Genesis 2:7 "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (soul)."
God rejoiced in the high note of His creation—humanity. He was personally involved in fashioning Adam and Eve—He breathed the very breath of life into them! Four central truths emerge in this story, all of which help us in our quest for purpose. First, we're created in the image of God (1:26-27). Suggestions about what this “image” consists of include our intellect or reason, our moral capacities, our will or ability to make choices, our creativity, and our souls and spiritual dimension. Being made in God's image implies the worth and dignity of every person.
Second, we've been given authority over the created world (1:26-30). This is actually stewardship under God's authority, delegated by Him to be used in right ways. Our “rulership” is not a dictatorial or despotic thing, but rather means that we are to care for our world and seek optimum conditions for the life in it.
Third, a need for work and rest has been built into the very core of our beings. God Himself modeled this for us by working six days and resting on the seventh (2:2-3). Early on, He gave Adam work to do as well: to care for the Garden of Eden. And man's first special assignment to name the animals was both practical and creative.
Fourth, in our relationship with God we are called to obedience. Right from the start, God gave Adam and Eve a law to follow, the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Whole article from "Today in the Word". Moody Publishing. Jan 2, 2005)
Grace, MB
Monday, January 19, 2009
Genesis 1:1-31 What is my purpose?
If you've seen a hippopotamus at the zoo, you may have wondered why it seemed to be bleeding. In fact, what appears to be blood is actually sweat colored by a thick reddish-orange pigment. This special sweat functions as a natural sunscreen, helps regulate body temperature, and works as an antibiotic, fighting bacteria and helping hippos recover more quickly from wounds. God's creation is endlessly surprising and delightful!
We're starting in Genesis, the “book of beginnings,”—in order to fulfill our purpose, we must know our origin. To understand how we end, we must know how we began. In fact, God Himself proclaimed,“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13).
God's creation of the world is the first answer to our question of purpose. This key event and doctrine has been obscured in modern times by polarizing debates. In the middle of the dispute over how to interpret this first chapter of the Bible, some people forget the bottom line. What biblical truths must we understand and affirm? The central one is that God created. The existence of the universe is not the result of merely naturalistic occurrences or processes. This means we'll never find our ultimate purpose in creation, wonderful as it may be. We must look beyond it to the Creator Himself.
So what do we learn about God in this chapter? He's creative, orderly, and powerful. He fashioned things for both usefulness and beauty. Our world was made to sustain and reproduce life—plants, animals, and human beings. All that exists, exists because of God. (Whole article taken from "Today in the Word", Moody Publishing. Jan 1, 2005)
Grace, MB
We're starting in Genesis, the “book of beginnings,”—in order to fulfill our purpose, we must know our origin. To understand how we end, we must know how we began. In fact, God Himself proclaimed,“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13).
God's creation of the world is the first answer to our question of purpose. This key event and doctrine has been obscured in modern times by polarizing debates. In the middle of the dispute over how to interpret this first chapter of the Bible, some people forget the bottom line. What biblical truths must we understand and affirm? The central one is that God created. The existence of the universe is not the result of merely naturalistic occurrences or processes. This means we'll never find our ultimate purpose in creation, wonderful as it may be. We must look beyond it to the Creator Himself.
So what do we learn about God in this chapter? He's creative, orderly, and powerful. He fashioned things for both usefulness and beauty. Our world was made to sustain and reproduce life—plants, animals, and human beings. All that exists, exists because of God. (Whole article taken from "Today in the Word", Moody Publishing. Jan 1, 2005)
Grace, MB
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Genesis - A start at the beginning
Both Genesis and the Gospel of John begin with creation accounts.
Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1-3 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
How are we to understand this? Was there two creators? Is the bible in error? The bible correctly translated does not error or contradict. What this is in fact is one of the strongest assertions that God and Jesus are One. They are the same person, not two distinct persons.
