August 1

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8

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🔊 Perspective is everything. In the first account of creation, in Genesis 1, the Bible takes us to a platform in outer space from where we see the vast sweep of the universe. In the second account, in Genesis 2, the Bible takes us down to earth to see God’s care for His crowning creation – the human race. In order to have right perspective on ourselves, on life and eternity, we need God to position us. Above all, we need to see that the physical universe was not there in the beginning, but was created by God, who has no physical form and is Himself uncreated. If we miss this we will believe that the physical universe is first and last. But the physical world is subject to the spiritual. God is before all things, both in time and in power. It is only as we get this perspective that we understand the overwhelming sense of meaning and purpose that fills our lives and our destiny. The all-wise, all-powerful God created us with the purpose that we should be lifted out of the narrowness of the mere physical world, and know him. The two accounts of creation assure us that God has a magnificent plan that spans the universe, and a personal one for our individual lives, and we have a part in both. Beware of the lie that explains human existence in merely scientific terms. For the evolutionist, all life is ultimately robbed of meaning. Unbelief leads to moral chaos and confusion because it misses the wonderful truth – our life is part of a great design, and not only part, but a central part, in the Creator’s loving heart.