New Beginnings

Today, we begin a year long look at God’s Word!  It’s exciting and challenging to think about the study of God’s Word!  I love both excitement and a challenge, so let the fun begin!

Genesis 1, 2, 3, and Matthew 1

Each day I will post the scripture we are looking at give a few thoughts of mine and present a few questions and perhaps another scripture that will allow us to ponder the thought even more than the scripture for that day.

Genesis 1, 2, and 3

First and foremost, God!  God the Creator is the focus of chapter 1.  Do you know that the majestic name of God is used 32 times as an active verb in most cases?  I love this fact, right from the beginning we learn that we serve “a living active God”!  In Chapter 1: 1-3 God is forming and in verses 4 -6 He fills things.  God lays the foundation of exactly who He is in the very first chapter of His Word.

We learn that He creates, He speaks, He sees, He separates things, He makes, He trusts, He blesses, and He loves each of us so very much.  How do I know from the first chapter look at verse 27?  Who did He design to be made in His own image?  Yes, male and female!  Us! 

Another thought from chapter 1 is that God started something, He developed something and He will see it through.  God knows the whole picture.  He is telling us how He started the whole thing with the words – In the Beginning…a lot of people get sidetracked with the time element – don’t please.  Focus on God not whether the days were a day like ours or years.  What does it matter?  After all, God is capable of doing it in a day or a day representing a thousand years.  Check out 2 Peter 3:8.

Genesis 2

So much good stuff!  Be reminded that even God rested.  (Verse 2)  If God needed to rest, then we definitely need to rest!  It is a new year, so start a new tradition of setting aside a time of rest.

Everything was perfect at this point.  The world was perfection designed by God.  Everything in it was perfect.  Imagine, Eve the first woman before sin entered the picture.  So, she had the perfect eyes, the perfect figure, the perfect hair, everything was perfect!  Adam the same!  Also, I read about a Jewish thought on the fact that God made woman from the rib of man, not the foot to be dominant over or stomping on, but to live your life side by side.  Sounds logical, doesn’t it?  So leaving chapter 2 remember perfection was surrounding Adam and Eve before we get to chapter 3.

Genesis 3

The fall of man!  How?  Doubt entered the world from the lips of a serpent!  He still places doubt around each of us daily to cause us to sin!  WE are no different than Adam and Eve we allow a twisted word to place that small seed of doubt and immediately the trust goes out the window!  Look at verse 1 and chapter 3 and sin enters the world and perfection is gone – out the window! 

Sin brings consequences.  Verse 8 and 9…Adam and Eve suddenly realized they had messed up and they hid.  Does this sound familiar?  Does to me!  I hate to admit it, but I want to hide when sin rears its ugly head in my life, but instead of running and hiding we must run to God not away from!  Don’t run and hide!  Flee to Him for help after all look at verse 21 God makes garments of clothing for Adam and Eve.  Imagine, the Creator of the Universe made their outfits even after their failure.

Matthew 1

Matthew is a good Jewish man and He is going to make sure that the records of Jesus go back to Abraham and David.  He is going to fill in all the gaps and leave no room for questions that Jesus is the answer to the prophecies.  Jesus is the Messiah!  In the people listed in Jesus line look at the five women.  Five women! Four of these women had sins connected to sexual sins and yet they are listed in the lineage of Christ!  Talk about showing how Jesus shows forgiveness even through his birth history!

Joseph.  Joseph.  What an important man in this story of Jesus is this man named Joseph.  Why?  Because He believed.  Joseph teaches us to believe.  An important key to faith taught to us is verses 22 and 23!  WE must believe these verses to show our faith.  Do you agree?

I will ask you two questions at the end of each day to respond to in your comments ~

1)      What’s the most fascinating part of our reading today?

2)    What new thought did God give you today?

You read some of mine above.  I want to close by asking you to read Psalm 104.  The writer of Psalm 104 knew exactly who God was and is…Do we?  Praise God today remembering He set the earth on its foundation and it can never be moved. Verse 24 –

How many are your works, O LORD!  In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures…

Indeed, I sit in Colorado surrounded by the mountains and the animals of your creation and once again I am reminded of just how MIGHTY YOU ARE GOD!  I give praise to You and You alone!  I praise you LORD with all my might and I thank you Lord for the Gift of your Word!

Praising God,

Debbie