They are the first few words of the Bible. In every translation those four words remain the same. It is a point in time to help humans relate to the fact that God started everything.
Yesterday morning as my feet hit the ground the words popped into my head, “In the beginning God…”.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
But does it stop there? As Christians and believers in God, are we missing a significant point? Was God’s intention to simply pronounce that He Himself created the universe or is there more?
I am a believer in the more. Jesus’s teaching style was one that invoked thought. He didn’t “spell” it out in simple terms but gave us parables to contemplate the deeper meaning. He wanted us to find personal meaning in His teachings and a way to apply the lesson to our lives. I actually think He found delight in our pondering. Just as I think God smiles at those who find reason in “the Big Bang Theory.” It’s like a child’s belief in magic. It takes far greater intelligence to realize a higher power designed creation intimately and with careful detail.
As I got out of bed yesterday morning, I thought of those words. Shouldn’t they apply to all that we do? God calls us to give Him our firsts. The first of our day, first in our friendships, first in our marriage, first in our tithes and offerings, first in sports, first in our children, and first in our decisions. When we consider that if God is first in all that we do and say, then we fulfill His desire to be first in our lives.
I am learning to seek first God in all that I do and say. Before I write, I ask Him what He wants to say. Before I make a decision, I ask God for wisdom and guidance. Too many times we determine what we are going to do and then ask God for help to accomplish it.
At one point in my life I owned a restaurant. Great prayer went into the formation of the business and God was the center of the business. On a daily basis I gave it to Him in the people who came in to eat and in the people who worked with me. Several years ago, I had to close the doors. Many have told me God took His hands off of it. Some have said, “It just wasn’t His plan for you.” A few have remarked, “You didn’t hear Him correctly.” Sometimes, God asks us to do something for reasons we cannot comprehend. Trials of this life come from God too and are not necessarily a result of something we did or did not do. God gives and takes away. We must learn to see blessings in all aspects of our lives.
Today as you go through life, say these 4 powerful words, “In The Beginning God…” and approach all that you do with Him at the helm.
