Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
December 9, 2023
Genesis 1:1-13
1 When God began to create the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. 4 God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God named the light Day and the darkness Night. There was evening, and there was morning: the first day. 6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters to separate the waters from each other.” 7 God made the dome and separated the waters under the dome from the waters above the dome. And it happened in that way. 8 God named the dome Sky. There was evening, and there was morning: the second day. 9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky come together into one place so that the dry land can appear.” And that’s what happened. 10 God named the dry land Earth, and he named the gathered waters Seas. God saw how good it was. 11 God said, “Let the earth grow plant life: plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind throughout the earth.” And that’s what happened. 12 The earth produced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. 13 There was evening, and there was morning: the third day.
Good Morning. All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all!
On this beautiful morning, take time to embrace the beauty of the day.
I have long been fascinated by looking at trees in the late fall and winter. You can see so much when their leaves are gone. Perhaps, it is like looking into the soul of the tree. You can see the wounds along the trunk and bark. You can see the twists and turns of the branches. I remember touring some battlefields and finding trees that were struck by a cannonball more than 100 years ago, but they continued to grow around this odd thing embedded in its trunk. When driving through the mountains, the rock faces become visible when the leaves are not blocking the view. All of these things were there all along, but the beautiful leaves masked them.
When God looks at us, he sees through our outer garments into our souls. Whether we have beautiful, fancy clothing or we are wearing old hand-me-downs, God sees our wounds, the twists and turns of our inward journey, and even those unexpected scars from baggage lodged within our hearts. God sees what has been there all along: the beauty that is within our souls.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. Sometimes, we try to cover our wounds and scars with ribbons and bows, but you see the true beauty that lies beneath the surface. Thank you for taking the time to look into our souls. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Take time today to sit quietly and notice the beauty of God around us.
And God Said, “it is good!” Pastor Liz
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