Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Story of Creation





The
Beginning of the World


Genesis
1


1In
the beginning God created the sky and the earth. 2The
earth was empty
and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and
God’s Spirit was moving over
the water.


3Then
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God
saw that the
light was good, so he divided the light from the
darkness. 5God named the light
“day” and the
darkness “night.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the

first day.


6Then
God said, “Let there be something to divide the water in two.”
7So God
made the air and placed some of the water
above the air and some below it. 8God
named the air
“sky.” Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second

day.


9Then
God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the
dry
land will appear.” And it happened. 10God named
the dry land “earth” and the
water that was gathered together
“seas.” God saw that this was good.


11Then
God said, “Let the earth produce plants—some to make grain for

seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed
will produce more
of its own kind of plant.” And it happened.
12The earth produced plants with
grain for seeds and
trees that made fruits with seeds in them. Each seed grew its
own
kind of plant. God saw that all this was good. 13Evening
passed, and
morning came. This was the third day.


14Then
God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from
night.
These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and
years. 15They will be in the
sky to give light to the
earth.” And it happened.


16So
God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the
day
and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made
the stars. 17God put all
these in the sky to shine on
the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night,
and
to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these
things were
good. 19Evening passed, and morning came.
This was the fourth day.


20Then
God said, “Let the water be filled with living things, and let
birds fly
in the air above the earth.”


21So
God created the large sea animals and every living thing that moves
in
the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each
one producing more
of its own kind. He also made every bird that
flies, and each bird produced more
of its own kind. God saw that
this was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Have
many
young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the
seas, and
let the birds grow in number on the earth.” 23Evening
passed, and morning came.
This was the fifth day.


24Then
God said, “Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing
more
of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small
crawling animals and wild
animals, and let each produce more of
its kind.” And it happened.


25So
God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small
crawling
animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that
this was good.


26Then
God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And

let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,
over the tame
animals, over all the earth, and over all the small
crawling animals on the earth.”


27So
God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created

them. He created them male and female. 28God blessed
them and said, “Have
many children and grow in number. Fill the
earth and be its master. Rule over the
fish in the sea and over
the birds in the sky and over every living thing that
moves on
the earth.”


29God
said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for
seeds
and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They
will be food for you. 30I
have given all the green
plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the
air, and
every small crawling animal.” And it happened. 31God
looked at
everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening
passed, and morning
came. This was the sixth day.


The Holy Bible, New Century Version





SITUATION


The magnificent story of The Beginning
revealed God's creativity, majesty, and love. Yet the most humbling,
puzzling, and awe-inspiring act took place when God breathed the
breath of life into humanity.





OBSERVATION


God demonstrated power and love by
creating. With only a spoken word God created everything around us.
Then, with loving care, he formed Adam out of the ground.





INSPIRATION


With one decision, history began.
Existence became measurable.





Out of nothing came light. Out of light
came day. Then came sky ... and earth.





And on this earth? A mighty hand went
to work.





Canyons were carved.





Oceans were dug. Mountains erupted out
of flatlands. Stars were flung. A universe sparkled.





Our sun became just one of millions.
Our galaxy became just one of thousands. Planets invisibly tethered
to suns roared through space at breakneck speeds. Stars blazed with
heat that could melt our planet in seconds.





The hand behind it was mighty. He is
mighty.





And with this might, he created. As
naturally as a bird sings and a fish swims, he created. Just as an
artist can't not paint and a runner can't not run, he couldn't not
create. He was the Creator. Through and through, he was the Creator.
A tireless dreamer and designer.





From the pallet of the Ageless
Artist came inimitable splendors, Before there was a person to see
it, his creation was pregnant with wonder....





Mundaneness found no home in his
universe....





Probe deep within him. Explore every
corner. Search every angle. Love is all you find. Go to the beginning
of every decision he has made and you'll find it. Go to the end of
every story he has told and you'll see it.





Love....





He created a paradise. A sinless
sanctuary. A haven before fear. A home before there was a human
dweller. No time. No death. No hurt. A gift built by God for his
ultimate creation. And when he was through, he knew "it was very
good."





But it wasn't enough.





His greatest work hadn't been
completed. One final masterpiece was needed before he would stop.





Look to the canyons to see the
Creator's splendor. Touch the flowers and see his delicacy. Listen to
the thunder and hear his power. But gaze on [humanity]-the zenith-and
witness all three ... and more. (From In the Eye of the Storm
by Max Lucado)





APPLICATION


Today you will encounter God's
creation. When you see the beauty around you, let each detail remind
you to lift your head in praise. Express your appreciation for God's
creation. Encourage others to see the beauty of his creation.





EXPLORATION


God the Creator - Nehemiah 9:6; Job
26:7; Psalm 102:25; Acts 14:15; Hebrews 11:3.








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