God made it all. The sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the universe and everything in it. He made it all, and he made it all good.
When God was finished constructing an ideal home for his prized creation, he crowned his work with the creation of mankind. Humanity.
And in Genesis, chapter one, the very beginning of our human story, the Bible tells us the very first thing that God did for mankind:
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’” – Genesis 1:27–28, emphasis added.
God made mankind and then God blessed mankind.
So much of our theology starts with the point of our depravity, of sin, of the fall, of the curse. But the Bible starts with the character and nature and being of God.
And God is a God who blesses.
He grants his favor. He gives us his goodness. He cares for us, loves us, shows us mercy and grace, shares truth with us and provides for all of our needs including our desperate and universal need for redemption from sin through the sacrifice of his very own son, Jesus Christ.
God is many things—all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, holy and sovereign. But he lets us know at the very beginning of the book, at the outset of our story, that he is the God who blesses his people.
Do you see God that way? Have you understood that he wants to bless you? To make your life fruitful and meaningful?
This article originally appeared on BrandonACox.com and is reposted here by permission.