In the Beginning …
It may be too late to talk about “In the beginning” on January 2, since the shine on your new year may already be tarnished. In hopes the shine is still there, let’s think about it.
The Bible begins with these fate-full words, “In the beginning …”
We quickly learn that in the beginning the earth is mysteriously non-existent. What we know as earth was a void and formless nothingness in the darkness of the deep.
In the beginning, there was nothing more than a celestial black hole. This is something Christians and modern-day scientists might agree upon.
The question which draws great debate is, “What transformed the celestial black-hole of nothingness into something-ness?”
The ant-hill which a child observes on the sidewalk today, but was not there yesterday had to come from somewhere. Christians and scientists can write a historically accurate pre-story for the ant-hill. It began when an ant took a grain of sand and put it next to another and then another … overnight an ant-hill with a colony of ants came into existence.
From nothingness came an intelligently designed community with life, structure, provisions, and meaning. A child understands this.
Genesis 1:1 reminds me why I am a man of faith. In my book a big bang from nothingness cannot yield a community with life, structure, provisions, and meaning.
All of this changes how I look at the New Year.
Out of the celestial nothingness, God created light, life, provisions, and community, His Way. It was a good design, one which does not need reworking by me.
As I stand at the doorway into a New Year, I am inclined to ponder, “What can I make of the year ahead?”
Admirably, I imagine a list of self-accomplished successes that will lead to life which is best for me. Then, as a Christian, I ask for God’s blessing upon the year I have set out to create for myself.
Does it strike you as odd that I’d ask the Creator to bless my creation, rather than accept His.
Wouldn’t it be better to begin the New Year submitting to His Way and let His good life unfold for me along the way?
Boy, am I glad I did not make a list of New Year’s Resolutions, God has a better plan.
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 