Did you know there are 27 bones and 30 muscles in the human hand? These bones and muscles, along with connective tissue and tendons are designed to allow a great range of movement and precision. Thanks to this amazing design, we can do a wide range of things with our hands, such as grip objects tightly and lift heavy weights, as well as threading the eye of a needle.
What Are You Doing?
The human body is one of the many marvels of God’s creation. Every one of our various body parts are brilliantly conceived for specific purpose and function. We have the ability to perform any number of movements and actions at any given time. What makes this even more remarkable is the intelligence we have to choose what we do. These are the actions we are determined to make every day. Why has our Creator given us such incredible abilities?
The Creation Mandate
When we look at the Story of God, we discover early in the book of Genesis what is called, “The Creation Mandate”. God created man in His image and likeness to be His reflection and representation in the world. When man does this well, God is glorified. This mandate was given to man as a directive to create a suitable culture and we are brilliantly fashioned to do this both physically and intellectually. Think of the many ways mankind utilizes the raw materials of the earth and creates resources that contribute to the “common good” and “human flourishing”. The actual commands God issued man was to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” The first humans were to go from the Garden of Eden into the world creating an ideal civilization which would glorify God by declaring his excellence.
The Fall of Man
In Genesis chapter 3, it all begins to fall apart. Sin enters the world when man deliberately rebels against God’s authority by taking the forbidden fruit. Immediately things change for the worse. Now no longer interested in extending God's glory by fulfilling the "Creation Mandate", man selfishly desires to consume the resources God provided with little regard for the welfare of others and creation itself. God pronounces a series of judgments after man’s fall, and one is to curse the ground, making it difficult to bear fruit. It will now require hard work and increased effort. Yet, in spite of this judgment, the mandate is unchanged and remains in full effect.
Redemption and the Creation Mandate
The third act in the Story of God is “Redemption”. Redemption is God stepping into his creation in the person of Jesus Christ and taking back all that was lost as a result of the Fall. God’s goal is to recover the conditions that existed in Eden. These conditions include the privilege of dwelling in God’s presence, enjoying his blessings, and experiencing the harmony that existed between God, others, and creation. Though redemption is primarily concerned with man being reconciled to God relationally, it also encompasses the recovery of man's original purpose. This purpose is to glorify God by extending his creative purposes throughout the entire world. Remember man is to be God’s reflection and representation in the earth.
How Do We Do This?
Let’s remember the Creation Mandate–God created man to be fruitful. This fruit is all that we do for the common good and human flourishing. Sin creates an even greater need for man to step up and fulfill what God commanded in the Garden. The world no longer cooperates. The consequences of “The Fall'' produce unprecedented damage and we’ve totally lost our way. We no longer live according to God’s created intent. We’ve forfeited the fullness of life God created us to experience. Everything sin has ruined and damaged needs to be repaired, replaced, or restored.
When we personally experience redemption and become followers of Jesus Christ, God begins a work in us which results in our doing good works. The apostle Paul addressed this in his letter to the church in Ephesus:
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)
These “good works” that God has planned for us to do long ago are the good we do for the benefit of all. In John’s gospel, Jesus said, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.”
Sound familiar? We are to be fruitful!
Whatever Your Hand Finds Itself to Do
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
In other words, life is short! Make it count by being diligent to do good! This encompasses everything we put our hands to do each and every day. We get busy doing what we’ve been called to do in God’s story.
John Mark Comer says this in his wonderful book, Garden City, Rest, and the Art of Being Human:
“You were made to do good— to mirror and mimic what God is like to the world. To stand at the interface between the Creator and his creation, implementing God’s creative, generous blessing over all the earth and giving voice to the creation’s worship.”
Show us your hands. Are they being put to good use? Are they bearing fruit? Is there something you’re doing to bring restoration? Are they reaching to someone who is suffering under the curse of sin? Are they making known the reality of Jesus by the good works you’re created to do? We’ve been given great abilities to make this happen. Let’s get busy!
Notes:
1. Comer, John Mark. Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human, Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 2. Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ec 9:10). Tyndale House Publishers. 3. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (2016). Crossway Bibles.