<p>God never leaves Himself without a witness. In the darkest days, a voice sounds out for Him in clear, articulate tones. Often in the most unusual circumstances, He raises up some unexpected confessor to speak His Name boldly.</p><p>In the days before the flood, the earth was gripped by violence and immorality. But Noah was there to take a valiant stand for the Lord.</p><p>It seemed to Elijah that all Israel had sunk in idolatry, but God had 7000 men that had not bowed to Baal.</p><p>In the midst of spiritual deadness and moral decline John Hus, Martin Luther and John Knox stepped forth on the stage of history to defend the cause of the Most High.</p><p>More recently, God was acknowledged when the telegraph was discovered. The first message to be transmitted was "What hath God wrought!"</p><p>When Apollo 8 was returning to the earth after the first manned flight to the moon, on Christmas Eve, 1968, three astronauts took turns reading from <span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+1:1-10">Genesis 1:1-10</span>, then concluded, "And from the crew of Apollo 8 we close with…God bless you, all of you on the good earth."</p><p>In spite of the enraged protests of infidels, the United States Postal Service issued an Apollo 8 stamp with words from <span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+1:1">Genesis 1:1</span>, "In the beginning…"</p><p>The currency of the United States bears the motto "In God we trust."</p><p>The calendar abbreviation A.D. reminds us that this is the year of our Lord (Anno Domini).</p><p>Is it a coincidence that the stellar heavens feature a virgin, a man-child, a serpent and a cross - all important participants in the drama of redemption? Is it the Gospel in the stars?</p><p>Even atheists sometimes slip by acknowledging the Lord. An atheistic ruler said at a summit meeting in Austria in 1979, "God will not forgive us if we fail."</p><p>There is a certain moral imperative in the universe that our God be publicly acknowledged. When the disciples praised the Lord Jesus as the King that had come in the Name of the Lord, the Pharisees demanded that Christ rebuke them. But He said to them, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Lu. 19:40).</p><p>We need not fear that God's name will ever be unsung or His honor neglected. At the very time when men pronounce Him dead, He will raise up some witness to confound His enemies and comfort His friends. </p><p> </p>

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." (Romans 11:4)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+1:1-12">Genesis 1:1-12</span></span></p><p>We focus on what without doubt is the most noble and loftiest of themes - the nature and character of God. I have noticed that Christians, generally speaking, seem to be preoccupied with knowing more about themselves rather than knowing more about God. Ask any Christian bookshop manager: "What are the best-selling books?" Not those that unfold for us the nature of God, but those that direct us toward such things as how to get a better self-image, how to manage money, how to find inner healing, how to get more excitement out of life, and so on. Not that these subjects are unimportant, but they are explored in a self-absorbed way that gives the idea that the most important thing in life is knowing ourselves better. It isn't. The most important thing in life is knowing God better. John Lancaster, a minister in Cardiff, South Wales, in an article entitled "Where on earth is God?" asks the question: "Given a choice between attending a seminar, say, on the 'Glory of God in Isaiah' and one on 'The Christian and Sex,' to which would you go?" He makes the point also that though the Church often answers the questions that people are asking, the real problem may be that people are not asking the right questions. In today's Church we are far too man-centered, and not God-centered. It is not by accident, I believe, that the Bible opens with the thunderous acclaim: "In the beginning God " I tell you with all the conviction of which I am capable - if God is not our primary focus, then everything else will soon get out of focus.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, from this day help me determine to make You my primary focus. And give me the grace and strength to maintain it, through all the vicissitudes and uncertainties of the days ahead. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+1:1-5">John 1:1-5</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:15-20">Colossians 1:15-20</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+12:2">Hebrews 12:2</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="re+1:8">Revelation 1:8</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did the Lord declare to John the revelator?</li><li>What did the apostle John declare?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"In the beginning God " (v. 1)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="isa+55:1-13">Isaiah 55:1-13</span></span></p><p>After seeing in  <span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+1">Genesis 1</span> that God is all-powerful, the next thing we observe about God is that He is personal.But what does it mean to be a person? What predicates personality? The best definition of personality I know is the one given to me by the tutor who taught me theology: "To be a person we have to be able to think, to reason, to feel, to judge, to choose and to communicate in words that constitute a language." Richard Swinburne, a theologian, observes that people use language not only to communicate and for private thought, but to argue, to raise a consideration, to object to another. Unlike animals which show evidence only of wanting food and drink, people can want not to want something, like a fasting man, for example, wanting not to want food. Now with that in mind - that one of the constituents of personality is the ability to think and speak - read the first chapter of Genesis once again. Notice how many times the words appear: "God said." Count them. God is portrayed to us as a speaking God, and speech being one of the constituent parts of personality this proves that the Deity is a personal Being. We are not long into Genesis before we are brought face to face with the fact that there is more to God than mere power; the Almighty is a Person. This means, among other things, that the Almighty cannot be studied from a "safe" distance. Because He is a Person He is someone who wants and waits to be "known."</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Loving heavenly Father, how thankful I am that You made me like Yourself - to know and be known. May my strongest desire be to know You, not merely to know myself. For it is only when I know You that I can most truly know myself. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ge+1:1-31">Genesis 1:1-31</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="job+33:13-14">Job 33:13-14</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="1ki+19:12">1 Kings 19:12</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eze+43:2">Ezekiel 43:2</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How many times does it say 'God said'?</li><li>How did Ezekiel describe God's voice?</li></ul></div></div>

" so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (v. 9)

<p> <sup class="verse-number">3</sup> And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.</p>

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Genesis 1:3

 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Genesis 1:3 KJV

Genesis 1:3 KJV

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