The First Article

What did you do when you got out of bed this morning?

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

Those are likely familiar words.

In fact, if you’ve been in church for very long, you may be able to recite them without even thinking about them.

But pause for a moment and consider what they mean.

The Creed begins with creation.

Before we talk about salvation, forgiveness, or eternal life, we confess that God made all things.

That means the universe is not an accident.

Your life is not an accident.

You are here because God wanted you to be here.

The opening chapters of Genesis reveal a God who creates with wisdom, purpose, and power. He speaks, and things come into existence. Light. Land. Oceans. Stars. Animals. Human beings. Everything owes its existence to Him. That also means God has authority over all things, including you.

But Luther reminds us that the First Article is about more than what happened in the beginning. God not only created all things, including you, but He still preserves you.

In his explanation, Luther points to things we often take for granted: body and soul, eyes and ears, reason and senses, clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, family and friends.

The point is simple.

Creation is not merely a past event. It is an ongoing gift.

Every breath you take today comes from the hand of God.

That can be easy to forget.

We tend to focus on what we lack rather than what we have received. We notice the problems in our lives more readily than the countless gifts surrounding us.

It’s been observed that if someone gave us a million dollars, we would thank them repeatedly. Yet every morning God gives us life itself, and we hardly notice.

The First Article invites us to notice.

To recognize that the God who made the heavens and the earth is also caring for you right now.

And He does so even when you don’t deserve it.

Luther emphasizes that God provides all these things

“out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.”

That is an important reminder.

The blessings of creation are not wages earned. They are gifts received.

And every gift points us to the Giver.

Ultimately, the God who created you is the same God who sent His Son to redeem you. The hands that formed Adam from the dust are the hands that were stretched out on the cross for your salvation.

The Father who made you has not forgotten you.

He knows your needs.

He provides for you.

And He invites you to trust Him.

Let’s pray…

Almighty God,

Thank You for creating me and for providing for me each day. Forgive me for the times I take Your gifts for granted. Open my eyes to see Your goodness in both the ordinary and extraordinary blessings of life. Help me to trust in Your fatherly care through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.