I'm thinking...
This is my thought as I behold Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning..."
I discovered that everything ever created and everything that does exist or did exist all have a beginning and an end; all things but God, because He is not created. He is God the Creator. For all skeptics, God has always been. He is the beginning and end of all things. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities, all things were created and exist through Him, in Him and for Him. He exist before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 2:16-17).
For all historians, skeptics and unbelievers, as Christians, the Bible is more then a history book. It is a life source and an eternal, yet tangible resource that points to God as Creator of the universe (Genesis 1, Romans 1). We do not have to question if He is God and if God exist. Just believe He exist and that He is eternal. (Romans 10:9-15.)
If we attempt to destroy the Bible or remove the God of the Bible from our world, our homes, our schools, our government, financial and educational institutions, we as all ancient nations and people will remove the very essence of why and how we have come to exist and eventually we will self-destruct. As humans, exercising our humanistic views, and as a result of our unbelief that the Bible is the absolute truth leading to God [written by Mankind inspired by God], we have humanized and minimized the deity of God to a human spectrum. However, although many fail to believe in this truth that supersedes theory, philosophy and dogmas derived from hypothesis, facts and archeological finds that are based on psychological guess passed down by highly respected intellectuals and scholars throughout the centuries, the Bible is the heart of God revealed to mankind. And it does us no justice by humanizing or minimizing what can only be spiritually decoded by the Holy Spirit the Spirit of God (1Corinthians 1-2).
God created our beginning and our end. He knows our days; each are numbered. Let me stop and ask you a question, "How are you spending your days, knowing now they are numbered??? Our lives are as grass in an open field. We're here today and gone tomorrow, and yet, God is mindful of us.
The writer of Psalm captures the thoughts of God toward Mankind saying, "When I view and consider YOUR heavens, the work of YOUR fingers, the moon and the stars, which YOU have ordained and established, what is man that YOU are mindful of him, and the son of earthborn man that YOU care for him? Yet YOU have made him but a little lower than God and heavenly beings, and have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him have dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:3-6)."
God has given our beginning a name: Purpose. He has also given our end a name: Destiny. In the beginning, God charged us to walk in our creative purpose to the end of our destiny. For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome (Jeremiah 29:11-Amplified Version).
The counter to evil is live (life). The counter of live (life) is evil. Satan counters the plans of God to live with evil, leading to death. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Satan comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but Jesus has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly, overflowing in every area of our lives.
God has included details that fit your life and your story. There is nothing about any of us that is hidden from God. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And the great thing about being in God's hands is, what He doesn't like He changes. We are daily being put on the Potters wheel (Jeremiah 18:1-4) to be fashioned to fit our pre-ordained purpose and destiny in Christ.
You see, all created things serve an absolute purpose. God did not make a mistake when He created you. You and everything about you serves a purpose. The good, the bad and the ugly is serving God's purpose of making you better, stronger, wiser and more distinguished from all others, fit to serve with a pure heart. Moreover, from the beginning to the end of your life, God is with you.
In the beginning consist of a Creator that creates something or someone for a specified purpose. Creation is the vision and invention of the Creator's imagination and vision. It includes, imagery, sound, movement, progression, creativity, production and re-procreation.
The end consist of an established outcome and overview of events from the beginning to the end. Nothing in your life takes God by surprise or catches Him off guard. As a matter of fact the Bible vows that after you have suffered a while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His own eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen and settle you (1Peter 5:10--Amplified Version).
Called to a Good Life
Wednesday morning, while I was watching Fixer Upper with my daughter, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "Rashea, your beginning and end is good! I was so elated to receive this good news!!! He even gave me biblical Scriptures to secure what He shared with me. (Genesis 1:26, 31; John 3:16-18; Romans 5:9-21, 8:1-30; 1Corinthians 15:22-54; 2Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1-2; Revelation 21:1-7.)
God is amazing!!! Fixer Upper is a t.v. series about a couple who goes in and re-constructs the infrastructure of homes and turns run down shacks into dream homes. Wow!!! So, is that what God is doing with us, making all things new?
Despite the obstacles we all face on a day to day basis, life is good! We were called to enjoy our lives God's way. Why God's way and not our own? Let's understand something about God. God is not a dictator, but He is God. He is Abba Father, and He is King. God brings us up to who He is as a person as we yield to Him. Coming up to the standard God has set enables us to fully respect, embrace and enjoy who God is in our lives and enjoy who we become because we are in Him and He's in us. Furthermore, God's ways keeps us from self- absorption and self-destruction.
You might say, "Well, if life is so good then why is life so bad? Why am I facing all this trouble?" The Bible tells us that, "In the world we would have adversity, because we have an adversary the devil that plots all kinds of downfalls and snares for us. However, Jesus encourages us to be of good cheer! In Him we have perfect peace and confidence. We serve a God that has overcome the world and has deprived it of its power to harm us (John 16:33--paraphrased)."
As we remain in Christ, His peace secures us and covers our minds and hearts, even our steps. We can step assured God has us and has already predestined the next steps into our future. The Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). Therefore trust in the Lord and commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages] (Isaiah 26:4).
It Is Finished
I've been pondering this thought for a few days now. It was my original thought which sparked this whole study on "In the Beginning" and "the End". Okay. Now, if your pain has a beginning, then surely, I said, surely it has an end.
Go with me now to Mark 6:45-51, 53. This passage speaks of a historical event where after feeding 5,000+ people with a miracle of a meal that Jesus, without notice, commands His disciples to get in the boat and sail to the other side of the sea to Bethsaida. So they get in the boat and set sail, while Jesus sends the multitudes on their way and heads to the mountain alone to pray [to the Father]. Now, by evening, the boat was out in the middle of the sea [lake]. At the fourth watch of the night, between the hours of 3am-6am, Jesus sees the perplexity of the disciples as they attempted to row against the wind preventing them. He comes to them walking on the sea [as one walking on solid ground]. Jesus appeared to pass them by, but when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost. Freight with fear and uncertainty, they cry out in terror, wailing, as they set their gaze on Him. Without hesitation, Jesus spoke to them and said, "Be of good cheer! It is I Am! Stop being governed and overtaken by your fears and anxiety. Then, Jesus went up into the boat with them, and the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its own beating). And they were astonished exceedingly [beyond measure].
So, what can we learn from the disciples account with trouble and the God that delivers us from trouble.
- All trouble has a beginning point and an end.
- Trouble poses to be a threat to our assignment.
- Trouble is an opportunist, taking advantage of us when it appears Jesus is at a distance.
- Time is a factor.
- Jesus is never too busy praying to see us in our perplexity.
- Jesus is coming to assist us.
- Jesus will calm our fears and encourage our hearts.
- Trouble will cease.
- We will be amazed at the outcome.
KINGDOM BUILDING UNITED
(Promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ around the Globe)
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