Day 1 of 21
"In the Beginning": Creation and the Goodness of God
The God who speaks the world into existence
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Genesis 1:1-31 in a single sitting. Let the rhythm of the narrative wash over you: "And God said... and it was so... and God saw that it was good." This is not merely an account of origins. It is a declaration of who God is and what he values.
Reflection
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Ten words that anchor everything. Before there was matter, before there was time, before there was anything at all — there was God. And God spoke. The universe exists because God opened his mouth.
Francis Schaeffer wrote: "In the space of a few verses, Genesis 1 sets the stage for everything that follows in the Bible. It tells us who God is, what the world is, and what we are." Schaeffer was right to see Genesis 1 not as a scientific treatise but as a theological foundation. The chapter answers the deepest questions: Is the universe personal or impersonal? Is matter good or evil? Is there purpose behind existence?
The answer Genesis gives is emphatic. The universe is personal — made by a God who speaks and names and evaluates. Matter is good — God says so seven times. There is purpose — each creature is made "according to its kind," and the whole creation moves toward a climax on the sixth day, when God makes humanity in his own image.
N. T. Wright points to the relational dimension: "Creation, in the biblical sense, is not merely the making of a universe. It is the making of a home — a place designed for God and humanity to share." Genesis 1 is not just about power and sovereignty. It is about hospitality. God is preparing a place — filling it with light, beauty, food, and life — before inviting his image-bearers to inhabit it.
Notice the structure. Days 1-3 create spaces (light and dark, sky and sea, land and vegetation). Days 4-6 fill those spaces (sun and moon, birds and fish, animals and humans). God is an artist who builds a gallery and then fills it with masterpieces. And the capstone is not the stars or the oceans but a creature made in God's own likeness.
Going Deeper
The chapter ends not with activity but with rest (Genesis 2:1-3). God does not rest because he is tired. He rests because the work is complete and the world is good. What does God's rest tell you about the purpose of your own Sabbath practice?
Key Quotes
“In the space of a few verses, Genesis 1 sets the stage for everything that follows in the Bible. It tells us who God is, what the world is, and what we are.”
“Creation, in the biblical sense, is not merely the making of a universe. It is the making of a home — a place designed for God and humanity to share.”
Prayer Focus
Praise God as Creator. Thank him for the goodness of the world he has made and for your place within it.
Meditation
Seven times God declares creation 'good,' and once 'very good.' What does the goodness of creation tell you about the heart of God?
Question for Discussion
Do you think the repeated declaration that creation is 'good' obligates us to care for the physical world as an act of worship, or is creation merely the stage for a spiritual drama that matters more?