Is
God first in our lives? There is a saying, “First things first.” So,
the first thing has to be God. Genesis begins this way. It says, “In the
beginning God . . .” The Bible begins with God. It begins with the account of
God creating the heavens and the earth and everything in between: including us.
So, if we ever find ourselves wondering, where does life begin, Genesis orients
us. If we are ever wondering what comes first, Genesis tells us. If we ever
find ourselves wondering, where do I begin or where do I start in my own life,
Genesis gives us a starting place: it teaches us that life begins with God. God
was in the beginning – and, in fact, God was prior to the beginning of
creation. God has been on the scene long before we arrived and will be around
long after we’re gone. God has always been and always will be. He is eternal.
Life begins and ends with God. He comes first, not us.
I think that sometimes we need to be reminded of the most basic aspects of our faith. Why? Because even as Christians we don’t always act or live like God comes first, do we?
In The Message Eugene Peterson introduces the book of Genesis by saying: “First, God. God is the subject of life. God is foundational for living. If we don’t have a sense of the primacy of God, we will never get it right, get life right, get our lives right. Not God at the margins; not God as an option; not God on the weekends. God at the center and the circumference; God first and last; God, God, God.” He is trying to hammer home a point that we often find it hard actually to live out: “First, God.”, and that God still creates all our days…including today. Make the most of it. Amen?
