In the opening line of the book of Genesis, we are told that God created.  The Hebrew word for created is bara, and it means to call into existence that which has never existed before.

As I think about about this word, I reflect on the many ways God’s power is seen.  These Biblical moments of creation are times of elation as well as speculation:

• A woman is turned into a pillar of salt
• A 99 year old woman gets pregnant
• A donkey speaks
• The Red Sea is parted
• The walls of Jericho come tumbling down
• A blind man sees
• A deaf man hears
• A crippled man walks

The creative power of God is not limited to the saints of Scripture or the pages of the Bible.  That power is still at work today.  In John 1:12 it speaks of the “power to become,”  and it says this power belongs to those who believe.

Put the life of Apostle Paul under a microscope, and you will see this power at work.  Before he was known as Paul, this apostle was called Saul and he made a living persecuting and imprisoning Christians. On a typical day his mundane routine was interrupted by a special visit from Jesus.  Paul was introduced to Jesus’ power to become, and the religious bias of this pious Pharisee was transformed into a zeal that gave birth to a Christian ideal.  Paul went on  to influence a large part of the New Testament, and he was a leader in the early missionary endeavors.

Bara!  What is it that God wants to create in your life?  How will you allow the power to become to make you more becoming for the cause of Christ and for  the benefit of your fellow man?