Genesis 1:1
In the Chicago Art Institute hangs a painting by Georges Seurat named “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte”. This famous park scene is 6 ft high by 10 ft wide and in it Seurat uses pointillism, the use of many small dots, to create his masterpiece. It is estimated that he used between 3.4 and 3.5 million dots in the painting. It makes me wonder how he knew when he was done. How did he know when he needed one more dot? What made him realize one more dot would have been too many?
In the whole first chapter of the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-31), God shares how he created his work of art, the world and universe in which we live. God started with nothing. He used the power of his mighty Word to bring everything into existence. And God had a plan. On each of the six, 24 hour days he added to his creation. He started with light and moved in an orderly progression from sky to land and vegetation to the sun, moon and stars. He then created living creatures in the water and sky and on dry land. After each of the first five days, God recognized his creation was good, but not complete. He still had more to add.
The crowning piece of God’s creation was mankind. He created mankind in his image, holy and perfect, just like he is. He created human beings to be with him and love him as their Father. After mankind was created, God called his creation “very good”. At that point he knew there was nothing more to add. Everything was complete. For that reason, God rested (Genesis 2:2) — he stopped his creating activity. What a wonderful masterpiece!
Unfortunately, God’s great work of art was soon defaced and marred by sin. Mankind stopped loving him and turned their backs on him and each other. God’s masterpiece was perfect no longer. In response God started a restoration project. He promised he would send a Savior to restore the perfection and holiness that mankind had lost. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In Jesus all people can enjoy the relationship with God that he wanted from the beginning.
The first chapter of Genesis reminds us that God had a plan in making the world in which we live. That plan includes you in a very real and personal way. Know that God desperately wants a restored relationship with you. Turn to God in his Word and find out how you can enjoy a relationship with him through Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord God, open my eyes to the beauty of your created world. You made all things to nourish my life and to fill me with wonder and joy. Open my mouth to praise and thank you for your gifts, especially Jesus my Savior. Amen.
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