Reading your Bible for Today April 26

April 26: Genesis 1:24-28

KJV Key Verse: Genesis 1:28
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Devotion:
We often talk about saving the best 'till last – and that is what God did during His creation of everything. He waited until the last day, until He had created everything which was required for a special being, and then He created Adam and Eve. Not only that, but He gave the whole world and all of the creatures to mankind, to be in charge of them and to tend and care for them. We don't have to look too far back to realise just what a bad job we have done in so many aspects...

If you were going to buy a gift for someone at Christmas time you would probably think about what you were going to get them. You would also think about how much they mean to you and how much you care about what they get. One of the last things you would think of was probably whether they would break that gift or not! Our love for them would probably be greater than the fear of them destroying the gift... God's gift to us was everything! Just like kids with a new toy, we have broken things. And just like a loving parent, He has disciplined us and He has tried to show us the right way – and yet we still think we know best.

No matter how much God tries to tell us about the way things are and the way He wants us to be, we continue to think we know best and that we are in control! I can remember getting my first bicycle and how my parents tried to tell me about how I should treat it and take care of it and the dangers of not using it properly. I found out the hard way that if things are not treated properly things get broken or people hurt! God has given us the gifts and instructed us on how He wants things treated – all we need to do is to listen!

Points to Ponder:
What was the last gift you destroyed?

How are you treating God's gifts to you?