Remember the Beginning by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

            In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

            Half of Genesis was missing in my Bible so on Black Friday my first stop was the Christian book store. I had a thirty percent off coupon burning in my pocket and was ready to spend it on a new Bible. I was tired of worrying someone in one of my group studies would ask me to read about the creation account and I would have to confess that Genesis was probably scattered throughout my house.  I was also missing the Table of Contents, so on occasion when I had to find one of those minor prophets, I didn’t have my usual cheat sheet.

            I needed a Bible because the beginning is important.

            In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

            God created the world out of nothing. The trees, the grass, the flowers, the animals, the birds, the fish. They were formed for our benefit by a loving God who desired to create an environment we would enjoy, in the beginning.

            God created each of us.  In the beginning, we were cute, cooing babies, but then sin entered the picture and we weren’t so cute anymore.  That’s why God gave us a new beginning when we accepted His son as our savior. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone the new is here! (2 Corinthians  5:17)

            Remember back to your life at salvation. Compare your life then to your life now.  How far has the Lord brought you? How have you grown in your faith since then?

            It’s important to remember the beginning.

            I hate to think where I would be if Christ had not given me a new beginning. He reached down and felt compassion for a fatherless child who needed guidance.  He eventually guided me down a path I probably would not have chosen on my own, and now as I look back, the beginning seems very far away.  I am thankful for the creative work the Holy Spirit has done on this null and void form. My hope is the sanctifying work of the Lord will continue in me so the finish doesn’t look anything like my new beginning.

            How about you? How does your new beginning compare to where your life is now? What circumstances has God used in your life to transform you into what God intended in the first place?

            Remembering the beginning helps us to appreciate God’s work in us over the years. It also reminds us to be thankful for the second chance we received, courtesy of a gracious and loving God.

            Today, remember your beginning and thank Him for how far you’ve come.

            And the Lord saw that it was good.