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Genesis: How do we get the good life?

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There are two ways to get the good life: (1) Work really hard, and do it on your own, or (2) Receive it. Genesis advocates the latter. It is not against work, but against striving. It is not against taking action, but is concerned about what motivates our actions. Are we trying to earn something from God? Or prove ourselves to the world? The good life, in Genesis, is open to “all the families of the earth” who simply receive the “blessing” of Abraham and carry it forward (12:3).

There are two ways to get the good life: (1) Work really hard, and do it on your own, or (2) Receive it. Genesis advocates the latter. It is not against work, but against striving. It is not against taking action, but is concerned about what motivates our actions. Are we trying to earn something from God? Or prove ourselves to the world? The good life, in Genesis, is open to “all the families of the earth” who simply receive the “blessing” of Abraham and carry it forward (12:3).

More than any book in Scripture, Genesis reveals God’s purpose and invites us to participate. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s purpose is to fill the world with Himself (i.e. his goodness) through a humbled, surrendered people. This is the real story of which all our lives are a part*.