The Spirit Gives Life to Living Things
Month 1: In the Beginning — Knowing God · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Genesis 1:20–25 & Psalm 104:30
20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. — Genesis 1:20–25
30 When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth. — Psalm 104:30
Memory Verse
“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”— Exodus 20:11 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Genesis 35–37
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 12 of 365 — Joseph's dreams and his brothers' jealousy.)The Heart of It
On days five and six, God filled the world with living things. Fish darted through the seas. Birds soared across the sky. Animals of every kind walked the land. Each one God made "according to its kind." And each one was alive in a way the rocks and rivers were not. Where did that life come from? gives us a beautiful answer. "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth." The same Holy Spirit who hovered over the waters in is the One through whom God breathes life into His creatures. Life is not an accident of chemistry. It is a gift from the Spirit of the living God.
That matters for us. The Spirit who gives life to sparrows and whales is the very same Spirit Jesus gives to everyone who trusts in Him. He doesn't just make us alive in our bodies. He makes us alive to God. He grows in us love, joy, peace, and patience (). To "walk in the Spirit" means to live each day leaning on Him. We let the Life-giver fill us, lead us, and make us more like Jesus. No fish swims and no bird flies apart from the life God gives. In the same way, we cannot truly live the Christian life on our own steam. We were made to depend on the Spirit, moment by moment.
Around the Table
God made fish to swim, birds to fly, and animals to run — and God's Spirit gives them life! He gives us life too.
Let's do it: Wiggle like a fish, flap like a bird, and stomp like an elephant. Then say, "God's Spirit gives life!"
Living things aren't accidents — God's Spirit gives them life. And the same Spirit helps us live for Jesus.
Let's talk: What's the most amazing living creature you can think of? How does it point you to God who gave it life?
connects God's Spirit to the life of creation. The same Spirit who gives every creature breath also fills believers and grows Christ's character in us.
Let's go deeper: What does it mean to "walk in the Spirit" rather than rely on your own willpower? Where do you most need His help?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could spend a day as any animal God made, which would you pick, and why? Every creature is alive because God's Spirit gives life!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Life only ever comes from life. Scientists have never once watched non-living chemicals turn themselves into a living creature. The Bible explains why. Life is a gift from the living God by His Spirit (). He made each creature "according to its kind," just as we still see today.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Classic Pentecostal teaching holds that the Holy Spirit is fully God, personal and active. And Genesis shows Him present and life-giving from the very first page. This guards us from two errors. The first is treating the Spirit as a mere "force" or "energy." The second is treating the Christian life as self-improvement by gritted teeth. The Life-giver of creation is the same Spirit who lives in your children at salvation. He longs to fill them for godly living and witness. But keep the lane clear. The aim is Christlike character and fruit. It is not hype, or chasing after signs, or prosperity. As Robert Menzies stresses, the Spirit's power always serves mission and growing more like Christ. So ask yourself honestly tonight. Am I cultivating a daily, dependent walk with the Spirit that my children can actually see and imitate?
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story; and Sam Storms, Practicing the Power.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for giving life to everything by Your Spirit. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Make us truly alive to You. And help us walk with You every day. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Spirit who gives life to all creation lives in me. So I lean on Him today.