January 2, 2009

"The Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear. The Lord God said, "The man has become like one of us. He can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live forever." So the Lord God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he had been made out of. The Lord God drove him out and then placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden. He also placed a flaming sword there. It flashed back and forth. The cherubim and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life." Genesis 3:21-24

I am reading through the Bible again in 2010 as I did last year. The plan I am following has an Old Testament reading and a New Testament portion. So, I have been in Genesis.

The events recorded in Genesis 3 are among the most tragic in all the Bible. When God comes looking for Adam and Eve in Paradise and they are not there. His question, "Adam, where are you?" is heart-breaking.

As sad as this story may be, God's response to them is very revealing of Who He is and how He operates. It should bless and encourage each of us.

God's initial response to the disobedience of Adam is one of disappointment and sorrow, not anger and vengence. Our God is not an angry God. Angry people feel powerless and out of control, God is neither. He is soveriegn and almighty. Nothing happens without His knowledge or consent.

His announcement to the serpent is significant because it is the first revelation of God's redemptive plan. He declares that evil will not triumph over righteousness. His curse upon the serpent is the beginning of the end for evil, and for him.

What moves me the most is how God reacts to Adam and Eve. His response to them speaks more of His concern for them than of His anger against them. Though He prounces curses on them and their efforts, these are not intended as punishment but merely the consequences of sin breaking relationship with God. I believe that God's curse on Adam and Eve was simply the removal of His blessing from them because of their sin. Sin separates us from God and therefore cut us off from His blessing. As I see it, this is what happened to Adam and Eve.

In stark contrast to the serpent's deceitfulness and Adam's selfishness is God's mercy and grace. While He doesn't remove the consequences of their sin, He limits the potential for more serious consequences and He initiates a plan to redeem them and restore the relationship.

In His first act of grace, God clothes them to hide their shame. Then He puts them out of the Garden so they will not eat from the Tree of Life and become eternally confirmed in their fallen state. He posts an angel between them and the tree just to assure that they will not access it.

We serve a God Who is always at His best even when we are at our worst. He is not a spiteful God or a vindictive God but a merciful God whose grace always exceeds our sin!

Celebrate His goodness! Rejoice in His grace! Live in His righteousness so you can enjoy the blessings of being in relationship with Him!

January 1, 2010

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1

There is a significant reoccuring phrase in Chapter 1 of Genesis. Can you find it?

You are right! It is, "And God said......"!

Actually, anything God says is significant, because of Who says it AND because of WHAT HAPPENS when He speaks!

In this dramatic account of the creation of the universe whenever God says, "Let there be...." - there was! God spoke and His words created! Whatever God commanded became a reality. And everything that happened as a result of His words were perfect!

It figures that perfect words from the mind and the mouth of a perfect God would result in the creation of perfection. Everything He spoke appeared and He pronounced it, "Good"!

The lesson for us, other than awe over the power over of our God, is that everything in the universe obeys God - except people. And everything that obeys Him becomes perfect - even people. His creation was perfect until one person refused to obey God. And it is Adam's disobedience that has ruined the perfect creation and sent the world into chaos.

What would it take to restore order? Is there a way for God's perfect will to be reestablished in His creation?

If there was any hope of it happening it would have to happen through perfect obedience. Perfect obedience by someone like --- Jesus.

Want to add a little perfection to your 2010? Want to be used by God to create a better world? Try a little obedience - or a lot of it!

December 31, 2009

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37

On this final day of 2009 I want to remind you that not only does God have a plan and a purpose for your life but He has the power to make it happen. Christmas proves it!

There was no way Christmas could happen. Nothing had ever happened like it before or since. Mary's question was quite legitimate, "How can a virgin conceive a child?" It just doesn't happen - unless God wants it to. And He did.

When Mary heard the explanation from the angel, "And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God'", she needed no further explanation. Mary knew that God had power to fulfill His purpose.

For God's plan and purpose to be fulfilled, it would be necessary for a "Second Adam" to be born, one without a sin nature. The only way that could happen was for a virgin to become pregnant without the seed of a human. How could such a thing happen?

Only through the power of God and only through the purpose of the Holy Spirit. It was an ingenious plan - and an impossible one! Except "nothing is impossible with God"!

It is possible that someone might conjur up the idea that a Savior would have to be born of a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit. The prophets had foretold it, so it was information that was available. But discovering the plan and executing it are two very different things! Only God could do it!

So, the good news heading into 2010 is that God has a plan and a purpose for your life. It will be something so big and wonderful that you will not have the power to make it happen. But God does! And He delights in the miraculous! He brought new life from a dead womb and John the Baptist blessed the world. And He created life in a virgin womb and the Savior was born!

God has everything He needs to bring His plan to fruition in your life to enable you to fulfill His purpose. You don't have to know how it will happen, just know Who will make it happen. And celebrate the God of possibilities Who is your God!

You may be facing some daunting circumstances right now! Perhaps life has ganged up on you and you feel weak and powerless. Maybe you have tried for years to make God's plan happen for you only to be disappointed.

The good news of Christmas is that God has a plan, He has a purpose AND He has the power to pull it off! 2010 will be a year of possibilities!

December 30, 2009

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:19-21

Christmas wasn't an accident but the fulfillment of a glorious plan that God had envisioned from the beginning of time. His plan was to redeem the human race from the judgment of its sins. Jesus - the God/man came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

That is only the beginning of the good news about Christmas!

