The moment had come. God had finished creating all the beautiful things we see today. He made the Earth and gave it light. He made the stars and planets in space, all the plants on the Earth, the birds for the sky, the fish and whales for the ocean, and the animals for the land. Everything was good and everything was ready…Ready for God’s finishing touch. He took His hands and began to dig into the dirt. With the great love and care of a master sculptor, He formed a man. Every detail, from each individual hair on his head down to each individual toe on his feet was perfectly placed. The only thing missing…was life. And so, God breathed the power of His Spirit into the man and suddenly, his heart began to beat, his lungs filled with air, and he opened his eyes to see for the first time!
Then, God planted a beautiful garden in a place called Eden. It was full of every kind of amazing food to eat and God brought the man, who was called Adam, there to take care of it, to take care of the animals, and to live in peace. In the middle of the Garden, God showed the man two special trees: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, telling him he could eat from any tree he wanted except this second tree, because it would bring only sadness and death. Then, for the first time, God said something was not good. The man was alone. God brought every animal to him so he could give them names, but the man saw that not one of them looked like him. Each animal had a partner with whom they could spend their time, but not him. However, God knew something the man did not: He had a wonderful gift in store. He caused the man to fall into a deep sleep and while he was sleeping, God took part of the man’s side, closed it up with flesh, and out of it, formed his incredible new partner: a woman.
The next time the man opened his eyes, God presented the woman to him and he was in awe. Finally! THIS was someone who was just like him! God was so pleased to give this man the incredible gift of woman . He blessed them both and told them to enjoy each other and to have a family. Both the man and woman were without clothing, but they had no reason to feel ashamed. As the sun set on the 6th day, God looked at all He had made and it wasn’t just good…He said it was “Very good.” On the 7th day, God did not do any work. He simply rested and took joy in all that He had made. He wanted the man, woman, and all their offspring to enjoy it too, so He blessed it as a holy day of rest.
Through God’s creation, we see His love and care. We see how He is faithful to fulfill our needs and loves to give His children good gifts, knowing what is for our best. We also see in the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that God loves us so much that He doesn’t force us to love Him back, but gives us the choice. And next time, we will see how the choices of man will shape the rest of history. Video Narration and Visual Presentation: Stephen Halliwell Original Music: John J. Peterson Adapted from the English Standard Version (ESV) #cross&crown
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