THE STORY                                                          

Reading for Sunday, September 25     THE STORY, Chapter 1 (Genesis Chapters 1 thru 4, 6 thru 9)

God's Pain                            

“The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain”  Genesis 6:5-6 (NIV)

Do You Judge God or Look at Yourself?

Think about what this verse says. “every inclination of the thoughts of the hearts of human beings was evil all the time”. And this, “God was filled with pain”. God regretted created human beings.

Has a sadder thing ever been written? Do you judge God for this attitude toward His creation and further for bringing destruction to humanity through a flood? Or do you look at yourself and ask if this description of the human condition could actually apply accurately to you?

The Bible wants us to choose the latter. The history of God’s people after Genesis two is consistently unflattering of human beings. The first people lie, their children squabble, and fratricide results. Lamech, the proud descendent of Cain is a killer too. Even, though he is described as “walking with God” is also described as “blameless among his own people”, which is hardly a ringing compliment, considering the lifestyle of his own people.

The Bible is honest about who we are. “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” writes Jeremiah (17:9).   Are you honest about yourself? It is so very painful to look in the mirror and see the corruption that has overtaken the image of God that stares back at us. Yet this is the beginning of walking with God. Notice what God did with Adam and Eve. He gave them a family and went with them. The “mark of Cain” was an act of Grace. The rainbow after the flood is a commitment to unimproved humanity (something worse than meets the eye is behind verses 9:20-23) like us.

I don’t know about you, but I live by Grace alone. I get it that I’ve done nothing, absolutely nothing that I can take credit for, yet have done much for which my impure heart is responsible.

Prayer
 
“Lord, help me to look more closely in the mirror today. Help me see the truth of my corrupted self. Help me to regret that immensely. Help me, though, also to see, behind it all, You, the something of your image that is nevertheless still there. In the humility your grace to me I choose to live. By your grace I will thrive. Amen”