FBC Daily Devotional – January 1, 2021

Well, happy new year 2021 has dawned

and Hope you have dawned with it to a new day looking forward to a new year.

You know the Song in the sound of music you've seen that movie, I'm

sure where Maria is trying to teach the

kids how to sing and And She can't figure out, you know, she's trying to you

know, just Didactically teach them how to sing.

She's trying to be all and then she comes up with this great idea.

She said I've got an idea and then she sings them a song.

She says let's start at the very beginning.

She says this it's a very good place to start so when you read you begin

with ABC and when you sing you begin with do -re -mi and

When it comes to reading the scriptures you begin with Genesis so how

appropriate is on this first day of the new year that we begin a whole process

of reading through the Bible with reading in the book of Genesis

the first book of the Bible that takes us to the Beginning it is the

book of beginnings.

There's all kinds of things that are first in the book of Genesis and show us the beginning of

things.

Of course see the beginning of creation the beginning of our the existence of the universe.

See the beginning of human existence the beginning of human sin

the beginning of human conflict the beginning of false religion.

The beginning of the Redemption story also all kinds of beginnings in the book of Genesis

but what I want to zero in on today as We begin a new year and

we look at this first Reading in the in the reading schedule

and by the way, let me pause here if you would like a copy of that reading schedule, please send me an email

or Call the church or whatever and we'll get you a copy of that the the reading schedule

is to take us through the entire Bible in two years and So for example today you would

to read Genesis 1 and 2 and Psalm 1 and then for tomorrow You

would read Matthew chapter 1 and some verses in Proverbs and then on

Monday.

Or on Sunday you would come back to Genesis and read a couple chapters in Psalm 2 and then on

Monday You'd be reading again in Matthew and Proverbs and so forth.

You go back and forth like that every day until Two years from now you will

have read through the entire Bible.

Well, anyway today Read Genesis 1 and 2 and Psalm 1 and when you do that

What you're struck with is that it all begins with God in the

beginning God in the beginning God Created

the heavens and the earth and he goes on to talk about the different days of creation and then on the

seventh day God ceased from all his creative work and then he sanctified that

day.

So what I want to encourage you with at the beginning of this New year is to begin as

God's book begins with God himself make beginning with God a

Priority in your life.

I don't know if you're a New Year's resolution person.

I don't write resolutions I do establish goals.

I try to establish some goals for a new year and Some things I really believe the Lord would have me work on

accomplishing in the course of a year.

If that's you and I encourage it, I think it's good for us to do that.

Then maybe you need to establish the goal of beginning With God in some very

key ways.

So for example begin your day with God and Get into some habits that

will That will be at the start of your day that focus on God

for example, I I one of the first things I do in first thing I do in

the morning when I get up is I have my cup of coffee and I grab my cup of coffee and I sit down with the Bible

and and read and pray.

Call it devotional time.

Whatever you want to call it, but it sets a course for the day.

At least that's the intention.

That's the goal.

Do I ever get off course?

Absolutely.

And so will you but but that in that's establishes an intention for my

day.

Then begin the day with God.

So you've begun the year with God if you've read Genesis 1 and 2 and Psalm 1 so far and

then Begin your day with God each day and and then let me encourage you to begin your

week with God.

So the Lord sanctified the seventh day the Sabbath day and set it apart and

In the in the giving of the decalogue the Ten Commandments the Lord said remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and he

gives the reason for Remembering it because the Lord created the world in seven days and on there six days on the seventh day.

He ceased he rested.

So you could think of it this way that?

The first the first workday was, you know Monday the first creation day was Monday and

Then on the seventh day he rested in our calendar.

Okay the way we reckon time.

So begin your week.

Not with work, but with God at the Lord's house in God's house with God's people

again.

Worshiping and serving your God begin with God.

So Genesis 1 Challenges us to begin with God, but then you also read

Psalm 1.

At least I would encourage you to read Psalm 1 and when you do Notice how Psalm 1 begins.

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in

the seat of the scornful but The blessed man is one who whose delight is in

the law of the Lord and in his law He meditates day and night there again

beginning with God but not not in a You know like an

obligatory Got to do it kind of a way.

But because you delight in his word you delight in his law.

So at the beginning of this new year's you're thinking about what what are things?

Areas of life that I need to enhance or change or grow in.

Begin with God start there.

What are the areas in your spiritual life where God would be telling you?

These are areas you need to work on begin with God.

In the beginning God created and In the beginning of this year, he wants to create a new

thing in you.

What would that what would that be?

What would that look like?

So let's let's have that perspective as we begin 2021 and

Encourage it to read through these readings every day and find some great encouragement and blessing

for your life as you delight yourself in the law of the Lord.

So our Father in our God, thank you for the dawning of a new year.

New opportunities before us this year new challenges that face us new goals to

pursue and I pray that first and foremost in all of these things would be our relationship with

you and our priority of You as our God

in our lives.

And so this we pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right, well again have a good day good New Year's Day if you can join us this

Sunday this Lord's Day.

We'll have in -person service at 1030.

And we will be having communion the Lord's Supper on this Lord's Day Again,

if you're not comfortable getting out yet because of the Colvin fears and so forth, that's understandable.

You can catch us on live stream at 1030 on Facebook YouTube

as well as the church home page.

So hope you will be able to join us one way or the other on the Lord's Day.

All right.

Have a good day.

God bless.