The iGod Generation

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Friday, January 08, 2010

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

The Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It just starts with these words: "In the beginning God . . . (Genesis 1:1). The Bible assumes the obvious; it assumes that people know this is true. And I think it takes more faith to believe there is no God than it takes to believe there is one.

God exists, and He is the creator of the universe and of humankind. While militant atheists have done their best to undermine the faith of those who choose to believe the Bible, most polls would reveal that Americans, by and large, believe in God. And even those who claim to be atheists are probably agnostics at best.

Most people are willing to accept the premise of a god, but it seems today that we want a god in our own image. What we largely have today is not a generation that doesn't believe in God, necessarily, but a generation that believes in a god of their own making.

With technology that allows us to get the information we want when we want it, many people today seem to prefer an iGod, a god who is personalized and customized, a God who says and does what they want him to. They edit out the tracks they don't like and leave the ones they do. But that is not the way to know God. We don't mold God into our image; He wants to mold us into His.

In the beginning God-that is where it starts. The Bible doesn't tell us where God came from. It just tells us that God is. It simply says, "In the beginning God. . . . " God has always existed. He has no beginning, nor does He have an end. In the beginning . . . God.