Truths of an Organized Life...who God is

Do you remember those commercials with Michael Jordan, the great basketball star, where the point of the ad was to "Be Like Mike"? I can't remember if he was promoting his shoes, underwear, or a sports drink, but the little jingle that accompanied the product endorsement is one that has stuck with me. It goes something like this:

Like Mike, gotta be like Mike

I wanna be, I wanna be like Mike

Like Mike!

Who didn't want to be like Michael Jordan? He was athletic, talented, and wealthy!

When it comes to organized living we need to be singing that same song, just with a different name.

Now, I'm not implying that it should be with mine! Granted, I love everything about organization: my favorite store is The Container Store, my favorite TV show is Mission Organization (is that still on in the States?), and I subscribe to Real Simple magazine, which is dedicated to simple, organized lifestyles. Crazy, I know, but that is who I am. I was born with a personality that thrives on organization, that craves it, that needs it! But having an organized life is not about being like me or who I am.

Funny thing is, it's not about you either.

It's about who God is.

At first this threw me for a loop. The Bible is an endless collection of all God's great attributes, but I couldn't remember reading any passage of Scripture that described Him as "organized". Loving, kind, giving - yes; orderly - not so much. Then one day I came across this verse:

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." - 1 Corinthians 14:33

From that one passage, I deducted that if God is not a God of disorder, then He must be a God of order. Once my heart took hold of this truth, I was able to see God in Scripture as a God who is organized, planned, and orderly. I wish I had the time and space to show you the many passages that justify what I'm saying, but I don't. So let's just look at one book of the Bible, Genesis, that exemplifies God's organized character:

In Genesis 1, He planned out all creation in an orderly manner. There were no plants or living animals before there was land or water - creation followed a logical sequence!
In Genesis 3, He revealed His plan for Jesus, plans that He had made since the beginning of time and that wouldn't come to pass for many years later.
In Genesis 6, He gave Noah specific, detailed, and organized plans to build the ark.
In Genesis 12, He revealed His plans for Abraham to become the father of a great nation.
In Genesis 37-50, He organized circumstances in Joseph's life so that good would come out of it and would be a turning point for future generations.

Not to mention, there are Scriptures that speak of God's plan for us and for the end times too!

I hope that this truth about God's character is making sense to you, because it is foundational to the organized life you and I want to have. Being organized is not about how, but about who. Who God is. And I pray that this insight into His character will cause you to sing:

Like God, gotta be like God


I wanna be, I wanna be like God


Like God!


In my next post, we'll build upon the foundation of God's orderly character and look at how knowing who God is affects our lives. Until then, keep singing and sing loud!