breath, no man. Today, the same holds true. No man or woman can live without breath. It’s as important to survival as a heartbeat.

Question: How often do we take breathing for granted? Too often, I’m afraid. We do it so much (21,600 times a day on average) that it’s easy to forget the significance of it…unless, of course, you lose the ability to breathe. Think about it next time you inhale and exhale. Think as well about being formed from the dust. Then remember how much of a miracle you truly are…created by God in His own image from the dust of the earth.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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