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Questioning Romans 8:28: What Good Comes out of Pain?

8/17/2017

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And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
If you are a Christian or have Christian friends then I do not doubt that at some point, some person attempted to comfort or encourage you with Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
When I was younger, I had no idea what that verse meant. I imagine there are many new Christians or less spiritually mature, or those who do not have the chance to read the Bible on their own who are in the same boat I was in. What does it mean? Out of context, the verse gave me a picture of a genie, using the ill-fortune of one man for the benefit of another. I did not find comfort in that. So today, as I begin a series attempting to answer the tough questions, I’ll try to answer this one, “What is the good in Romans 8:28.”
First then, let’s put the verse back into context. Romans 8:24-30 reads,
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What is the hope for which we were saved? It is our future glory, our redemption with Christ becoming fully His when it is revealed that we are the sons of God (Romans 8:18-23). To put it more plainly, one day, Jesus will return to gather the saved to Himself. All the dead Christians will resurrect and those still living will join them as they are raised up in the air to meet Jesus. In an instant, every one of us will be transformed, we will be made perfect and as the old earth is destroyed a new earth will replace it. That new earth will have a city called New Jerusalem and there, we will live as one with Jesus and one another (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 21,) Revelation 21:3-4 reads,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
 
That hope is not only for the future, it sustains us now and it begins now here on this earth. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ and that is the good that all things work toward. The more we are like Jesus, the more God is glorified. Let me interrupt myself a moment to explain what glorifying God is. It is a special sort of praise and honor to God, one in which the world can see a glimpse of the God we know and love, the God who knows and loves all of us. It means we reflect God, we look and act like Jesus because the Holy Spirit indwells us and is day by day transforming us to be more and more like Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 in the Message explains glory this way,
7-8 The Government of Death, its constitution chiseled on stone tablets, had a dazzling inaugural. Moses’ face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even though it would fade soon enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than stare into the sun. How much more dazzling, then, the Government of Living Spirit?
9-11 If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this Government of Affirmation? Bright as that old government was, it would look downright dull alongside this new one. If that makeshift arrangement impressed us, how much more this brightly shining government installed for eternity?
12-15 With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.
16-18 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
 
He does not save you and then leave you as you were, He saves you and changes you. He works hard in you and we cooperate with Him in that work. Philippians 2:9-13 describes it like this,
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
 
If all things work together for our good, then how can the very worst circumstances possibly be for our good? Consider this, when is it that a person is more likely to turn to God in desperate need? Is it when she has a full belly, big bank account, perfect health, and plenty of friends? Or is it when she is suffering? Our suffering can work for our good, if we allow it to do so. James wrote,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:2-8).
Paul wrote to the Romans something very similar,
 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
As we mature, it is not only the bad situations that should bring glory to God through our transformation but all conditions. In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul puts it this way,
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Whatever this broken world brings our way, be it good or bad, The Holy Spirit can use it for our good, our transformation and His glory. Let me leave you with this reminder from 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, this time in the English Standard Version
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
​
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What Do Oil and Lamps Have to do With Jesus Second Coming?

2/7/2017

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In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
​After Jesus told the disciples about the signs of the End Times and the sign that would herald the Great Tribulation, He told this parable in Matthew 25:1-12.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Once again, Jesus advises us to be wise, to be prepared for the Bridegroom, who is Jesus Himself, when He comes. In the prophecy we read about the abomination of desolation, it is the ones who know God, the wise who will stand firm, understand, help others to understand and endure (Daniel 11:32-35).
All ten virgins fell asleep, but the wise virgins could because they were prepared. They had oil for their lamps. They knew to listen for the sound of the shofar which announced the bridegroom’s arrival and when they heard that trumpet sound, they would be awake, with lamps lit, waiting for Him to take them into the wedding feast.
The foolish virgins were not ready with oil for their lamps. They assumed that they had time to get the oil. Perhaps they didn’t look to see that their lamps needed oil. But when it came down to it and the shofar announced the bridegroom was coming, they assumed the wise virgins would give them the oil, they should have gotten for themselves. But the wise virgins couldn’t provide oil for the foolish, it was something the virgins had to purchase for themselves.
Because they waited until after the Bridegroom had announced His coming to go get their oil, they missed the wedding feast, were not allowed to enter, and were informed that He didn’t know them. Jesus ended the parable with the commendation to “watch.”
What does it mean to have oil for our lamps? First we will look at what the lamps represent.  In Revelation Jesus addressed seven actual churches which represented the world-wide church with all our attributes and our deficits. The seven lampstands representing the seven churches surrounded Jesus in John’s Heavenly vision. Revelation 1:12-20 read,
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Lamps and lampstands are the visible church. The light of the lamps (we the church) points to Jesus. The oil represents anointing, the magistracy and ministry, the power and the administration of the power of Jesus. So the oil must be present to shine and let the world see Jesus through His people. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
We must shine before men and to shine we need oil, the anointing to glorify God by works, actions, and demonstrations of God’s love, power, and mercy.  We often use the word anointed as a description of being set aside or consecrated, but in truth anointing is oil being poured over someone or something to dedicate it doe a specific job. Isaiah 61:1-3 reads,
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

