Creation
When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:1-5
STORY
Apollo 8 was the first manned space craft to enter into the moon’s orbit. What heightened the excitement of this historic occasion is that the spacecraft began its flight around the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968. To commemorate this special occasion and to recognize the religious significance of the day, all three astronauts – Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Andrews – decided to read a passage of scripture to all the inhabitants of planet earth. The three men decided the most appropriate text would be the creation story recorded in Genesis. The Gideons presented the space voyagers with a Bible from which to do their reading. Unfortunately, the Gideon Bible was not made of fire-resistant material, and the astronauts could not take it along with them. How, they wondered, could they carry the Genesis text into space? The solution was to print the Bible passage on the flame-resistant flight plan. Therefore, each time the astronauts read the day’s agenda, their eyes also fell upon the Word of God. Because of this arrangement, the Word of God was constantly kept before the astronauts during their entire journey in outer space.
DEVOTION
In the foreboding darkness of space looking down upon a light blue colored planet surrounded by a white halo of clouds, the astronauts must have truly understood the words of the creation story, “Let there be light.” Whatever darkness one may encounter, it shall always be penetrated by the light of Christ.
Points to Ponder
> How has the light of Christ penetrated the darkness of your life?
o For me: It is a feeling of God’s continual companionship with me.
> Do you keep God’s word before you on your daily flight plan?
o For me: I basically live a very isolated life and really have no one to talk to during the day. For this reason, I find that each day that I am in an unending dialogue with Jesus.
< How can you be the light that penetrates the darkness in another person’s soul?
o For me: I need to live as a light for God, but often I am only 60w when I should be 100w. A perfect analogy for this came to me a few days ago when I was changing a light bulb in my foyer. I did not look at the wattage of the previous bulb, and I replaced it with a 100-watt bulb. The brilliance of the new bulb was blinding. The replacement, which is much stronger than the previous bulb, illuminated the far corners of my home. I must be a brilliant light in order to illuminate Jesus in our dark society.
Please share other Points to Ponder so I can update my list
Please share your thoughts with me – if you desire I will publish them for others to read anonymously or first name only or your entire name as you choose