“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 all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it,” (John 1:1-5).

Once again, we have embarked upon a new calendar year, and with each new year comes new beginnings. A new start. New hopes. New plans. New destinations. New life. New discoveries.

What do you have in store for 2025? Are there any specific goals you’re focusing on? I didn’t really make any definitive resolutions this year. I simply plan to continue my goals from last year…reading the Bible daily and continuing my exercise regimen.

I received a gratitude journal for Christmas, so I plan to be more intentional showing appreciation and finding the positive things in life this year. I am recording specific instances that bring me joy each day. So far, I’ve found it to be very uplifting.

I also hope to limit my social media usage, which I admit I haven’t done a great job of yet, minimize the material stuff in my life, and maximize quality time with family and friends.

There are many beginnings outlined in the Bible, but when we go all the way back to the very beginning, we find the Lord’s brilliant plan and perfect execution of the creation of our world. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1). “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good,” (Genesis 2:31a).

In addition to the world, God created everything in it, including humans. “So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” (Genesis 1:27). We know as we read Genesis that God made man, called Adam, to rule over the creatures of the earth. In Genesis 2:18, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Therefore, from Adam’s flesh, he made the first woman.

Eve

(Genesis 1:26-31; 2-4)

Growing up, I’m sure most of us heard the Bible story of Adam and Eve. If so, you probably remember the negative portrayal of Eve. Admittedly, Eve deserved her bad rap. She was the first person to sin on earth, and she persuaded her husband to do so as well. Because of that sin, tribulation and death came into the world.

Eve had it all. She lived in a literal paradise. She had plenty of food and water. She had a wonderful companion in her husband. She had no worries or strife. She had a personal relationship with God Himself. Therefore, you must ask, “Why? Why did Eve do it, why disobey God? Why give up an eternal life of ease?”

While pondering these questions, I encourage you to turn them back on yourself. Why do you disobey God? Why do you do things you know you shouldn’t? Why do you take for granted what you have? I expect your answers to be similar to mine and likely Eve’s as well.

The first is naiveté. I can’t count how many times in my life I naively trusted in someone’s word only to be played a fool. We want to believe the best in people, but that simply isn’t smart because people are fallible. They will let us down. “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth,” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

If it goes against God’s Word, it’s sin. My pastor reminded us today that the heart is unreliable, so we need to use our brains to help discern right from wrong. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Eve naively trusted the serpent’s words instead of sticking to God’s instruction, and that was her downfall.

The second reason is discontentedness. No matter how much we have and how blessed we are, in this materialistic society we live in, we are persuaded that we need more to be happy…a bigger house, a more expensive vehicle, a bigger closet to fit more name-brand clothes and shoes, a more prestigious job, more social media followers, more accolades to make us feel good about ourselves, more make-life-easier gadgets…whatever.

We’ve lost the contentment of a simple life, all our needs met, people who love and care for us, and a God who always provides. We covet what others have because we feel we’re lacking something without it. Eve desired God-like wisdom and the discernment between good and evil. While she gained that, she lost so much more. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves,” (Genesis 3:6-7).

A third reason is doubt. Even when you know that you are 100% correct about something with evidence to back it up, there is always someone out there glued to a soapbox who will argue against it until blue in the face, trying to make you doubt what you know. Don’t trust the words of others as truth. Jesus is the Truth, and we can trust only in those things that coincide with Him, the Word. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,’” (John 14:6).

Additionally, one hateful word, one sideways glare, one whispered conversation, or one contradictory social media post from someone causes us to second guess ourselves and our worth. We forget that our value stems from our Creator who loves us unconditionally. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” (Psalm 139:13-14). Eve knew that God forbade her from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, she allowed the serpent to place doubt in her mind, making her question God.

Eve did commit the first sin, and she was disciplined by God accordingly. Eve was banished, along with Adam, from the Garden of Eden and from the fruit of the tree of life. Eve was punished with painful childbirth. “To the woman he said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you,” (Genesis 3:16).

Eve was forced to toil with her husband for food, and she, along with every other human being, was punished with death on earth. “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return,” (Genesis 3:19).

While Eve’s story is often imbued with negativity, we cannot forget that God blessed her despite her mistakes. While Eve was the first sinner on earth, she also got to experience true paradise and the presence of God. Eve was blessed with the miracle of childbirth. As the first mother to walk on this earth, she was the first to feel the immense love of the mother-child bond while holding her newborn in her arms. She was the mother of all generations to come after her; her name means “mother of all the living,” (Genesis 3:20).

God also promised Eve that her offspring would defeat her serpent enemy. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel,” (Genesis 3:15). Within this promise is a greater one that Jesus, our Savior and Eve’s descendant, will crush the head of Satan, our enemy. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you,” (Romans 16:20).

With a new year, it may be time for a new beginning for you. If you’re ashamed of the sin in your life, if you’re tired of trying to do everything on your own, if you’re weary and overburdened, I want you to know that you can have a new start today. Your past mistakes don’t define you. You can turn your old life over to Christ and He promises to give you a new one. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God doesn’t promise that you won’t suffer. He doesn’t promise that all your hard times are over. He doesn’t promise that you will get everything you’ve ever wanted. However, He does promise that you don’t have to go through your struggles alone. He does promise that you are dearly loved. He does promise that you will always have a home with Him. He does promise forgiveness for those who desire it. He does promise life eternal. “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be,” (Job 8:7).

Just like Eve, we’ve all done things in our lives that we wish we could change. Just like Eve, God will forgive us and continue to bless us despite our sinful past. “…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 5:20-21).

Your enemy, the devil, is always lying in wait, trying to lead you into sin and away from Christ. He uses our weaknesses against us. He tries to turn our trust in God into doubt, and he tempts us with things we don’t truly need with the false promise those things will make us happier. Don’t fall for his lies.

Go back to the beginning of this post and reread John 1:1-5. Jesus, the Word, was there in the beginning with God and is God in the flesh. He is alive today and is for you, and He will be present at the end of this earthly life with arms wide open to those who choose Him. “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” (Revelation 22:12-13).

Have you eaten from the figurative forbidden fruit? Have you tempted others to do the same? Have you made a deal with the devil? It’s not too late for you. Today and every day is a new beginning for you and for me. Don’t take today for granted. Begin this year…begin today giving it all to God…a fresh start to a more fulfilling life.

Have a blessed week!

-Becky