 
The Lord compares His Holy Spirit to oil. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit on Him to for the magistracy and ministry described in these verses. In Acts chapter 10 Peter preached the Gospel and in verse 38 he spoke about Jesus being anointed with the Holy Spirit, once again comparing Him to oil. Acts 10:37-38 says,
 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
 
Having oil in our lamps, being “saved” and “having” the Holy Spirit is not enough, the wise virgins trimmed their wicks, they lit their lamps so that the oil burned and the lamps shone. We have to be anointed with the Holy Spirit, (meaning baptized in Him) and manifesting His fruit and His gifts. He gave us gifts to be used in magistracy (that is power) and ministry (that is administering and using that power to glorify God). We are magistrates, administrators of power and ministers, agents of power. This idea is reflected in Peter’s encouragement to the church in 1 Peter 4:7-11
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Joel 2 talks about how the Holy Spirit will be poured out in those days. His activity, His works will be increasingly seen as we, the church light our filled lamps and use His gifts to glorify God. Joel 2:27-32 reads,
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
    and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
We can see this beginning to happen now and His activity through His sons and daughters, old, young, male, female, poor, and rich. We are the light of the world and we are meant to shine. Shining requires the oil of the Holy Spirit.
We will study more about the increase of the Holy Spirit as He pours Himself out over this generation. Today, examine your life. Is the Holy Spirit plainly evident in your life? What is your gift and are you using it for God’s glory? If not, don’t be surprised that you don’t know God the way others do, after all if your lamp isn’t filled with oil and shining, Jesus doesn’t know you.
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The Life of David Part 1: You Were Made to be Extraordinary

8/16/2016

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For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart 1 Samuel 16:7 on photo of Tenacious Bush Sunflower in Black and White
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart 1 Samuel 16:7
​I want to begin a series looking at the life of David. David is first mentioned in the book of Ruth. Ruth 4:16-22 read,
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
 
David was Israel’s greatest king, and a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). We read first that his lineage contains Ruth, a Moabite, not a Jewess at all. Ruth was born a Moabite but out of love and faithfulness to her husband and her mother in law she chose to follow the One True God. Her life’s circumstances were difficult. She lost her husband and followed Naomi to a foreign place because of her faithfulness. In a picture of wonderful redemption Boaz married Ruth and that union created Obed, who led to Jesse, and then David.
God chooses to use ordinary people to do His work. He uses the small, the weak, the broken, the humble, the willing, and the unwilling. Ruth was an ordinary woman who worshipped a foreign God, but The Lord chose her and brought her to know Him through a family of Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, Naomi and her sons, one of whom married Ruth. When Ruth was widowed rather than choose to be released from her responsibilities to Naomi and return to idols, she stayed true to The Lord and remained with Naomi. That simple woman gave Naomi a reason to keep going after losing her husband and both her sons. That commonplace woman worked hard and proved to be extraordinary, caught the eye of Boaz and became part of the lineage of Jesus our Christ.
God doesn’t look at us the way we look at one another or ourselves. He sees the true us, the us with unlimited potential, the us He made us to be. He knows we were made in His image and can be made in the image of Christ to glorify Him.
The next time we see David is 1 Samuel 16. The Lord had rejected Saul as king of Israel because he had stopped following the commandments and had set up a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15). Samuel was sent to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the new king in Saul’s stead. He went in the guise of sacrificing to the Lord (Verse 2). Jesse had eight sons and Samuel did not know which of them would be God’s elect king. He looked at each son. 1 Samuel 16:6-10 reads,
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
Jesse’s elder sons each looked outwardly good. Eliab was so impressive that Samuel assumed God had selected him, but God said no. He sees the true person and though Eliab looked remarkable to Samuel, he nor the other six were God’s anointed. Verses 11-13 continue the narrative.
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
 
