Powerpoint Pictures: Goldfish; Fish Bowl; Plot of Land; House

Imagine I’ve just bought a fish and a fish bowl for it to live in.  Would I just drop it into the bowl?  Why not?  I need to put some water in it first otherwise the fish would die.  But just water in a bowl wouldn’t be very interesting for the fish.  What else could I do?  I could put some coloured gravel, greenery, scenery like a shipwreck, in the bowl as well.  Creating a home for a fish involves being careful, putting things in the right order, and also creative, making it interesting.

What if I had just bought a plot of land to be my home.  Would I just put my bed down in the middle of the ground?  Why not?  I’d get cold and wet.  I would need to put down some foundations, the frame of the house, a roof, flooring, windows and door and so on.  But I’d also make the house interesting by painting the wall, putting down carpets, furniture, and of course a TV.

The opening chapter of the Bible tells us that God created everything and chose the earth to be perfect home for human beings.  The problem was that the earth was a big blob of water covered in darkness.  It wasn’t suitable for people to live on.

So firstly, God made light, there could now be day and night.  Secondly, He makes the sky, and then thirdly, He makes land and plants.  The earth was now a place for people to live on.  The land and plants meant that people didn’t have to tread water, and now had food to eat.  The sky provided the oxygen for people to breathe.  The light provided the light to see and the warmth the people needed.

God has carefully turned the earth into a home for people.  But then God makes it interesting!

Fourthly, He makes the sun, moon and stars.  Fifthly, He fills the sea with creatures that swim and the sky with birds that fly.  Then sixthly, He makes lots of animals that live on land.  At last it was ready for people, so He makes them, saving the best until last.

We then read that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).  God took great care in making the earth the perfect home for people, but also that God was creative and made it an interesting place to live with lots of colour and variety, with lots of things to see, smell, touch, taste and hear.

God is the careful Creator who has made this world a perfect home for us to enjoy!