Diversity and Love - God’s Creation

Diversity was not our idea—it was God’s design. From creation to culture, every life reflects His love and intention. Let us honor the beauty of His masterpiece: humanity.

Genesis 11 tells an interesting story about a unified people. “At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words.” There was no cultural diversity. People desired to make themselves famous and keep from being scattered all over the world but God had a different plan. He decided to “confuse the people with different languages” so they could not understand each other and in that way God “scattered them all over the world.”

For those who believe diversity is a modern invention or a cultural agenda, Scripture tells another story. From the very beginning, God created difference. The first book of the Bible shows God established diversity in language, region, and culture. Diversity was not humanity’s idea; it was God’s design.

Creation testifies to this truth. God created approximately 73,000 species of trees, 10 major cloud types, and 15 kinds of bodies of water… that we know about. Every sunrise and sunset is different from the day before. Should I go on to share the different types of land masses, insects, flowers, and animal species? Our world, as God created it, would not be possible without diversity.

Why would anyone expect God to create people with less diversity than He put into everything else He created? Variety was not a requirement for creation, but God decided to include diversity in abundance with distinction and beauty. All of this diversity reveals God’s creative nature and people are God’s greatest design.

Each of us is made in His image but not everyone operates in His likeness. How can people claim to love this God of diversity and hate the diversity their God created, all while calling themselves Christians?

In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (NLT)

As “Christ followers” (Christians), we must know and be conformed to the God of Scripture not platforms or agendas. The Christian’s allegiance is to God first and God alone.

According to Scripture, God created the different cultural groups and they existed before us. I can only imagine how the Creator feels to see His creation dishonored because God placed the highest value on human life, He gave His Son for all of us.

When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for the world so there is no superior culture or group of people; there is no one that is not valuable to God. Every person, and the way they are treated, matters to God. There is one cross, one resurrection, and one people embodied in many cultures, languages, and nations. God chose to do it this way.

And that is the rub, people want to serve God, but they do NOT want to serve Him in God’s way. Jesus declared, “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.” There is no other way to serve a holy God except we live holy too…that is God’s way.  Holiness includes how we love the people God created even the people who are different from us. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 (ESV)

As you celebrate with the ones you love this Valentine’s Day, remember the greater love God has for you and all of His creation.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16 (NJKV)

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