Genesis 1:6-25 Building organisations and ministries that stand the test of time
Genesis 1:6-25 Building organisations and ministries that stand the test of time
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 Then 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; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Background
God continues His creative acts by dividing the waters in the clouds and waters on the earth. Having separated the land from the sea, He creates vegetation by its kind. On the fourth day, God creates luminaries that serve as signs, markers for seasons and to provide light. On the fifth and sixth day, God creates living creatures in the sea and on dry land. In today’s devotion, we learn from the Master Builder Himself how we can build families and organisations and ministries that stand the test of time.
Observation
Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.
The expanse is a divider that separates the waters above (in the sky) from the waters below (the rivers and the seas). In other words, the expanse occupies the space between the earth’s surface and the clouds; it separates the source of rain from the waters on the earth. And God calls this expanse heaven.
“Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”
On the following day, God causes the separation of the land and sea. Here, God displays His power that limited the water to certain areas. The emergence of land becomes a substrate for terrestrial life. It provides necessary space for land creatures and people.
Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them.
On the same day, after a seismic reconstruction of the earth’s surface, God proceeds with the creation of sprout vegetation consisting of plants and trees. These in turn become food for the animals. Notice God creates vegetation consisting of many distinct kinds. They yield seeds that will bear fruit and reproduce strictly after their own kind. This mechanism of reproducing after their own kind is important because it concerns interactions among kinds and the overall balance of the ecosystem. With the life-support systems in place, God approves of it.
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.
God creates the luminaries namely for three functions:
a. to separate the day from the night,
b. for signs, for seasons, for days and years,
c. to give light on the earth.
The greater light (the Sun) rules the day by providing a clear sign that day has come and the lesser light (the Moon) signals the arrival of night. Therefore, the day/night cycle forms a basic 24 hour unit that contributes to 365 days of a yearly cycle. The signs are celestial configurations that signal portents, coming events of divine significance that will affect humanity. The configuration of the stars also provide an astronomical mechanism to determine the seasons of the year.
Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.
God calls forth an avalanche of living creatures both in the water, and above the land. The Hebrew word nephash is some times translated as “soul”, which means “passionate vitality”. Inherent in the word “soul” is the desire and appetite for survival and procreation. However, the desire for God is what distinguishes human nephash from animal nephash. As with the vegetation, the animals reproduce after their own kind. To the living creatures, God pronounces a blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication. The word blessed means to impart with the potency of life, to thrive and to multiply despite of environment and death.
Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind.
On the fifth day, God creates land animals dividing them into three categories: cattle (domestic), creeping things (small animals like mice and insects) and wild animals. Likewise, God has determined that the land animals reproduced after their own kind.
Truth
In order to build strong families, ministries and organisations with enduring legacies, we must establish right ethics and values system.
The Master Builder’s ethics and values system are clearly seen in what He says and does in the course of creation. The earth, the brainchild of God is robust in all aspects being able to withstand the test of time because He founded it in truth. When we work with righteous ethics and values to establish His kingdom, He entrust us with wisdom and resources to prosper in all our endeavours. What ethics can we observe from the Master Builder?
a. God works with the sole intent of imparting life and blessing to the world.
God’s purpose in creation is revealed in His declaration to the living creatures, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” God’s core motivation is to give life and to multiply it, for He loves life itself. Likewise, the core purpose of our daily endeavours is to bring life and blessing to the world. The vision of our family and ministry is to help those who are marginalised. Nothing is less motivating than a self-centered fixation on one’s ego and selfish desires.
b. God works by giving His utmost and to accomplish it with excellence.
God does His work with utmost meticulousness giving attention to the finest details ensuring its tenability and even the aesthetics is astounding. Thereafter, He evaluates His handiwork and takes the liberty to congratulate Himself: God saw that it was good. There is great joy in giving our very best, a satisfaction that is incorruptible, untainted by the judgment of others. We will do well by inculcating an attitude of excellence in our family and work place. You see, you can’t satisfy everyone, but at least you can satisfy yourself.
c. God creates with the desire to leave His handiwork to the next generation.
God labours with the purpose of entrusting His handiwork to man, the heir of the world. Likewise, we work hard to leave something that carries an indelible imprint of our soul to the next generation. Our greatest satisfaction is to see our handiwork flourish in the hands of future generations. Therefore, we work with the aim of passing on a legacy with the hope of an ever increasing glory in the hands of another.
Many families, organisations and ministries may begin with altruistic motives and ideals. But experience tells us that they very quickly descend into rivalry and a self-serving mode. Nevertheless, establishing the right ethics is important to ensure a right foundation towards a prosperous future.
