New Women's Devotional Bible: New International Version
Genesis  Every story has a beginning, a genesis. The beginning of  God's story of his interactions with humanity is found in the very  first words of the Bible. In the beginning God created. From the  start God was present. He was at work.  However, in the freshness of a new world where the first  man and woman walked and talked with God, sin slithered in,  marring creation forever. But the God who hung every star in  place and laid every grain of sand upon the shore had, from  the beginning, a plan. The whole of Scripture, and indeed the  whole of history, is unveiled within the seeds of Genesis. It will  be many years before we see the fruit of those seeds, but they  are not years of dormancy. Throughout the world and within  individual lives, God is actively working to redeem  his creation. In Genesis we see him form covenants, bestow  blessings, test faithfulness and turn evil intentions into a greater  good---all for the purpose of one day redeeming the people  he created in his image. It's a work that will continue until the  end of time, but the beginnings for all of it are found in Genesis.  The Beginning 1 In the be ginning God created the heavens  and the earth. 2 Now the earth was a  form less and empty, darkness was over the  surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God  was hovering over the waters.  3 And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there  was light. 4 God saw that the light was  good, and he separated the light from the  darkness. 5 God called t he light 'day,' and  the darkness he called 'night.' And there  was evening, and there was morning---the  first day.  6 And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between  the waters to sep a rate water from  water.' 7 So God made the expanse and  a 2 Or possibly became  1  Author:  Moses.  Audience:  The people of  Israel.  Date:  Between 1446 and  1406 B.C.  Setting:  The area called  the Middle East  today.  Verse to Remember:  In the beginning  God . . . (1:1)  13  LOUIS SULLIVAN, the inventor of the modern skyscraper, said,  'The tall building . . . should be a proud and soaring thing that  makes a powerful appeal to the architectural imagination.'  Today, many women embody the same spirit of pride and selfsuffi  ciency that is represented in the lofty towers that make up our  cities. We focus on personal perfection. Many women seek the  pinnacle of age-defying beauty through creams, procedures or  surgeries. Some become obsessed with fashion or feel that they  must conform to some media-driven image. Over time, it becomes  easier and easier to build monuments to ourselves. After all, as the  famous ad says, 'I'm worth it.'  The builders of the tower of Babel shared a key aspect of  Sullivan's vision of the tall building: pride. And they had one purpose:  to build a name for themselves. They wanted to claim glory  that rightly belonged to God---after all, they were worth it.  The longing to climb higher than God didn't begin in Babel.  Before time began Lucifer said, 'I will raise my throne above the  stars of God' (Isaiah 14:13). It didn't end with Babel, either. The  pyramids of Egypt proclaim the power of the rulers buried beneath  them. Many lives were lost in the building of the pyramids, 'collateral  damage' to the princes who built them. Often Egyptian slaves  were killed when their masters died and were buried alongside  them. But just as the Egyptian kings sacrificed everything to their  own legacy, women often sacrifice the good of those around them  for fleeting recognition, not to mention the humble spirit God  desires. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not all-powerful---they  died the deaths of mere men. Don't be deceived, your soul will  not be saved by flawless skin or the perfect career any more than  the towering mountains of stone raised over the mummies of kings  saved them.  What do you take pride in? What keeps you from glorifying  God? Has your focus become self-absorbed? Have you become  self-glorifying? The solution is simple: Whatever is keeping you  from God, give it to him for his glory. Let your relationship with  Jesus be the source of your significance. When you humble yourself  before God, you'll be lifted up.  Reaching for the Heavens  R e a d : G e n e s i s 1 1 : 1 -- 9  Genesis 11:4  'Come, let us build  ourselves a city, with a  tower that reaches to  the heavens, so that we  may make a name for  ourselves and not be  scattered over the face  of the whole earth.'  reflection  1Name some of the  towers you see others  building around you  that take glory away from  God. What kinds of towers  have you built?  2Have you ever taken  credit for work when  another person really deserved  it, or has someone  taken credit for work you  have done? How did that  feel?  3How do you think  God feels when we  take the credit for his  work in our lives?  RELATED READINGS  Psalm 86:8--10; Proverbs  18:10--12; Matthew 23:12  'The one sole thing  in myself in which  I glory is that I see  in myself nothing in  which I can glory.'  Catherine of Genoa  The Heart of a Mother