God created you very good!
Day 2
by Gini Crawford, MSW
We are God's masterpiece
When God spoke in Genesis chapter one, His power went forth to create exactly what humans needed and even wanted. God said, "Let there be light," and light appeared. God saw that the light was good and separated the light from the darkness. He called the light day and darkness night, which was the first day. On the second day God spoke, and our atmosphere and sky formed. On the third day God spoke, and the dry land, along with the seas, vegetation and trees appeared, and God saw it was good. Then on the fourth day God spoke, and the sun, the moon and the stars went to work for us, even decorating the heavens for us, and God saw it was good. On the fifth day God spoke and filled the waters with fishy creatures and the sky with an array of birds, and God saw it was good. During the sixth day God spoke, and the creepy bugs, and animals small and large appeared to inhabit the earth, and that was good; but then He formed both man and woman in His image that same day, and now, God saw His creation was very good. (Psalm 8:3-8; Hebrews 11:3). Genesis 1-2:2 is abridged below:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth....And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called night. ...the first day.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. ...And God called the expanse heaven. ...the second day.
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." ...God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." ...The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ...the third day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." ...And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ...the fourth day.
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." ...the fifth day.
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." ...And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. ...And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. ...the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 1:1-2:2 ESV®
God created everything in six days and then rested on the seventh day, because the heavens and the earth were completed or finished. After each day of creation, God saw that what He had made was good. Yet, after God had created everything – especially man and woman, He saw that all He had created was very good. God creating humans made His creation very good. It is obvious that humans are the motivation - the heart - the love focus - the masterpiece of God’s creation. (Genesis 2:7-8, 18-22; Psalm 36:7-9, 107:8-9; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9).
Did you know you were God's motivation to create the earth and everything in it?
Defining "very good"
At one time in my life, because of my dysfunctional childhood, I felt I lacked value. I would guess many of you can relate, because in our narcissistic world, children seem to get the brunt of adult selfishness. However as I got older, and God and His Word became a part of my life, I realized from Genesis that I was made very good.
You are very good to God. You might be wondering, what very good means from God's perspective? So let’s get out my Hebrew language book of the Old Testament and see. The word very means exceedingly. The word good is defined by many positive words such as - beautiful, delightful, happiness, pleasant, glad, precious, correct, excellent, lovely, convenient, joyful, fruitful, secure, kind, and righteous. What if someone wrote a letter, using these words to express what they thought about you. It would be a letter filled with loving sentiments, wouldn't it? Remember, these words are what God thinks about you. They are how God created you.
What are your feelings about being created very good?
Life Application
You are very good in God's eyes
Genesis chapters one and two summarize the six days of creation for us. In Genesis chapter one watch for the words good and very good as God speaks the earth and everything in it into existence. Read Genesis 1. In Genesis chapter two observe how God formed humankind personally. God also went out of His way to prepare a special garden on His newly created earth for humankind to dwell in. I sense an excitement in God from this passage about the creation of humankind. You too? Kind of like the excitement when a baby arrives or when someone special comes into your life. You expectantly prepare for that person. Read Genesis 2:5-10, 15-25.
You are very good in God's eyes and that is the truth. Since you are very good in God's eyes, how should you think of yourself?
Take some of the positive words from above that define the word good and describe how that word applies to your life with God. Examples: I am exceedingly precious to God because He called me very good in Genesis chapter one. We can all feel like we are an inconvenience at times, but we are never an inconvenience to God.
Reflect on Psalm 8:3-8 and James 1:17 today.