This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. (Genesis 2:4–7 NLT)
When we refer to God as the Creator, we are often talking specifically about this moment in history, when God formed the heavens and the earth by simply speaking them into being. He spoke, and the dirt formed continents and the waters separated into oceans, rivers, and seas. With a word, life took root and grew into trees, grasses, and other plants. With more words, an entirely different sort of life fostered and flourished, swimming in the waters, flying through the air, and frolicking on the land. Finally, on the sixth day of creation, God formed mankind from the dust. This is the work of our Creator God.
Yet, this was not the end of his creative acts. As Christ extols to John in Revelation 21:5, “Look, I am making everything new!” His resurrection power rebuilds what was torn down, reforms what was destroyed, and revives what was dead. Remarkably, we are invited to join God in these creative acts of resurrection. After all, because we are made in God’s image – because we are limited, fragile, and fractured reflections of his person – we, too, are creators. In the most recent edition of Onward, Cam Roxburgh writes, “We join [God] in creating when we dwell deeply in a neighbourhood and see signs of shalom. And we most certainly join him in continuing creation when we participate with him on mission, multiplying ourselves in showing the beautiful life in the Kingdom to other people and in multiplying Christian communities.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “There’s something about love that builds up and is creative.” King was specifically talking about the power of love to break down the walls of hate and oppression. This, too, is the creative work of God’s resurrection power. Therefore, to love God and to love others – particularly when it is difficult and requires effort on our part – is one of the most creative acts we can perform.
Keep your eyes wide for the creative acts of love God directs you toward today.