WEBVTT

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Day one, or January the first, it all starts

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so perfectly. Our thoughts today are rooted in

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Genesis chapter one, verse three, and God said,

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let there be light, and there was light. Now

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the big picture surrounding this verse. The Bible

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begins by declaring that God made everything.

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The first two chapters of Genesis describe the

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opening events of history that are rooted in

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present -day Iraq, which many people believe

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to be the cradle of civilization, with its rivers

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the Tigris and Euphrates. The Bible tells us

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that first there was chaos, then God intervened

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to create all the animals that now inhabit our

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world. Out of chaos, God brings order. His final

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act of creation is the making of man and woman,

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who are described as being made in God's image.

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The first man, who is called Adam, individually

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names all the animals. This is the first task

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given by God to mankind that was fulfilled with

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flying colours. All the more impressive as he

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named them all without the help of Eve, who was

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not yet on the scene. And now, our action step

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for today. When we make anything, it usually

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involves physically manufacturing something with

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our hands. In this account of God creating the

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heavens and the earth, he does it in a unique

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way. He simply speaks, and it happens. Now, that's

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power. It also reveals the power of words. When

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John records his gospel, he begins by saying,

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was

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with God, and the Word was God. He describes

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Jesus as the Word, and we know how powerful Jesus

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was when he was on earth. In his letter, James

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warns about the frightening influence our Word

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-maker, the tongue, can be. So when we read about

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God creating everything by just speaking, It

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is a timely reminder of the power of our own

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words. So be careful what you say today, because

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once said, it cannot be unsaid. Our tongues can

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be used for good or bad. We can use them to build

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up or knock down. It's often said, if you can't

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say anything good, don't say anything at all.

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Now, there's a thought to begin our book.