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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good …. And God said, “Let there be … Heaven … And God said, “Let the waters … be gathered together … and let the dry land appear.” … And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation …” And God saw that it was good … And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night …” And God saw that it was good … And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly …” And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them … And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures …” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness …” And God blessed them … And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:1-4a, 6a, 8b, 9, 10b, 14a, 18b, 20a, 21b-22a, 24a, 25b, 26a, 28a, 31a)
I love the creation story in Genesis for so many reasons. It starts off right where it should—“In the beginning, God.” Yes! That’s the right place to start, with the One who has always been there and always will be there, the One on whom all creation depends.
So what is He like? When I was a child I knew virtually nothing about Him, until I read Genesis 1. That was my introduction to Him. And what did I see?
Well, given my age and my (then) state of unbelief, probably not much at that time! But what I see now is this.
This is a good God—one who creates good things, and He enjoys them, and He blesses them. This God is wildly creative and He likes variety. But He’s also incredibly organized and He plans for the future—everything from what various creatures will eat, to the way they will tell time.
This is also a God who takes a special interest in the species He gave responsibility to—that is, us, human beings. Speaking within the Trinity, God says, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” And the first thing He does after that is to bless us.
How I wish it had stayed that way—with God and humanity living in peace and joy together! But of course it did not. People disobeyed God, and brought all kinds of evil into the world—including death.
But this wonderful God did not abandon us. God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, into the world to rescue us. He became one of us, a human being—and through His suffering, death, and resurrection, broke the power of evil over God’s creation. Now every one of us who trusts in Him is forgiven and at peace with God again. His Holy Spirit lives in us, and is remaking us for His kingdom. What a wonderful God we have!
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, thank You for making us and loving us so. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- What phrase in the creation story gets repeated again and again?
- Why do you think the Holy Spirit keeps repeating this for us?
- Based on this story and on what Jesus did for you, how does God feel about you?
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