Genesis 1:1 – ” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” NASB

Good morning, Lord: I almost felt like saying, “Good Morning Vietnam!” because I have been in a war zone in many areas lately.  This is a great morning, wonderful solitude, a cup of coffee in hand, my bible in hand, and listening to the sounds of life and… the voice of the Lord. Some interesting thoughts were raised as I meditated on God.

WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP?

What first step am I talking about?

• The first step to believing.  
• The first step to a relationship with God.
• The first step to abundant life.
• The first step to a life of victory and overcoming.

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God….” If I do not believe that as the foundation of everything, I believe I have no foundation to build. I either believe that in the dateless past (the beginning), there was God, and God created what I see before me, or I believe the explanation of the theories presented by the evolutionist. Which is more difficult to believe? To me, the answer is simple; the easier to believe is that God IS and CREATED this world as well as we human beings.

I had a lengthy conversation with a college professor who held a Ph.D. in Biology a few years ago. He assured me that he was both a devout evolutionist and a devout Christian, and the two did not conflict.  

His brand is not important, only his belief that somehow dismissing the Bible and still being a Christian was somehow compatible.  To him, it was ludicrous to believe that God spoke the world into existence.  He scoffed at the idea that all that exists is by divine design.  He could not embrace the idea that God took dirt, formed Adam, breathed the breath of life into him, took a rib from Adam, and created Eve.

Yet, he could believe that from a single-celled piece of slime, gradually, over millions of years, that piece of slime evolved into every species of creature, including humankind on the planet. That somehow all this just happened by random chance. Not to get political in my devotional, but if people really think like that in the realm of science and education and still believe that they are followers of Christ and see no conflict, no wonder we have so much diversity in the political arena.

If I dismiss God being the beginning point, dismiss the creation, dismiss the Garden of Eden, dismiss Adam & Eve and the fall of man, then I must dismiss the remainder of the Bible. That would include the virgin birth of Jesus, His sacrificial death on the Cross, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven.  

If I do not believe that God is the Creator, then I have no basis for believing anything that is in the Bible and thereby negate my foundation of faith.  I drift into nothingness in my belief system and become nothing more than a soulless animal creation.  

Moral character would dissipate in that state of mind, and there would be no restraints on my life.  If we are evolved creatures with no soul, then what law would there be other than my own desire to rule my life?  I would effectively become the god of my own world, and my world would exist so long as I was either cunning enough or powerful enough to keep it intact.  Nothing would be off-limits.

However, I choose to believe the report of Genesis 1.  I believe that GOD IS, and He CREATED the heavens, earth, man, and other creatures on it.  I believe He hung the stars in place and placed everything where it was to be with the gravitational pull precisely as He designed and desired.

I believe that man fell in the Garden of Eden and brought condemnation to the race.  I believe that Jesus came to set us free from that bondage, give us Life, and that Life more abundant!  I believe that when we die, we will stand before God.  I believe that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we will enter into the joys of the Lord, and if we have rejected Him, we will be cast into outer darkness (hell).

I believe that the final result is based on our choices to accept Him or reject Him, and it is not by random chance that I am here. If you believe that you came from monkeys, that is your choice. As some do, you may act like a soulless animal and live as though this life is all there is. I believe God is both a loving God and one who will ultimately judge us.

Therefore, the first step is to either accept or reject Genesis 1:1.   If you do, the Bible opens an incredible world to you; if you do not, then you are left in the darkness of the speculation of the theories about how we got here.

I choose God, not just some higher power, but the God of all creation as MY GOD, and I choose to follow HIM and His directives and guidance. At this point in my life, I have had too many personal encounters and experiences to discount and dismiss my belief and faith! So, I have taken the first step and believed, and now I take the remaining steps and walk out that life, step by step, until the day He calls me home, which I believe is a VERY REAL PLACE – – HEAVEN!

God bless you as you go through your day!