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Hear the devotional read right here: https://bit.ly/308T0I1
1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29 God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (Genesis 1:1-2:4a RSV)
Happy Wednesday to you and yours, dear Friend! My prayers are that you be blessed with peace, patience, and contentment. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
Where did we come from? Who are we? Why were we created? Did you think you were the first to ask those questions? As far back as we can research, humans have wanted to know the answers to those and similar questions. The first humans gathered around their smartphone and staring longingly into the bright glare of each screen in hopes that inside there would be found the meaning of life. Wait? You're not buying that? Okay, in the days before smartphones, communication was between older adults who would tell the youth and children, "Speak only if spoken to!" What? Not what you believe? Okay, oral tradition was that ancient form of communication when the elders of each family would gather the tribe around a campfire and stories would be told from the ancients to the youth and children. Each story told was intended to answer the pressing questions of the day. What you have just read above is the first account of creation as shared down from grandfathers and grandmothers to granddaughters and grandsons. The story told of One who had the power to create. So mighty was this One that creation took place with just the spoken word. Everything that was created was done in an orderly way. Everything that could be seen was made by the word of God. The sky and everything in it, God. The waters and everything in them, God. The day and the night, God. Earth and dry land, God. The trees, plants, flowers, God. The stars, the moon, and the sun, God. The birds, cattle, fish, snakes, monkeys, God. And humans, God. And in God's image, God. And the order to be fruitful and multiply, and to have dominion over all things, God. And everything created, good; God.
To God goes the honor and glory of all creation. Our family doctor when I was a pastor in Harlingen was an internist who specialized in cardiology. Every visit, he loved to make me lay down on his bicycle stress test apparatus (I know there's a more formal name for it, but alas...). As he examined my ability to lay down and peddle, he would do a sonogram to see my heart. And every time, without fail, his eyes would well up with tears and he would say, "How can anyone who has seen the marvels of the human heart and the human body still say there is no God?" He would also point out the chambers of the heart and it was as if he was seeing it for the first time. His awe and marvel at creation reaffirmed my faith as well. And, I have to say he came to faith just a few years before because a pastor from another UMC church when asked by this doctor to read a book called The Zone, said he would read the book if the doctor would read the Bible. His reading of the Bible opened his eyes and heart to God, and the Kingdom was all the richer for it. What has stirred your faith upon closer examination? The birth of each of our four daughters and our five grandchildren blessed Nellie and me to the point of awe and wonder. The number of persons who come to faith bless us to higher points of joy and awe, for ours is a God of constant activity and action. And His desire and love to work in you is stronger today than it was yesterday.
God's name is I am. God's very name is an active name, a name in motion; a name that seeks to be involved in us if we but allow Him in. Our God had no beginning and has no end. Our God is everywhere, and all loving, and seeks to know you better as you share more love with Him and with each other.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as we pray we do so in awe and wonder, thankful for You, Your creation, and the mysteries that You have shared with us about You as Father, Jesus as Son and Savior, and Your Holy Spirit as our sustainer and comforter. May the mysteries of love expand in us beyond the borders of our heart so it pours out into the hearts of others, especially those who think they are not worthy and more so the ones we think are not worthy of our love. Guide us to be truly Yours. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show love in your way to the unloveable.
Receive my blessings of love and grace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
