The With-God Life

A NEW YEAR, A NEW THEME:
The Bible is all about human life "with God" and how God has made this "with-God" life possible and will bring it to pass. The name Immanuel, meaning "God is with us," is the title given to the one and only Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. It refers to God's everlasting intent for human life—namely, that we should be in every aspect a dwelling place of God. Indeed, the unity of the Bible is discovered in the development of life with God as a reality on earth, centered in the person of Jesus Christ.

From Genesis to Revelation we see how God has been with us in a variety of ways. God created us and wants to be with us in relationship. Throughout the Old Testament we see God being with the chosen people as individuals and as a family, through the judges, through the monarchy, through the words of the prophets, even through exile. Then, just in case there was any lingering doubt about how much God wants to be in relationship with us, we have the coming of Jesus Christ, the Immanuel, literally, "God with us." God is with us through the physical presence of Jesus and then, after Jesus' death and resurrection, through the Holy Spirit and the Church.

Throughout 2013, we will study the Scriptures together in an attempt to grow in our experience of the "with-God life." As we move through the passages we'll study, and as we experiment with a variety of spiritual practices, we will catch a small glimpse of how much God loves us, as evidenced by his divine compassion, mercy, tenderness, loving care, and blessings given to the chosen people and, yes, also by the discipline given us when we rebel, disobey, and turn away from what is good. What response can we have but to seek God, to do as much as possible to be in relationship with our Father, who loves us so much?

So, let's begin things at the very beginning…


PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Genesis 1 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 

27      So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” …

 

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-28, 31a, NIV)

 

 

REFLECTIONS:

This is one of those passages of Scripture that we can read so many times that it loses its punch. But the truth expressed in this passage is absolutely amazing. We are made in the image and likeness of God Almighty. WOW! When I pause to contemplate what that means, I am left utterly speechless. All I can do is shake my head in awe-struck wonder.

 

Within this vast, beautiful, new creation God desires human company and conversation partners. The Creator creates us—both male and female—to resemble himself and to share a unique relationship with himself. Human beings are spoken to directly by the Creator, given capacities to be stewards of creation, and entrusted as caretakers of God's goodness. Upon the completion of all that God has created, culminating in his relationship with us human creatures, he clearly and joyfully proclaims all things to be “very good.” A-mazing!

 

 

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: LOOKING FOR GOD

God is still with us, just as on the day human beings were created. That seems like a very simple statement, something everyone knows. But, if you're anything like me, the knowledge of that truth can be forgotten and can cease to influence our lives. 

 

For the next several days, as you read through the various Scripture passages and ponder the different ways God has been with various individuals and groups of people, look within your own daily life for God's presence. Each day as you are able—perhaps, once at midday, and once at night—ask yourself: “Where have I seen God today?” or “Where did I meet God today?” Your answer may be in a friend or a person you met, in a Scripture passage or something else you were reading, in a feeling of calm or peace, in a flower or tree or other aspect of nature. Challenge yourself to look for God in new places. For example, if you most often see God in the actions, words, or smile of another person, try looking for God in nature or in a time of solitude.

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am looking forward to journeying together with you throughout the upcoming year.