Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 6
Sunday


NEST IN THE
GREATNESS

READ:
Genesis 2:1-15
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The LORD God... put
him in the garden of
Eden to tend and keep
it. __Genesis 2:15
____________________________________

In his historical novel Chesapeake, James Michener tells the story of multiple generations living near a marsh. One character, Chris Pflaum, is introduced as a restless 13--year--old sitting in class waiting for summer break. But when the teacher reads a poem by Sidney Lanier, the boy's heart is stirred.

````````````````As the marsh-hen secretly builds``````````````````
```````````````````````on the water sod,```````````````````````
``````````````````Behold I will build me a nest```````````````````
````````````````````on the greatness of God;````````````````````
````````````````I will fly in the greatness of God``````````````````
```````````````````as the marsh-hen flies```````````````````````
`````````````In the freedom that fills all the space `````````````````
````````````````'twixt the marsh and the skies.```````````````````

When Chris grew up, this poem motivated him to work tirelessly to preserve the precious wetlands and the wildlife he loved.

The poem's words stir the heart because they use nature as a springboard of praise to the Creator. But, unfortunately, our living planet can be neglected and exploited. God's mandate to Adam has been passed on to all believers. "The LORD God...put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). The words tend and keep mean "to cultivate as servants."

We are to care for and guard God's creation as responsible stewards. __Dennis Fisher
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``````````````The natural world that God has made````````````````
```````````````````Must not be used at whim;````````````````````
```````````````We serve as stewards of His earth,`````````````````
```````````````Responsible to Him. __D. De Haan`````````````````
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To mistreat God's creation is to offend the Creator.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Genesis 2:1-15*************

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 LOrRD 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 eaerth, 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.

8 The LORD God planted a
garden eastward in Eden, and
there He put the man whom
He had formed. 9 And out of
the ground the LORD God
made every tree grow that is
pleasant to the sight and good
for food. The tree of life was
also in the midst of the
garden, and the tree of the
knowldege of good and evil.

10 Now a river went out of
Eden to water the garden,
and from there it parted and
became four riverheades....

15 Then the LORD God took
the man and put him in the
garden of Eden to tend and
keep it.

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

In Genesis 1 we see the account of creation painted in broad,
sweeping strokes. In Genesis 2, however, the writer gives us more
detail of the specific elements of creation, particularly God's
creation of human beings. __Bill Crowder