Genesis 1:11–13 (NLT)
Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
God had started this day by pooling all the water together in one place and having dry land appear in another, but He was not done. There was something missing in this new world, because it did not have much color. Sure there was a sandy color where the seas waves crashed in on the shore and there was a powdery sand farther inland in the hot areas, some almost white in color and some a pinkish color. Other places had a red clay as its’ soil, while others had a rich dark almost black color soil.
God saw this land with the many different soil colors and must have thought that it needed something else and so He must have thought there needed to be more color so He said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit.” And at the sound of His voice the earth came alive with color.
The desert plains of turned green with trees and with grass that would soon turn a yellowish brown as it dried in the heat. This same area also produces dark green jungles. There were rain forests so thick with vegetation that you would have to cut your way through There were yellow lands of wheat and corn, and lands that were as white as snow when the cotton was in bloom. And the blossoms! From flowers to trees there were yellows, pinks, green, and the colors go on and on. God painted the earth with vibrant colors.
Is there any wonder why many of us try our hand at growing plants in our yards or houses. My mom was good at growing house plants. She knew when to water and when to let them get bone dry. Me, I tend to let the get bone dry more often than I should. Mom would take the time every year and check to see if the plant needed to be moved into another pot so that it would have more room to grow. She knew what to us when I had bugs in my roses. I would often call mom to find out how to handle this plant or that flower.
We have farmers and ranchers who do not get the recognition they deserve, because they work, sweat, and worry over fields that are too wet to plant or harvest, or are too dry to produce anything. This working of the fields came about because of something else that happened early after the creation event, but we will look at that later. On this day God gave us all the plants that bare seeds; trees, flowers, grains, grass, and the list goes on and on.
Have you ever paid attention after you have cut the lawn as to what it smells like? Or an alfalfa field after it is cut? Have you ever walked through a peach, apple, or cherry orchard when they are in full bloom and smelled the sweetness they produce? Or a pine forest? A grove of cedars? God gave us all these plants and many, many more. And after God called our colorful world into existence He saw it was good and night came; the end of third day.
The third day of creation was a fantastic day! Water and ground separated, seed bearing plants and trees color our earth and they still do. I have been all over this world and every place has its’ own special beauty that can only come from God and yet people still do not see Him. I cannot help but see Him; I see God’s hand everywhere I look. I love the smell of the trees in the spring after long winter months of being dormant they come alive with aroma (sorry for those with allergies). And speaking of winter, where I currently live when the snow falls it coats the pines and lays heavy in its’ branches; beautiful! You say you live in the city? Well, take a harder look, there are usually parks with trees, there are tree lined sidewalks and streets. There are flower pots outside of buildings and then there’s your own house. What are you doing to help keep God beautiful land beautiful? You say you can’t grow anything because you forget to water it? Create a cactus garden. Many cacti will produce flowers under the right condition, but even if they don’t you will still have some green in the house.
I love God’s creation, but I love something else He did even more. God provided the sacrifice for my sins. This sacrifice allows me to walk into the throne room of God with confidence, knowing that I am an adopted child of God. What was the sacrifice God provided? His one and only Son, Jesus, the Christ. Jesus gave His life to save mine, to save yours and all He wants in return is to accept His love and with obedience to follow Him with your whole heart, loving those you come in contact with. What else happens when we love the Lord with our whole heart? We become adopted into the family of God and will live with Him forever. Sounds good to me, how about you?
Just a thought
