Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Danny Saavedra

“God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.” Genesis 1:16–19 (NLT)

Natural order . . . that which holds the universe together. There is a set of laws that governs the manner in which the universe moves and works, how it unfolds through space and time. This natural law keeps the entirety of existence from folding in on itself and imploding. This natural law that governs all things, according to Colossians 1:17 (NIV), is the Lord Jesus, who is “before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Our verse today continues the account of creation, pointing to the moment that God spoke the sun, moon, and stars, and the expansive and infinite universe of star systems, constellations, and galaxies into existence. He did so in a way that clearly conveys one of His wonderful character traits: order. God is a God of order: of perfect, harmonious, true, unshaken order. And even when things look and feel chaotic, even when it seems everything around us is unraveling at the seams, He is in control; His order is not disrupted. 

In His infinite wisdom and power, He governs the universe in the same way that the two great lights in the sky govern the day and night. Like the sun, our lives revolve around Him; our existence and survival is completely dependent upon Him; apart from Him there is no light and no life. Like the moon, He protects us and guides us in darkness; He stabilizes and anchors us. 

And just as He made the stars to serve Him and light our way, we are to serve as lights in the world to those who have not yet come to know Him. I pray that we would be the brightest generation the world has ever known, the generation that shines “among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15 NIV), “as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV). 

DIG: What does this passage tell you about the character of God?

DISCOVER: How are you shining like a star in the sky right now? Is your life revolving around the Lord and shining forth His light?

DO: Do something for a person in your life who is struggling and hurting. Serve them in a way that shows them the light and love of Jesus. And pray for them.