“By binding different people together, Degree preserves order while allowing for change and transition. But in the absence of Degree, envy and rivalry are cataclysmically released until total antagonism reduces us to appetite and self-devouring.”

— Joe Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World

One morning, I encountered this quote from Joe Rigney’s Leadership and Emotional Sabotage, and it resonated deeply. It set me pondering what keeps us grounded—and what happens when we stray. Rigney calls it “Degree,” a concept that feels profound. To me, it’s the divine order God intended, with Him as Lord over all. This is the Degree of Man, a journey from chaos to peace.

Imagine the beginning: the earth, formless and void, shrouded in darkness—a realm of chaos. Then God intervened. His Spirit hovered, His Word parted light from dark, and order emerged. He placed man in the Garden, granting dominion under His authority—a harmony of purpose and growth. But that order shattered. Sin entered, and man rebelled. The Degree of Man collapsed, its fallout evident in Cain. Unsubmitted to God, envy overtook him, sparking hatred and strife that ended in murder. Banished to Nod—meaning “wanderer”—he became a stark image of humanity unmoored, lost without Degree.

I’ve walked in that shadow. Perhaps you have too. Recall a time when chaos defined your life—no direction, just restless turmoil. For me, it was a season of pursuing selfish plans, led by pride. Pleasures faded, and disorder returned. Rigney’s warning strikes true: without Degree, envy and rivalry undo us, leaving only strife. Satan thrives in that ruin.

Yet God holds out a path back. Scripture beckons gently: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:26). In my own unrest, I heard that call—to pause, to listen. Only when I fully surrendered did I feel it: the compass of life taking shape. We need His Word, a steadying force, and His Spirit, guiding us into all truth (John 16:13). Together, they shaped creation; together, they reshape us. His Word and His Spirit form the ultimate compass—not only restoring Degree in our lives but also leading us to our eternal destination of Heaven one day soon. The plan of salvation in Acts 2:38—repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit—marks our return to God’s design.

The Degree of Man isn’t a distant memory. It’s a living promise—God at the helm, binding us in love, rooting us in purpose. I’ve felt its quiet strength: listening before judging, trusting His timing, choosing to build. Without it, we wander in Nod. With it, we rise. Apart from God, man cannot escape chaos; sin’s pull fades, and turmoil resurfaces. Yet Degree shines as a guiding light through the dark.

This is our journey: anchor in His Word, yield to His Spirit, and let God lead. Chaos falls away, and life rises—Eden’s echo restored, a testament to what was lost and what awaits.