John 1:18 "No one has seen God at anytime." This can only mean God in His spirit form, for in the old testament we see Abram encountering the presence of God (Gen 12:7 and Gen 17:1), but in a form that did not represent God in His fullness. We also see God in the form of man through Jesus Christ, but Paul speaks of Christ as one "who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see." (1 Timothy 6:16) Christ is now seated with God in the heavens, sitting at His right hand, in this form or spiritual essence no man can look upon Him. When God brings Himself (condescends is the term) to our level if you will, we can look upon Him and not perish. Only because we are not looking upon Him in His spiritual fullness. Christ in the essence of God, an extension of God, a bodily image of God (Colossians 1:15), Christ is in reality God.
John and Moses were both right. God and The Word created the heavens and the earth, They are one in the same.
Grace, MB
Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1-3 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
How are we to understand this? Was there two creators? Is the bible in error? The bible correctly translated does not error or contradict. What this is in fact is one of the strongest assertions that God and Jesus are One. They are the same person, not two distinct persons.
John 1:18 "No one has seen God at anytime." This can only mean God in His spirit form, for in the old testament we see Abram encountering the presence of God (Gen 12:7 and Gen 17:1), but in a form that did not represent God in His fullness. We also see God in the form of man through Jesus Christ, but Paul speaks of Christ as one "who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see." (1 Timothy 6:16) Christ is now seated with God in the heavens, sitting at His right hand, in this form or spiritual essence no man can look upon Him. When God brings Himself (condescends is the term) to our level if you will, we can look upon Him and not perish. Only because we are not looking upon Him in His spiritual fullness. Christ in the essence of God, an extension of God, a bodily image of God (Colossians 1:15), Christ is in reality God.
John and Moses were both right. God and The Word created the heavens and the earth, They are one in the same.
Grace, MB
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Colossians 4:2-4 Why pray?
Colossians 4:2-4 "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak." (NKJV)
I struggle with prayer, I'm going to be honest. I see the value of it at times, but also see how fruitless it can be. If God knows what you are going to say before you say it, why say it? Matthew 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." (NKJV)
Well here we have a complete contradiction to my human perspective. This is why I cannot trust my mind and it's reasoning's, and neither can you trust your's. Paul says "continue earnestly in prayer, be vigilant in it..." The word for vigilant in Greek is "gregoreuo", it means to stay awake, be watchful. The Holy Spirit is saying through Paul you better not fall asleep on the prayer watch, don't you dare. Could prayer be that important? Whether I understand it now or not we are told here and many other places to continue in prayer steadfastly, and I like how "with thanksgiving" is added. Sometimes we need to do something even though we don't understand why. Someday we will.
Grace, MB
I struggle with prayer, I'm going to be honest. I see the value of it at times, but also see how fruitless it can be. If God knows what you are going to say before you say it, why say it? Matthew 6:8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." (NKJV)
Well here we have a complete contradiction to my human perspective. This is why I cannot trust my mind and it's reasoning's, and neither can you trust your's. Paul says "continue earnestly in prayer, be vigilant in it..." The word for vigilant in Greek is "gregoreuo", it means to stay awake, be watchful. The Holy Spirit is saying through Paul you better not fall asleep on the prayer watch, don't you dare. Could prayer be that important? Whether I understand it now or not we are told here and many other places to continue in prayer steadfastly, and I like how "with thanksgiving" is added. Sometimes we need to do something even though we don't understand why. Someday we will.
Grace, MB
Colossians 3:1 Raised with Christ?
Colossians 1:1 "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." (NKJV)
Whenever I come across Paul talking about being raised with Christ, or dying with Christ, or baptized with Christ, I immediately become distracted trying to figure out if I've missed something. My thought is, "Am I really saved? I haven't died and I sure wasn't resurrected. I was baptized but it was so long ago, did I really understand what I was doing?" All these doubts creep into my head making me wonder if I'm really saved at all. Have you ever been there?
Let's put that doubt to rest.