Christmas also proves that God had a purpose! What an exciting purpose it is!

God's Word makes it clear from the moment God created man that He desired to enjoy fellowship with him. A paradise called Eden was created for them to spend time together. How many amazing walks they had winding their way through the incredible beauty of that garden. To make Adam's experience even more complete, God created a human partner for him. God was totally committed to the joy of this crown jewel of His creation.

Unfortunately, even tragically, this paradise was lost when the creatures betrayed their Creator. They exercised their will against their Holy Father and sinned. With the loss of their holiness their fellowship with God was broken. That was very disappointing to God and extremely devastating to man.

So, the plan of a loving God to lavish His love on His creation was interrupted and frustrated. How could a God Who is perfect and holy fellowship with a sinful race of human beings? There was no way His nature would allow Him to become sinful and there was no way that Adam could redeem himself. This was the seemingly hopeless dilemma that gripped the world as the sun rose on that first Christmas day.

Only God knew the promise that day held as He anxiously awaited the birth of His Son, the Child of Purpose.

In a humble stable in lowly Bethlehem under the supervision of two teen-agers, God's Son came, born sinless as a man conceived by the Holy Spirit so He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This "second Adam" would restore the fellowship that was broken by the failure of the first Adam.

Christmas proves that God is seriously committed to His purpose. He desires fellowship with us so badly that He gave up His Son to redeem us. God, Who is love, needs an object for His love and through the grace of Jesus He can once more lavish His love on us.

Christmas was God's plan to fulfill His purpose. It happened on purpose and demonstrates how far God will go to know you and to be known by you!

If God is that determined to know you, how will you respond? What will you live for? Who will you live for? Will you purpose to know Him and receive His lavish love? Why not begin today?

December 29, 2009

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

The messages of Christmas are the essence of the "good news of great joy" which is to all the people.

God's message to the world is that He has a plan, He has a purpose, and He has the power to pull them off!

What was His plan?

His plan was to undo what Adam did. He wanted to restore the Paradise that was lost when Adam surrendered to sin. That plan was announced to the serpent in the garden.

"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:14-15

In fact, God had a plan for redemption even BEFORE Adam fell!

"but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." I Peter 1:19-21

Abraham was a huge part of God's plan because through Him, God established a race of people through whom He could send a redeemer.

Moses was a huge part of God's plan to deliver His people, to receive the Law and to follow God to the Promised Land.

The priests and the sacrificial system was part of the plan to foreshadow the coming of One Who would do away with sins.

God even used the Greeks and the Romans to set up the structure and the mindset that set the stage for Christ to come.

When you study history you cannot miss HIS STORY - His plan is evident in every development of mankind!

GOD HAS ALWAYS HAD A PLAN! Jesus was at the center of it! His coming at Christmas proved that God had a plan and He is serious about its execution!

You are part of God's plan! Do you know how you fit in? What will you do today to find God's plan?

December 28, 2009

Certainly there is nothing funny about terrorism. Terrorist acts and the fear of more have dramatically changed our world.

The news has been preoccupied with the most recent attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day.

But in light of those realities, a friend sent me this:

Beware of Terrorist Groups in Church

Latest news reports are that five terrorist groups have been operating in many of our churches.

They have been identified as:

Bin Sleepin

Bin Arguin

Bin Fighting

Bin Complaining

Bin Missin

Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work in the church to discourage, disrupt and destroy.However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others.

They have:

Bin Watchin

Bin Waiting

Bin Fasting

Bin Longing for their Master, Jesus Christ, to return.

NO CHURCH IS EXEMPT!

(However, you can spot them if you bin lookin and bin going)

Satan is the original terrorist. He had the audacity to make a terror attempt against Heaven! After that failed he corrupted Paradise with his insidious notions and when Adam fell, he planted within us a rebellious nature that terrorizes us and those around us. This is humorously illustrated by the "bins", but it is serious business.

Jesus was born on Christmas Day to defeat Satan and destroy the terrorist within us so that we, the Church, can rescue the world. He is the Prince of Peace, but it happens one victory at a time. Victory comes through surrender. Surrender means we free God's Spirit to come against every thought, act or attitude that allows the enemy to terrorize us or causes us to terrorize others.

Will you join the war against terror?

December 27, 2009

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David." Luke 2:4

There were many great cities in the ancient world at the time of Jesus' birth. Until recent times the world has not known cities like those in all of history. But Bethlehem was not one of those. Not even close.

I have some understanding about small rural towns since I grew up in one. The town of my childhood is named Claypool, Indiana. That just sounds like a small town, doesn't it? It was out of the way - a mile or so off of Indiana Route 15 on County Road 700. No one came to Claypool on purpose.

One huge difference in this small town of Bethlehem, however, is that a couple of world-changers were born there. The first was the great king of Israel, King David. And because it was the place of his birth, it set the stage for Jesus to be born there since his earthly father Joseph was a descendent of David.

That answered part of the question. Plus, it fulfilled the prophecy of Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

So, Bethlehem was the birthplace of David and the prophecied place. Those are significant. But, still, why Bethlehem?

Bethlehem means "house of bread". What better place for the Bread of Life to be born than in the "house of bread"!

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35-40

Jesus, the Bread of Life, came to us in the "house of bread" so that we can feed on Him and live!