Love isn't about Dominion, it's about compassion!

     I have been struggling with ways to become connected to the city of Chicago in a very real way; I have asked God to show me the importance of laboring and working in community with others. I am reminded that God exists in three parts, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; He exists in a community of perfect relationship. I have found that it is also important to remember that I am made in God's image and that I too must exist, worship, learn, lead etc. in a community sort of fashion, as is evidenced in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." But, He continues on to say, "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.”   
 
     My take away from this is that to engage this world, and in my case Chicago, I must participate in a community of believers who sharpen me, challenge me, and encourage me to grow in my faith. But the second part of  Genesis 1:26 was a little puzzling, (here is where my hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) teacher would be proud of me). What Dr. J told us is "don't just pay attention to what is written, but also remember to take into account what isn't."

Here is the point: To me, as God gives man dominion (authority) over the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, the livestock of the earth, and over every creeping thing; He DOES NOT give humankind dominion over each other. Rather, He desires a partnership, a conglomerate of like-minded individuals, a community of believers to complement one another. Ultimately, though, this conglomerate has been created to glorify Him.

Here is my question to you:

 How can this be accomplished in judging our fellow man, going to battle with those we don't agree with, and hating those who take on a different world view?

If there is one thing I have learned from the book of Genesis it is the attribute of Love, that God puts forth over and over again as an imperative part of His communication to all.

I'll leave it in God's inspiration to explain:

1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  

Got Love? 

LIsten and See: Faith Comes by Hearing

I am learning the importance of context this week. The Old Testament was presented orally because most people of OT times could not read. Therefore, the people of "Bible times," decoded the Bible via their ears, rather than their eyes as do modern Bible readers. It seems that we interpret meaning differently when we hear words compared to when we read them. I am finding the significance in both reading out loud and hearing the Bible read to me. Try it sometime, BibleGateway.com has an awesome assortment of audio resources.

At the moment I am smack-dab in the middle of Genesis, I tell you, hearing Satan speak through another reader in The Garden of Eden, hearing Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed, and hearing the story of Abraham's complete faith (as he prepares to offer God his son) has come to new meaning for me the past couple of days. 

God Said...

I am learning some really important facets about God, from the "First Testament," in my OT class. This one strikes me in particular. Genesis 1 uses "God Said" 10X. Understanding that Genesis shows us many things about the character of God, it is evident that God wants to communicate, terribly, with his creation. 

What is even more humbling is that the Hebrew word used, in Genesis 1, for God is Elohim or "one supreme deity." It may be old hat for some, but is this not incredibly powerful? Elohim, the sovereign Creator, King, and Judge has a desire to talk with us, to walk with us, and to MAKE within us a new creation.

I urge you, in all the hustle and bustle of talking ABOUT God, don't forget to talk TO God. To ask God, "how am I treating you impersonally today?"