God creates something out of nothing
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
We recently read this blog by Vicky Beeching…
On one of the walls of the church tonight I saw this piece of art - its really famous so I’m sure you’ve seen it before - but tonight it really struck me in a new way to see it and the words “in the beginning, God..” It reminded me of the latin phrase they taught us at Oxford in our Genesis class: “Ex Nihilo”.
“Ex Nihilo” is latin for “Out Of Nothing”. When God created the universe Genesis says that “in the beginning, God”.. In the beginning there was just Him. He created all things out of nothing. He spoke and everything came into being.
For us thats really awesome and encouraging, because God is Someone who creates something out of nothing. He takes emptiness and creates wholeness, He takes darkness and speaks light. Because of this, we can come to God empty and weak knowing that He takes us and with His power makes something out of nothing. We dont have to bring strength, gifts or goodness to the table. He was able to take dust and breathe it into a human being. We are just dust without His living breath. So we are totally able to come to Him in weakness, knowing we are just dust, and ask Him to empower us and enable us to live the Kingdom Life.
That means none of us can ever say we are disqualified from serving God, or that we need to become better or holier before He can use us. He is the Creator and is the inventor of creating life, beauty and color “ex nihilo” - out of nothing!
Do you ever feel like you need to be better, holier, more ’sorted out’ before God can really use you? Is that really just legalism? Are we trying to engage in ’self improvement’, rather than asking for God’s divine empowering to take the dust of who we are are and make us into something with His power?
If you often feel disqualified, pressuring yourself to be better and up your spiritual performance, its time to hear God’s mercy speaking over you that He creates “ex nihilo” - He doesnt want our tick sheets and score cards. He just wants our surrender. Its HIS power and not ours that accomplishes the work of transformation in us! What a relief!
God is also the One who was there “in the beginning” (Genesis 1). He is the author of beginnings. If you are feeling in need of a new beginning in your life…a new day to dawn… a new season, He is the One who can bring that to be. After all, He began the original ‘beginning’ when time’s first second ticked. Don’t try and create that new day, that new season, that new beginning in your own power. Ask the God who began the Beginning, and did it “ex nihilo” to break in to your life and bring the breakthrough in your life and heart that you need!
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