Not one of his brothers or even his own father had considered including the youngest son in taking part in the sacrifice. He was out tending the sheep and they didn’t think of including him. But God did. God invited him, chose, him, and anointed him. He didn’t leave him alone from then on to struggle through either. His Spirit rushed upon David and stayed with him from that day forward. Because David had the Holy Spirit on him, he was able to be courageous, faithful, authentic, and passionate for The Lord. This ordinary boy became an extraordinary king.
Believer, you have the Holy Spirit indwelled in you! He is not just on you, He is in you! And He will not leave you. You have the power of God on your side and within you. Ephesians 1:16-21 in The Living Bible reads,
I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven, 21 far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader. Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come.
You don’t have to look good to the world, God knows who you are and what great intention He has for you. He will make the way for you to do whatever He has purposed for you. Isaiah 46:8-11 says it this way,
Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9     remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

You were not meant to live a common life, you were made to live an exceptional life in which the supernatural power of God is natural to you, the power of love abounds through the Spirit more and more, the Kingdom of God is impacted and God is glorified. You were anointed to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, God’s very own!
Deuteronomy 7:6-8 says,
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
 
You were made for more than this world, you were made for eternity, you were made for God and by God. Live with the courage and confidence of who you are in Christ. 
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Traits of God Part 3: He is Always with Us

7/28/2016

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Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
 Traits of God Part 3: He is Always with Us
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Have you ever felt alone? I know I have. There are so many times I have felt completely alone, even in the midst of people. I have at times given into the lie that I had no one, but when I choose to listen to the Lord instead of the enemy’s propaganda, He reminded me that He is with me and He will never leave me. He also opened my eyes to show me the people He had placed in my life. How often have I repented for falling for the deception? But even with my consistent sin, God is with me, loving me, transforming me, and holding me. Believer, it is the same for you. You may feel alone, but you are not. You have God in so many wonderful ways and you have the worldwide body of Christ.
As Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, He gave us an important job, a commission. It is recorded in Matthew 28:18-20.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
Although He was leaving to return to Heaven, He was not leaving us. He was sending His Spirit to indwell believers and be with us always, to the end of the age. God chose to dwell, to live and stay in you. He loves you. He has made you holy. You belong to Him and He takes that very seriously. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 reads,
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
God fights for you! He is with you and nothing anyone does can make Him leave you. People who do not know love, will try to make you feel as alone as they feel. The enemy will try and make you think you are on your own. Circumstances may make you feel deserted. But it is not true for follower of Jesus. He is always with you and nothing can take you away from Him. Romans 8:37-39 encourages us with the truth.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
He is not with you passively, just hanging by your side and watching apathetically. He is within you and He is working. He goes before you (Deuteronomy 31:8). He is listening (1 John 5:14). He cares. And He is keeping you safe and protected. In Isaiah 41:8-10 the Lord is speaking to Israel and to the faithful through the ages.
But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 
The times we are living in are turbulent, chaotic, and might be frightening for some. But as Spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have to add to the bedlam. We can have a peace the world cannot understand, that we may not even understand (Philippians 4:4-7). How can we praise God and thank Him in the midst of the mayhem? We can because we know who God is and what He has said and we believe Him. Psalm 46 reads,
God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling.   Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Selah

 
The God of Angel Armies is with you! Picture yourself walking in this world and in the Kingdom of God simultaneously. The desperate, war-torn, and blind world sees you walking peacefully among the ruins and they can’t comprehend your peace. The reason you have peace is because you know about the troops of fearsome angels surrounding you and the Warrior King, Jesus Christ on His great white horse leading them (Revelation 19:11-16). The reason you have peace is because you know God is inside you. You have peace because you know the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you (Romans 8:11). You have peace because you know God is sustaining you with His hand (Isaiah 41:13). 
I can hear some of you saying, “That’s great, God is with me, but I am still lonely. I need people!” Believer, you don’t have to be alone or lonely. You are a part of the body of Christ. You are a member of a global family.  God is indwelling your fellow believers just as He indwells you. You share some significant commonalities with the community of faith. Ephesians 4:4-6 reads,
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 
There is one body of Christ, not many throughout the world. We are one body. We have one Spirit. He is in each of us and He is working toward the same goal for each and all. We have one Lord, Jesus Christ. We have one faith because there is one truth, not many. We may let denominations divide us, but we should not allow that to happen because we have one faith. We have one baptism. That means we are all saved by the same Gospel, our sins were forgiven by the same blood, and we all had to repent of sin. We have one God. My God is no different than your God unless your god is not the One True Living God who is called I Am (Isaiah 44:6, Exodus 3:14). We have one Father and He is sovereign over all of us, works through each and all of us, and in each of us. Romans 12:4-8 reads,
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
 
