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The Creation - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.
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  Speaker 1: Genesis 1.1 Dear God, as I meditate on today's Bible story,
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  Speaker 1: inspired by Genesis 1.2-4, my soul will be revived and
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  Speaker 1: excited at the fact that the grand artist has created
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  Speaker 1: me in his image. Through chaos and nothingness, Lord, you
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  Speaker 1: brought forth light and beauty. Therefore, my mind will be
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  Speaker 1: at rest. knowing that even in the midst of a
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  Speaker 1: chaotic day, you will create moments of beauty for me
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  Speaker 1: to bask in. As I meditate on the book of Genesis,
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  Speaker 1: I will be reminded that this name means the beginning.
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  Speaker 1: And through this truth, I can stand in expectation, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that my best and most creative days are just about
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  Speaker 1: to begin. I declare that you are the God of
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  Speaker 1: ex nihilo, the God who creates something out of nothing.
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  Speaker 1: And I declare that whatever you make, you've stamped it
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  Speaker 1: as good. And because I am your creation, your stamp
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  Speaker 1: of approval is all over my life. I am art
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  Speaker 1: in motion. I'm a creative being. And the master artist
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  Speaker 1: has sculpted me. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year, brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: The Creation In this Bible story, we discover the beginning
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  Speaker 3: of the universe— the God's poetry spoken over the void and
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  Speaker 3: chaos turning into order. God speaks the world into existence
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  Speaker 3: and with his voice all life and meaning came.
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  Speaker 2: All is good.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: to let you know about a unique e-book That's yours
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: slash stress. Today we're going all the way back to
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  Speaker 2: where it started. We're taking a look at Genesis 1.
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  Speaker 2: in the beginning. So begins the greatest story ever told.
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  Speaker 2: We start out our journey on the Bible here at
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  Speaker 2: the beginning. It's total darkness, a great void. Then something happens.
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  Speaker 2: God speaks. This is the story of creation. God making
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  Speaker 2: something out of nothing, and not just something, everything. It's
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  Speaker 2: what theologians call creation ex nihilo, or creation out of nothing.
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  Speaker 2: Here God's word of power is fully on display, His
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  Speaker 2: voice commanding our whole universe to spring forth. As you listen,
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  Speaker 2: picture the awesomeness of each event. When God speaks, light
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  Speaker 2: and darkness are separated. Stars, planets, entire galaxies burst onto
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  Speaker 2: the scene. Imagine the mountains springing up from the waters,
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  Speaker 2: the animals and trees and fish covering the earth and
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  Speaker 2: the rivers and the oceans. It's a spectacle of creativity.
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  Speaker 2: And it all happened through the power of God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: But God didn't create willy-nilly like a mad scientist. He
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  Speaker 2: created with brilliant design, intent, and love. As you listen today,
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  Speaker 2: take notice of a powerful truth God repeats over and
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  Speaker 2: over with each act of creation. The passage reads, And
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  Speaker 2: God said that it was good. God doesn't make junk.
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  Speaker 2: He makes everything perfect. Not a single thing out of
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  Speaker 2: place or not according to His plan. God not only
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  Speaker 2: speaks things into existence, He speaks order into the chaos.
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  Speaker 2: This story reminds us that God isn't a God of
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  Speaker 2: confusion or disorder. And through it all, God was thinking
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  Speaker 2: of you, people like you and me, and our ultimate
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  Speaker 2: place in His created order. He created us in His
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  Speaker 2: own image with a unique purpose unlike anything else in creation. Humans,
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  Speaker 2: as you will see, stand apart from the rest of creation.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not until God has placed his imprint through
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  Speaker 2: mankind on this world that he will say, it is
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  Speaker 2: very good. This is where it all begins. So let's
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  Speaker 2: get started.
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  Speaker 3: In the very beginning, out of nothingness, God formed and
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  Speaker 3: created the expanse of space and the details of earth.
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  Speaker 3: The earth was empty. Chaotic and without life, God's spirit
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  Speaker 3: hovered over the empty and chaotic void. Then, at an instant,
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  Speaker 3: God spoke. Let there be light. He called out, and
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  Speaker 3: there was light, just as he commanded. For from God's
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  Speaker 3: lips springs forth reality. The earth was now filled with light,
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  Speaker 3: and with it, the potential for life. the light was good,
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  Speaker 3: and God separated the light from the darkness. So God
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  Speaker 3: named the light Day, and the darkness Night. There was
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  Speaker 3: evening and morning the first day, and this was good.
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  Speaker 3: The waters, roaring and in disorder, were spoken to next.
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  Speaker 3: With the power of His words, God spoke order to
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  Speaker 3: the elements. The waters were separated from the atmosphere, and
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  Speaker 3: the skies were apart from the earth. There was evening
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  Speaker 3: and morning, the second day, and this was also good.
