In the Beginning, God...
Beginning a new Bible reading plan for a new year is always exciting, if not a bit daunting. I’m excited to start something new with fantastic expectations of renewal, refreshing and response. But, then there seems to be that nagging thought that says, “Will you follow through?” “What do you hope to gain by reading a book? A very old book?"
Well, in response to those questions that flutter across my mind, I say this: “Yes, I intend to finish my plan!” “and I’m expecting God to work in my life, through His Word as He promised.”
God honors your faithfulness and if you ask him to speak to you, to do a work in you, in your heart, then, I believe that He Will!
I chose to embark on a chronological journey through the Bible this year. I have done it a few times before and read every word. For me, it helps put the narrative of God’s greatness, love, mercy and grace in perspective. It reads a little more like a love story through generations when it is in order of occurrence rather than by biblical canon. Even in chronological order, it still begins with Genesis. In the beginning, God...
Chapters 1-3 were the focus today and I read it in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB Study Edition)
Things, that stood out to me:
God spoke all things, earth, sun, moon, water, animals, plants etc. into existence, but was truly hands on with man and woman. He formed each of them by hand; man from dust and woman from the rib of man. He breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of man. God took great care with human creation and showed great concern from the very beginning.
When Adam and Eve were caught in their sin, their first reaction was to hide themselves, and their sin, from God. Maybe they did not know yet that God already knows everything, but I can surmise from their personal interactions that maybe they did. Also, they had eaten from the knowledge of good and evil, so their eyes were opened. In any event, they tried to hide from the one who sees all and knows all. When confronted about the specific deed, each of them, man and then woman, tried to defer the blame for their decision on another. Man blamed woman for giving him the fruit to eat, as if it were not his choice to take the bite. Woman blamed the serpent for deceiving her, yet like the man, it was still her choice. She knew well the penalty that God had placed on the action and knew it was wrong, yet she let the serpent lead her into breaking that rule.
We are not much different today, so many, many years later. We still try to hide from God. We still try to keep our sin a secret from him, as if not admitting it directly to Him and asking for forgiveness would in some way mean God doesn’t know what we did, thought, felt. We have the advantage of generations of stories, the written record of God’s interaction with man, yet we still fall for the same traps of the enemy. The truth is we will not have the relationship that Adam and Eve first had with God in the garden because of the sin that entered through them. However, we can have an honest relationship with God that could result in peace, love and mercy flowing through us if we simply let God into all those places we keep trying to hide. He already knows. Just like with Adam and Eve, he was waiting for them to be honest. We may still have consequences to face for our sins, just like they did, but God will still love us and we can have a real relationship with him built on trust and honesty rather than partial truth and deception.
Let’s come out of hiding and ask God to help us to be open and honest with ourselves and with Him. Let’s step our of the darkness and into the light He created!
