One Year Bible. January 1, 2015
Genesis 1:1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-6
New Year’s Day is a time of new beginnings. The Bible speaks much about fresh starts. Whether it is a personal project or renewed determination to fulfill old goals, the New Year offers us the chance to look back, look forward, and re-assess.
Genesis 1 is the ultimate start-up. The old classic Latin phrase is creatio ex nihilo – “creation out of nothing.”
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
The new atheists and their scientists laugh at this chapter calling it a myth. However, they have yet to present a rational answer to the basic question: “Where did all this come from?” The sheer glorious order and majesty of the universe calls for – demands – the mind of a Maker. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1)
Four lines of thought flow through these verses.
1. GOD IS SEPARATE.
Creation comes out of Him. He is the source. He still is today. We cannot find Him IN His creation, we must seek Him for Who He is.
As we begin this year, it is too easy to focus on the “stuff” around us. We can never fully succeed by worshiping the works of our own hands, we must SEEK HIM. We can’t even worship the works of HIS hands – the things He made. He is separate from His creation and all wise men and women will SEEK HIM.
2. HE SAYS IT IS GOOD.
At the end of every creation day, God says, “It is good.”
Despite the huge challenges that surround each of us, God is always in heaven with a good word for you. He believes is us more than we believe in ourselves. He has faith for us even when we can’t see any good around us. God always has a good word to give us. Even the word “repent” is a good one – because it leads to life (Acts 11:18)!
3. MAN IS UNIQUE.
The crown of creation is MAN (Gen. 1:26-27). While the complexity and beauty of creation is awesome, God reserves His best work for the one creation that bears His image.
That is why all philosophies that demean man are essentially wrong. Evolutionary thought makes man nothing more than a highly developed animal. Ecologists see man as the blight on an otherwise good eco-system.
You and I are at the focus of God’s good purposes. We are important to Him.
4. GOD SPEAKS.
Genesis 1:3 says, “Then God said…” Hebrews 11:3 restates, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God…”
This may seem strange and foreign to some, but God in heaven SPEAKS. He is personal. If we talk to Him, He will talk to us. He is not silent, but, in a thousand ways, He seeks daily to communicate with us.
One of the best goals for 2015 would be to increase your TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION with God. Talk to Him, but also listen to Him. He SPEAKS.