GENESIS-BOOK OF BEGINNINGS

It is January 1st, 2010!  Happy New Year!  I'm hoping that this year is the best for you and yours.  Follow me along as I go through the Bible six more times this year and see new truth each and every morning.  Reading in Genesis again this morning, I marked more things than I have time to tell about, but here are a few thoughts that I will share: 1) IT WAS GOOD!  Six times in Genesis one, God says after creating something that "it was good".  In fact, the sixth time, God said:  "It was very good."  Now we know we can look about this world and see mess after mess, but that is not how God created it.  He created good, we messed things up with sin and selfishness.  Thank you Lord for making all things "good". 2) MAN AND WOMAN- In Chapter two, Adam names all of the animals that God brings to him.  He was blessed with great intelligence by God.  God first say that "it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."  (vs. 18)  And then after naming all of the animals, it says in verse 20:  "but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him."  So, in verse 22, God made woman, and in verse 23, Adam calls her woman.  (Isha=out of man;  Ish=man)  Now, God saw the need before Adam did, but Adam recognized the need as well.  He needed someone and that is a fact!  Ladies, you were made because someone needed you!   Men, you know you need a good wife and I hope that in 2010, you will treat her with kindness and respect as the gift from God that she is to you.  Upon this relationship found in Genesis two, we see the foundation of society!  In chapter three, Satan works to mess it up, having Adam blame Eve, and Eve blaming the serpent, and pride is why they blame each other.  Pride will still wreck a marriage, so throw it out on this first day of 2010! 3) WALK WITH GOD- In Gen. 5:22: "And Enoch walked with God..."  Gen. 6:9 says:  "and Noah walked with God."   Let this be a day we walk with God, and may the end of this new year still find us walking with God!  Let that be our goal each day... to walk with God! 4) CLAIM YOUR PROMISES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME- What a challenge!  In Gen. 13:17, God gives Abram a promise, and here is what it says:  "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."  Now we know that he did his best to do just that, but the land was not given to him.... but to his children's, children's, children ... generations later!!  Are you and I willing to claim God's promises for the children we will not live long enough to see born?  We must start thinking generationally, not for the here and now!  Start this year, claiming promises that your great grand children can see unfold.  5) RETURN & SUBMIT- This was told to Hagar in Gen. 16:9  "Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands."  This would be a good thing to do if you find yourself outside of God's Will for your life.  Return to God and Submit yourself to Him!  I hope you don't stray this year, but if you do.... return and submit!  She was told that the child she carried would be called Ishmael, meaning:  "God shall hear".  No wonder the Arabs became a great nation.... God shall hear started it all.  May God bless you and yours on this first day of 2010!  Pastor Mike Mutchler