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24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis 1:24-25 ESV)

On this day of creation God created living creatures. There were live stock, creeping things and beast made of the earth according to their kinds. God made them all and saw it was good.

As we read through this creation story we see the progression from nothingness to first the universe and then our planet and the care taken to have in place what each type of creature would need to survive. We see at first the earth covered with water which was separated into seas and dry land appeared the seas had creatures that the beast on dry land could feed on. The dry land also produces plants that creatures can feed on to satisfy hunger and remain healthy. There is still one piece of this story that we have not seen that will come next.

Heavenly Father, As we contemplate the creation we can see that there need to be a progression from nothing to what we find in our world today and to know that all was made according to Your plan. May we give honor to the creation that You have made and give You the glory for following Your plan through which we are able to live long healthy lives. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
(Genesis 1:20-23 ESV)

On this day sea creatures were created in swarms and birds to fly through the sky. So God created the fish and other sea creatures and those that move in the waters, and all the birds according to their kinds. God saw that it was good and commanded them to increase and multiply and fill the seas and the birds to multiply on the earth. Thus ended the fifth day.

Heavenly Father, On this day you provide the creatures in the sea and the birds in the air and commanded them to fill the seas and the land. Each adds its kinds to the whole of creation and provides beauty and life to what comes next. May we in this time appreciate Your provision and use it wisely for Your glory. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
(Genesis 1:14-19 ESV)

On this day God said let there be lights in the expanse of space to separate the day from the night.  Let them also denote the seasons, days and years. There are to be lights in space to provide light to the earth. It was so. The sun was to rule the day and the moon to rule the night with the stars. They were placed in the heavens to give light to the earth, and to rule over the day and the night. God saw that it was good and ended the fourth day.

Heavenly Father, Your provision of the sun and moon to give light to the earth and separate the day from the night gives us our idea of linear time. It also provides us with the means to divide days into months and months into years allowing us to review our history. May we be thankful of your provision as part of the creation and use it wisely to move forward and come closer to You that we will bring glory and honor to Your name. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
(Genesis 1:11-13 ESV)

When the dry land appeared God created vegetation on the earth. Each plant bore seed and the fruit trees bore fruit, each according to their kind. The earth produced the plants and fruit trees that God had created each of them providing seed according to their kind. God saw that it was good and concluded the third day of creation.

Heavenly Father, You provided the plants that nourish our bodies and the fruit trees that provide for our needs. May we take care to plant seeds and harvest their plants at the proper times during the year that our larders may be full and our needs provided. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis 1:6-10 ESV)

On this day of the creation God set an expanse in the waters, and caused it to separate the waters. The expanse separated the waters that were below the expanse from those that were above. The expanse was called heaven. This was the second day of creation. Then God gathered the waters under the heavens into one place and caused the dry land to appear. The dry land He called earth and the gathered waters He called seas. God saw that what He had done was good.

Heavenly Father, Your timing of the creation allowed for several steps to be completed each contributing to the whole. As we move through this story we learn what You did and the steps You took to create the universe and this world with all of the various living things that are part of it. May we take the time to appreciate all that You have done and to glorify Your name each day that we might bring honor to You. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
(Genesis 1:1-5 ESV)

Some scientists today would like us to believe that the Biblical story of the creation of the world is incorrect because it does not agree with Darwin’s theory of natural selection which proposes that this world is the result of a random combining of molecules bringing about what we see daily. It is true that the story is not factual in that sense, but that is not its purpose. The purpose of the creation story is to point us to God as the creator and that the universe is the result of His intelligent design.

We start with the statement of God creating the heavens and the earth which was without form and was void, and it is covered in darkness. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters on the planet. Then God creates light and separates it from darkness. Thus ends the first part of creation.

Heavenly Father, As we read the story of the creation of the world we learn that You are the Creator of the world and that it happened according to Your plan. We see that it was done in several stages each of them dependent on the previous stage. May we believe that You are the creator and that this world was created according to Your design. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
(Malachi 4:1-6 ESV)

This passage contrasts the difference between what will happen to the wicked and the righteous. The wicked will become stubble which is tread on and destroyed. The righteous will be healed, will cavort like young people and will tread the wicked under the soles of their feet. We are reminded of the rules that were given to Moses at Horeb for all Israel. The Lord through Malachi will send Elijah before His day comes. He will turn the hearts of the children to their fathers and their fathers hearts to the children, so the Lord will not decree destruction to the land.

Heavenly Father, In all ages there are both wicked and righteous. May we as Your followers remain steadfast in righteousness that You will not decree destruction of our land and that our families may flourish. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
(Malachi 3:16-18 ESV)

When those who feared the Lord spoke together He paid attention and heard them. A book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name. The Lord declared that they would be His in the day when I gather my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a father spares his son who serves him. You will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Heavenly Father, You are clear that there is a difference between one who serves you and one who does not and is wicked. May we be part of those who serve You and esteem Your name that we will by Your treasured possession and dwell in Your kingdom for all eternity, bringing honor and praise to Your name. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
(Malachi 3:13-15 ESV)

The Israelites have spoken against God. They are saying that there is no profit in serving God or walking in His way. They are calling the arrogant blessed and evildoers prosper, put God to the test and they escape. They forget about the kingdom to come when they will be vindicated and the wicked will be punished. It is only for a short while that the wicked will appear to prosper and test God.

Heavenly Father, When tragedy strikes and is apparently lasting we can have the tendency to think that God is not allowing us to prosper especially when the wicked seem to be prospering with no seeming negative consequences. At those time may we be reminded that there is resurrection and a kingdom where You will wipe the tears from our eyes and we will have abundant life. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
(Malachi 3:6-12 ESV)

This passage starts by saying that the children of Jacob are not consumed because the Lord does not change. It goes on to point out that from the days of their fathers the children have turned aside from God’s statutes. He says return to Him and He will return to them. But, the children say “How shall we return?” The Lord answers will a man rob God? Yet they are robbing Him. When they ask how He says in your tithes and offerings. He says they are cursed with a curse. He proclaims that they should bring the entire tithe into His store house to test Him and see if He will not pour out a blessing they cannot contain. He will rebuke the devourer for them so they will harvest their fields, and their vines shall bear. Then you will be called blessed for you are a land full of delights.

Heavenly Father, You are calling your people who have gone astray to return to you and to bring their entire tithe into Your storehouse. May we put You to the test by doing so and look for the blessings that You will pour out on us as a result. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

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