The Beginning
"'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'" (Revelation 22:13 NIV)
The word "beginning" carries so much hope and anticipation with it.
God the Son describes Himself as "the Beginning" in today's focal verse, but we also meet God the Father on the pages of Scripture literally "in the beginning" (Genesis 1:1). There, He's poised to do the work of creation...a task He's undertaking for the simple (and yet profound, in a mind-stretching kind of way) reason that He wants to. He creates because He is creative, but He does not need to create. He wants to create, but not because anything about Him or His existence is lacking. The One with Whom everything good has its start and end creates just for His pleasure. He wants to create us because He wants us.
My Bible study sisters and I were talking about beginnings last week...specifically about beginning something without "inquiring of the Lord" first (see Joshua 9:14). I've done this in the past—launched into something without asking God His opinion on the matter—and it's never turned out very well. If you're at the starting line of some new journey, maybe you'll want to learn from my mistakes and "inquire of the Lord" first. Is this something He wants you to begin? Is He in it? Ask Him about it in prayer, look for guidance in His Word, glean wisdom from faithful friends, and then be on the lookout for God's "yes" or "no" or "wait."
He is the Beginning. He is the End. And He is every place worth going in between.
The Beginning! What a great place to start on the first day of a new year! Thank you for the reminder to ask God first about the next step to take and then to wait for his "yes", "no" or "wait".
ReplyDelete