Believers, we are commanded to be active members of the body of Christ, using our gifts to serve each other and allowing God to be over and work through and in all of us. We are members of one another, we belong to each other as much as we belong to God. Are you a functioning serving member of the body? Then don’t believe the lie that you are alone. Look around at your brothers and sisters, they love you if they love God. If you are not an effective working member of the body, then do something to change it and you will see you are not alone. You don’t have to be. You are a member of the body, a child of the LORD and if you choose not to reach out to your fellow believers, is it their fault for not comforting you or befriending you?
Do not fall for the deception that you are alone. Call out to God and draw near to Him and you will find He is right there with you. Reach out to your family in Christ and be the person God created you to be.
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Traits of God Part 1: Love

7/26/2016

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Give thanks to the God of heaven,     for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:26 On photo of Shining Sun by Angie  Majewski
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:26 On photo of Shining Sun by Angie Majewski
​Today we begin our study regarding the traits of God. The first characteristic that comes to mind for many is God’s love. That is not surprising since God is love.  1 John 4:8 reads,
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
When we put that verse into context we see even more about why love is such a significant aspect of who God is. 1 John 4:7-13 reads,
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
Without God, we cannot truly love, because love is from God. God proved his love, demonstrated it to us, when the Father sent His only Son so that we could live. John 3:16-17 says it this way,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
 
We didn’t earn that salvation, we didn’t love God and He decided to reward that love. No, He loved us first, before we even heard of Him. He loved us before we were born. He loved us and came into the world to pay the price of our sin so we could live and so we could know Him. We didn’t have to stop sinning first before He loved us. He loved us already. Romans 5:6-11 in The Message describes it like this,
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
One thing that this relationship with God allows is our transformation to be like Jesus. Look back to 1 John 4:11-13, it reads,
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
 
The Father loves us so much, He sent His Son to give us life. Jesus loved us so much He was willing to die for us. The Holy Spirit loves us so much He is enmeshed with us to transform us into the image of Christ. If God loves us so much, we ought to be able to love each other, especially since his Spirit is in us making it possible. It is through our love of one another that people will recognize Jesus in us. It is through our loving that people will come to call on Jesus and be saved. John 13:34-35 reads,
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
 
God’s love is pretty amazing. His love is perfect. It is something we all aspire to while we are here on this earth. And if we are able to love the way God loves, we won’t break any of God’s laws (Matthew 22:38-40). But how does God love? What is perfect love? I know you think you’ve read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a a million times, but read it again. Consider each phrase and ask yourself if you live up God-love or if you fall short in some areas. And know this, we all fall short of God’s perfection, but He loves us enough to forgive us by Jesus’ blood (Romans 3:23-25).
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.
 
God’s love is powerful. It saves, as we have read above. 1 John 4:15-21 describes some of what God’s love does.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
 
We abide in Jesus and are perfected (we are made more and more like Jesus). We gain confidence and know that we have nothing to dread on Judgement Day. God’s love casts out fear. We have nothing to be afraid of and nothing to worry about. Romans 8:37-39 says,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Isn’t that awesome? Nothing can separate you from God’s love! Nothing can make God stop loving you. Not the devil, not another person, and not you. NOTHING! So today Believer, consider God’s love, bask in it and thank Him for His everlasting and steadfast complete love. And most of, pass it along to others.
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1 Thessalonians 3 Your Life is a Testimony and an Encouragement

7/20/2016

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Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
​1 Thessalonians 3
Today, I am going to return to Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica and our regular routine of devotionals until at least we finish this book.
Your life is a testimony. Do you know what that means? When we talk about your life being a testimony it means that the way you live, respond, and behave, and what you choose to do affects people around you and shows your faith more clearly than merely your words. Do you know how much your life lived as a testimony can encourage the brothers and sisters around you? I have experienced that, especially lately.
Paul wanted very much to visit the church and see how himself how they were doing, but he was unable to so he sent Timothy. Verses 1-5 read,
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
Timothy’s life had a great impact on people. His faith and perseverance was a great comfort to Paul. He knew he could trust this man because Timothy proved his trust worthiness in how he lived. Paul described Timothy as “our brother.” He meant that clearly Timothy’s life was a testimony to Jesus Christ. No one could question his salvation. He meant that they were united and together with the church a family with God as Father. Ephesians 4:23-25 reminds us we are new and belong to one another.
assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 
 
