relationships (Gensis 1) Created with Purpose

I'm starting a new devotion focused topic on relations.  Because I want to know what God says on this topic, I will be reading through the Bible and taking notes on everything regarding our relationships - with God, ourselves and others, which will of course include friendships, dating, marriage, raising children, etc.  

(GENESIS 1:1-31)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

TODAY’S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION: 

We find very important information in this chapter!  Where to start?

First of all, let me point out the yellow highlighted phrases "after their kind".  It is critical to see and understand this!  God created everything with unique DNA, establishing an order to it.  Therefore, He did not create everything through evolution.  God, being all-powerful, spoke everything into existence, exactly as He wanted it to be.  So, what has this got to do with relationships?  Everything!

When God created man and woman, He specified (in verse 26) that we were created according to Their likeness!  People were always meant to be children of God.  (But we will see later how our relationship with God was severed.  As well as how we can be reconciled with Him.)

We also see in verse 26, the evidence of God being the holy Trinity.  When God created man and woman in His image, He said "let Us" - "in Our image" - "according to Our likeness".  This tells us several things:  that God is a social Being and therefore people were created as social beings; and that we were created with purpose!

We are to rule over the earth, being responsible and wise with our resources.  In our relationships we are to be fruitful and multiply.  This would not just be restricted to having babies.  As believers, as we live in God's will, we will produce spiritual fruit, and help multiply God's kingdom, leading others to Christ.  And - our sole - SOUL - purpose is to have a close, personal relationship with the Lord, and live in such a way that others can see that we are children of God, because we love and resemble our heavenly Father.