HOW IS GOD INVOLVED IN OUR LIVES?

God created us, has a plan for our lives, and has never abandoned His personal involvement in our lives. He always has been, always is, and always will be accomplishing His great purpose. In day 2 we saw that God’s first desire is for us to know who we are. When we look at Scripture, we see that God gave Adam not only an identity but also a place, a partner, provision, a purpose, and parameters. When we recognize God’s careful intention, we start to realize how important our God-given identity really is.

Read Genesis 2:4-9. What do we learn about the place God prepared for Adam? What does this place teach us about God? What does it teach us about Adam?

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Read Genesis 2:15-25. What purpose did God give Adam? What does this purpose teach us about the relationship between God and Adam?

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Our identity is formed by the place God puts us in and the purpose He gives to us. God placed people in a position of dominion so that we can join Him in His work of bringing life and order in the world. The garden and the call to do meaningful work came before the fall. God created us to thrive and flourish as He intended, to know Him personally, and to trust Him fully. The place and purpose God has given to all of us reveal His desire to be intimately involved in our lives.

What does the fact that God gave Adam work, a partner, and instructions in a perfect garden teach you about your identity and purpose?

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Like our place and purpose, God’s design for our partner came before the fall. Adam didn’t request a wife; rather, God gave Adam a partner out of His own goodness. God deeply cares about our relationships with other people. He defines who we are and gives us all we need to live out our identity. His purposeful intention is evident in the parameters God sets for our lives.

Read the apostle Paul’s words to the people of Athens in Acts 17:22-34. How would you describe God’s involvement in human lives since the beginning with Adam and Eve? How and why has He been working?

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How does Paul’s teaching on false beliefs about God address your own tendencies in today’s culture, even without physical shrines and idols?

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God doesn’t need us to serve Him; He isn’t helpless without us or dependent on us (see v. 25). We aren’t expected to work for God. We’re invited to work with God within the parameters He has set. He’s continually involved in our lives and invites us to follow Him into fullness of life. The Lord God is at work in us and all around us, and He desires to work through us as well. Primarily, we join God in His work when we seek to know Him and point others toward Him.

How could God be working around and through you, providing ways to join Him in bringing abundant life, order, and flourishing to your area of influence?

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Conclude your time of personal study by considering the ways God is at work in your life, whatever your work and routine may be. Ask Him for courage to trust and obey Him completely. Pray for opportunities to share the truth about your Creator and Lord God with others so that they can know Him too.