Everything has a beginning. The first words in the Bible are: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And John writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word” (John 1:1).
In the beginning, there was the eternal God who created everything. Our sun had a beginning. It is about 150 million kilometers away from our earth. Our Earth had a beginning. It once orbited around the sun for the first time, and it still does once a year. We could continue to list things and their beginnings.
January is the beginning of each new year. Every human being had a beginning. There was a time when your life began. Do you think life is important? Sure you do; that is why you celebrate your birthday every year. It is a special day for you because on that day you commemorate your beginning.
We want to remember who gave us life. It comes from God. At the beginning of your life, when your heart began to beat – that was before you were born – you received your life from God. Humans cannot produce life; only God can. And when you were born and your lungs began to function – that was from God. Now your heart pumps, and your lungs breathe. God gave you life, and God can preserve it. Therefore, we owe God thanks. Actually, your life belongs to God. You and I, all of us, should give Him the thanksgiving He deserves, because our beginning comes from God.
January, the first month of the year, also reminds us of many other things in our life that had a beginning. Our first steps, our first words, the first day of school all started at some time. There is also your first prayer. Perhaps it is one that your mother taught you and you repeated.
January is the first month of the year but certainly not the last. It is followed by February, then March, and all the others. Then the year ends and a new one begins. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). In the same way, praying and giving God thanks should not cease as long as we are on Earth.
Now let us talk about what is most important – the beginning of our spiritual life, a new life from God. It begins with our conversion. Our soul, dead in sin, receives new life from God. It is good to have this conversion experience early in life. The Bible says, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1). It is good that a thorough and genuine beginning is laid in order to have a solid foundation for our faith.
This beginning is important; you cannot do without it. After that, learning from Jesus, walking with the Lord, growing in faith, and having victory over sin follow. It is important that we do not remain at the beginning, but also that we do not give up and fall away from God. We must keep on until the end.
Dear friend, have you begun your walk with the Lord? Did you persevere? Did you remain true to the Lord? Have you grown in faith? Do you have a closer walk with Christ now than at the beginning? I wish that you, with the help of God, could have a spiritual beginning – a genuine conversion experience. If this has not yet taken place, do not delay. Do it as soon as possible; do it now. God is waiting for you to come to Him. Soon you can be a useful tool in the Master’s hand, and God can use you and entrust you with small and big matters. The Lord wishes to give you joy, to bless you, and make you a blessing for others.
Otto Sommerfeld
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