Showing posts with label Adam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Day 1
[Text from the image: It all begins with a choice... Who is God? The creator...or...a creation and what are the consequences?]
Monday, January 28, 2013
Who's who of begats (Genesis 5:1)
SCRIPTURE
OBSERVATION
My fiancee and I recently watched through the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. The common theme was the test of society's disposition. When put under pressure would people choose to do good or evil? If we lived in a world with no consequences you would be shocked at the monstrosities people would commit, yet in the worst of times some people always take a stand for what is right even at the cost of their own lives. How can the human race as a whole be evil and good? The answer begins in the spiritual warfare of your DNA. You are a descendant of Adam and, as stated in Romans 5:12, you have inherited his sinful nature. Yet as a descendant of Adam, you are also created in the image of God. Therefore you are reflection of God's peace (Philippians 4:7), love (1 John 4:8), holiness (Leviticus 11:45), and all of the most wonderful attributes we know about. You are a constant battle ground of the spiritual nature. As long as you are alive your struggles between good and evil will not end. The more closely you pursue God, the easier it is to live in His nature. If you aren't intentional in establishing the foundation of your moral compass, it will lead you astray.
APPLICATION
Live in God's design and not Adam's nature. It's easy to be good when everyone else is living peaceably It's when you are mistreated when you show your true nature. Don't let your sinful reactions take over. Seek God's help to act in His nature when someone has hurt you. How do you apply this? Start with something simple to identify but difficult to do. Do not retaliate. By definition, retaliation is an evil act in return for someone else's evil towards you. An evil action is never the correct action. For example, the next time some driver flips you off because they almost hit you while they were running a red light, tailgating them for the next mile yelling all the way is living in our sinful nature.
PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing qualities you have created in us.
Help us to live in these amazing qualities and turn away from our sinful desires.
Amen
If reading a list of names makes you want to blow up Gotham Stadium:
OBSERVATION
My fiancee and I recently watched through the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. The common theme was the test of society's disposition. When put under pressure would people choose to do good or evil? If we lived in a world with no consequences you would be shocked at the monstrosities people would commit, yet in the worst of times some people always take a stand for what is right even at the cost of their own lives. How can the human race as a whole be evil and good? The answer begins in the spiritual warfare of your DNA. You are a descendant of Adam and, as stated in Romans 5:12, you have inherited his sinful nature. Yet as a descendant of Adam, you are also created in the image of God. Therefore you are reflection of God's peace (Philippians 4:7), love (1 John 4:8), holiness (Leviticus 11:45), and all of the most wonderful attributes we know about. You are a constant battle ground of the spiritual nature. As long as you are alive your struggles between good and evil will not end. The more closely you pursue God, the easier it is to live in His nature. If you aren't intentional in establishing the foundation of your moral compass, it will lead you astray.
APPLICATION
Live in God's design and not Adam's nature. It's easy to be good when everyone else is living peaceably It's when you are mistreated when you show your true nature. Don't let your sinful reactions take over. Seek God's help to act in His nature when someone has hurt you. How do you apply this? Start with something simple to identify but difficult to do. Do not retaliate. By definition, retaliation is an evil act in return for someone else's evil towards you. An evil action is never the correct action. For example, the next time some driver flips you off because they almost hit you while they were running a red light, tailgating them for the next mile yelling all the way is living in our sinful nature.
PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing qualities you have created in us.
Help us to live in these amazing qualities and turn away from our sinful desires.
Amen
If reading a list of names makes you want to blow up Gotham Stadium:
Monday, January 14, 2013
I just wanna bang on the drum all day (Genesis 3:19)
SCRIPTURE
OBSERVATION
The "Fall of Man" can be such an abstract concept to us. We've never known life that didn't contain struggle, pain, and death so it's easy to overlook that these things are the punishment of the very first sinful act. The one curse most Bible enthusiasts remember is painful child birth, but the primary curse for women appears to be in the end of verse 16. Perhaps because she wanted the knowledge for power, her punishment was that she shall always desire for her husband to rule over her. It seems Adam just went with the flow when he took the fruit from Eve so as his punishment he now has to struggle for every little scrap of food.
Before now I hadn't really considered that my punishment inherited from Adam is the curse of struggle in work. You might be thinking about people stuck in a job they hate, but even in a dream job many tasks are undesirable job requirements. It's important to note that according to Genesis 2:15 man was designed to work the garden. I believe this is why we often find joy in work. Our curse is not the work, but that the work would be a struggle.
These punishments are far surpassed by the more abstract concept of sin. The true curse in the "Fall of Man" is our separation from God. These struggles that we experience now are a minor reflection of consequences of choosing a life without God. Everyone will struggle in this life, but those that choose not to follow God will struggle far worse after death.
APPLICATION
If you are beaten down by your responsibilities at work, remember that it is your curse inherited from the original sin, BUT do not let it overwhelm you. Ephesians 2:8-9 shows that it's not your works that will save you but by the grace of God. Remember that God is in control and your struggles are only temporary. Persevere through your struggles but do not dwell on them any more than is absolutely necessary.
PRAYER
God,
Thank you for your saving grace.
Help me to focus on You rather than the sins of this world.
Amen.
For all those in the cleaning industry with a daily perspective of "To dust you shall return":
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