Vol 3 No 1 THEO'S DEVOS 010109
Genesis 1:3-5 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Here we are at the edge of a new year. I hope it is an excellent one for you. This is the third year for Theo's Devos and we are adding something new. At the end of each devo there will be a short Bible study that can be used by individuals or in a small group. Any feedback would be welcome. Let's get into our devo for this week.
I can't speak for you but my day always starts in the morning. Somedays earlier than others but always in the morning. The Bible reverses that. The biblical 'day' starts in the evening. And the days spoken of in Genesis bring up interesting questions. How long was that day? 24 hours? An age? And how long ago were these 'days?' I will leave these questions for another time. For now I am concerned with another thought altogether.
The Bible communicates to us on several levels at the same time. While it is telling us a story about something that happened, quite often it is also telling us something about life without which we would never have had a clue. Our case today is exactly to this point.
We, all of us, started out our life in darkness not light. We were lost in our sins and had no idea where we were headed. The Bible tells that we were lost and needed the light of God's Word in order to find our way. When we accept Jesus as our savior and Lord, God pours the light of understanding into our lives and brings understanding about God and life.
When you read scripture it is a good idea to first ask the question: What is this section saying? After you have concluded what the verses say, look to see if there might be anything you can learn from them. This application of scripture allows for concepts that may not be obvious at first. It may take some serious reflection in order to discover what God is saying to you. In fact an application may even dawn on you days or even weeks later. It is important, however, that you allow God to speak to you through His Word. Someone has said that when you close the Bible you shut the mouth of God. Expect Him to reveal important truths to you as you read and study.
In the Bible study that follows you will have an opportunity to look into several verses from the first book of the Bible. Try reading them in several different versions and pray that you will see them in a new light even if you have read them many times before. May God bless you as you begin this new year. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Theo
Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)
Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You
SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY
Please Read: Genesis 1:1-2:3
QUICK QUESTION: What theories about the beginning of life have you heard? Discuss them for about 5 minutes.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
What shape was the earth in at the beginning of creation? (1:1-2)
Look at the first six days and discover what was created on each day? (1:3-26)
How was man created? (1:26-27)
What did God tell this first couple? (1:28)
How did God feel about His creation on that last day? (1:31)
What did God do then? (2:1-3)
REFLECTION: What do these verses tell you about your worth and what does that imply about how we should treat each other?
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