Genesis 1 and 2 tell the creation story. Before God’s creation, the earth was void.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
GENESIS 1:2
God spoke, and there was light. God spoke and separated the waters to create the sky. God spoke and separated the water from the land. On the land, he spoke, and the earth produced trees and plants. God spoke and separated day and night with a light; God spoke, and fish swarmed the waters, filled the sky with the birds, and created animals on earth. Finally, God formed a man and a woman from the dust of the ground and breathed into his and her nostrils the breath of life, and the man and the woman became a living being. The man and the woman were formed in God’s image to reign over the fish in the sea, birds in the sky, the livestock, all of the animals on the ground.
Did you miss the three words, “to reign over”? God gave us permission and responsibility to reign over his creation. That means because God permitted, we have dominion over the earth. That doesn’t mean we have absolute authority because we are bound by what God allows. Why do we need permission from God every second? Because he owns everything in our lives, and we are his caretakers.
Did you also notice when reading the creation story, God always ends each day of creation by acknowledging, “It was good!” When he completed the entire creation story, Genesis 1 ends with God looking over all he had made, and he saw that it was “very good.”
From the creation story, we realize how detailed-oriented our God is, because he went into microscopic details in creating the earth. Furthermore, the meticulous details involved in the creation story reveal to us that everything on earth is important to God, and he concluded everything he created is good. Think about that! God considers nothing on this earth a waste! He carefully spoke things into being and ultimately sculpted you and me in his own image—Imago Dei. Then how can we say someone or something is terrible? How can we have an image problem? We can’t make these statements when God, the Creator, calls everything he created good!
I believe the creation story compelled the Psalmist to proclaim, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them” (Psalm 89:11). Whether you want to admit it or not, everything belongs to God—your marriage, your children, your job, your house, your car, etc. We own nothing because we are not the creator!
If we own nothing, then how can we resent the circumstances we are in? Maybe we are envious of that new car or new home our neighbor just purchased. Or perhaps we are resentful that our co-worker got a promotion while we are still stuck doing our old monotonous job.
I recall a series of messages Billy preached last summer on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—specifically talking about our angry hearts, based out of Matthew 5:13-16.
In Matthew 5:13-16, he preached explicitly on how we should live out our lives to become the salt and light of the world rather than respond with angry hearts:
First, the practice of un-offendability (James 1:19-20).
Second, the practice of un-entitlement (Galatians 2:12-13).
Third, the practice of sober judgment (Matthew 5:25).
Fourth, the practice of grace and mercy (not revenge) (Matthew 5:25-26).
Fifth, the practice of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
Lastly, the practice of repentant life (1 Peter 2:9).
I wish he could preach that sermon today in the current COVID-19 world—so on point on how Christians should respond.
I believe we can only understand Matthew 5:13-16 and attempt to live by it when we know that we are made in the image of God and understand all things belong to God. Your spouse, your children, your family, your home, your job, your car, your pet, they all belong to God. You are just the caretaker of God’s creation. If we live life remembering that, we will think twice before raising our voices to our children or yelling at our dogs, we will think twice about gossiping about our neighbor or friend, and we will think twice about getting angry at our spouse.
When you understand these truths, you can’t get offended, can’t maintain you’re entitled to something more than your neighbor, can’t judge others; can’t be vengeful about being mistreated, and can’t stay bitter or resentful after disagreements. When you experience these feelings in life, you must repent.
Ultimately, I’ve struggled with all of these. For many years, I’ve raised my fist at God, demanding that he listen to my temper tantrum and give me everything that I am demanding, forgetting that he has given me more than enough. Thankfully, I’ve come to learn to leave these and other wants and desires at the feet of Jesus because I know nothing belongs to me. I am just a caretaker of God’s creation. It allows me to practice reconciliation, restraints, and living a repentant life daily.
God is the owner of everything in our world. We are his stewards tasked to take care of his creation. The sinless world collapsed at the hands of Adam and Eve, but God’s command for us to be caretakers of his creation remains true today. The Scripture tells us that we are sinful and imperfect, but we must live harmoniously. Who are we to be bitter about the curveball life throws at us time after time? How can we live in a world that wants entitlement and will be offended if we do not get what we think we are entitled? By acknowledging that nothing belongs to us, and everything belongs to God.
Author Chong Ye:
“I am Tacoma’s very own. I graduated elementary, middle, and high school here—Henry Foss’ very own. I left to go to college in Eugene—go Ducks, except when they play the Huskies! I went to Dallas Theological Seminary to pursue a Master of Christian Education, then decided rather than spend years trying to get a Ph.D., I’d go to law school and earn a J.D. in less time. I have been married for more than 19 years to my wife, and we have two lovely daughters—Caitlyn is a junior at Stadium High, and Isabelle, who was unable to celebrate her graduation with her Brown’s Point friends, will be entering her first year at Meeker Middle School in the fall. When I am not a husband or a dad, I am a personal injury lawyer with offices in Federal Way and Bellevue. I came to LifeWay accidentally when I realized Marine View, a church down the hill from my house, had only one service on Sunday, December 30, 2018. I am happy I accidentally walked into LifeWay while Kevin was preaching that Sunday morning, because LifeWay is my home now. I appreciate the sound biblical teachings and the fellowship with other Christian brothers and sisters.”