January 1, 2026

Scriptures: Genesis 1–2 | 

Sure, Genesis opens with some chaos, but that’s not the focus…this book opens with intention. God speaks, and creation responds. Light breaks into darkness. Order rises out of formlessness. Over and over again, God looks at what He has made and calls it good. Before sin ever enters the story, we see something foundational and unshakeable about God…He is a giver. Creation itself is an act of grace! Nothing here is earned. Everything is received.

In Genesis 2, we zoom in, and the picture becomes more personal. God forms humanity with His own hands and breathes life into them. He doesn’t rush; He plants a garden, He provides work with purpose, healthy boundaries, and also companionship. Even rest is built into the rhythm of creation! Grace is woven into the world before we ever needed forgiveness.

This beginning also, believe it or not, points us toward Jesus. John later tells us that “the Word” was present in the beginning, and that all things were made through Him. Creation wasn’t just spoken into existence by God…it was formed through Christ. The same Jesus who would one day step into a broken world is already present here, bringing light, life, and order. From the very first pages of Scripture, God is revealing His desire to dwell with humanity, not distance Himself from it.

The story starts with grace, purpose, and the presence of God in our chaos. That tells us that God’s plan to redeem what would later be broken was already rooted in His original design.

Challenge Question:

Where do you see evidence of God’s grace and intentional care in His creation of you and your life? How might recognizing that shape the way you understand His heart toward you today?