Today is a day of beginnings. Not only beginning a new year, but also, for me, beginning a new Bible reading plan. Today's readings mark this trend in a great way--they are all texts of beginnings:
- Gen 1: obviously, the text of beginnings: "In the beginning..." God creates all things, begins all things. All that lives, moves, and breathes owes its existence to him. I owe my existence to him. I pray that this year I may live up this auspicious beginning, and do all for the glory of my Creator.
- Matt 1: The text of new beginnings. God sends his Son to redeem fallen creation, and we are still seeing how far this redemption extends. Not only has God created me and set me on my course, he also keeps me on my course since I for myself continually go off-course. Without this work of new beginning, I would be lost, and this too I pray to live out much better this year and in the years to come as I continue to grow in faith, love, and understanding.
- Ezra 1: A text of renewed beginnings, as Israelites are allowed to return home from exile under Cyrus the Persian. A text of beautiful forgiveness as the sins that had forced the Israelites into exile in the first place are covered, and they are brought back, albeit humbled, to live in the Promised Land. Not only does God create, and make new, he also renews so that I do not become crushed under the burden of my sin, for his burden is easy, and his yoke is light, and I wish to bear it under his strength.
- Acts 1: A text of wider beginnings, as the church spreads from Israel to the whole world. Acts is the book of Christ's work through his church, and I am a beneficiary of this work--it is because God ordered his creation as he did, promising from the beginning that sin would be dealt with, that I am reading his Word, meditating on it, and using it to live my life as best as I can: based not on my wisdom, but on God's, for obviously as the Creator and the originator of all these beginnings, his vision is best.
Today is a day of beginnings, and I pray to continue from here in good faith, preserved in the love of God.
2 comments:
Good luck to you. I'm in my second year reading the M'Cheyne plan w/ a bunch of others on 66Books. It's a fabulous plan and really made bible reading come to life for me, moreso that the cover to cover approach. Happy new year!
Courtney
Thanks for the well-wishes. Apparently I need it since I am generally a day or two behind.
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