Paul called Timothy “God’s coworker” not just his partner or a fellow worker to the church but God’s coworker. When we are pursuing God’s will, when we are fulfilling the great commission, we are working with The LORD. God’s will is for our sanctification, that all people be saved, and that we have a genuine relationship with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 2 Peter 3:9, Hosea 6:6). We are going about our Father’s business. Have you ever considered yourself that way? We are family and we are partners and collaborators with God! And Timothy’s life proved that unity of Spirit and purpose.
It is not only our lives lived as individuals that encourages others, but our lives lived as the church that encourages. Verses 6-10 read,
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
 
Both as individuals and the body we need to remember one another. Not simply think of others but act on those thoughts, reach out, make a phone call, drop an email, send a text or a message, or visit. Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica and the Thessalonians sent their regards and thoughts to Paul. While I was recently absent and unable to do these devotionals I had people reach out to me and it was so encouraging to know I was loved and cared about. People called me, visited me and wrote me messages to check on me. there were times when those texts, calls or visits came at times when I desperately needed the comfort. You, my brothers and sisters and coworkers with God answered the call of the Holy Spirit and I thank you. This is something I hope and strive to do and I hope that we all try to do more intentionally.
Standing fast in the Lord as the Thessalonians did can also be a comfort and encouragement to people. First, let me clarify what standing fast in the Lord means. It means to firmly remain, to hold your position, or persevere and refuse to be defeated. So it means we are not giving into temptation, letting difficulty and pain overwhelm us, or allowing circumstances to falter us. How can that be an encouragement to others? 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says,
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
When I see your faith remain in the face of hardship, I see what the Lord is doing for you and in you and that reminds me of what He can do for me. I met someone recently who went through a horrific ordeal. She was of course shaken and hurt but she was still faithful. While I was supposed to be comforting her, she was encouraging me and she had no idea. Her faith bolstered mine and mine bolstered hers. I know so many people who are suffering terribly, yet they stand fast. They are models for me to follow. They are inspirations to keep walking the walk myself.
We give thanks for each other. As we pray throughout the day, we remember one another and give thanks to God for each other. This is one way we pray for each other but it is another way that God increases our joy and strengthens our faith. As I thank God for each of you, I am reminded I am not alone. I am part of a body, part of the church, and a member of a family.
Why do we do this? Verses 11-13 read,
Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
 
The more we live as a testimony to Christ, the more our love will grow for each other and the world. We will grow the Kingdom of God that way. People will take note of that awesome love which is so different from anything the world knows and they will want to be a part of it. John 13:34-35 says it this way,
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Not only that but as our love abounds, we become more conformed to the image of Christ, which means we become sanctified, purified like Jesus and we will be ready for that wonderful day when Jesus returns. 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 reads,
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
 
Believer, are you living your life as a testimony? Are you living as a member of this family and a coworker of God? Are you standing fast? Is your love growing day by day? 
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1 Thessalonians 1 Genuine Encouragement Has Tangible Effects

6/30/2016

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But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13
​1 Thessalonians 1
Today, we will begin reading 1 Thessalonians. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Thessalonica in Macedonia to encourage and exhort them after hearing Timothy’s report of the church from his visit (Acts 18:5). Verse 1 reads,
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
 
The letter was from Paul, Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy, who at the writing of this letter had been working with Paul about a year or so. Paul addresses the church and reminds them they are the church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are supposed to remind each other who we are. We are the church, we are not the world. We are only the church because the Lord has saved us and made us the church. Paul also told the church he prayed for them. Verses 2-3 read,
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
As the church we should be praying for one another and we should encourage each other by that. Paul told them he prayed for them and was thankful to God for them. He could see the work of God active in their lives. He could see the evidence of their faith, the work of their love and the persistence of their hope. Those evidences are tangible. Do people know about your faith, love, and hope because it is apparent in the way you live your life and affect the kingdom or do they know about it because you tell them? Saying I love you is very different from actually loving. Saying you have faith is not the same as exercising that faith. James described it this way in James 2:15-17,
 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
 
