Many years ago, the world did not exist. There was no sun to shine or to give warmth. There were no stars to brightly twinkle in the night sky. There were no fish to swim in the sea, nor were there animals to roam and to play upon the earth. There were no green plants to grow, nor any brightly colored flowers to add beauty for the eye to look upon. Also, men and women had not yet been created. However, there was God, for God has always existed and has been the same unchanging God. God is love and God chose to create the universe, the world, and all of us people as an expression of  His love for us. God planned an orderly Creation so that the world, and all things in it, would be created just the way He wanted them to be. In the beginning of time, water covered everything and darkness was everywhere. However, God planned to make a beautiful world, so He said, "Let there be light." At once, there was light. God was pleased. Then, God separated the light from the darkness. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together, these made up the first day of time. On the second day, God created the beautiful blue sky. This is the space that separates the waters above from the waters below. Then, the second day ended. On the third day, God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear. And, so it was. God named the dry ground "land" and he named the water "seas." God saw that what He had done was good. Then, God spoke again. This time, He caused a carpet of grass, a variety of beautiful flowers, an assortment of tall trees, and all manner of green plants to burst forth from the land and grow. The land, which had been barren, was now filled with many different types of plants and trees. Each of these plants and trees produced its own seeds to replenish or refill the earth. When God saw all that He had done, He was pleased. And, the third day ended. God had great plans for our world. On the fourth day, God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the years. Let their light shine down upon the earth." And, so it was. God created two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater light, called the sun, was to rule during the day.  The lesser light, called the moon, was to rule during the night. Then, God created the stars that twinkle in the heavens and provide additional light to the earth during the nighttime. And once again, God was pleased with what He had done. Then, the fourth day ended. On the fifth day, God began to create the living creatures. He made all kinds of fish to swim in the waters. He created many different types of birds to fly in the air. God created the great sea creatures as well as the tiny sparrows. God saw that this was good. Then, God blessed them saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." Then, the fifth day ended. On the sixth day, God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature - livestock, small animals, and wildlife. And, so it was. God created all sorts of living creatures, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And, God saw that this was good. Now that the earth was completed and made beautiful, God was ready to make man. God planned that people would live on the earth, enjoy the beauty of His Creation, and care for it. Man was to be created in God’s image. Man would know that God was his Creator and would love and worship Him. And, so it was, God created the first man. Out of the dust of the earth, God created the first body. Then, He breathed into the body the breath of life, and man became a living soul.  Man would become master over all life - the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals on the earth. God named the first man Adam. God had planted a beautiful garden in the east and named it Eden. In this garden, many beautiful trees grew and produced delicious fruit. At this time, there was no rain, but water came up out of the ground and watered all of the plants. At the center of the garden, God placed two special trees. These were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After creating Adam, God placed him in the Garden of Eden to care for it. God told Adam, "You may eat the fruit that grows on any of the trees in the garden except for one. Then, He warned him, "Do not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat this fruit, you will surely die." Then, God brought all the animals that He had created to the garden for Adam to name. God was pleased with His creation. However, there was one thing missing. He said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a companion to help him." So, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. Then, He took one of Adam's ribs. From this rib, God created a woman and brought her to Adam, and they became married. How happy was Adam! He loved his wife and called her Eve. They stood naked in the beautiful garden, but they were not ashamed. God looked over all that He had created. He saw that it was excellent in every way. All of this happened on the sixth day. Then, the sixth day ended. Now, the creation of the heavens and the earth, and everything in them was complete. So, on the seventh day, God rested. For this reason, He blessed the seventh day and called it holy, because this was the day when He rested from the work of the Creation. "So God created people in His own image; God patterned them after Himself; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27 |
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