As part of a marketing campaign to attract subscribers, National Geographic magazine produced a remarkable brochure called 10 Pictures You'll Never Forget. Included in the pamphlet were photos such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon, Mount St. Helens erupting, a Brazilian jaguar sprawled across a tree branch, and a cherubic Russian schoolgirl signaling her age.

As I gaze at this brochure, I'm reminded that these 10 unforgettable scenes are possible only because of 10 unforgettable words: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).

In this age of sophisticated sciences, we can be influenced to miss this key point because so much of what we read assumes a godless origin of this world. We need to remind ourselves that God made the moon, mountains, jaguars, and little girls.

Scripture tells many times that God is the first cause behind all that is: "You have made . . . the earth and everything on it" (Neh. 9:6). "You laid the foundation of the earth" (Ps. 102:25). He is "the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them" (Acts 14:15).

Just 10 words. Don't forget them. They are the foundation of all the beauty and majesty of the universe.  — RBC Ministries