July 22-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:1-2, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
The Bible’s opening words tell us that God is the Creator of the vast universe, including our planet. The description of God as Creator is found throughout Scripture to distinguish and identify the one true God who has come to speak and lead His people at various times. As the Creator of all things, there is no equal or rival to our God. We are also given the conditions of what was or was not before creation. The surface of the deep waters was formless, empty, and dark. Without God’s creative touch, this was the status of the world. It was chaotic. It was without purpose. Yet, even then, there was hope because the Spirit of God was hovering, a promise of what was to come.
Relate it to your life.
Without God’s active engagement, I can expect my life will be empty and chaotic. Because God is always near, there’s hope and tremendous possibility of something great yet to happen.
Do something.
“Father, I want and need your active involvement to fill my life full of light and direction. Amen.”
July 23-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:3-5, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Observe what it is saying.
We discover the unlimited power of God. He spoke, and things happened. His first act was to give us light. It is the key building block for all of life. It’s needed for sight, for growth, and for warmth. It is also used as the demarcation of day and night. It’s not surprising that God saw the light was good indicating it was beneficial for sustaining all of creation. We also find the origins of the Hebrew day beginning at sunset in the evening as it is mentioned here first rather than morning in describing the first day of creation.
Relate it to your life.
It’s not surprising that throughout Scripture light is used to describe God and His ways. Jesus came as the light shining to lead us home to the Father to live in His glorious presence.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for light that sustains life and leads me to eternal life in Your presence forever and ever. Amen.”
July 24-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:6-8, Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
Observe what it is saying.
One whole day was given to the creation of the sky. The sky separates the earth from the rest of the watery creation. The observable universe is more than 46 billion light-years in any direction from Earth which 92 billion light-years in diameter. One comparison describes it this way: “If you built a scale model of just our sun and earth with the sun 1 mile away from Earth, then Earth would be only about 2.6 inches in diameter. Scaled down like this, the Milky Way Galaxy would be 60 million miles wide. Then the full universe would make our Milky Way Galaxy look like a tiny speck of a dot.” So, God spoke and this happened! It’s no surprise this would be a full day of creation.
Relate it to your life.
I am humbled and embarrassed at how small I tend to reduce God and fail to trust Him in all things.
Do something.
“Father, please expand my mind and my heart to see and believe how great You really are. Amen.”
July 25-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:9-13, Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
Observe what it is saying.
God created land and separated it from the seas. 71% of the face of the earth is still covered with water. So, humanity lives on 29% of the earth! It’s on that small percentage that we reside and are able to produce enough food for our livelihood. God gave us fruit-bearing trees and seed-bearing plants to reproduce themselves so that we will be fed. God designed creation to be one of perpetual provision.
Relate it to your life.
God’s loving provision was programmed from the beginning into creation.
Do something.
“Father, thank you for demonstrating from the very beginning that You provide what I need. Amen.”
July 26-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:14-19, Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
Observe what it is saying.
We find that days 4-6 of creation correspond to days 1-3. During day 1, God created light, now He created lights in the sky. One of the mysteries is how was there light on day 1 without the sun, moon, and stars? Great question. Did God create the larger concept of light and then fill it in with these objects of light? Whatever He did, we find He did so with great purpose so that they not only give light but also arrange their existence to mark day and night, seasons, and years.
Relate it to your life.
God’s creation is precisely planned so that we might live with order and structure.
Do something.
“Father, Your creation is awe-inspiring. I humbly offer my whole-hearted praise to You. Amen.”
July 27-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:20-23, Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
Observe what it is saying.
Day 5 corresponds to Day 2 of creation. We have fish in the waters and birds in the sky. God filled the seas and skies with beautiful and amazing creatures for our enjoyment. God’s blessing upon these creatures was that they would multiply and fill the spaces where they were placed. God’s creation is stamped with His blessing and designed for growth and multiplication. God loves to see what He has created to reproduce the same kind for His great glory and purposes.
Relate it to your life.
I join with God’s purpose in creation when I work for growth and reproduction in my spiritual life.
Do something.
“Father, help me fulfill the Great Commission by reproducing as a disciple-maker. Amen.”
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:1-2, 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.
Observe what it is saying.
