Back to the Beginning with Jesus
I grew up in the church. I fell in love with Jesus the summer before I started high school, and I was baptized two days after my 20th birthday.
But life isn’t easy. One of my favorite Scriptures is Psalm 118:17 where it says, “I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.”
Whenever I am having a bad day, or just get in a funk, going back to the beginning helps me like nothing else.
And I have had a lot of bad day’s lately. So, I thought that’s what we could do today. Just go back to the beginning and recount the deeds of the Lord.
In The Beginning…
In Genesis we read about the way God created the world. From the deepest valley to the highest mountain, God created them all. He spoke them into existence.
He created the animals, the birds, the fish in the sea, everything.
And then He created man in His image.
That’s one of the most amazing things to me. The God who created the sunsets looked at the world He created and knew it wasn’t complete without us.
God didn’t need to create mankind, but He wanted us. 1 John 4:8 says “God is love” – that’s why He created us. He created us to love us.
God didn’t need to create mankind, but He wanted us. Click To TweetJeremiah 31:3 says God loves us with an everlasting love.
And the end of John 17:24 tells us that He loved us before the foundation of the world.
We have a God that loves us beyond measure.
We Rejected the Love of Jesus
When He first created Adam and Eve in the garden, they had such an amazing relationship with Jesus. He literally walked in the garden with them. They had a face to face, real-as-life relationship with the One who created them.
But God loves us so much that He created us with free will, because a forced love is no love at all.
Adam and Eve took advantage of that free will and rejected the love of God. They let Satan get a foothold and they questioned whether God really wanted what was best for them. In doing so, they questioned His love for them.
Thus, we were separated from God in a way we never had been before. Adam and Eve chose to reject God’s love, and we, as a human race, have been doing so ever since.
But God didn’t look at us, shake His head and walk away.
First, He clothed Adam and Eve. Yes, there was a punishment, but there was also a provision. He let them know that even though there was a consequence for their sin, He still loved them.
And not just them. But their sin was also the beginning of something new.
God’s Love is Unending
God started wooing the people He made in His image back to Him.
His love for us is unconditional.
Psalm 136:26 says, “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
Adam and Eve started a domino effect that has rippled through humankind for all time. Romans 3:23 explains it by saying, “all have sinned and fall short the glory of God.”
But you probably know what comes next.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
And Romans 5:8 says, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Yet too often that’s where we stop.
Jesus is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
We know Jesus died for us, we accept that we are sinners in need of a Savior, maybe we even get baptized, but then we assume we’re good. We just get on with our lives as normal.
But the gospel isn’t a once and done event, it’s an all the time, every moment of every day thing. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we acknowledge Him as the Lord of our lives and start a relationship with Him that lasts for all eternity.
It’s true that once we are covered by the blood of Christ, nothing can pluck us from His hands. But being in His hands is life changing because it restores that relationship we were meant to have with Him from the very beginning.
The Gospel Changes Everything
When we surrender our lives to Christ, we lean into His love for us. And that changes everything.
- It changes the way we feel about ourselves – because we were created in God’s image, and we are loved with an everlasting love. We are God’s workmanship, created with a purpose.
- It changes the way we look at other people – because they were created in God’s image just as much as we were, and God loves them just as much as He loves us.
- It changes the way we handle failure – because we know that our sins are covered by the blood of Christ.
- It changes the way we view death – because we know this world isn’t all there is.
- It changes the way we define success.
- It changes the way we spend our time.
- It changes the way we raise our children.
- It changes the way we manage our money.
- It changes the way we speak.
- It changes the way we see the world around us.
- It changes our priorities.
It literally changes everything.
But at the same time, it changes nothing.
Jesus Isn’t A Genie In A Bottle
When Jesus comes into our lives the world stays the same.
We still have to go back to the same job. We still have the same family. The same friends. The same life.
And Satan would love nothing more than to use those things that stay the same to make us question the reality of God’s love for us. Or to question the significance of the gospel. I mean, did anything really change if everything seems the same?
Because life is hard and being a Christian doesn’t change that.
The gospel changes everything… but at the same time it changes nothing… Click To TweetJesus is God with Us
But being a Christian means we no longer have to face this world alone.
- When we don’t get our to do list done, we can trust that God’s timing is perfect.
- When we feel alone and unloved, we can know that God loves us and is with us. He is the God who sees us, even when no one else does.
- When our heart is breaking, we can have faith that God heals the brokenhearted.
- When we are weak, we can trust that God is strong.
- When we wonder how we are ever going to make it through, we can know that God is Jehovah-Jireh, which means “The Lord will provide”
- When it seems like all hope is lost, we can turn to the One who gives hope to the hopeless.
- He is Jehovah-Shammah, The Lord who is present. He will never leave us for forsake us.
- Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer
- Jehovah-Shalom, The Lord our peace.
- He is our Adoni – Our Lord.
He is Yahweh – The great I AM; our everything. The alpha and omega. The beginning and the end.
So, no matter what we are going through, no matter what life brings us, we can face it because of Jesus.
Recounting the Deeds of the Lord
Over and over again in the Psalms, David recounts the deeds of the Lord. He looks back over what God has done in the lives of the Israelites. But what about you? Do you ever recount the deeds of the Lord?
