A New Year

Today marks the beginning of a brand new year, a time of reflection and a time of looking ahead, a time of hope, a time to consider how we might do better. Do you make resolutions? I ususally don’t. After 85% of people who make New Year’s resolutions break those resolutions before the month is over.

As those of you who follow this blog know, back in 2010, I decided to make it a practice to post something on this blog every day. I was inspired by Lewis and Clark who wrote in their journals every day they were on their famous expedition and I don’t face any of the challenges they faced. I know I was a little late a couple of times (but not more than a few hours), but I have published something every day since that time.  I know, I know, some of it was drivel, but at least I did it.

Yesterday, I suggested everyone join Joni Eareckson Tada and her husband Ken in reading the Bible through during 2012. It usually amounts to about 3 chapters a day, which everyone should find do-able. It can’t hurt, but it could provide all of us with insight, hope, peace, faith, and any number of spiritual benefits. We all probably have different spiritual needs, but God can speak to us and supply to us what we need through the wisdom and truth of His Word. Join me, won’t5 you?

I’ll try to write some commentary on how God is speaking to me. I hope all of you will share as well.

With that in mind, today we are scheduled to read Genesis chapters 1 – 3. A you know, Genesis means beginnings and there are many beginnings spoken of in Genesis. My world view is based, in great part, on the book of Genesis: the creation, the fall, the flood. God’s love for us and His willingness to forgive.

Genesis chapters 1 – 3:

I read these chapters by listening to them on my Kindle Fire. I listened to both the New King James translation and the New Living Translation. What a great place to begin reading the Bible – at the very beginning. There are some tremendously important doctrines introduced in these first 3 chapters:

1. There was a beginning
2. God created the heavens and the earth ex nihilo (from nothing)
3. He did this in six days
4. He rested on the seventh day – but not because He was tired; He was finished with His creation work
5. There was a definite order to His creation
6. He pronounced His creation “very good”
7. Man was created from the dust of the earth
8. Woman was created from man’s rib bone as a helpmate
9. There is an enemy at work in this world -- Satan
10. When man sinned, i.e., did what God told him not to, man sought to hide from God, but God still sought him – see Gen 3:7-9
11. Both man and woman tried to blame what they did on someone else – how often do we do this… always looking for someone to blame
12. Blood had to be shed to cover the sin and shame of the man and woman – as Hebrews 9:22 says, “…without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”?
13. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of Eden so they could not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever – imagine if they had not been
14. Humans now have to work and women have pain in childbirth as a permanent result of their sin.

I’m sure I could spend hours and hours on the basic truths found in Genesis 1 – 3, but I know you all would be so bored.

Do you believe in creation or evolution or some combination of the two?

I fully believe in creation because I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Romans 1:18-20 makes it clear that man can know God and that He created the world. This is because they can see it in the things He created “…Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities –His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

We are so blessed that God provided a way for our forgiveness. What Adam and Eve brought to us was not just being able to know what evil is, but – even more daunting – knowing what good is and how often we don’t just do the wrong thing, we also fail to do the right thing.

We can praise God that “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Romans 5:6

Wow, kind of wordy tonight. I’ll try to make this post shorter tomorrow.

Until next time…