This week we dove right into Genesis…starting at the very beginning with creation. What did God show you this week?
I loved reading the story of creation with gospel eyes. Something I don’t think I have really done before. As Nancy had us note what God was doing on each day of creation it brought to life our Creator God who illumined, shaped, filled, breathed, and rested. Didn’t you love thinking about and imagining God’s creativity and life-giving work. He brought order, beauty and light to a world that was once formless, empty and dark. He formed the earth and then filled it. And then “God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature (Genesis 2:7).” Wow! Our great Creator intimately breathed life into us. He made us in His own image and set us apart from all other living things. We are His and He is the one who sustains our very breathe. And since He created all things…since He created us…He alone is the source of meaning in life.
And then God rested. “He rested so that those made in his image would share in His rest through worship. He rested so that he could turn Adam and Eve’s attention from the creation to the Creator (p44).” It was challenging for me to think about what this kind of rest looks like in my own life.
In the same way that God brought light into the world as recorded in Genesis, He brings His light spiritually into the lives of believers today. He makes us new.
Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
“When we have been made new on the inside, it fortifies us to endure the inevitable oldness and deterioration that is a reality of living in these bodies of flesh in a world that still longs to be transformed by this same newness. We begin to think differently as we saturate ourselves in the written Word and our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2). The Word of God does the work of God creating ongoing newness. As we listen to, chew on, and live out what we read in the Word of God, the Spirit bears fruit in our character so that our lives become marked by a new resource to love the unlovable, a fresh spark of joy even in the midst of sorrow, a pervasive peace even when our circumstances are chaotic, an unexplainable patience in the face of frustration, words marked by kindness instead of criticism, a love for what is good instead of a fascination with what is evil, an unwavering faithfulness when it would be easier to quit, a compassionate gentleness when it would be easier to close our eyes to need, and an uncompromising self-control when it would be easier to give into temptation (p51).”
I am so thankful that this newness isn’t something we have to wait for. This newness is something that can begin today as you surrender your life to Jesus and become a new creation in Him. I agree with Nancy when she says,
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stay my same old self trapped in my old sinful tendencies. I don’t want to surrender to ‘that’s just the way I am, the way I’ve always been; I can never change.’ I want to be made new (p52).”
We serve a God who makes us new. A God who changes us through the power of the living Word. That is such a relief to me because so often I make a mess of things on my own. And I don’t want to stay the same! He has changed me…and continues to change me as I seek Him through His Word. Genesis points us to a day that I long for. A day when Jesus will return to make all things new and complete the work He has started in me. What a day of rejoicing that will be!
Has God changed you?
Let’s discuss question eight today (p56)…
How has God’s Word and the Spirit of God changed you?
The work of the Spirit in our lives is an amazing and exciting thing…and I can’t wait to hear your stories. You can tell how you were first brought to life spiritually or about His ongoing changing work in your life. On Monday I’ll tell you how He has changed me. Feel free to leave comments about other things you learned this week or questions you might have too!
This is an online study of The Promised One by Nancy Guthrie.
You can find all the study information here and here.
Past lessons can be found here: lesson one
Mindy - I LOVE to tell the story of how God has worked in my life.I usually share quite a bit but,I do this because 1. It shows Gods AMAZING grace in my life and show how he never left my side 2. I think that it might help another in the same situation.There are certain events that stick out as big moments in my life.My mom got cancer when I was 6 and again when I was 13.This played a significant part in my life.I was actually saved and baptized when I was 12. However,my relationship with the Lord never grew.I got pregnant at 15 and was married by the time I was 18.I also helped care for my mother during that time who passed away when i was 18.To shorten the story 🙂 I had 2 more kids and by the time I was 22 I was getting a divorce.This along with everything else I had gone through in my short life took a bit out of me and I spent the next 5 years in pretty bad shape.I did during this time remarry and become a mommy to 2 more kiddos.6 years ago I finally was at my lowest and cried out ( literally ) for God to save me.I had been lost and thankfully I was raised my parents who taught me about God’s love and forgiveness and,I found my way back ( Or God pulled me back ) Obviously life didn’t just turn perfect but,as I look back now I can see like serious miracles that have taken place.God has gradually pruned out the ugly and replaced it with his goodness.And, he still is .To say that I in awe at God would be an understatement.The love he has for me and the amazing way he has changed me and,changed my attitude about certain things REALLY is a miracle.I am so in love with him and LOVE to live for him.I still face difficult things but,the way I handle them and the strength I am given are amazing.i am more at peace at 34 years old than I have been since I was a child and,I love to talk about this and I am so very grateful to my savior.YIKES ! Sorry so long 🙂
Jamie - I can pinpoint exactly when God’s word changed me and I knew it. Last summer was the worst summer of my life. I was strugging with postpartum thyroiditis and anxiety after giving birth to my now spunky 18 month old little girl. Our living situation was also very chaotic. We were starting up our farm on rented land that was off the grid with no air conditioning. Anyone from the Midwest knows what a hot hot summer it was last year! It all culminated into a perfect storm that dropped me to my knees in despair. I thank God every day that I had the courage to join a Bible Study at my church. Every week, I could feel God’s presence as I made my way through the homework and attended the weekly meetings. I wanted to shout with joy after every meeting at church! I could feel Him with me and it was awesome. That was the turning point in my relationship with God. No longer was I just waiting for something to happen that would prove to me who He was, I began to seek Him out. And I’m so thankful for bible studies like this that help me to continually seek Him out.
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