A good friend of mine, during the last months of his degree in Commerce, went off to Toronto to interview with a big, prestigious, consulting firm. It was his first professional interview and, naturally, he was full of nervous energy. His first interviewer opened with some typical small talk, and at some point says to my friend that he likes his home town and is actually travelling there shortly. Unfortunately, the small talk did not serve the intended effect of calming my friend and he clumsily blurted: “That’s great, why don’t you stay at my house, my mom would love to meet you!” At once he realized how silly and unprofessional that must have sounded. They say first impressions are lasting impressions; he did not get the job.
In general, first things are important, and I think we know this instinctively. It is why screenwriters and movie directors take immense care of their opening scenes. Likewise, to make sense of the life we live, we need to understand our beginning. Many people today believe they are merely a product of time, matter, and chance; an accident of history. If you are following our reading plan you have read that the Bible, in stark contrast, tells us: “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature. (Gen 2:7)” Many people struggle through all of life trying to manufacture the meaning and purpose of life, having rejected the reality of a loving, relational, sovereign creator giving them life. Yesterday, I asked you to consider how you think of God. Does seeing him as the giver of life include a deeply known and accepted reality that he also made you?
Something to Understand: God made me! How do you think God wants you to see yourself? One good verse to consider on this point is Eph 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.