Skip to main content

Produce

One of the blessings of serving at Anchor House is I get to visit quite a few churches. One of the downfalls is that I get the messages intermixed from week to week. I show up for a single Sunday and don't get the benefit of the continuity of hearing an entire series. 

This week I decided to re-read the creation story. It has been one section of the Bible that has been a part of many of the sermons I've heard lately. The story of God making the land has captivated me. Genesis 1:9 we see the creation of land "And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so." He created the land then put it to work.

God doesn't stop with creation, He continues with providing purpose. "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so" (Genesis 1:11). The land isn't supposed to sit idle, it is called to be productive. It is called to give life. The vegetation creates food for the animals. It creates seeds to create more plants. The land was purposely created to sustain life and support other living things. The land had purpose.

Genesis tells us the God created man in His own likeness. We are made in his image. The land wasn't made in God's image, yet it has purpose. Being made in the creator's image, surely we don't lack purpose. Many of us walk around aimlessly and without purpose. Not realizing that from the beginning we were created with a purpose. 

In creation we were called to rule over all creating alongside God. After the fall, man was cast out of the garden, but given a purpose- working the ground which God had given. God has always provided us with purpose. 

In Jesus we again find purpose. He said, "Go and make disciples…" (Matthew 28:19). God provides purpose. "Tell my story," Jesus says, "bring others to me so that they may live a full life and they may produce fruit like you." Just like the land God created, we are to produce, be fruitful, and sustain other lives. 

Be blessed be a blessing,
Matt

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A New Command

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV I don't know how many times I have read this verse. Today it hit me differently. Part of it jumped off the page. If there's a new commandment, what makes this different than the old ones?  They must have love in them, right? Nine of the ten commandments have "No" or "Not" contained in them. They tell us what we cannot do rather than providing us with positive direction.  This new commandment couldn't be a more drastic change from the ten commandments. Jesus doesn't say don't do this instead He says DO THIS! Jesus could have easily followed the format of the commandments and said don't hate others or don't ignore others. Instead He gave direction and said LOVE others.   This raises the question, what does it mean to love each other as Jesus loved us and how can we do that?  Be blessed and be a blessing Matt Ennis

Bold Like Stephen

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to be bold in their convictions.  It is the kind of boldness that allows them to stand out in the crowd. There is just something different about how these people view and engage the world around them.  The movie “Hacksaw Ridge” portrays a man that exemplifies what I mean by bold.  He was drafted to serve in World War II but refused to bear arms because of religious reasons. Yet, he still managed to receive the Congressional Medal of honor. Without a weapon in his hand, he saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite his objection to violence, he still served his country. Despite his objection to war he found a way to love his neighbor. He was bold.  When I think of bold in the Bible, I think of Stephen. Acts 6:8 says, "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Stephen faced opposition to his teachings. Those that opposed his teachings couldn't ...

Anchor House Week 4: Strawberries

This week I had the chance to come through on a promise I made to one of our regular ships. When they were in port last we were hanging out in the break room with the crew. Somehow we got on the subject of strawberries, Florida strawberries of course. I made the bold statement that Florida strawberries were the best. Trish followed up by clarifying that Plant City’s are the best. She had a point that is hard to argue with. In the discussion, I told the seafarer that I would bring them some strawberries next time they were at Port Manatee. Sure enough the next time they were in port I ran to Detweillers, first thing in the morning, and picked up a half of a flat of some of the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen. They were big, red, perfectly placed in the container in a neat and orderly fashion. They looked magnificent. As we approached the ship, the seafarer whom I had made the promise to waved and said, “You remembered!” After we boarded the ship, we t...