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Oh, Heather! This is so rich! Beautiful truth here! God wanted us. He fought and died for us. Too often that feels like an intangible sacrifice for so many and they reject it, not knowing that in receiving His grace by faith He becomes real. And that is the grace that changed me. Blessings!
Amen! So thankful for God’s love for us.
Amen. Jesus never changes and neither does His love for us. How often I forget these nuggets of faith.
I think sometimes the gospel becomes like common knowledge to us and we lose our awe. It’s sad, but true. I know I do all to often.
His love carries us through our darkest days. Keep walking with Him and shining His light. God bless!
Amen! And thanks for your encouragement, Nancy.
Nice to read such an uplifting message. Yes, He loves us and His love carries us through each moment. 🙂
Amen!
Thank you for your many reminders in this post. Going back to the beginning is a great way to see His ways and fingerprints in my life and a reminder that everything is in His hands. Love you my friend!
Thanks, Beverly! Love you, too!
Heather, I just now realized how amazing writer you. I read this blog and it is really inspiring. I just love reading your blogs. You and your lovely family has been a blessing to me. I love you all.
Thanks, Rita!
I love how the gospel can change everything and be ever-changing well also always being steadfast and never changing.
Yes! That’s a great way to put it.
Such a great reminder of how powerful the Gospel is in every arena of our lives, if we invite it in! Praise the Lord that He does not change His mind about us!
Amen! So thankful God never gives up on us.
Yes! The gospel isn’t a “once and done event.” I need to remember this – that my faith and my relationship with Jesus are more of a walk together than a single event. Thanks for this reminder!
Yes! Salvation is just the start of something new.
This is a beautiful summation of the work of God in creation, in salvation, in our sanctification, and in our perseverance. You wrote this so well! This is my first time to read you, and I’ll be back again. 🙂
Thanks, Melinda!
Fresh and deep content, Heather. I love to recount God’s deeds in my life. And the work of the gospel is revolutionary, but I love this line. “Because life is hard and being a Christian doesn’t change that.”
Thanks, Karen! That’s something I say a lot. So much truth in it. We were never promised an easy life, just a life with Christ.
These are wonderful ways to keep our spirits up on bad days. I love that you started in the beginning. I think my favorite statement that you made was, “The God who created the sunsets looked at the world He created and knew it wasn’t complete without us.” A great way to change the outlook of my day on my bad days.
Thanks, Brittany! I must admit, I love the way God loves us.
Such great insight and truth. “But the gospel isn’t a once and done event, it’s an all the time, every moment of every day thing” yes yes yes! I choose Him but I must keep choosing Him…not for salvation’s sake but relationship. It’s always a choice, me or Him. My way or His. Too often, I choose me…thankfully there is grace and no matter how far I roam, it’s only one step back. Excellent post!
I think we all choose our ways more often than not. But the longer we walk with Him, the more He conforms our hearts to His. Thanks for your encouragement!
Heather, I think this is one of the easiest to understand and Holy Spirit filled posts on the root of the Gospel. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thanks, Meghan!
Dear Heather!
Such a wonderful and positive blog post title.
I am inspired by your honesty because, really, all days are not the same. Some days life is tough.
My favourite sentence in this particular blog post was: “His love for us is unconditional.”
This is the true gospel. There’s nothing we can do to deserve God’s grace. We depend on his mercy.
With love,
Edna Davidsen
Amen! Thanks for stopping in, Edna.
For whatever reason, it does not look as though my comment went through here. I love going “back to the beginning” as you say here. My favorite part was, “The God who created the sunsets looked at the world He created and knew it wasn’t complete without us.“
He thought the world needed a me. If that doesn’t brighten up a bad day, I don’t know what will.
Hey Brittany, it looks like your other comment got stuck in moderation. It’s up now. But I love the last sentence you added to this comment. When we remember that God thought the world needed us, that can have a powerful impact on our perspective, can’t it?
This is such a sweet message. I always remember back on everything God has already done in my life and use that to strengthen my faith and walk in him. It’s so easy to get caught up in whats going on in the moment, but to remember what God did in past moments puts everything into perspective.
Exactly.
“Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving.” Amen. Wonderful post full of strength, boldness, and light.
Thanks, Kristi!
Beautifully written! I know I could not make it through this life and the storms that come my way without my Heavenly Father!
Amen! I’m so thankful to be walking through life with Jesus by my side.
This was exactly what I needed right now kind of a Cliff Notes version on how to quickly remember the things that God did for us that Jesus’s Spirit still does for us thank you
I’m so glad you found this today, Jennifer. God is so good.
So many times I have to go back adn recount the deeds of the Lord, because honestly if I didn’t I would get caught up in a web of fear. But when you go back and see what the Lord has done… you remember that He is faithful, and He will continue to be faithful.
Amen! We have a faithful God, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Love the idea of going back to the beginning. It’s really all that matters in the grand scheme of things. God loves us, we’re here for His purpose, and He’s readying us for our eternal home. It somehow simplifies things, doesn’t it?!?
Sharing this to my FB page 🙂
Thanks, Julie! It really does. I’m so thankful for Jesus.