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Christmas has come and gone
The New Year is in the past
Cold icy winds of winter have come
But spring will come at last
Although the holidays are over, some of the results are still with us. My clothing is a little tighter because of all the cookies, treats and fruitcakes I have eaten. The sharing of these things between neighbors seems to be a tradition here where I live. The wide variety of cookies and the way they are made is amazing. The creativeness of the human mind is just another example of how we are made in God's image.
I am rather choosy when it comes to eating cookies. I don't just start at one side of the plate and eat as I go; I pick and choose through all of them. The butter cookies and shortbread are some of my favorites. I go on in descending order until I get to the least cared-for cookies (some cookies I have loved, others I have hated).
Many times we do the same thing with the scriptures, we pick and choose the passages that we like and want to apply. In the beginning of Genesis we read verses (principles) that are important and can be life-changing if not applied in the right way. In Genesis 2:24 we find the verse showing the proper situation of a man and a woman, their union, and their relationship to their parents after marriage. This is an important part of the God-glorifying Christian home.
In Genesis 2:2 we have another important verse, some people refer to it as a creation ordinance, "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done". It seems like people will ignore this verse and leave it on the plate like the unwanted cookies.
By including this verse in the canon of scripture, God was clearly leaving us an example to follow. It wasn't because He was tired and overcome with exhaustion, or that He needed time for a snack or a drink. Adam and Eve were also in their sinless state before sin began having its negative effect on the creation. With the wearing down of creation I would think this would be more important today than ever.
What a great provision God made for man, a time to relax and unwind. It can also be a time to reach out and encourage others. Are you taking advantage of God's love and care in the example He has given us? "And He rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done," Genesis 2b.
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.