Genesis 2:1-7

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

“Save the best for last” is a well-known phrase today. It’s often used jokingly as a means to express one’s own self-importance. Sometimes it’s an expression that means to keep the most enjoyable thing until the end. When God created the universe, He saved His best for last. I’m not saying that humanity is to be lifted on a pedestal. I’m saying God so values us, that He created mankind––cognitive, emotional, relational beings––to be His image-bearers; because of all the beautiful miracles of creation, humans were His most prized––His best!

We are intricately formed by God. He gave us His breath of life––an act that separates us from all other creatures. Not only did His breath create us, but it also sustains us. This intimate act highlights the special relationship between God and man, proving our existence is not random but divinely planned. His very breath knit within us a soul.

C.S. Lewis is credited with saying “You are not a body that has a soul. You are a soul that has a body.”

A soul is defined as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being, regarded as immortal.” The fact that each human is a soul means we all will live for eternity. Eternity is in our hearts! The only question then becomes: Where will we spend that eternity? Do not choose the fleeting, fleshly pleasures of this life. Rather, choose the truth of God and His ways, knowing that our reward is in Heaven with the One who gave us life. Live in a way that is pleasing and glorifying to Christ.

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Seek the Lord in prayer.

Highlight a characteristic of God.

Identify a truth about yourself or people.

Notice what the Holy Spirit is communicating to you.

Engage in the next action step. Think of a way to respond in obedience to what God has revealed to you today.