To establish a fruitful organisation or ministry, we must first build structure and be intentionally spontaneous in everything we do.
We’ll all agree that the earth is overflowing with life and beauty. It is covered with innumerable species of vegetation and animals with each bearing their peculiar traits and colours. The changing technicolor of autumn leaves attests to the vast inscrutability of God’s imagination and creative prowess. God is so enthusiastic about life that He populated every square inch of the earth with microorganisms that the earth itself is literally crawling. However, all that is not possible until we have a robust enough system, a foundation and structure that can withstand the test of time. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Father quotes, “When you’re Singapore and your existence depends on performance – extraordinary performance, better than your competitors – when that performance disappears because the system on which it’s been based becomes eroded, then you’ve lost everything.” That is why it is so important to put careful thought to how one builds his foundation and systems, for his whole life’s work depends on it. The foundation of any establishment consists of ethics (spiritual laws) and processes (physical laws).
Once a foundation of ethics, and a system of processes are clearly laid out, we must build upon it life and passion; to encourage creativity and be intentionally spontaneous about everything. Foundation and systems are orderly, predictable, and logical, but life and passion are seemingly chaotic, spontaneous and intuitive. Foundations and processes are static, and immovable, but life and desire are dynamic, and ever evolving. It is for the purpose of life and passion that foundations and systems are laid. Foundations by itself cannot generate growth, but life and passion sparks off new levels of growth. Foundations and systems exist for the sole purpose of supporting life and passion.
Thus, if we ever hope our organisations and ministries to be ecstatic and thriving with fruitfulness and life, leaders must be intentional in making the shift towards life and passion. Therefore, systems orientated people must differentiate between principles and preferences and flow with creative people. And creative and passionate people must learn to respect existing boundaries and processes and work with it.
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. – Thomas Jefferson
Therefore, Jesus, through whom all things are created is truth and grace incarnated in the flesh (see John 1:17). Truth is to foundations, systems and ethics,… as grace is to life, love and passion. Truth without grace becomes stifling and dead, while grace without truth quickly burns out. An organisation will do well to inculcate the right values and processes (truth) and at the same time encourage the expression of love and passion (grace). Many organisations struggle to find the balance between control and spontaneity; they are either too laissez-faire or overbearing in supervision putting out all passions. An organisation/ministry becomes fruitful when there is in place clear structures and boundaries, and at the same time, people are encouraged to try new things without the fear of being penalised for their mistakes.
In order to succeed, timing is the essence.
God creates the stars for the purpose of marking out seasons and heavenly signs to indicate God’s will and timing for every event under heaven. In the days of king Herod, the magi from the east see the sign in the stars and come looking to worship Jesus. Hidden in the stars is the mechanism to reveal the coming of God’s salvation for humanity. Therefore, in order for man to succeed in all his endeavours, he must understand God’s timing and work with Him. King Solomon speaks of God’s ordained timing for everything,
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven — A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2.
Today, God speaks to His people personally concerning His will and timing through the word and the Holy Spirit. As we seek God’s will and obey Him in all things, He tells us all that is on His heart. Jesus says to His disciples,
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15.
Many people have no such concept as timing in mind, they suppose for all things, the quicker, the better. Hence, they rush through the day and over doing everything only to feel frustrated and jaded. However, those who understand the essence of timing and who walks in step with God lives in perpetual tranquility and blessedness. King Solomon in his wisdom says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11. Therefore, be at peace, for God who knows the desires of our heart will fulfil them in His perfect time.
Application
1. As an employee of a company, you could help establish righteous ethics and values in your company by: doing all things with the purpose of being a blessing to others. By raising the standard of your work so as to please God and to satisfy yourself with a job well done. By building upon what is entrusted to you, you can one day leave your handiwork to the next person knowing that the company is in a far better shape than before.
2. Understand if you are a systems person who thrives on logic and order or one who loves to jump in immediately with a thousand possibilities revolving in your head. Systems persons need to learn to accept the disorganised ways of a creative/passionate person. Likewise, a creative/passionate person need to accept the need for processes and work within them.
Dear Lord, use me to bring joy and blessing to the people I meet daily. Impart to me greater wisdom so that I may demonstrate excellence in my work and leave a legacy. Help me to become more creative and passionate so that I may be an inspiration to others. Help me also to become more astute in the area of systems and processes. I will be patient with the way things are working in my life knowing full well that in your time, all things will be beautiful. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.