The First Half…

Genesis One….(v.1-13)       

Verses 1-13….

   There is a lot more to how the world began than what the modern day scientists think. It started off with no shape of any sort and was dark and empty. We are told that the world has foundations and pillars in the constructions of this globe that we live on (Job 9:6-10)…

   Science tells us (and we see it in the eruption of volcanoes) that the centre of the earth is a boiling mass. Just as Matthew tells us that God has already prepared a kingdom for His people, there is already a place prepared for the devil and his angels. This place is popularly supposed to be the centre of the earth, but seeing the outside of the globe is going to be done away with, it could be somewhere more permanent!  (Matthew 25:34, 41; 2 Peter 3:7-13)

We wonder what the source of the original light was, the first thing that God created. The earth was already spinning as there was a clear definition of night and day. The waters above (mists and clouds) were separated from the waters beneath (seas and oceans) by the atmosphere, air and clouds on the second day (Job 38:4-12). The third day brought the dry land, oceans, seas and rivers, as well as the vegetation, and the earth was now ready to bear fruit.

God brought the earth from dark to light, God spoke and it burst into sight, The air and all the world around, Were put in place, with all  their  bounds.

                              ***   ***   ***

The Sun, Moon and Stars….

                                    What Came Next?                             

Genesis One, Verses 14-19….

   The next thing that God put into place was the order of the heavens….something that man has never plumbed the depth of. Outer space with its myriad of stars were all put in place by God and given names. Yet puny man dares to defy this One and downgrade His wonderful creation to evolution at the worst and Mother Nature at the best!

We can but say in wonder and awe with the Psalmist, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works! (Psalm 107:8)   And again, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all!”  (Psalm 104:24)    Man never has and never will, be able to find and count all the stars in the universe…space is impenetrable! When we look up at the night sky and see all the stars there, we wonder at their complexity….all those heavenly bodies and yet they never collide or move out of their appointed places!

    Light was already in existence, but God now made it more definite with the sun and moon giving time and seasons as we know them today. They have never varied since they began, except for the two times mentioned in the Old Testament (Joshua 10:13-14, and Isaiah 38:8) and will continue until the end of time. It is amazing to see the sun move along the edge of the horizon every morning, rising in a different place each day, and with the seasons varying in their set order.    Not only that, but we know that just the right amount of sun reaches the earth for man’s existence…..any more and man would frizzle and any less they would freeze!

God has ordained the moon and sun, Given night when work is done;

The stars come out in scores galore, As man looks up, there still are more!

                                       ***   ***   ***

                                                The First Half of Creation

Verses 1-13….

   There is a lot more to how the world began than what the modern day scientists think. It started off with no shape of any sort and was dark and empty. We are told that the world has foundations and pillars in the constructions of this globe that we live on (Job 9:6-10)…

   Science tells us (and we see it in the eruption of volcanoes) that the centre of the earth is a boiling mass. Just as Matthew tells us that God has already prepared a kingdom for His people, there is already a place prepared for the devil and his angels. This place is popularly supposed to be the centre of the earth, but seeing the outside of the globe is going to be done away with, it could be somewhere more permanent!  (Matthew 25:34, 41; 2 Peter 3:7-13) We wonder what the source of the original light was, the first thing that God created. The earth was already spinning as there was a clear definition of night and day. The waters above (mists and clouds) were separated from the waters beneath (seas and oceans) by the atmosphere, air and clouds on the second day (Job 38:4-12). The third day brought the dry land, oceans, seas and rivers, as well as the vegetation, and the earth was now ready to bear fruit.

     Then the next thing that God put into place was the order of the heavens….something that man has never plumbed the depth of. Outer space with its myriad of stars were all put in place by God and given names. Yet puny man dares to defy this One and downgrade His wonderful creation to evolution at the worst and Mother Nature at the best!     We can but say in wonder and awe with the Psalmist, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works! (Psalm 107:8)   And again, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all!”  (Psalm 104:24)

   Man never has and never will, be able to find and count all the stars in the universe…space is impenetrable! Light was already in existence, but God now made it more definite with the sun and moon giving time and seasons as we know them today. They have never varied since they began, except for the two times mentioned in the Old Testament (Joshua 10:13-14, and Isaiah 38:8) and will continue until the end of time. It is amazing to see the sun move along the edge of the horizon every morning, rising in a different place each day, and with the seasons varying in their set order.

   Not only that, but we know that just the right amount of sun reaches the earth for man’s existence….. any more and man would frizzle and any less and man would freeze!

God brought the earth from dark to light, God spoke and it burst into sight, The air and all the world around, Were put in place, along with every  bound. God has ordained the moon and sun, And given night when work is done; The stars come out in scores galore, As man looks up, there still are more!

***   ***   ***

Who Actually Created the World?

Genesis One….(v.1-2)            

Verses 1-2….

   Verse one goes on to say, “God created the heaven and the earth”. Who actually did the creating? Many people think that it was God the Father that did the creating, but there are many verses that show the whole Trinity was involved in the creating business. Let’s look at them….

   Both the writer to the Hebrews and John say that the Son was involved in the creation and in fact, is still seeing to the upholding of the original creation….keeping it going if you like (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2-3). We also see that the Father and the Son do nothing without including the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6-8). It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Son and God’s truths to mere mortal mankind. All this was ordained and put in order before the world began.

