Daily Word of Grace # 39 (May 8, 2020)
God is an ever-creative God, creating things ex nihilo (out of nothing). This is a recurring theme throughout scripture. The Old Testament begins with a beautiful poetic account of how God “created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This foreshadows what we read in the Prologue at the beginning of the Gospel According to John, in which Jesus is referred to as “the Word”: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:1-3). This ever-creating ex nihilo work of God continues not only on a universal level, but also on a personal level, even in your life: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In your life God can create joy, peace, faith, hope—on and on—and most of all, love. You need bring nothing to the table, because God creates all those things ex nihilo. Lest you think this creative work of God applies solely to your earthly life, scripture assures us that God’s creative work continues in heaven. In his vision of heaven the same John whose gospel account bears his name recounts what he heard the One on the throne proclaim, “See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). In other words, this ever-creative, ever-creating work of God continues throughout eternity.
Love and Prayers,
Dave