DIVINE INTIMACY FOR IMPACT (2)

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day...” – Genesis 3:8

God created Man with the Intent of DIVINE INTIMACY for IMPACT: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the Presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden” (Gen.3:8). Our intimate Walk with God, which is His highest priority for us, determines our Impact in life: “Then God said, “let us make man in Our Image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over” (Gen.1:26a). Until the intrusion of Sin and Man’s Fall, Intimacy with God was part of the Edenic daily lifestyle. As long as Man carried the Identity of God and sustained Intimacy with Divinity, Dominion was exercised without stress.

With the loss of Intimacy came fear, nakedness, and shame: “I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (v.10b). Interestingly, in cursing the serpent, God consciously severed humanity’s unwarranted intimacy with the enemy: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed...” (v.15a). However, in responding to Eve, God reinforced her Intimacy with Adam: “...Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (v.16b). Intimacy is always God’s Priority!

Even before the world began, God loved us and wanted to have intimate, personal relationship with us that would bring great joy, fulfillment, and power to our lives: “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph. 1:4). Love was His motivation for designing the universe and creating us. Even now, God’s highest priority is for us to be involved with Him in Prayer, study of His Word, Worship and Praise. Divinity craves communion with Humanity! Shall we reciprocate?

To live fulfilling and significant lives, making a difference in our world, we must surrender completely to the Lord and ask Him to open our hearts to embrace His Love and Mercy. We’re special, beloved persons and God has unique plans to shower on us all the Love, fulfillment, and related blessings, to ensure that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of GOD which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.8: 39b). God has no problem with being Intimate with Humankind. That’s why Jesus came! The issue is our response. God desires a life of Intimacy with Him, not separation from Him. This is what it takes to truly affect other people’s lives in eternally lasting ways.

Genuine Intimacy with God – His Original Purpose for Humankind – can become evident in every area of life, positively impacting how we relate with everyone we encounter. Let’s pursue a deeper relationship with God, asking Him to draw us into intimate communion with Himself, transforming our lives to affect the world for His Kingdom’s sake!