First Things First

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

I can’t think of this month’s topic, Beginnings, without thinking of this passage of scripture. As we close out a year thinking about Christmas and Christ’s beginning on earth, it’s interesting to look at the beginning. Creation. Jesus was there even then, before his human appearance as a babe in the manger. But He wasn’t only there, He, as the Word, made everything. Everything. The world was spoken into existence by and through the Word Incarnate.

Words have power. I know that I have resolved this year to be careful with my words.

• To use them to give life, as Jesus did, and not to tear down
• To be thoughtful about how and when I choose to express them
• To be stingy with criticism and lavish with praise
• To think twice about asserting my right to be right
• To quickly follow through with urges to uplift or encourage

It all makes sense. It seems easy. But it’s hard. It’s a daily battle. Taking each opportunity to choose that which is good. To choose to swallow thoughts and words that can’t be taken back.

How can we hope to achieve this? Holding back the sinful nature of putting ourselves first by not letting anyone get away with anything–setting everything right, putting everyone in their place, making sure that we get the last word? One thing that helps is to to be sure that we let the light come into our hearts and minds to remind us of what is right and keep us from choosing the darkness.

Jesus, the Word, not only spoke the world into existence, but He is the Word, the Bible, which has been given to us. There is no better way to make sure that our impulses and thoughts are guided by the light than to make a commitment to take advantage of the light of men by reading the Bible each day.

Do you have a plan? How can you use the Word to help you stay in the light this year?

If you haven’t thought through a plan, one thing that I have enjoyed is reading through one Psalm a day, thinking about how it teaches me who God is and what that means for my life that day. In addition to this, you can read through a chapter of Proverbs each day of each month. I find that one or two verses always instruct or correct me in some sort of thinking or action that I need to be taking, or need to stop taking.