going back to the beginning

By Yodit Kifle Smith
​It’s 2021 Sisters! A Happy New Year to you all!

If you’re like me, perhaps you are joining what feels like every believer is joining… the aspiration to take part in a variation of a Bible Reading Plan. We will see how that goes for me but I am excited about beginning.
We all start with Genesis and I’ve come to realize how refreshing it is to go back to the beginning. The New Year is often a time where we can recalibrate things in our lives. So, as we enter this year, my hope is that going back to the beginning will encourage our walk with God and impact how we live.

As I started reading the first 2 chapters, I couldn’t help but pause and think about one of the most important truths that is highlighted in these chapters:

“In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1)

God is CREATOR and we are CREATED.

I believe this foundational truth not just sets the course of our walk with God but also reaffirms the dynamic of our relationship with Him as our Creator.

To know God as Creator means we understand that He was NOT created (Psalm 90:2). To NOT be created means He is not bound by anything that exists: Rather, He is the source of it all (John 1:3). He knows how it all operates. Everything must look to Him to find meaning.

However, we, who have been created think through our finite mind. For the most part, we are aware of our limitations. And our limitations and finite nature is good. They are purposeful for how God created us. But where we tend to go wrong is when we then project them onto God and how we understand Him…seeing Him as created rather than Creator.

For example, we know that we aren’t in control of time…in fact it goes on without us but sometimes we think that time goes on without God. Yet the truth that the Uncreated God created time means He isn’t BOUND by time. He sets the times and He transcends it. So, is it any wonder why He would remind us in Scripture that we aren’t to worry about the times (Matthew 6:25) but are to be aware and mindful of how we use our time (Ephesians 5:15-16, Col. 4:5, Psalm 90:12)? That is a way we worship the Giver of time.

As we grow in our knowledge of God, I believe taking the time to understand how the Uncreated, Creator God created us to be created in the fullest sense of that word (I know that was a mouthful) will help us be more in awe of Him. It will lift our eyes to see just how Good and Kind this Creator is:

To know think that He created us to reflect His image and He called us VERY GOOD (Genesis 1:31).

To know that He created us to have a relationship with Him…not just as Creator and created but Father and child (2 Cor. 6:18).

To know that He was willing to dwell among what He created and be bound by it so that we can enter His presence and commune with Him forever (Col.1:15).

To know that out of all His majestic creation that we gasp in awe of, He is so mindful of and cares so deeply about us (Psalm 8:3-4.)

Sisters, may 2021 draw us all to a deeper, awe-inspiring relationship with God, our Creator.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Genesis 1:1; 31
Psalm 8:3-4
Psalm 90:2;12
Matthew 6:25
John 1:3
2 Cor.6:16
Ephesians 5:15-16
Col. 1:15; 4:5


Questions to Reflect on:

1. In what ways have you allowed your finite mind limit God?
2. How will you meditating on the Truth that God is Creator impact your relationship with Him