Day one, or January the first, it all starts
so perfectly. Our thoughts today are rooted in
Genesis chapter one, verse three, 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 colours. 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.