Jan 01

The beginning of a new year is a good time to review origins. We need to know where we come from. We know this is important because the most important book in existence begins with a statement of origins: Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God. . . ."

God is the beginning of all that exists; God is the basis for all that exists. This is a basic truth of existence. It is not something that is relevant only for ages past but for the new day and year we face today. It is not surprising, then, that not only the Old Testament but the New Testament as well begins with a reference to origin.

In the first chapter of the first gospel of the New Testament, Matthew One, there is recorded the genealogy of Jesus. Here, the existence of Jesus as a human being, the same as we are, is traced back to his ancestor Abraham. Even for the human form of the Son of God, origin is important.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day opposed him for many reasons, and the issue of origin was one of them. Hear their words: "How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come . . . from Bethlehem?" (John 7:42). Even Jesus' enemies recognized the vital importance of origin.

That section of Scripture ends with this comment: "Thus the people were divided because of Jesus" (v. 43). The issue of origin can indeed be divisive, witness the battle between Christians and evolutionists today.

Fortify yourself for this battle today by reading God's Word in the Scripture for today and praying the prayer for today.


Scripture for today: Genesis One
Thought for today: If you don't know where you came from, you can't know where you're going.
Prayer for today: Father in heaven, I thank you for making me. I am so glad that you created me out of nothing and that you have known from all eternity that you would cause me to exist. I ask you now to make me more aware of the joy of existing--and especially the joy of knowing you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

JAN 01