Beginning

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2 NKJ)

In his Genesis, Moses explains to the tribes of Israel that the physical universe began in a formless, empty space. God alone could fathom the depths of that black hole of nothingness. He examined it carefully as he moved along its surface.

The wonders of creation still boggle the mind of scientists, even those who disagree with Moses' account and think they know how it began. How it began, however, is not as important as how it will end.

In the beginning. What a great concept! This passage is a vast, almost bottomless, chasm of thoughts, concepts, and sermon material. Our beginning locates us. Our beginning gives us focus. And for most people, our beginning must be identified and defined.

Consider the believer's beginning. It is a spiritual beginning where God creates a new heart and a new spirit. Prior to this creation, we existed as formless spiritual blobs imprisoned in a vacuum of hopelessness and despair.

In his great mercy and grace, however, God examined that gloomy state. He alone could fathom the depths of its influence. The Spirit of God acted upon our spirit and drew us to Christ.

Despite our finite grasp of His marvelous grace, we still do not understand how God works in the heart of men, bringing them to his son, changing them for his glory. Christ told Nicodemus (John 3) that it is a spiritual work and cannot be fathomed by human minds.

Remember, how we begin is not as important as how we end!

Just as we marvel at his physical universe, we marvel even greater at his work in our own lives. His grace is marvelous!

Dear Father and Creator, thank you for creating the universe and all that is therein. Fulfill the work of Christ in us. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Begin within today,