The Bible’s opening words tell us that God is the Creator of the vast universe, including our planet. The description of God as Creator is found throughout Scripture to distinguish and identify the one true God who has come to speak and lead His people at various times. As the Creator of all things, there is no equal or rival to our God. We are also given the conditions of what was or was not before creation. The surface of the deep waters was formless, empty, and dark. Without God’s creative touch, this was the status of the world. It was chaotic. It was without purpose. Yet, even then, there was hope because the Spirit of God was hovering, a promise of what was to come.
Relate it to your life.
Without God’s active engagement, I can expect my life will be empty and chaotic. Because God is always near, there’s hope and tremendous possibility of something great yet to happen.
Do something.
“Father, I want and need your active involvement to fill my life full of light and direction. Amen.”
July 23-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:3-5, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Observe what it is saying.
We discover the unlimited power of God. He spoke, and things happened. His first act was to give us light. It is the key building block for all of life. It’s needed for sight, for growth, and for warmth. It is also used as the demarcation of day and night. It’s not surprising that God saw the light was good indicating it was beneficial for sustaining all of creation. We also find the origins of the Hebrew day beginning at sunset in the evening as it is mentioned here first rather than morning in describing the first day of creation.
Relate it to your life.
It’s not surprising that throughout Scripture light is used to describe God and His ways. Jesus came as the light shining to lead us home to the Father to live in His glorious presence.
Do something.
“Father, thank You for light that sustains life and leads me to eternal life in Your presence forever and ever. Amen.”
July 24-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:6-8, Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
Observe what it is saying.
One whole day was given to the creation of the sky. The sky separates the earth from the rest of the watery creation. The observable universe is more than 46 billion light-years in any direction from Earth which 92 billion light-years in diameter. One comparison describes it this way: “If you built a scale model of just our sun and earth with the sun 1 mile away from Earth, then Earth would be only about 2.6 inches in diameter. Scaled down like this, the Milky Way Galaxy would be 60 million miles wide. Then the full universe would make our Milky Way Galaxy look like a tiny speck of a dot.” So, God spoke and this happened! It’s no surprise this would be a full day of creation.
Relate it to your life.
I am humbled and embarrassed at how small I tend to reduce God and fail to trust Him in all things.
Do something.
“Father, please expand my mind and my heart to see and believe how great You really are. Amen.”
July 25-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:9-13, Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
Observe what it is saying.
God created land and separated it from the seas. 71% of the face of the earth is still covered with water. So, humanity lives on 29% of the earth! It’s on that small percentage that we reside and are able to produce enough food for our livelihood. God gave us fruit-bearing trees and seed-bearing plants to reproduce themselves so that we will be fed. God designed creation to be one of perpetual provision.
Relate it to your life.
God’s loving provision was programmed from the beginning into creation.
Do something.
“Father, thank you for demonstrating from the very beginning that You provide what I need. Amen.”
July 26-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:14-19, Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
Observe what it is saying.
We find that days 4-6 of creation correspond to days 1-3. During day 1, God created light, now He created lights in the sky. One of the mysteries is how was there light on day 1 without the sun, moon, and stars? Great question. Did God create the larger concept of light and then fill it in with these objects of light? Whatever He did, we find He did so with great purpose so that they not only give light but also arrange their existence to mark day and night, seasons, and years.
Relate it to your life.
God’s creation is precisely planned so that we might live with order and structure.
Do something.
“Father, Your creation is awe-inspiring. I humbly offer my whole-hearted praise to You. Amen.”
July 27-Great Chapters of the Bible
Write out the Scripture.
Genesis 1:20-23, Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
Observe what it is saying.
Day 5 corresponds to Day 2 of creation. We have fish in the waters and birds in the sky. God filled the seas and skies with beautiful and amazing creatures for our enjoyment. God’s blessing upon these creatures was that they would multiply and fill the spaces where they were placed. God’s creation is stamped with His blessing and designed for growth and multiplication. God loves to see what He has created to reproduce the same kind for His great glory and purposes.
Relate it to your life.
I join with God’s purpose in creation when I work for growth and reproduction in my spiritual life.
Do something.
“Father, help me fulfill the Great Commission by reproducing as a disciple-maker. Amen.”
Posted in Daily Devotionals