After contemplating Paul's writing, and Paul uses this speech quite often, I realized he's not talking literal, it's purely figurative. (By the way the bible is full of figurative speech.) I'm sure this can be confusing to many. Just as an example how much it's used take the next verse, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (NKJV) Now does this mean we are to take our brains out of our skulls and place them on the top shelf. No, this is figurative speech. Leave your brain in your skull, but think about things that have to do with heaven and Jesus, not on material things of this earth which pass away.
Now that we know verse 1 is figurative we understand that at the moment we believed and trusted in Christ for our salvation, we were figuratively baptized, the old you went under the water and died (or you could say you were nailed to the cross like Jesus) and then you were raised from the water (or you could say you were resurrected from the grave like Jesus) a new person in Christ. If you keep in mind the figurative language set forth in the bible it's not so intimidating, it's really a beautiful thing.
Grace, MB
Whenever I come across Paul talking about being raised with Christ, or dying with Christ, or baptized with Christ, I immediately become distracted trying to figure out if I've missed something. My thought is, "Am I really saved? I haven't died and I sure wasn't resurrected. I was baptized but it was so long ago, did I really understand what I was doing?" All these doubts creep into my head making me wonder if I'm really saved at all. Have you ever been there?
Let's put that doubt to rest.
After contemplating Paul's writing, and Paul uses this speech quite often, I realized he's not talking literal, it's purely figurative. (By the way the bible is full of figurative speech.) I'm sure this can be confusing to many. Just as an example how much it's used take the next verse, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (NKJV) Now does this mean we are to take our brains out of our skulls and place them on the top shelf. No, this is figurative speech. Leave your brain in your skull, but think about things that have to do with heaven and Jesus, not on material things of this earth which pass away.
Now that we know verse 1 is figurative we understand that at the moment we believed and trusted in Christ for our salvation, we were figuratively baptized, the old you went under the water and died (or you could say you were nailed to the cross like Jesus) and then you were raised from the water (or you could say you were resurrected from the grave like Jesus) a new person in Christ. If you keep in mind the figurative language set forth in the bible it's not so intimidating, it's really a beautiful thing.
Grace, MB
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Colossians 2:19 Who's your Head?
Colossians 2:18b-19 "vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God." (NKJV)
Paul is addressing deception in chapter 2. There were men who were too smart for their own good. They made up their own religion using philosophy, old laws and traditions, and casting doubt as to whether Jesus was really God in flesh. Boy, this tactic is still alive today. We are constantly bombarded with traditions, customs, philosophies, and other gods supposedly like Jesus. The world exposes each of us to over 3,000 advertisements each day.
If I've learned anything about myself in 2008 it's that I'm gullible. I could believe anything if someone convinced my they had the evidence. There are plenty of ideas out there that seem logical. I definitely have an open mind, and I think that's good, but it can get me into trouble as well. People are drawn to me because I have an open mind and am willing to listen. That's why Paul's warning struck me, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of this world, and not according to Christ." (v 8)
I must keep Christ the Head through which everything I see and hear gets filtered. This is the only way I'm gonna keep from being deceived. Hope this helps you too.
Grace, MB
Paul is addressing deception in chapter 2. There were men who were too smart for their own good. They made up their own religion using philosophy, old laws and traditions, and casting doubt as to whether Jesus was really God in flesh. Boy, this tactic is still alive today. We are constantly bombarded with traditions, customs, philosophies, and other gods supposedly like Jesus. The world exposes each of us to over 3,000 advertisements each day.
If I've learned anything about myself in 2008 it's that I'm gullible. I could believe anything if someone convinced my they had the evidence. There are plenty of ideas out there that seem logical. I definitely have an open mind, and I think that's good, but it can get me into trouble as well. People are drawn to me because I have an open mind and am willing to listen. That's why Paul's warning struck me, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of this world, and not according to Christ." (v 8)
I must keep Christ the Head through which everything I see and hear gets filtered. This is the only way I'm gonna keep from being deceived. Hope this helps you too.
Grace, MB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)