Genesis Ch.1 - Part 5

Abba Father, we thank you for this is the new day that You have made, we shall be glad and rejoice in it. We thank you for this far that You have carried us into the year, Ebenezer. Holy Spirit, we invite you, to open the eyes of our understanding to read and understand the Word. May You also soften our hearts to not only be hearers of the Word but also doers of the Word in the name of Jesus, Amen. Thank you LORD.

This post is a continuation of yesterday's Word. The lead Scriptures will be from;

Genesis 1:1-4 (NKJV)

"1.In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

2.The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3.And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

4.And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."

John 1:1-4 (NKJV)

"1.In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2.He was in the beginning with God.

3.All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

4.In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

From my previous blog post, I shared how Christ is not only the light of men, He is also the Word. I want you to take a moment and reflect on the truth that the Bible you and I have in our possession is literally Christ. Amen, what transformative power we have at our disposal!

Basically, when we read our Bibles we are directly communing and fellowshipping with the light of God which is Christ. To be able to recognize Jesus Christ as the light of the world, you have to first receive Him as Lord and Saviour of your life. To receive this opportunity, please see the "Invitation to salvation" below.

When you receive Him, Christ dwells on the inside of your born again spirit. You instantly become a new creation where the old is gone, wiped away by Jesus' blood and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17). In simpler language, you are a brand new person who has never committed sin before.

When you receive Christ, we also see that your actions, as much as they are important, they are not what make you right before God. For this reason the Word of the Lord through Apsotle Paul tells us that we are the righteousnes of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness in this case is Jesus' obedience to God, the Father to the point of death on the cross, His resurrection and ascension to heaven is what gives you and I right standing with God not our actions.

Receiving Christ also means that your sin nature has been taken away and now you have the nature of God that He originally created you in as seen in Genesis 1:26-28. When you receive Christ, it also means that you cannot bear guilt, shame and condemnation for past sins. Romans 8:2 reads, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

God does not remember anything that happened in your past. People may remember your flaws, but God says, as far as the East is from the West, that is the same way He does not remember your sins (Psalm 103:12).

Child of God, all your previous sins are forgiven when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

However, receiving Christ (especially as an adult) will not instantly wipe away your memory concerning your previous patterns and old ways of thinking.

As a result, this is when it becomes important to read your Bible daily. Romans 12:2 (NKJV) reminds us as believers "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Friend, as you continue to behold God in His Word, you will find that you start to think the way He does. This is because reading the Word of God will paint a new internal image where the Lord Jesus will renew your thoughts by replacing them with His thoughts and aligning them with the desires and plans that He has for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 reiterates this and says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jesus knew that the salvation experience is impossible without reliance on Him as seen in John 15:4. Herein, Christ encourages all His sons and daughters and says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

Friend, this Word clearly shows us that the journey of salvation is a yielded and submitted one where you constantly rely on Jesus in all things, not only in emergencies but in everything!

This may vary from season to season and from person to person but ultimately, it is important to understand that surrender, obedience and submission to Jesus as our Lord in every decision of our life is a representation of power. Contrary to world culture, surrender and submission are mostly viewed as weakness.

I remember in my early years of giving my life to Christ, I was learning about submission and surrender to God in all of my ways. I always wanted to take the 'burden off of God'. I wanted to really 'help Him' (as if God needs help) where I felt I did not need to rely on Him in every decision especially if I felt capable to handle the situation or task at hand. This was a lesson I learned the hard way as it become clear that with every decision where I chose my own ways and understanding, they were serious consequences. Friend, when you surrender and yield to God's ways in every area of your life, you are guaranteed His special covering in that area, grace to do the hard things and most importantly His protection. Philippians 1: 12 tell us that God is able to keep that which is committed to Him.

On the other hand, when you decide to do things in your own strength without the Lord's involvement or consultation with Him in the place of prayer, you may open the door to the distractions of the enemy and this is not the Lord's plan for any of His children.

I'll end today's post with another bonus of reading the Word of God aka Christ. Just like any human relationship, you will be closest to the person you mostly spend your time with. Spending time in God's Word enables you to develop your relationship with God, the Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit which in turn reinforces your identity of being one with the Father.

The Word of the LORD found in Jeremiah 29:13 says to you, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Pro tip: I encourage you to make this simple prayer before you start to read the Word,

"Holy Spirit, please help me to reveal Jesus Christ and give me understanding and revelation as I read the Word today in the name of Jesus, Amen."

I'll end with Jesus' words in John 14:16-18 (NKJV)

"16.And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

17."the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

18.I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

AMEN. Thank you LORD.

Invitation to salvation: On that note, if you would like to know about God, the Father who from the beginning of creation has always loved you and desires to commune with you through a personal relationship with His only Son Christ by dwelling on the inside of you and to have eternal and everlasting life including all the blessings found in Christ Jesus - I invite you to make this confession:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17) where you get to freely access everything I've shared in this post. To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

Please feel free to reach out to us on info@bibleversionoflife.com. We would love to hear your story and send you a free Bible! God bless you.