Breath of Life

God's Spirit did not just "speak" all things into existence and hover over the waters of the deep. Only one chapter later, we find the Spirit of God at work in creating the first man.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:5-7 NIV)

God breathed into the first man the breath of life. God breathed into you the breath of life. When you received the breath of life for the first time, you cried. The people in the room considered that a good thing. It meant you were alive. Every moment of every day, you continue to breathe the breath of life. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now.

I'm not sure how our bodies what to do, but they just know. Prior to this discussion, you probably didn't think about your breathing. Your body just does it "automatically." While you were sleeping last night, your body just did it all by itself. You did two things at the same time. You slept and you breathed. Even today, you are breathing automatically.

Your body knows to move your diaphragm to open up the lungs and pull air in. It also knows how, at the microscopic level, how to transfer oxygen out of the air in your lungs into your bloodstream where it is needed. Your body also knows how to take carbon dioxide, which your body considers a poison and a waste, and move it into the air currently in your lungs. Then, your body knows how to push the diaphragm and push the air out with its additional poisonous contaminates. You don't even have to think about it. You just breathe.

When we were born, we received from God the breath of life. We continue to receive this gift from God every moment of every day. Whenever you breath, you can remember God. Whenever you take a breath, you can remember that God wants to give you life.

How about you? Do you remember the gift of God every time you take a breath? Do you know that God wants to give you life? Do you thank God for giving you the breath of life?