1.1 從神和祂的話開始 Begin with God and His Word

又是新的一年到來了； 我們將如何開始呢？ 我們可以從《聖經》中學習！ 《聖經》的第一句話就是：「起初，神創造天地。」 這指明宇宙的中心是神而不是人。 神是造物主，我們是被造物；因此，神是我們的起點，只有在神裡面我們才能找到生命的意義和目的。

起源決定命定。 這就是為什麼人文主義首先要一種廢黜上帝並使人登基在上帝的位置。 人文主義宣言的第一句話就說：「宗教人文主義者認為宇宙是自我存在的，而不是被創造的。」寇爾森在他的著作《世界觀的故事》中進一步描述了起源的重要性：

我們的起源決定了我們的 命定。 它告訴我們我們是誰，我們為什麼在這裡，以及我們應該如何在社會中共同安排我們的生活。 我們對生命起源的看法塑造了我們對道德、法律、教育的看法 —— 是的，甚至性別的看法。

我們在聖經中進一步讀到，令人驚奇的是，上帝用祂的話語創造了天地，這也是宇宙中聽到的第一個聲音。 因此，宇宙中的第一個聲音不是“大爆炸”的一聲，而是上帝的話語！ 《詩篇》 33:9 說：「因為祂說有，就有；命立，就立。」 上帝的話語是創造整個宇宙的媒介，因此聖經不僅限於“宗教”方面。 正如早期教父所說，「所有的真理都是上帝的真理。」 荷蘭神學家亞伯拉罕凱波爾說：

宇宙中沒有任何一個領域的一寸土地，耶穌基督不將祂的腳踏在其上，說：「這屬於我。」

因此，讓我們以充沛的精力開始新的一年，並在我們生活的各個方面專注於上帝和祂的話語！ 如此我們才能找到生命的真正意義和目的。

禱告：親愛的天父，感謝祢賜予我們新的一年。 請幫助我們從祢和祢的話語開始，引導我們的生活，使我們能夠實現祢為我們計劃的目標。 奉耶穌的名，阿們！

Another new year has arrived; how will we start off? We can learn from the Bible! The very first sentence in the Bible is: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This indicates that the center of the universe is God and not Man. God is the Creator and we are the created; therefore, God is our starting point and only in God can we find life’s meaning and purpose.

The beginning determines the destiny. This is why Humanism desires first of all to dethrone God and, in God’s place, to enthrone Man. The very first statement of the Humanist Manifesto says, “Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.”

Chuck Colson further describes the importance of origin in his book “How Now Shall We Live”:

Our origin determines our destiny. It tells us who we are, why we are here, and how we should order our lives together in society. Our view of origins shapes our understanding of ethics, law, education — and yes, even sexuality.

We read further in the Bible that, amazingly, God used His Word to create the heavens and the earth, this also being the very first sound heard in the universe. Consequently, the first sound in the universe was not a “big bang” but the Word of God! Psalm 33:9 says, “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.”

God’s Word is the media through which the entire universe was created, so the Bible is not just limited to “religious” topics. As early church fathers have said, “All truth is God’s truth.” Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper stated:

In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, “That is mine!”

Therefore, let us begin the new year with great energy and with our focus on God and His Word in every area of our lives! This is how we will find Life’s true meaning and purpose.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us another new year. Please help us to begin with You and Your Word to guide our lives so that we can live to fulfill the purpose of what You have planned for us. In Jesus name, Amen!