The Beginning of the WORLD

...did he have to sit down and plan it all out first? (And if he did, where did he sit down? He hadn’t thought up chairs yet!)

Or did He just think it all up at once?

Did God get out a piece of paper and start drawing out ideas - and then scribbling them out when he didn’t like them? Did he try different ideas for things? Like, did God think people might be good with six legs instead of two?

Or, because He is perfect, were all God’s ideas right from the very start?

And how long would it take to think up EVERYTHING in the universe?! Did it take a day? Or a week? Or maybe it took forever. But since forever has no beginning and no end, when he finally said, “That looks good!!” and then created everything, there still was forever left.

Or maybe He thought it all up in an instant!

Something to think about!

One thing is for sure, if it weren’t for God, we wouldn’t be here!

From the Book of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2
(Genesis 1-2.4)

...God created the heavens and the earth.

Before there was anything, there was GOD.

Before there was ice cream and chocolate sauce; or popcorn and pop; or computers, VCRs and TVs; or the sun, the moon and the stars - or even space itself - God was there. There wouldn't be anything at all if God hadn't thought it all up.

But God DID think it all up.

But in the very beginning there was no shape to God's creation at all, and everywhere it was black as night.

So God said,

"Let there be light!"

And there was light.

God saw that the light was good, and so he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "Day," and the darkness he called, "Night." And then for the first time ever, there was evening and there was morning. The first day in all of creation had come to an end and a new day was ready to begin.

On the morning of the second day God put the blue sky between the deep waters that covered the earth and the blackness of space. At first, the earth was completely covered with water. There wasn't any dry ground anywhere.

And there was evening and there was morning. The second day was over, and a new day was ready to begin.

Morning came on the third day, and God gathered the waters together and made the dry land appear. God called the dry land "Earth" and the water he called "Sea."

God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.

It was all very good.

Then God said, "Let there be plants on the earth, and all the things that grow!" And all the different kinds of plants and trees began to grow; apple trees and banana trees, grass and dandelions and roses, wheat to make bread, and corn so kids would have a vegetable they would like; but God made spinach and broccoli too.

And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good, even the broccoli and the spinach.

There was evening and there was morning, the third day. A new day was waiting to begin.

On the fourth day God said, "Let the great lights appear in the sky!" (so we would know when to go to bed and when to get up for school). And just by his word, God made the sun and the moon and the stars. He made them out of nothing at all!


And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.

There was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

On the morning of the fifth day God said, "Let there be swimming things in the oceans and lakes, and birds in the air!" And the oceans were filled with hammerhead sharks and dolphins and whales. And in the sky there were robins and eagles, blue jays, cardinals and yellow bellied sapsuckers. Until then the earth must have been a very quiet place. But not any more!

And God looked at all that he had made, and it was wonderfully good.

There was evening and there was morning, now the fifth day had come and gone.

Then God said, "Let there be animals upon the earth!" God made giraffes, and zebras, and lions and tigers and bears. He made moose with great big antlers, and little gophers and chipmunks and squirrels. He made monkeys swinging through the trees and giant gorillas sitting in the forests eating bananas. He made huge elephants, and he made hippopotamuses rolling around in the mud. How did God think of all those things?!

What a great imagination God has!

Then God said, "Let us make people in our own image" (God said, "us" because God the Father was there, and so was Jesus, and so was the Holy Spirit - but still he was just one God). So God made people in his own image.

When you look at yourself in a mirror, you see an image of yourself. You see a reflection of what you are like. God made us in his image. We are a reflection of what God is like. When God sees us, he sees a reflection of himself.

You are the image of God. Always remember that.

So God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.

And there was evening, and there was morning, and that was the sixth day.

On the morning of the seventh day God saw that the whole universe and everything in it was finished. Nothing else needed to be made. And it was all very good.

And so God rested on the seventh day. He celebrated all the good work he had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

What does that mean?

When something is "holy," that means that it is special. It belongs to God. When God made the seventh day holy, he made it his day. It belongs to him. He made the seventh day a special day, different from all the rest.

God rested from his work on the seventh day and enjoyed all that he had made. That is what God wants us to do too. On the seventh day of every week, God wants us to rest and enjoy all that he has made. That way we will always remember that all good things come from God.

God made everything there is, and he made it to be good. Always remember that.

God is so wonderful!