Welcome to the new format of the Joyfully HIS Blog Series. My prayer is that it cultivates a deeper desire for you to study, learn and grow from the inspired Words of a Holy God.
Each week of the month will build upon the particular Bible Passage in a different and unique way.
In an attempt to make the navigation of the reading as easy as possible, all of the verses have been pulled from www.biblegateway.com and linked appropriately so that you can simply click highlighted words and be taken directly to the verse.
To begin, click the link below to read the passage that we will be diving into and studying together this month.
FINDING
JOY
IN THE
"I AM"
Key Verse: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1
Author: Moses
Date Written: Around 1445 B.C.
Genre: History
I think we can all agree that strong foundations determine the success of everything that precedes them. The foundational element a house is built on is a precisely planned layer of concrete. But does it begin there?
The foundation is the base upon which the concrete is poured. And regardless of how flawlessly that job is executed, if the foundation hasn't been prepared, the concrete will fail every time.
The marriage of two people begins on their Wedding Date, however, the foundation upon which this covenant is built must begin long before that.
Parenthood begins at the conception or adoption of a child, but the foundational understanding of what this role entails must come first.
We don’t skip bottles as a baby and begin with steak instead.
We don’t skip Kindergarten and begin at grade 5.
We don't train for a marathon before running a mile.
And we can’t enjoy the food from our garden until we plant the seeds.
The foundation is where it begins.
These beginnings pave the path for direction, understanding, clarity, and purpose. The Book of Genesis is the beginning of many things. It’s the beginning of the Bible as a whole, it's the beginning of the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). And it is where the Creation of the world began. The name Genesis means beginning, or origin and it is in the very first verse of the Bible that the foundation is laid as we are introduced to God.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Who is God?
From this one verse, we see that He is the Creator of the heavens, the earth, and everything that would fill them. Our trust and belief in the entire Bible begins with this one verse. This belief is fundamentally foundational for everything that follows. And while this is not where we attain Salvation, it is where we start. This one verse opens our eyes to the majesty of His Creation and an understanding that it was ordered only through His Mighty Power, Created by His Magnificent Words, and Prepared for His Purposes alone.
In this very first book of the Bible, the main characters, God & humanity, are brought to light and the setting of Creation begins to unfold. The crafting of these elements combined with the display of His Majestic Power, lays the groundwork for our place in the redemption plan of a Holy God.
God tells us who He is from the very first book of the Bible.
In Genesis 17:1 and Genesis 35:11, God refers to Himself as "God Almighty".
In Genesis 26:24, God appears to Issac at night as says, “I am the God of Abraham your father." He refers to Himself the same when came to Jacob in Genesis 26:24.
When describing Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 He says, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
Examples of this reference are woven all throughout the Bible - Genesis 28:13, Genesis 31:13, Exodus 3:6, Psalm 46:10, Isaiah 48:12, and Jeremiah 32:27 to name a few.
In the New Testament, as we come to the end of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke) and turn the page to the Gospel of John; there is an aha moment. Beginning in John chapter 6, we see an intimation of Jesus as the "I Am" that we read about all throughout the Old Testament.
Jesus says "I am"...
"I Am" encompasses who God is in the Old Testament and who He still is today. But from my perspective, 'I Am" is also used by Jesus to bring light to His role as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies of the coming Messiah. If we were to flip all the way back to Genesis 3:15, we would see the very first mention of Jesus, our Savior, as God says to the serpent:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”
Even thousands of years, before Jesus' birth, the sovereign God of the Universe knew of His plan, purpose, and means of offering His children a way back into a right relationship with Him.
I'm not sure about you, but from my perspective, it seems as if life today is exponentially faster than in previous years. We follow outlines that summarize the mere basics and sometimes we even skip what we believe to be the non-essential steps to run towards what “we" have deemed essential. We forego reading and studying the Old Testament because we question its relevance in the everyday. And as we quickly jump to what seems “applicable" to our present-day circumstances, we compromise the most important element –the foundation.
The foundational knowledge and acceptance of who God is changes everything. This understanding allows us to experience Him for who He actually is. It helps us to place Him in the right place and priority in our lives. It grows us spiritually. It allows us the ability to praise Him as He so rightly deserves. And it directs our hearts to live our lives for eternity instead of the here and now. Because this my friends, is not our home. This is just the place we have been placed by Him to make His name known to the lost.
Consequently, if we are going to make His name known to the lost, then we must take the time to truly gain an understanding of who He is and has always been from the very beginning. And it is here that the truths of God Almighty lay a foundation for our lives. And as we walk towards Him in obedience and surrender, the Living Word of God builds upon this strong foundation, year after year, layer upon layer --All for His Honor and Glory!
Dear God,
Today I affirm my belief that you are the Almighty God and the One that created the Heavens, the Earth, and everything that fills it. I walk in full confidence that you are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. I thank you for the Bible, and your inspired Words, which laid the foundation for everything that would follow. I ask that you open my eyes to your truths and provide me with the strength to walk in them. Help me not to rely on the ever-changing circumstances of life for my happiness, but instead, fill me with a Joy that only comes by resting in You.
-Amen
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