As Paul taught this church, he gave them the positive reinforcements they needed to know they were on the right track. So we as a united church ought to do for one another. If we follow Paul’s example we can let each other know, “I’m praying for you, brother. Your hard work is not going unnoticed. I am inspired by your faith.” What does it mean for you, when you hear encouragement like that? Imagine what genuine assurance does for others as well.
We are the church, not by accident, not by chance but by the will of God. Verses 4-7 read,
 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
 
Do you know how special it is to be among God’s chosen? Believer, we are not among the world any longer. We heard the Gospel, we believed it, and we accepted it. We are not like the world or in the world, we are in the church and so we should look and behave like Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Those who are more mature should be training the less mature. We should be supporting one another in our walk in Christ.
As we live that way together making disciples of each other, we grow and the word spreads. People outside the local church take note and we encourage more believers. The word also spreads to others. The world takes note, they see the Gospel lived out, they hear it and they have a chance to accept God’s election on their lives and believe. Verses 8-10 read,
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
 
Genuine love, faith, and hope lived out among us has an impact. When we palpably and substantially love each other, when we care enough to encourage and exhort one another it doesn’t stay within our little groups, it spreads exponentially.
Jesus is returning one day. I believe it is going to be soon. But regardless how little or much time there is, there are too many people who have not heard the Father’s call, known the love of Jesus or seen the work of the Holy Spirit. We can change that by intentionally and sincerely living out our faith, love, and hope.
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Genesis 10 and 11:1-9 Unity in the Self or Unity in the Spirit

6/11/2016

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eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  Ephesians 4:3-6
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-6
​Genesis 10 and 11:1-9
The tenth chapter of Genesis gives and account of the offspring and the nations who came from Noah’s sons. There are some interesting things to note. Ham’s descendants became nations like Cush, and Egypt, Canaan and the Philistines, all who faced defeat at some point in time by the nations which stemmed from Shem. This was Ham’s curse for shaming his father. All the nations came from these three men and they spread across the earth to their own in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans and in their nations.
But before they dispersed with their own languages, they were one united people, with one language. Chapter 11 verses 1-4 read,
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
The advances this united people were making was really something. They had found a way to make bricks. They could build permanent structures and be protected from the elements. But what did they choose to do with this great new advancement? The people said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” It seemed like a good thing on the outside. Unity, a magnificent and complex plan, seemed good. But they were in opposition to God, who had commanded them to populate the earth, not the valley. They were opposed to the purpose of glorifying the Lord (Isaiah 43:7) and being in a relationship with Him (Hosea 6:6). They were placing themselves as the center of life and not The Lord.
They chose to make a name for themselves by building a monument to themselves and be remembered for future generations. The people who decided to build this tower were not the ones who called on the name of the Lord, built altars to Him and remembered Him. They were the people who looked to themselves and to nature for gods. I always get the impression that these were Ham’s progeny, these were the future Egyptians, Incas, and others whose advanced civilizations still astound us today. These were the people who would leave their mark on history, but not God’s mark. What would this great tower be but something used to worship the self, some person, the sun, or some other imagined deity.
The Lord noticed of course and He went to inspect their endeavors. Verses 5-6 read,
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”
The Lord is not against societal and technological advances, but He did want to slow it down a little. He wanted the people of the earth to spread across the entire earth and not stay together in one place building monuments. If He had done nothing the city of Atlantis might have become a reality but it would not have been the utopia Plato described. Without the Lord, true paradise cannot exist. He wanted the advancements they made to have good purposes. Together they could do great things but instead they were wasting time building monuments to themselves. So the Lord took action and chose to disperse them. Verses 7-9 read,
“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
God’s purpose of populating the whole earth would not be deterred. He would also not tolerate idolatry. He had to separate their unity for their own good and ours. He said, “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” He divided them for their own good, to disperse them and give the future nations they would begin a chance to thrive and to stop this great idolatry, to remind them He is the LORD, they were not.
This act seems to clash with God’s desire for our unity but it didn’t, it laid the foundation for unity in Him. Our unity is supposed to be based on one Lord, one Spirit and one God, not on things as trivial as language or as detrimental as glorifying ourselves.
How many thousands of years passed until the day when the Jewish people were gathered in Jerusalem just a couple of months after Jesus had died and resurrected? The people gathered there spoke many different languages. Some were in Jerusalem because the law required it. Some were there because they hoped to please God. Some were there because Jesus had told them to wait there for His Promise. In Luke 24:49, just before He ascended He said, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
That day came on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1-4 reads,
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
There were Jews gathered from many different countries with many different languages. But as the Believers spoke, they each heard their own language declaring God’s great works! It was not a language which unified them, it was God’s Holy Spirit speaking His Word to them. Acts 2:5-13 in The Message reads,
5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
    Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
    Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”
12 Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”
13 Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”
 