   No wonder Paul goes on to write that man hasn’t even begun to see and hear the wonderful things that God has in store for His people…..in fact, it is beyond our comprehension while we are earth-bound. (1 Corinthians 2:7-11; Ephesians 3:9-11).

Just as a caterpillar has no comprehension of the freedom and beauty of the fluttering butterfly it will become, so man cannot take in or even imagine what lies ahead!! And this is all part of God’s eternal plan….we don’t know yet what we will become, but we DO know that when we see our Lord Jesus we will become like Him! (1 John 3:2)

God created man to be with Him, To live on earth with Him within;

To be with Him in heav’n above, To know his peace and light and love.

                                    ***   ***   ***

God’s Books

   Last time we talked about God’s plan, and today we will look at His books. It seems that each person has a page (or two!) in God’s books…our genes, make-up, thoughts, deeds, and words are all written down in His books long before we were ever thought of, before even the foundation of the world (Psalm 139:15-16).

   Our tears and feelings as well as our words are all written down in His Book (Malachi 3:16; Matthew 12:36). What we talk about is all recorded there, and we will have to give an account of it at the Day of Judgment….we will have to go into every detail of all the idle words we have ever uttered. If it is not written in a literal book, then it will be indelibly written in our minds, and maybe that would be even worse!

   The Book of Life is the most well known of God’s books with several references to it, and this was also written up BEFORE the world began…there are also a couple of mentions of names being blotted out of it…(Revelation 3:5; 17:8b; 22:10)

   In the light of all this, how much more important is it to read and ponder the things in God’s Book, the Bible which is so freely available to us today!

God’s books were written long ago, With names and deeds all there to show,

So let’s make sure that we read, His Book today and to it heed!

                             ***   ***   ***

What WAS God’s Plan?

Genesis One….Verse 1….

   We have seen that God had a plan BEFORE He began His creation work (and is still working to it !) From God’s viewpoint, the whole plan was as good as accomplished….now He is just waiting for it to work itself out. After all, He created TIME….ETERNITY is timeless, without time! Time didn’t come into being until the sun, moon and stars were created for without them, there is no measuring rule…..

   God knew before He began, how He would bring salvation to man….that His only beloved Son (part of Himself) would go to earth to live a sinless life and then be qualified to die to pay the penalty of sin…a Person with no sin of His own (1 Peter 1:20). He knew BEFORE time began, all those who would come to Him in repentance, and wrote their names in the Book of Life (Revelation 17:8b.) He had even prepared a kingdom for them all BEFORE the foundation of the earth was laid  (Matthew 25:34). But all these things were kept a secret from angels and principalities until AFTER Jesus Christ had died and brought salvation to mankind. (Matthew 13:35). It was then that God’s Holy Spirit revealed these truths to His Apostles who wrote them down for us to read today in the Holy Bible. Let’s make sure that we not only read all about these things for ourselves, but that we make sure that our name is in the Book of Life!

God’s plan was written and early made, Before the world’s foundation laid;

Before the sun e’er showed its face, Or time began, God made our space.

                             ***   ***   ***

Do You Know What the Bible says About Beginnings?

Genesis One….Verse 1….

   The first phrase of the Bible says….”In the beginning, God”. This is where most people start but as we go through the Bible we get little glimpses of eternity past….things that happened before the world was even created. Verse one presupposes that God was there before He started creating.

   One of the main attributes of God is that He is a God of Love. How could He possibly display this love to the beings that existed there in eternity with Him? They all obeyed Him implicitly, and there was no reason why they shouldn’t. They had been created to be His ministering spirits, to do His slightest command (Hebrews 1:7, 14)

   God wanted to display His manifold (many faceted) wisdom to all the principalities and powers of the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:10). How could He do this unless there was a dark background to show His marvelous light against? Unless there is disobedience, perfect obedience doesn’t have any impact. Therefore it is safe to assume that God had a plan  BEFORE He ever began creation. Not only did He have this plan, but it was written down in detail ahead of time. Jesus Christ could say to His Father, “You have prepared Me a body, as it is written in the volume of the Book” (Hebrews 10:5-7)

God’s plan was written in His Book, Things the angels wanted to look; He made the earth so He could show, His love and light for men to know.

That Temptation in Your Pocket (Part Two)

   If you idolize popularity, if it is being admired and having lots of followers that makes you feel good about yourself, then you will be tempted to use your smart-phone to pursue that idol. You may use the camera to take inappropriate photographs of yourself in Instagram, or you may use the Facebook app to say harsh words about other people. That phone that can be used to do so much good and to bring so much encouragement will now be used to cause harm.
    There are not many people who buy a phone intending to use it to harm others or to look at pornography. But where your heart is, there your technology will be also. The way you use your technology reveals your heart.

   It shows whether your heart is oriented toward God and toward finding true joy and satisfaction in Him, or whether you are attempting to find counterfeit joy and satisfaction in the things He forbids. At any moment, your heart has a purpose for your phone. Yes, thank God for your smart-phone, but plead with Him for wisdom to use it well, and guard your heart.

 Use It to the Glory of God!  And now it is time to take that phone out of the box and to turn it on for the first time. As you hold it in your hand, why don’t you take a moment to pray? Ask God to help you to use that phone well. Commit before Him right now that, to the best of your abilities, you will only ever use it to serve His purposes. Ask a believing friend or two to be your accountability and check in regularly. Then go and glorify Him with and through it.

See what God has to say to YOU.