All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
Each little flow’r that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings.
The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them, ev’ry one.
God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well.
“All Things Bright and Beautiful” by Cecil Frances Humphries (1818-1895)
What better place to start than at the
BEGINNING
For that’s where God started…“In the beginning God created”…Genesis 1:1. The word Genesis means origin or creation. God was already there. He existed before time began. So did His Son, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.
The earth we live on today started “without form, void; and darkness was on the face of the deep”. Genesis 1:2 God created the heavens and the earth. We know God can do anything and He did everything.
On the first day He declared that there be “light”. Genesis 1:3 We all know that doing anything in the dark is very unproductive. He divided the light from the darkness and so we have night and day. Now we can see where we are going. There will be more about “Light” when we get to the New Testament.
On the second day God saw a lot of water on the earth so He declared that there be “a firmament, a separation between the waters and heaven”.
The third day God took the waters to the side so dry land would appear, which He called Earth, and the waters would be Seas. So now there are lakes, oceans, rivers, seas with land all around. Since we have earth we can grow grass, trees, herbs, and fruit, which He made so.
On the fourth day God did some adjustments on the night and day situation. He allowed for a greater light in the day time, and a lesser light in the night. He made the stars too. Having this day and night allowed for seasons, days and years to be established, which we know is beneficial for growing crops and allowing for plant life to bud, grow, blossom and rest, which we have in our four seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
On the fifth day, God wanted to have the waters abound with living creatures such as fish, etc. and to have birds of every description fly throughout the earth, to all flourish and be fruitful and multiply. We see the beauty of fish and birds and their extraordinary colours and designs and are in awe of how intricate God’s eye is for detail.
Now the big day had approached, day six. God said “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth…” Genesis 1:26 So God created both a man and a woman and blessed then and said to them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and He gave them everything they could need. From the seeds and herbs, trees and fruit, fish and cattle, to feed them and fill them. If God made us in His image, He is giving us a glimpse of what He and Jesus look like. Later we realize this when Jesus comes to earth as a baby, just like us.
So now the heavens and the earth and all that was on it, was finished. God’s work was done. “So He rested on the seventh day.” It was a Garden of Eden, a place of pristine and abundant natural beauty. And God saw that it all was good.
A life lesson for us here is work but rest. God initially gave Adam and Eve everything they could ever want and at first they didn’t have any work to do. God only had one request which was not to eat the fruit of the one tree, that stood in the midst of the garden.
Satan was present and he is today. He wants us to do life without God. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they enjoyed communion with God, they walked and talked with Him. They knew God as He is. There were no falsehoods or half-truths. They most importantly possessed spiritual life. They were not just physically alive, but every sense of their souls were alive too.
Now when Adam and Eve took the advice of Satan, it broke their intimate communion with God. What God gave them was now corrupted and twisted, giving us an alienation from God, we are ignorant of the truth of God and we are condemned to death both physically and spiritually. Everything that Adam and Eve lost is exactly what people today lack, without Jesus Christ.
When you think of new beginnings, remember Adam and Eve how they fell and the result was we must toil and work. Genesis 3:24. Noah, after the flood – Genesis 9:1. Abraham who had to leave his home – Genesis 12:1. Jacob, whose life was one disaster after another until the Lord wrestled him and blessed him – Genesis 32:2-28, after which he had a new beginning in Egypt where God sent him as a prisoner only to become a prince – Genesis 41:41.
Our Lord provides as many new beginnings as we need. Our God is a God of second chances. Remember that no matter what life brings or how evil the intrusions are, God has a plan for you. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Think of every day as a new opportunity to trust and walk with Jesus. If you do not know Jesus personally, ask Him into your heart today. Pray this simple prayer with an open heart and get started on that new “Genesis” of you.
