Day one, or January the first, it all starts so perfectly. Our thoughts today are rooted
in Genesis chapter 1 verse 3, and God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. The Bible begins by declaring that God made
everything. The first two chapters of Genesis describe the opening events of history that
are rooted in present-day Iraq, which many people believe to be the cradle of civilization,
with its rivers the Tigris and Euphrates. The Bible tells us that first there was chaos,
then God intervened to create all the animals that now inhabit our world. Out of chaos,
God brings order. His final act of creation is the making of man and woman, who are described
as being made in God's image. The first man, who is called Adam, individually names all
the animals. This is the first task given by God to mankind that was fulfilled with
flying colors. All the more impressive, as he named them all without the help of Eve,
who was not yet on the scene. And now our action step for today. When we make anything
it usually involves physically manufacturing something with our hands. In this account
of God creating the heavens and the earth, he does it in a unique way. He simply speaks
and it happens. Now that's power. It also reveals the power of words. When John records
his gospel, he begins by saying, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He describes Jesus as the Word, and we know how powerful Jesus was when
he was on earth. In his letter, James warns about the frightening influence our word-maker,
the tongue, can be. So when we read about God creating everything by just speaking,
it is a timely reminder of the power of our own words. So be careful what you say today,
because once said, it cannot be unsaid. Our tongues can be used for good or bad. We can
use them to build up or knock down. It's often said, if you can't say anything good,
don't say anything at all. Now there's a thought to begin our book.