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  Speaker 3: Then God said, Let the waters gather, and the dry
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  Speaker 3: land appear before them. And just as he said, there
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  Speaker 3: it was. The waters traveled, gathered, and scattered. The land rumbled, shifted,
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  Speaker 3: and emerged from among them. a beautiful dance to the
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  Speaker 3: words of their Creator. He called the gathered waters seas
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  Speaker 3: and the dry land earth. God looked at all of creation,
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  Speaker 3: though beautifully incomplete, and saw that it was good. As
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  Speaker 3: an artist adds color to a blank canvas, God adorned
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  Speaker 3: the earth with beauty. He made trees, flowers, fruit, vegetation,
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  Speaker 3: and grass. This was the third day, and God saw
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  Speaker 3: that this was also good. God was also at work
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  Speaker 3: in the rest of the universe, creating stars, suns, galaxies,
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  Speaker 3: and all the other mysteries of space. Let them be
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  Speaker 3: seen in the night and used to measure signs, seasons, days,
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  Speaker 3: and years. Already God was thinking of humanity. THERE WAS
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  Speaker 3: EVENING AND MORNING, THE FOURTH DAY, AND GOD SAW THAT
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  Speaker 3: THIS WAS GOOD. AFTER THE REVEALING OF LIGHT ITSELF AND
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  Speaker 3: THE ADORNING OF PLANT LIFE AND ALL OF ITS BEAUTY,
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  Speaker 3: GOD CREATED LIVING CREATURES. FIRST WAS THE DWELLERS OF THE
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  Speaker 3: SEA AND THE EXPLORERS OF THE AIR. ALL LIVING CREATURES
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  Speaker 3: IN THE SEA AND BIRDS OF THE AIR WERE CREATED
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  Speaker 3: TO ROAM THE DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS OF THE PLANET. All
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  Speaker 3: these things God spoke with the word of power. This
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  Speaker 3: was the fifth day, and God saw that this was good.
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  Speaker 3: Then God spoke again, Let the earth bring forth living
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  Speaker 3: creatures of all kinds. Once again, out of nothingness and chaos,
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  Speaker 3: life sprung forth. Beasts of all kinds began crawling, roaming,
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  Speaker 3: and grazing the earth. Then God said, Let us make
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  Speaker 3: man in our own image, in our likeness, and they
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  Speaker 3: will care over the world. So God, with His own
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  Speaker 3: breath of life and word of power, created mankind. He
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  Speaker 3: then charged them with caring over the earth and all
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  Speaker 3: that is living in it. His desire was to give
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  Speaker 3: them purpose and enjoy the world He had created in
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  Speaker 3: relationship with Him. For mankind was the only created thing
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  Speaker 3: stamped with the image of its creator. And on that
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  Speaker 3: sixth day, the once void earth was filled with life. This,
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  Speaker 3: God knew, was very good. God had taken the chaotic
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  Speaker 3: void and inserted purpose. The heavens and the earth were filled,
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  Speaker 3: and his piece of art was complete. So on the
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  Speaker 3: seventh day, God paused. to enjoy what he had done.
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  Speaker 3: So he blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
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  Speaker 2: Genesis is the beginning of our story. But before anything existed,
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  Speaker 2: God was there. God didn't appear at the time of creation.
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  Speaker 2: We see that when there was nothing else, God was there. Father, Son,
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  Speaker 2: and Holy Spirit were present at the dawn of time.
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  Speaker 2: He is our eternal, past, present, and future God. And
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  Speaker 2: he chose to create this world, including you and me,
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  Speaker 2: for his glory. Now that's amazing. No matter how many
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  Speaker 2: times I read it, the creation account never gets old.
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  Speaker 2: I never cease to be struck with the awe and
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  Speaker 2: wonder at just how great our God really is. We
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  Speaker 2: cannot even fathom this kind of power. Mere words birthing
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  Speaker 2: our planet and the infinite mysteries of space. I just
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  Speaker 2: love how this story speaks to the order that God
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  Speaker 2: brings to things. Where there was chaos and confusion, he
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  Speaker 2: brought things into order, into a perfect functioning according to
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  Speaker 2: his purposes. That same power is alive today. God silences
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  Speaker 2: the chaos and takes away the darkness. He creates order.
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  Speaker 2: Listen to Genesis 1, 3, and 4 again. And God said,
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  Speaker 2: let there be light, and there was light. God saw
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  Speaker 2: that the light was good, and he separated the light
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  Speaker 2: from the darkness. I absolutely love those words. God separated
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  Speaker 2: the light from the darkness. It was like a foreshadowing
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  Speaker 2: of what he would do one day through Jesus, the
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  Speaker 2: very light of the world and the one scripture describes
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  Speaker 2: as the word made flesh. You may even want to
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  Speaker 2: write down those verses and hold them in your heart
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  Speaker 2: to remind you of what God has done and can do,
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  Speaker 2: will do in your life. God speaks light into your
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  Speaker 2: life through the power of his word, his son, Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: And through Him, He also restores the purpose for which
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  Speaker 2: you were made, created, the purpose that all mankind was
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  Speaker 2: created for, which we hear in today's reading. We are
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  Speaker 2: to be caretakers of this world He created and to
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  Speaker 2: enjoy all that He has made. Don't miss that. You
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  Speaker 2: and I are made to reflect God's image, to care
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  Speaker 2: for the world that He has made, to enjoy His presence,
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  Speaker 2: and to enjoy what He has created. How well are
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  Speaker 2: you living out that purpose? But the creation story isn't
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  Speaker 2: just about what once was. It reminds us of where
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  Speaker 2: we who follow Christ are headed, a return to a
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  Speaker 2: world where everything is good and we are free to
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  Speaker 2: live out our purpose and to enjoy God and his
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  Speaker 2: creation now and forever. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  Speaker 2: giving us this wonderful story of your creation and how
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  Speaker 2: it shows us your incredible power and care for every
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  Speaker 2: detail of this world that you have made. Thank you
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  Speaker 2: for creating us in your image and for filling us
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  Speaker 2: with your purpose. Help us to live with that purpose
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  Speaker 2: front and center in our minds and to reflect your
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  Speaker 2: glory to those around us today. In Christ's name, amen.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: a unique ebook that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.