So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. GENESIS 2:1-2 (CSB)

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Howdy! A note for a New Year: This year I am reading through the Bible with The Bible Recap reading plan. You can find this in the YouVersion Bible app. You can also find it at thebiblerecap.com. This is a chronological approach to reading the Bible. Check out the videos and other tools that accompany this plan. I am using the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as my primary Bible text this year. 

Who do you know who would enjoy these daily devotionals? Forward this devotional to your family and friends. Tell them they can sign up using the link in the orange box at the bottom of this email. They can also sign up at davidgbowman.com. There are no products to buy. We do not solicit donations. 

Happy New Year!
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Read Genesis chapters one and two and discover that what James says in 1:17 is true: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Our Father in heaven created a beautiful, wonderful world. Out of chaos came order (Genesis 1:2). One of the things we notice right away is boundaries. Light and dark have boundaries. Water and land each have their boundaries. Fish and fowl have boundaries. Humans have boundaries. 

The problem started when an important boundary was crossed. One thought outside the boundaries led to another which led to an action that was quickly duplicated. Immediately, Adam and Eve regretted their newfound intelligence. The wisdom they gained told them how foolish were their choices. The innocence they lost, they could never regain. 

God’s beautiful, wonderful world was tainted. 

From then to now, humankind has lived beneath its privileges by nature and by choice. Men, women, boys, and girls continue attempting to get what they want by thoughts and choices that ultimately lead them away from their deepest, purest desires. 

The Bible reading plan I completed a couple of days ago ends with Revelation 21 and 22. We discover there a complete reversal with all new boundaries and freedoms. Read these chapters and rejoice that our eternal home is a place where there is no more tears. There is no more death. There is no more grief, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). Those are good boundaries.

From the beginning of human history, our Father in heaven has been in the redemption and restoration business. Again and again, he works to make all things new. As he restores broken lives, so he will restore our broken world. 

Between the beginning in Genesis 1 and the grand finale in Revelation 22, there is me and there is you. We get to join God in bringing hope, healing, renewal, and restoration to a world full of wounded and broken people. 

This morning I have heard of friends and acquaintances who are struggling with COVID. The year changed, but our circumstances have not. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution. 

A funeral is planned for a man who devoted his life to serving others. He was a mentor and friend to one of my loved ones. He drank coffee with some buddies on a regular basis. One of those buddies did not believe all he heard about COVID. His carelessness led him to become infected. Now one of his best friends is dead. Three others are in the hospital. At least twelve others are now sick. 

This is a new year. Forget resolutions, let’s create habits of mind and body that will keep us well and protect our family members and friends. 

If Adam and Eve had to do it all over again knowing what they learned from their previous choices, I think they would do it differently. We can join God in his restoring and renewing work in part by making choices that protect lives. 

This is a world full of tears, death, grief, crying, and pain. Much of it is completely avoidable. Let us maximize beauty and wonder through life-giving habits and loving others enough to do the right thing the first time and every time. Let us make 2021 a happy New Year. 

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I will choose to bless this world with healthy habits.

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Our Father, I want to see and be with people. I want to enjoy laughter and stories and meals. I also want my family and friends and everyone we encounter to live free from the fear of serious illness and death. Show each of us how we can serve best during this ongoing pandemic. Make us change agents who join you in bringing more beauty and wonder into our sick and hurting world. Amen.