The World's Oldest Profession

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. But there’s a profession even older than that one. After God created Adam, he placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and instructed the man to care for the garden.

So, the world’s oldest profession is that of gardener. Of course our first parents made that job much more difficult for all of us. With their disobedience in paradise, they experienced a kind of death, and God expelled them from the Garden. In this fallen world now, our work comes through thorns and thistles with sweat and pain. So this is the inheritance of mankind: a fallen world where death reigns.

But God’s command to tend creation remains. As God’s only creatures made in his image, we—humans—have the unique responsibility to care for this world. The flora and fauna, the rocks, rivers, and oceans really do matter to God. It is part of the creation he called “good.” But unfortunately, some Christians consider this world disposable. The physical world will be ultimately be destroyed, they reason, so who cares what happens to it now?

Tree huggers carry too far the responsibility to care for creation. Many virtually worship the natural world. But those who abuse the environment err in the other direction. Maybe they think that the quicker we wear out this world, the sooner God will give us another one. And so the resources of Earth are used for selfish gain, rather than harnessed for good.

Whether we choose to accept it or not, we are responsible for this garden called Earth. And all creation groans in anticipation of the day when God will renew everything.

More than a Sound

In John's Gospel we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  He identifies this Word as Jesus.

Before words were written, all words were spoken.  Words can also be thought, but, I would argue, genuine words must be spoken.  Words represent ideas, which, of course, are thoughts.  Words then are the oral representation of ideas.

Words are distinct from mere sounds.  Words are organized sounds, sounds with ideas attached to them.  Words are complex and somewhat mysterious.  Even the simplest words call forth deep meaning.

So in the beginning, there was more than mere sound.  In the beginning was the Word, something (or someone) deep and meaningful.  There is purpose to this creation, because God spoke it into existence.  This universe is mysterious, purposeful, safe, and dangerous.

There is depth to this existence, and God gives us life with which to explore it.

Creative Destruction

Boys like to watch things break.  And they like to do the breaking.  Maybe I should say "we."  In the male psyche there is this desire to smash pumpkins, break windows and set off firecrackers in carefully chosen artifacts.  Guy movies must feature chases and explosions.  Guys embrace danger, especially when destruction is a potential byproduct.

Paradoxically, deep in the heart of every man (and woman), is an innate desire to create.  Mankind was made in God's image, both male and female.  In the beginning, God created.  He made the heavens and the earth in six days.  As his image bearers, we are created to be creators.  We want to build furniture, cities and pyramids.  We want to construct arguments.  We want to bring beauty from blank canvas.  We want to bring ideas together in novels.

These two tendencies often pull at each other in the hearts of men.  How can they be harnessed for God?  If we direct our destructive powers toward those things which truly ought to be destroyed, we can engage destruction for the sake of creating.  I do not recommend shooting at speed limit signs or knocking over the obnoxious yard art in the neighborhood.  I'm thinking of destroying those strongholds that pull us away from Jesus.

Paul says, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

If we harness our destruction properly, we clear the way for creativity.  In this fallen world, there will always be plenty to destroy.  When we take out the evil, we allow the good flourish.  We become like our creator as we create.

I am now going to destroy some procrastination.