Because of the Holy Spirit indwelling the Believers that day, Peter preached the Gospel to people who would not have been able to understand it and three thousand people received the Word of God, Jesus (Acts 2:41). They were united in Christ, with a mission to glorify God. They returned to their own countries and they spread the Gospel in their own languages. Acts 2:42-47 describes the unity they shared.
 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
We can do great things when we are united. God said that if people are united, “nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them” (Verse 6). As Spirit-filled believers we are supposed to be so united we are like one body. We share one Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith, and one baptism (The Holy Spirit) and one God and Father. We are called to one hope. (Ephesians 4:3-6). The unity that glorifies the Lord is awesome. It brings people into the kingdom of God, it transforms people, and it strengthens the body of Christ.
 
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Genesis 8 Trust God’s Sovereign Wisdom: Patience

6/8/2016

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For still the vision awaits its appointed time;     it hastens to the end--it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it;     it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3
​Genesis 8
I always want things to happen now. I make a decision and I act on it immediately. When a project calls for waiting from the time I do my work until the next step, I jump to the next step. Recently I went on a trip about three hours away. We arrived at the destination and the car was still about twenty feet from where it would park. I jumped out of the car to walk the last twenty feet. I jumped out of the car in such a hurry I hit my head very hard on the door, it still hurts badly five days later. I would have had a very difficult time in the ark after the rain stopped. When God commands me to do something I jump in with both feet and do it now. I don’t wait. I make plans. I forget to hear the rest of His plans and assume my own are the same as His. Proverbs 27:1 reminds us not to do that.
Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.

Noah and his family had been in the ark for a long time, for 40 days while the rain flooded the earth, then for 150 days while the water subsided. That is about 6 and half months. That’s an extremely long time to be cooped up inside. But even then it wasn’t time to open the door and go outside. Verses 1-5 read,
But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
 
So until the seventh month the ark was still afloat. It came to rest on Mount Ararat. I would have wanted to open the door and at least set my foot on the mountain. But it wasn’t time yet. I would have wondered what the harm would be in just opening the door. The earth was still covered up with water three months later, only the mountain tops were showing. The animals that may have gone outside would not have been able to live. We have to trust God’s time, not our own. He knows when it’s best. Noah chose to trust God’s sovereignty and judgement over his own judgement. Verses 6-12 read,
At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
 
Forty days later, after nearly a year in the ark, Noah opened a window and sent a raven out. By now the waters were certainly dropping and from there spot on the mountain they could not see it anymore. Noah needed to know when they could go out. The raven flew out and flew back and forth between the boat and what was out there. Ravens are opportunistic omnivores, which means that they will also be carrion eaters if they need to be.  Noah knew that the raven would be able to survive out of the boat. As long as the raven kept coming back to rest on the ark, it was still not time. When the waters were dried up, the raven didn’t come back. For me that would have meant open the door we’re going outside! But no standing water didn’t mean dry ground ready for habitation. Then Noah sent out a dove. The dove’s diet is mainly grasses, herbs, and berries. They may eat some animals like snails but there were no land animals for the dove to eat outside the ark. So the dove flew out, couldn’t find a place to rest and came back to Noah. He waited a week and sent her out again and this time she came back to him with an olive leaf. Noah knew the plants and trees were flourishing, but the dove still found no place to rest. Seven days later, he sent her out again and this time she stayed gone. Now he knew the ground was dry.
If Noah had leaned on his own understanding as I lean on mine only too often, he would have left the ark much sooner but he was in the ark over a year trusting God. He sent out a dove, a symbol for you and me of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22). He waited for God to speak through the dove’s actions to tell him when it was time. Verse 13 reads,
In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 
 
Noah removed the covering of the ark. He didn’t open the door that the Lord had shut and rush outside. He let the sunshine and fresh air in but they remained inside. Why? Because the Lord had not yet told him to go outside. Noah was responsible for all the life on board. Every animal and every person was counting on Noah to keep them safe and alive. Noah was depending on God. Verses 14-19 read,
In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
 
