Male and Female Created He Them

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female

created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:27-28

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. Genesis 5:1-2

If we honestly take a look at these verses, we don't need to dig too deeply to see how God sees men and women. First of all, it says that God created man in his own image. An image is a representation of something else. An icon on a computer screen represents a program. If you click on it you get to the program. God is spirit. He wanted to have a connection with man(both male and female) So man is a physical being and he has the capability through spirit to show forth God. Man can be seen, spirit is invisible.

The very next phrase involves both men and women. He told them both to be fruitful, multiply, replenish,  subdue and have dominion. In Genesis 5 he called their name Adam (similar to mankind). Adam is the one who named Eve.

It is significant that God repeated this twice in Genesis. God saw that Adam would be blessed by having someone else at his side. Eve was not someone to be the boss over, but someone who would help contribute to fruitfulness, populating, replenishing, subduing and having dominion over the wilds of the earth.  The spirit (the 'in God's image') was with them. God didn't have a lesser or greater role for either of them. Yes, Eve was structured differently from Adam and had different functions but they worked together. Men and women are designed differently.

When one of God's angels (spirit being)went rogue and decided to take over for himself, he talked Eve into checking in to the knowledge of good and evil. He showed Eve another side of life that ultimately would bring on stuff that God never intended. This foe would gain access into their lives and turn their focus to selfishness.  Enter fear, pressure, anxiety, hardship, issues with life and on and on. God briefly touches on this in Genesis 3:16-23. Life would involve more sweat, insecurity with its mental companion, dependency, and with power struggles. Raising kids became harder as a result. Sickness and death entered into the scene. None of this was caused by God. God gave Adam and Eve free will to love and believe him.

No father ever wants to have to make his children love and respect him. That's not love. Parents are responsible to love, teach and train their children when they are young. There comes a point that the child as an adult becomes responsible to make the choices for themselves. Human control over others is not a force of God.

Adam and Eve felt that they needed to see for themselves instead of listening to their creator. They decided that they might be better at doing life even with all that God had offered and given them. This thinking continued on and on  throughout history and is ever so prevalent today. This is the real reason why bad things happen.

God's purpose for Jesus Christ (prophesied in Genesis 3:15) was to destroy the works of evil by defeating death and offering a way to the awaiting heart of God and all of his spiritual blessings. Jesus Christ reflected the image of God by showing God's love to mankind.  

God' s Word

Too often we think of the Word of God as only a book of devotion or a handbook of religious doctrine.  The Word is not something we just passively receive from God. It is a living book and its wisdom can be applied to everything in life.  Proverbs 4:20-23 really lays this out:

20 My son, attend (action) to my words; incline (action) thine ear unto my sayings.21 Let them not depart (action) from thine eyes; keep (action -shamar) them in the midst of thine heart.22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.23 Keep (action-natsar) thy heart with all diligence (mismar - confinement); for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:20-23

The word 'attend' in this verse involves inclining one's ear toward something. We should not just look at the Word as something to assimilate; it just doesn't drift into our brain cells. We are actively involved.  The next word of action, 'incline', sounds the same as 'attend' by definition.  In Hebrew (luz) it means to bend. Again we are called upon to move by leaning toward and bending.  Next we are not to let God's word 'depart' (turn aside). We hear, move toward and do not turn away from the wisdom of God.

The other three words in red refer to protecting what we learn.  'Shamar' is a verb which means preserve or watch over. 'Natsar' is similar and refers to 'guarding' the heart in verse 23. 'Mismar' is a noun connected with the verb 'shamar'. We keep our hearts with confinement regarding what we learn from God.

There is so much in these verses that emphasize the importance of keeping the word around, over, among and safe within us. It is not too hard to figure out why God impresses  us with this if we look at all that is around us, bombarding us everyday. God's promises are real and they are to remembered actively so as not to be drawn into the drama and shadows that so pervade our world. Evil can only function where God is not allowed. Where God is there is love:

~faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6b         

It really is that simple. We don't have to quarantine from life or hide under a rock, because we can turn to God and seek his wisdom about anything and get real answers. So many times when I enter the pages of the Word and revel in its life-quickening atmosphere. Whatever has been bothering me just evaporates away and when I leave I feel energized and renewed. The negative world just melts down and drains off and that is a great thing!

Dumping the Dumps ~ Lifting Depression

How does fully understanding the purpose of Jesus Christ help lift us out of the doldrums of the world? Depression is widely talked among people from all walks of life.  It is a common household word; but do we understand it and do we really know how to escape its pressure pushing down on our hearts? Depression is much more than sadness.  It may involve anger, hurt, unhealthy feelings about ourselves or how we respond to those around us. Often it manifests itself in our thinking as a sense that the worst part of us may be what we are all about.

Frequently depression is a reaction to oppression of some sort. This world swirls around offering all of its lures and cures that do not help us at all and tend to make things worse.  I look at all God has created and it is easy to see that God really wants us free and blessed. When one looks at God's word from his point of view, it flings open the doors on a shuttered heart to the extent that one becomes aware of an incredible joy that just won't leave. The most important thing you can learn in your life is who God is, that he is full of mercy and grace and loves us beyond measure.

There is evil in this world. Evil gets a foothold where God is not allowed. The battleground is in our own minds. It is hard walking around this world to not be bombarded by things that God never intended us to deal with. So why do we? God gave us free will. We can either accept or reject him. He can be found when we look.  He is in the creation (Romans 1:20). He also had his Word put into print:

He sent his word, and healed  them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:20

God also gave us his son who lived and walked this earth displaying the heart of God. He was a man who was a healer and forgiver. He spoke the truth in love and he showed us the way of a how we can connect with the Father and have the resurrected freedom God wants for us:

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Hebrews 2:14-15

God also gave us the gift of holy spirit to provide comfort, guidance, strength, reassurance and the all truth that is so freeing. God has freely given us all the enablements we need. As far as God is concerned, the past is over, we can handle today and the future is bright!

For cloudy times the best practical and simple thing we can do is:

8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 62:8

The heart may take a little melting before it can be poured. That part is up to you to think through all the resources God has given you and do that work. It might involve talking to God, reading a great book like Ephesians or something else that lifts your mind

I have a little notebook that I write down all the wonderful things God has done for me. I even like to write down the great things God is doing for others. Often I just open it up and read it  and I am reminded of real things and I marvel all over again.  It drowns out the noise of this world completely.