Genesis 1:1 simply and straightforwardly declares that the world did not create itself or come about by chance; it was created by God – who, by definition, is eternal and has always been. If God created this world, and He has a plan for both the world and for us as individuals. We can find meaning in our lives by fulfilling the purpose our Creator made for us. If I take a screwdriver and try to use it as a hammer, it won’t work very well and may break the screwdriver. The screwdriver is not fulfilling its created purpose, and all we have is frustration. When we look to our Creator and His word, we discover His purpose for us.

Many people think Genesis 1:1 doesn’t have anything to do with scientific facts. They look to other things for meaning in life. One day, students in the class of a great scientist spoke among themselves and decided that there was no God. The scientist asked them how much of all the knowledge in the world they had among themselves collectively, as a class. The students discussed it for a while and decided they had 5% of all human knowledge among themselves. The scientist thought that their estimate was a little generous, but he replied: “Is it possible that God exists in the 95% that you don’t know?”

Some 100 years ago, there was a great German philosopher named Arthur Schopenhauer. He was sitting on a park bench in Berlin, deep in thought. A policeman asked the philosopher “Who are you?” Schopenhauer answered, “I wish to God I knew.”

And the only way we can ever really find out who we are is from God – and the place to begin is Genesis 1:1.

Today, spend some special time considering what it means that God is your Creator and you are His creature. Then look to His word to learn more about His purpose for you. God did not make a mistake or roll the dice when He made you.

You have an important place in His plan, and Jesus’ death for you on the cross shows how important you are to God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 1

To know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

– We can say that we know someone because we recognize him: because we can distinguish what is different about him compared to other people.
– We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what he does; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
– We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with him; we are on speaking terms with that person.
– We can say that we know someone because we spend time in his house and with his family.
– We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to him and live with him every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to the believer now, not at death.

– The power of His resurrection is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
– The power of His resurrection is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
– The power of His resurrection means that those connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. This is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. Being in Christ also means being conformed to His death. Yet, Paul was not morbidly focused on suffering and death in the Christian life. His focus was on the resurrection from the dead. Paul understood that any suffering and death allotted to the Christian are a pathway to resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead. Paul faced true hardship, but the suffering was worth it, considering the greatness of the resurrection from the dead.

Remember that Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than we will ever experience, and he wrote it from the custody of Roman soldiers. This wasn’t merely theological theory and ideas, but a lived-out connection with God.

Dear friend, do you pursue the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Is the plea of your life, that I may know Him?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 3

When Paul was in Philippi, he was arrested and imprisoned. But God miraculously freed him, and he continued preaching the gospel (Acts 16:25-34). When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in a jail in Rome. Paul’s Philippian friends were probably thinking, “God used a miracle to set Paul free before. Why doesn’t God do it now? Is He letting Paul down, or is Paul in sin?” In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul assured them that God’s blessing and power were still with him, even in prison – he was not out of God’s will.

Considering how God set Paul free in Philippi, we shouldn’t be surprised they wondered where the power of God was in Paul’s present imprisonment. If Paul wasn’t being advanced, that was all right – because his passion was to see the gospel advanced. Even though Paul was in prison, the circumstances around his imprisonment, and his manner during it, made it clear to everyone he was not just another prisoner, but he was an emissary of Jesus; this witness led to the conversion of many including his guards.

In fact, Paul’s imprisonment gave the Christians around him, who were not imprisoned, greater confidence and boldness, because they saw that Paul could have joy in the midst of adversity. They saw that God would take care of Paul and still use him even in prison. We also know this turned out for the furtherance of the gospel because during this time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. When Paul was in bad circumstances, God was using him.

God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives in our present situation. Are you in a bad place – even a “prison” of some sort? God can use you right where you are, and He wants to. Stop thinking your situation must change before God’s power can be evident in your life. It can be evident right now.

God gave Paul the ability to see the good in a Roman prison – this God is with us!

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 1

The idea is simple – that believers are to make God their example and model. It does not say here, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God.

We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We could also say that this is a continuation of the idea from Ephesians 4:32, where we were commanded to be forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. God’s behavior towards us becomes our measure for our behavior towards one another.

It is important to see that God is far more than our example. Many errors come into the church when Jesus is presented only as an example of behavior. We are not saved by the example of Jesus, but once we are set in right relation with God by the work of Jesus, then His example is meaningful to us. God is more than our example, but He is also our example.

We are to imitate God as dear children: Children are natural imitators. They often do just what they see their parents or other adults do. When we act according to our nature as children of God, we will imitate Him.

We all imitate someone or something. We meet a person and are impressed by them – and unconsciously want to be like them. We see a video of someone we admire and want to be like them. Christians should make the conscious choice to let God be their example, God as He is displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, believers should walk in love, as Christ also has loved them. As in all things, Jesus is our example. As He has loved us and has given Himself for us, we are to display the same kind of self-giving love.

We sometimes think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. But God often calls us to lay down our life little by little – in small coins (as it were) instead of one large payment – but it is laying down our lives, nonetheless.

As Christ dwells in you, be an imitator of God. It is fitting for the children to imitate their father.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 5

It’s not unusual for someone to buy a baby book when they first learn they will have a child. They often begin to record their thoughts and feelings during their time of pregnancy, writing their hopes and dreams for their unborn child. But no one, even the proudest parent, would ever write for their child what the angel said of Jesus before He was born: He will be great.

It was true: He would be great. Simply said, no one has influenced history more than Jesus Christ. Years ago, Fred Bock expressed this powerfully in a piece titled “One Solitary Life”:

Born in an obscure village, He was the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty years old, and then for three years He traveled around the county, stopping long enough to talk and to listen to people, and help where He could.

He never wrote a book, He never had a hit record, He never went to college, He never ran for public office, He never had a family or owned a house. He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. But when He was only thirty-three years old, the tide of public opinion turned against Him, and His friends rejected Him. When He was arrested, very few wanted anything to do with Him. After the trial, He was executed by the State along with admitted thieves. Only because a generous friend offered his own cemetery plot was there any place to bury Him.

This all happened nineteen centuries ago, and yet today He is the leading figure of the human race, and the ultimate example of love. Now it is no exaggeration to say that all the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever set sail, all the rulers that have ever ruled, all the kings that have ever reigned on this earth, all put together have not affected the life of man on earth like One Solitary Life.

The question remains: has Jesus affected your life? The angel said, He will be great – has the greatness of Jesus touched your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on Luke 1