Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 22
Monday


DUST ART

READ:
Genesis 2:1-7
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The LORD God formed
man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man
became a living being.
__Genesis 2:7
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When God chose dust as His artistic medium to create Adam (Gen. 2:7), He didn't have to worry about running out of material. According to Hannah Holmes, author of The Secret Life of Dust, "Between 1 and 3 billion tons of desert dust fly up into the sky annually. One billion tons would fill 14 million boxcars in a train that would wrap six times around the Earth's equator."

No one has to by dust, for we all have more than we want. I ignore it as long as I can in my house. My reasoning is this: If I don't disturb it, it's not as noticeable. But eventually it accumulates to the point that I can no longer pretend it's not there. So I haul out my cleaning supplies and start removing it from wherever it has found a resting place.

As I remove the dust, I see myself reflected in the smooth surface. Then I see another thing: I see that God took something worthless, dust, and made it into something priceless__you and me and every other person (Gen. 2:7).

The fact that God used dust to create humans makes me think twice about labeling someone or something worthless. Perhaps the very thing that I want to get rid of__a person or problem that annoys me__is the artistic medium God has given to display His glory. __Julie Ackerman Link

```````````Lord, too often I want to quickly ignore```````````
````````or dismiss difficult people and circumstances.``````````
```````````````Help me to be open to learn`````````````````
````````from You through them and to see Your glory.`````````
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Being all fashioned of the self-same dust,
let us be merciful as well as just. __Longfellow

*******************Today's Bible Reading __ Genesis 2:1-7*******************

1 Thus the heavens and the
earth, and all the host of
them, were finished. 2 And
on the seventh day God
ended His work which He
had done, and He rested on
the seventh day from all His
work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified
it, because in it He rested
from all His work which
God had created and made.

4 This is the history of the
heavens and the earth when
they were created, in the
day that the LORD God
made the earth and the
heavens, 5 before any plant
of the field was in the earth
and before any herb of the
field had grown. For the
LORD God had not caused it
to rain on the earth, and
there was no man to till the
ground; 6 but a mist went
up from the earth and
watered the whole face of
the ground.

7 And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a
living being.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

According to Genesis 1, God created the physical foundations__the
heavens, the earth, and the seas__in the first 4 days (vv.1-19). And
in days 5-6, God created all the creatures__the birds, fish, and
animals__to populate the three distinct realms (vv.14-25). Special
attention, however, is given to the creation of humanity (vv. 26-31),
making us unique in three ways: we are the only creatures created
in "God's image" (mentioned three times in verses 26-27). We are
given dominion over the rest of creation (vv.26,28-30). And we were
the only creature upon whom God "breathed" the breath of life
(2:7).