Ep. 50 | Abundant Life | Genesis

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Genesis 1:20-25. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Every story has a beginning. And if you don't understand the beginning, you'll likely misunderstand everything that follows. Welcome to Formed by the Word. Currently, we're going back to the very beginning as we look together at the first 11 chapters of Genesis. These chapters explain our world, our struggles, and much about ourselves. We'll see beauty and brokenness, purpose and pride, judgment and grace. We'll watch humanity fall and see that God already had a plan to restore his relationship with us. The Bible doesn't start with a problem, it starts with a perfect God, and that changes everything. So, wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, because the God who spoke in the beginning is still speaking today.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Beth and I love to visit the beach. As a matter of fact, at the time I'm recording this, we've just returned from a few days at the beach. It's really one of our favorite places to be. I love standing on the beach at sunrise, and as I do, I am reminded of the vastness and the incredible nature of God's creation. The ocean is teeming with unseen life beneath the waves. Birds wheel overhead and on dunes and marshes, crabs scuttle and turtles break free from their nests and head to the waters. All of it, from the tiniest plankton to the great wells, exist because God spoke. When was the last time you really noticed the wonder of animal life around you and maybe felt awe? What would the world be without animals? It seems to me that it would be far less interesting. Well, on day five of the creation account, the waters begin to teem with animal life and our world gets better. Now, there's some lessons here learned from this creation of this animal kingdom that I think are really worth our time to observe. First of all, we'll notice as we begin to reading in verse number 20 that God's word brings life. It says this, then God said, There's our three words again. Then God said, Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind. Now notice the repeated phrases. Then God said, We've been seeing that over and over again, but now we see something else added where he says, and it was so. God said, and it was so. What God spoke came to life. What God spoke became reality, and it was so. The same voice that called light into existence now calls for fish, birds, and animals. Now here's a thought for us to ponder. The God who spoke creation into being still speaks into our chaos today, our emptiness today, our formlessness and void, our seasons that are difficult and waiting. What area of your life feels empty right now? Why not invite God to speak into it? Because God speaks and God's word brings about life. What once was dead and emptied now has life and has been filled. They're no longer just water, no longer just the sea, but now this what was formed is now filled with teeming life. Second thing I observe is that the creation multiplies through reproduction. Another key phrase that we see repeated over and over in this section, after its kind. Look at verse 21. He says, So God created great sea creatures, and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird, each producing offspring of the same kind. There's our phrase. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day. Then God said, Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind. Do you see the word? You see how it's just repeating? That's important. Livestock, he says, small animals that scurry along the ground and wild animals. And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. There's our phrase again. And God saw that it was good. Now let's think about that just a moment. Everything is created according to their kind. There's a beautiful variety here. There's great sea creatures, there's winged birds, there's livestock, there's wild animals, there's creeping things, he mentions. Yet it's not chaotic. It has order and it has purpose. They're all created according to their own kind. You know, really that speaks to us. Our world and the church is meant to reflect this kind of purposeful diversity. God doesn't make clones. Isn't it interesting how all of creation, even the smallest animals, have differences in diversity? He delights in variety while maintaining unity under his design. But I think there's another important point here. God's intent in creation was a process of reproduction. Each produces offspring of the same kind. Keep that in your forefront of your thought. I want to come back to that in a moment. The third thing I want to say first is I notice here and observe here that God declares all of this good. Three times it says God saw that it was good. God saw that it was good. God saw that it was good. Now this is before sin entered the world, and the animal kingdom is in its original state, and it brought joy to God. Wow. It was good. Even in a fallen world, glimpses of creation's goodness, a dolphin pod, a flock of birds in formation, a loyal dog, all can point us back to the goodness of our creator. God delights in what he makes. Creation reflects his wisdom, his creativity, and his goodness. You know, if God calls his creation good, that would include the world that you and I live in. And ultimately, it would include you as his creation. Let me pull a few thoughts of application and give you a gospel in Genesis moment and we'll close. First thing, where do you see God's creativity and care most clearly in the animal world? Think about that. In what ways has God spoken life into your story in this past year? How can you better steward and enjoy the living creatures who are around you as part of worshiping the Creator? Are there empty places in your heart or family where you need to ask the Creator to speak fresh life? All of these things we're reminded of in this account. But I think there's also a glimpse of the gospel here in Genesis. For example, a couple of things. First of all, God gives us new life in Christ. The gospel says God gives us new life in Christ. He speaks, we receive, and there's new life. Just as God gave life to the seas and to the land and to the skies, God gives us new life. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church these words. He said, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and see the new has come. There's life. There's new life in Christ. The gospel tells us that the new life that we have in Christ is a teeming life, an abundant life. You remember what Jesus said to his disciples in John 10, 10? He said, A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance, that they may be teeming with life, if I might paraphrase that a little bit. Just as the seas were teeming with creatures and the skies were teeming with the birds, we had this new life in Christ, and it is teeming with life. It is an abundant life. And third, the gospel tells us that when we respond to the gospel, our mission is to multiply. Jesus told his disciples just before he ascended into heaven, he said, Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. In other words, he's saying, Go and be fruitful and multiply. Not in a physical sense is he speaking here, but in a spiritual sense. Multiply yourself. And you know that is good counsel for us. We who are followers of Christ, how are we multiplying ourselves? Are we indeed sharing in the mission to multiply followers? Well, just as a takeaway today, pretty simple. God doesn't just create life, He empowers it to grow. If that's true, where in your life does it feel like God is still forming you? Where is it in your life? Are you living with a mindset of scarcity or trusting God's abundance? Are you just trying to get by? Are you understanding that God wants your life to teem with peace, to be teeming with joy? And finally, how can you embrace God's design and purpose for your life this week? Ask yourself that last question and ponder that as we pray. Lord Jesus, help us to answer these questions. They're sometimes hard for us to see. But God, we do want to see where you are at work in our lives, forming us, filling us, and causing our lives to teem with trust and joy and peace. And oh Lord, today we want to embrace your design and your purpose for our lives. Please advise us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.