Man apart from God has no life. They may seem to live, but as long as their purpose appears bleak, they are like a dead person walking. This is not only due to the uncertain importance of their lives, or their impending end, but also because of their unfortunate eternal destination.
It is helpful to recognize our original position so that we can reflect more on ourselves. We have established through the Word of God that we were created using a very insignificant element–dust. Accepting this would humble a person and prevent a high mentality about themselves. We also learned that God gave us His breath so that we could live. This provides us with proper consideration of how we should spend our lives?
Genesis 2:7 says, “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Through God’s work to make us alive, we read in the next verse why we were created, “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” He placed Man in the garden to do the work according to how God did the work. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
God is not enslaving Man to work. Work itself was not a curse but a divine purpose. It was only because of sin that work became tedious for us. Man working should be a reflection of His Creator who also worked. Man is to be the king in this garden God created to bring glory to the Greater King who created the heavens and the earth. The breath of life that God gave not only gives life to Man but also to His work. God’s work brings life, Man is expected to give life to the things he works on. And we know how it went. Man fell into sin and was removed from the garden. Man is cursed to work the ground so that he could eat, he and his family. Man will return to dust instead of continuing his life. Man became hopeless and the only logical and rightful solution is to be restored in God.
Many in our world are lost, and it bothers them that they are here on this earth only to suffer without meaning. Being a follower of Christ doesn’t remove the suffering, though. Why then surrender to Christ if the condition remains the same? The simple answer is: a Christian knows that their suffering is not in vain and is not permanent. Christian suffering is for God’s glory to be seen in the lives of His sons and daughters as they persevere to live in this decaying world, waiting for the return of Christ when He will restore everything to His purpose and design, ending all the works of evil, and providing us the proper rest our souls need.
We’ll close this next week for a brief reminder of how we should live while waiting for Christ’s glorious return.
