Tools of success from the story of creation

The story of creation as recorded in the Bible has profound insights into how we can organize our lives to achieve our visions, dreams or goals in life.

God created the universe and everything in it in six days and took a nice long rest on the seventh day.

In Gen. 1:1 the word of God says, “In the beginning, when God created the earth and sky, the earth was without life and not yet useful for anything. Deep waters covered the earth, and darkness covered the water. God’s Spirit was moving like a storm over the surface of the water.”

God spoke in the darkness when he said, “Let there be light!” And light began to shine. He was pleased with the light he saw. He separated the light from the darkness. He named the light “day,” and named the darkness “night.” There was evening and then there was morning. This was the first day.

The second day God made a vast blue sky and hung it over the earth. He was happy with what he had done.

The next morning God looked at his creation and felt the earth needs to be a bit more organized. Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together so that the dry land will appear.” And it happened. God named the dry land “earth” and he named the water that was gathered together “seas.” And God saw that this was good. He made grass, plants that make grain and fruit trees to grow on the earth. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the third day. (Gen. 1:9-13).

The fourth day God made the sun, moon and stars. He hung them in the sky. The sun provides light during the day and the moon and stars added a sparkle to the night. God stood back and admired his creation. It was all good.

The fifth day God created living things to fill the sea. He made small fish and big fish to swim in the seas he created. He also made big creatures like the hippo and whales to live in the sea. He made birds and sent them soaring through the air. God told the sea animals and the birds to multiply and have many of their kind. God saw that all was good. The fifth day was over.

On the sixth day God made many different kinds of land animals. He made domestic and wild animals. He also made animals that crawl on the earth. He commanded them to produce more animals and it happened.

The earth and everything in it looked beautiful. Who was God going to give this beautiful gift to?

“So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1: 27-28)

God told man to eat fruit and grains made by the plants and trees.

God took a long rest on the seventh day.
“So the earth, the sky, and everything in them were finished. God finished the work he was doing, so on the seventh day he rested from his work. (Gen. 2:1).

The above story of creation has profound truths about life. It has tools of success that we can apply to turn things around in our own lives.

Here are some of the tools I have deduced from the story.

Wisdom
First we see perfection in everything God did. There was absolute orderliness in the work God did.

This great work could not have been achieved without the application of wisdom.

Scriptures affirm this.
“The LORD made me in the beginning, long before he did anything else.

I was formed a long time ago, before the world was made.” (Prov.8: 22-23).

LORD, you created so many things! With your wisdom you made them all. (Psalm 104:14)

With divine wisdom everything was done perfectly.
Before you set out to do anything worthwhile, get divine wisdom. This is what will give you special knowledge, understanding and power. With wisdom you can put together good plans and execute them to achieve your objectives or goals.

Wisdom says,
“I have good advice and common sense to offer.

With my help kings rule, and governors make good laws.

With my help leaders govern, and important officials make good decisions.

With me there are riches and honour.
I have lasting wealth to give to you.” (Prov. 8: 14-18).

We need wisdom more than any other thing. With wisdom we can make wise decisions, good plans, have a good judgment of issues, and solve difficult human problems. We can succeed at whatever we do because of divine wisdom. As King Solomon once noted, “Wisdom is the principal thing.”

God is the only true source of wisdom. We should ask him if we lack it. He gives it generously according to James 1: 5.

Planning
We can also see the tool of planning in the creation story. A plan is a strategy or steps that help us to achieve goals. Planning is very important in every undertaking or project. It contributes to the effective and efficient use of resources to obtain the desired results. It ensures judicious use of time.

As a result mistakes are minimized and productivity maximized.

Planning helps us to focus on what will bring results easier and faster. Plans can be revised or fine-tuned to make them more effective.

God did not just start creating; he first planned. The process of creation took six days. He devoted each of the days to a particular task which he completed.

Action
The wonderful things God did were a clear indication that he took action on his plan. Taking action is one of the tools of success.

Miracles happen when we take action. God spoke and things happened.

The scriptures say, “the earth was without life and not yet useful for anything. Deep waters covered the earth, and darkness covered the water. God’s Spirit was moving like a storm over the surface of the water.” (Gen. 1:2)

God’s Spirit moving like a storm is the power of God in action. He made us in his image. He has equipped us with power to do things. We have the brain and hands to do things using our natural abilities and the skills we acquire through training.

Most people make good plans or have good vision but fail to follow through. They procrastinate until their plans fade out of their memory.

Excellence
Again we see the employment of excellence as a tool in the work of creation. Everything God did was superb. Everything was carefully crafted by God. He then assigned man to take control of everything he had made.

We must also strive to achieve excellence in everything we set out to do. We should eschew laziness and instead work diligently towards the achievement of our goals.

Rest
God rested on the seventh day after he had finished creating the universe and everything in it.

Work is necessary to help us fulfill our calling. However, we must make time to rest. If we work continuously without rest, we will become ill and too tired to do anything. The body and mind would need to relax, be refreshed and prepared for subsequent jobs or activities.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the story of creation offers us the blueprint of success. We need wisdom, planning, taking action, commitment to excellence and rest in our arsenal for getting to the top. Begin to use these tools and make 2017 your best year ever.

Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert AWOLUGUTU
Correction Officer, Priest & Author
Email:[email protected]
Cell; 0208 455 296