new creations (part 1)
"God created the heavens and the earth." —Genesis 1:1
Do you want God to create something new in your life? Do you want Him to create friendship, freedom, ministry, a job, peace, or hope? God creates the same today as He did yesterday (see Heb 13:8).
He begins creation with the mighty wind of the Spirit sweeping over the waters (Gn 1:2). If you want new creations, stir into flame the gift of the Spirit in your life (2 Tm 1:6-7).
The next movement of creation is God's word. God spoke and it was made (see Gn 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 28). Nothing was created except through God's Word (Jn 1:3). "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made" (Ps 33:6). If you're not even trying to know God's word through His Church and her Bible, don't expect God to create in your life.
The first thing God created was light (Gn 1:3). Just as plants need light for the creation of foliage and fruit, so we need God's light for our lives to become beautiful, fruitful gardens. Renew your Baptism, in which you first received the light of Christ. Then the created and creative light will shine even more brightly.
The Spirit, the word, and the light are the first three movements of God's new creations in your life. (See tomorrow's teaching for more.)
Prayer: Father, "a clean heart create for me" (Ps 51:12).
Promise: "All who touched Him got well." —Mk 6:56
Praise: Scholastica was absolutely pure her entire life and lived for Jesus as a nun. Her life of faithfulness was hidden with Christ in God (see Col 3:3).
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, August 1, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 6, 1996