They had been in the ark for nearly 15 months when The Lord said they could leave. It was finally time! It was not time because Noah thought so, or because a bird had returned with an olive leaf, but because the Lord said so. Did they rush out? Was there a stampede? No, God was even in control of the animals’ instincts. They left in an orderly fashion, by families.
What would you have done? Would you have kissed the ground or picked some fresh vegetables or fruit and chowed down? Noah worshipped the Lord. Verses 20-22 read,
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
This was no little altar with a meager offering. Noah offered some (more than one) of EVERY clean animal and bird. That was no small or easy feat. Building the altar, killing and butchering the animals, building the fire, and making the offerings was a great deal of work. Noah loved the Lord. And the Lord was pleased by the aroma. He loved Noah. He loved Noah so much and was so pleased by this righteous man that the earth had been saved, you and I were given the chance to live, and God made a promise to Himself. The Message puts it this way, “I’ll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I’ll never again kill off everything living as I’ve just done. For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.”
God knows our hearts. He knows we are flawed and then we tend toward evil. Yet, He has chosen never to wipe us out again. He has said as long as the earth remains the seasons will continue, His sovereignty, provision, and wisdom will go on for us.
Do you trust your knowledge, your plans, and your wisdom, or do you trust God? Are you willing to wait on God, lean on His understanding, and enjoy the best rather than settle for yours?
 
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Genesis 2:4-25 God Created Man as a Distinctive Masterpiece

6/2/2016

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For you formed my inward parts;     you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;     my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14 On ultrasound of Lili
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14 On ultrasound of Lili
​Genesis 2:4-25
God created man quite uniquely from the way He created every other living thing on the earth. God said, “Let there be…” and the vegetation sprung forth, and the sea creatures and the birds came to be, and the animals of the earth were brought out of the earth. But for man it was different. For man He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” And then He created us in His own image. (Genesis 1:26-27). But man’s creation was even more special, we were made by God’s word yes, but we were also made by His hand and given life by His breath, His Spirit. Verses 4-7 read,
These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature
God had made the angels by His breath (Psalm33:6) and He gave life to man by that same breath. This breath of life from God Himself gave man the ability to understand, choose, and think. Job 32:8 says it like this,
But it is the spirit in man,
    the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

 
The breath of God is the Holy Spirit of God. Remember too that life was and is in Jesus, life came through Him (John 1:3-4). And when we were made in God’s image He gave us a soul by His Spirit. I picture The Son of God breathing His Holy Spirit into man that day. The creation of man was very special. God made man and then He made a place just for him, a place he could care for and enjoy. He made Eden. Verses 8-15 in The Message describes it,
Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil.
10-14 A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.
Eden was paradise on earth, it was lush and had nearly everything the man would need and want. It also had two special trees. It had the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And God gave the man a rule, one simple rule. Verses 16-17 read,
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Why would God do that? Why would He place this tree in the Garden if man couldn’t eat from it? God had given man a soul with the ability to choose, He had given him freewill. What good is freedom if it can’t be exercised? If man could choose to obey or disobey but there was nothing to obey, then would freewill have been much of a gift? The man could choose God, who is all good and His understanding or He could elect to disobey and take the knowledge of good and evil.
Man had nearly everything he could need, but not quite everything. God was about to fix that, but He wanted the man to understand it too. Verses 18-20 read,
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature,  that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
 
God had already made the animals and He brought each one to Adam to name. In naming them Adam would look to see which of them would be the right companion for Him. God knew none would give Adam everything he required in a mate, but Adam needed to see it too. None of the animals could talk and think the way Adam could, none had been formed by God’s hands in His image.  None could complement who Adam was in the perfect way. So God completed the male by making the female. Verses 21-25 read,
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
God could have formed another man for Adam the same way He had formed Adam. But another man would not have been the perfect complement to Adam, he would have been the same as Adam. Just as Adam’s creation had been distinct, so too was Eve’s. He made her out of man. She was made of the same stuff but formed to be a counterpart, an accompaniment to balance and fulfil Adam. God gave His second command that future generations would leave their parents and hold fast, that is to cling firmly to grasp to their wives so tightly that they would become one united being. Adam and Eve were perfect, innocent, and complete. They were the crown of creation, the reason God made the heavens and the earth and He proclaimed it very good (Genesis 1:31).
God Himself knit you together. You are wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:13-14). You are distinctive from all of Creation as a masterpiece of God. You are not here by accident or happenstance, no matter the circumstances of your conception or birth. God chose to give you life. Praise Him. I for one am really thankful He made you. I’m glad that you are who you are and I thank the Lord right now for you. As you read to or listen to my words we are connected. We are each meeting a need in one another even if for a brief moment and that is a miracle. So thank God for you and the life the Lord gave you.
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