This morning as my day began I went through my studies, prayer, and meditation and I came upon a thought that the Holy Spirit just built upon.  The thought?  “Without God I am nothing.” Sure, many would argue that’s crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more real it became for me.

The only thing that makes it crazy is the unbeliever that feels certain that we are here by accident, (now that is crazy), but the truth of it is there was a beginning, and there will be an end of sorts, but there would have been nothing without God.  He set everything in motion.

What do we Think of God

Think about it.  How often do we thank the Lord for simply our existence?  This morning I was drawn to Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

In the beginning, there was nothing, and God took each day and spoke each thing into existence, and the last thing that He created was a man.  I like the detail in Chapter 2 of Genesis.

Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

⁷ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

He created everything from nothing, and woman he formed the same way except he used a rib from Adam to unit them.

I ponder on this, and I cannot help but think of a quote by A.W. Tozer.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Isn’t that a powerful thought?  We can choose how we see God in relation to our lives.  He does not dictate what we see.  He has chosen to hide his physical being from us.  We can make Him as large or small as we like.  As for me the better I come to know Him the larger he gets and the smaller I get.  I am truly powerless without him.

In the Beginning

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them a brain filled with the ability to reason.  They had the power to figure things out and to manage the creation that God gave Adam dominion over.  Adam did not have to work his way up from the bottom to learn the business. God gave him those tools when he created him.  God chose each function of that brain and each capability and gave it to Adam and Eve including the ability to make bad decisions.

He defined all the emotions we carry in our hearts today.  Some were corrupted by our rebellion and fall, but God showed me how to breathe and to eat and to speak and to walk and to think, and He did all that in an instant through Adam and Eve.  The fall changed things, but the fundamentals are still there.  We love because God first loved us.

Who told you that a sunrise was beautiful and gray clouds were gloomy.  How did you know that a desert was desolate and a garden lush and beautiful?  God showed us everything in the beginning.

The Fall and Corruption

I know that the adversary is a liar and deceiver I know he introduced the first doubt and temptation which lead to the first sin.  That sin affected everything in creation.  I cannot fathom what things might be like had it not happened, but I know that despite it all God has not stopped loving us and He has called us to believe in His Son who died so that we may live.  Just think about that for a minute.

God had given us, (Adam and Eve), everything we needed, but it was not enough.  Doubt lead to temptation and temptation to sin.  But God’s desire is to reunite us with Him.  That desire is so strong that He gave His Son to die for my sin, for all our sin, paying our debt and overcoming death so that we could be reunited with Him.

From Chapter 3 of Genesis through all the Old Testament and New Testament, ending with Revelation God has shared His plan with us.

Reflections

I look at this life I have lived and realize that I spent so much of it thinking so much less of God then He was or deserved.  He was more a parachute than anything else.  He got little or no credit for any time that he saved me or helped me or protected me.  All those things were my doing.  I was sharp.   I worked my way through the ranks, and I was aggressive, and I could accomplish anything I put to mind.  I look at these last few sentences and get a bit nauseated by all the I’s on the page.

The truth of it all is that I did nothing but steal the glory that belonged to God from the beginning.  I did do that.  He is so patient as Peter describes.

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

If not for his patience I would have been lost.  I was like Paul for those three days.  I was blind to the true Gospel.  But through men of God, He opened my eyes and over time humbled my heart.

Final Thoughts

As I look back on all this and realize who is truly sovereign over all things.  I also realize how easy it is to be corrupted by the adversary.  In it all, we must be diligent.    We must not forget that all things come from God.  My favorite reminder is in 1John.

1 John 4:19 (ESV)

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.

We must also remember that the liar is always working to deceive us, and we must be prepared to stand against his attacks.  That takes more than relying on someone else telling us about Jesus and His power.  That is like watching a boxing match and at the end feeling you are ready to fight the world champion…  it is not going to happen.  We need to train, and that takes prayer and study in God’s Word, both personal and in small groups of believers.  We need the full Armor of God!

Full Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20 (ESV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Prayer

Lord God thank you for every breath and every thought that you have given me.  Thank you, Lord, for all my provisions.  Father, I pray that I may not squander these gifts but care for them and grow them as you desire of me and I pray all this in the name of your precious Son Jesus Christ, Amen!