Love From The Beginning
It was not only in words that God spoke first of love. He has done so in actions from the very beginning. The creation itself was an act of pure love! When God saw all that He had made, He knew that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God’s making of the world reminds us of a man building a home in preparation for the coming of his beloved family. Instead of leaving it in darkness, He gave it light. Instead of leaving it shapeless, He formed it with strong building materials. He gave it the firmness of dry land, and the lively freshness of water. Instead of emptiness, He filled it with all kinds of living things. Instead of dullness, He gave each thing its own beauty and wonder. Instead of want and hunger, He provided all that life needed, including enjoyable food.
When all was ready, God created the people to live in this beautiful home (Genesis 1:26-28). He gave to man breath and a fleshly body, as He had given the animals. But the gift of life for man went far beyond animal life. The Creator made man in His own “image” or “likeness” (Genesis 1:26-27). Man’s heart can respond to God and to others in a far higher way than animals can. In keeping with this high position, God appointed man ruler over all the earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:26).
God was not forced to do any of this. It was because of His own loving nature that He created people and “blessed them” (Genesis 1:27-28).