'In the beginning God...Genesis 1:1. Powerful words. Words that remind us that before we start any new venture, any new relationship, take a new job, move to a new house, etc. etc., God must be at the beginning. A widespread New Year's resolution of Christians around the globe is to read the Bible from beginning to end. Many will begin well and end poorly. Our lives will become busy with everyday tasks and we will do good to recite a verse we know by heart. If you are one of the ones who have decided to take on this task, then you are probably in the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis is the place where God first reveals Himself to mankind. This book shows us that without God nothing would exists. The sun, the moon, the stars, the grass, the flowers in the field, the birds in the air. By the spoken word of God all of these things came into existence, including His most important creation, mankind. Now you might be asking why I am pointing this out. Well I'll tell you. One of the very first things we tend to do as we go about our daily routine is forget God. We don't forget to wash our face, brush our teeth, take a shower, get dressed, or eat. But on any given day we can get up and forget to talk to God. To ask Him what is it that He desires of us on this day. To thank Him for the simple things like being able to breathe. We forget from whence we came. How can we expect anything in our lives to go right without first consulting The Almighty?
Before you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you were just like the earth in the beginning, without form and void. There was emptiness and darkness, all manners of confusion. It wasn't until after this decision that you fully began to understand what your purpose in life is: to give Him glory. Looking back I can trace some of the worse times of my life to when I neglected my relationship with God. Things were going well so I didn't pray as much. I wasn't consistently in the Word. I had forgotten that the only reason I have gotten to this point in my life was because of God. So with this New Year, it's time to get back to the basics. The time has come to remember that moment 'at the cross, where you first saw the light'. If we don't keep God first then we will never get it right. I was watching a television program titled, Create A New You. The show was about individuals who had lost jobs for whatever reason during the downturn in the economy and could not find a new job. Let me start by saying I am not knocking the show. In fact, it wasn't until just now while writing this that I realized the reason why I watched the show. During the entire infomercial there was no mention of God. There were suggestions that included going back to school, starting your own business, and volunteering. All very good ideas but there is one very important point that the first chapter of Genesis teaches us that applies to this program and that is 'we cannot create/recreate ourselves on our own'. As much as we may try to change those things we do not like about ourselves or even start a different career from the one we have been on for the last ten years, if it is not in God's plan for our lives then it will fail. If we have not consulted Him in our decision making progress and allowed Him to guide every step of the process then we are setting ourselves up for failure. And before you say it...YES, God can take our efforts that did not include Him and turn them around for His glory but only when we give up control and allow Him to direct our paths. I know that what I am saying may put a damper on your New Year's resolution but don't let it. Stop right now and ask God what it is that He wants you to work on this year. What direction is He taking your life, your ministry? You can be recreated but only by God. Remember what Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17-18: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.” Yes you can begin anew. Just remember that this can only be accomplished by a sovereign God. And He can take your talents, your failures, your successes, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your past and use them for His glory. Whenever you find yourself thinking that you did this....go back to the beginning and remember that before your life took on any shape or any purpose, there was GOD.
Most Gracious Heavenly Father,
I acknowledge that You are the Creator of all things and every good and perfect gift comes from You. As I begin this new year help me to stay focused on You. Help me to consult You first in every decision that I make. Help me to remember that I am what I am but by the grace of God. In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.
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