God longs to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to your old ways.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

-Genesis 1:1-5, 26-27

When we come to Genesis 1, we make a fundamental mistake. We become so focused on the “How” that we forget about the “Who” and “Why”.

We men often get lost in the vastness and beauty of this world.

We are moved by it all—but also overwhelmed!

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

-Psalm 8:3-4

Do our lives really matter?

Modern Mythology tells us Creation is an accident and Nature and Matter are the only realities.

Ancient Mythology tells us that the material world is not an accident but Creation and Nature are always an expression or derivative of something else.

Genesis 1 is unique! There is nothing else like it!

In Genesis 1, we are told about Creation ex nihilo. Ex Nihilo means: Out of Nothing.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void.

-Genesis 1:1

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

-Hebrews 11:3

God creates the stuff from which all other stuff is made.

To really make an apple pie from scratch, you must begin by inventing the universe.

-Carl Sagan

What’s the big deal?

Eastern Religions tell you that everything in this world is an illusion and you need to escape it!

Western Religions tell you that this world is all there is.

The Genesis account tells you that the material world is the result of the supernatural world.

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

-Genesis 1:2c

And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.

-Genesis 1:3

The reason the Father’s word can actually create is because the Word of God is a person.

Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...'

-Genesis 1:26

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

-Colossians 1:15-17

Polytheists believe in many gods but they ascended out of a primordial ooze and began battling each other.

Monotheists believe in one God who never experienced love until he decided to create. Love comes as an afterthought.

The Genesis account - and the only account that expresses this - Love Precedes Creation!

The Biblical God was a God of love long before he created us.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were the first community and circle of love.

Then at a moment in eternity, they said to one another, “Let us expand the Circle.” Let us create beings who will become part of this circle, part of this family, community.” “Let us make Man in our own image.” Let us invite him into our community. This is unheard of in any other world view, religion, or faith system.

What is God saying to us in the creation narrative?

Answer: “I want you to enjoy your life! I want you to sing the song of creation!”

We do not just want to see beauty when we look at nature. We want something else that we can hardly put into words. United with the beauty we see, we want to pass into it, bathe in it, become part of it. This is the reason in our legends, we have people, the air, the earth, and the water with gods and nymphs and elves. That is why the poets tell us such lovely falsehoods. They speak as though the Westwind could really sweep into the human soul, but it can’t. At present, we look like we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and the beauty of the morning, but they don’t make us fresh and beautiful. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. We feel cut off from something.

-C.S. Lewis

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

-Genesis 1:31

All of your truly good experiences are like music, praising, glorifying, and reflecting your Father. All of nature is inviting you into the circle, but you can’t go in. We can’t sing the same song because we don’t want to go in under the King. We want to call the shots.

However, because our Maker loves, enjoys, approves, and delights in us, He provides the way back into the circle.

We need to know that our Maker looks at us and says, "You are good—right—loved—without flaws and blemish. Your Maker sings the song of your beauty."

For that to occur, our Maker had to be unmade so that we could be remade. He was de-created so that we could be re-created.

It takes enormous humility to come to the cross.

Until you do, you will never understand that:

Until you understand that, your life is without form and void.

When you truly get into the circle, your enjoyment of nature, of your relationships and of your work will be on steroids!