[Text from the image: It all begins with a choice... Who is God? The creator...or...a creation and what are the consequences?]
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
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, September 2, 2013
Job 12:7-10
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind."
Author's Note: This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Cook Forest. I'm always blessed by creation to see God and rest in the peace of the things he has made. Just as long as I don't have to sleep in a tent.
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:
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
In the beginning,,,the Prequel (Genesis 1:27)
SCRIPTURE
OBSERVATION
Some would argue that it's not scientifically realistic to believe that the universe was created in seven days. Others claim the seven days represent undefined periods of time and not a literal 24-hours. Ultimately your belief in the origin of the universe relies on faith. Do you have faith that a loving God created everything or do you have faith that, given an unlimited amount of time, scientific laws can eventually produce self-sustaining life?
The interesting thing in the first chapter of the Bible is that the heavens and the earth where created in verses 1 and 2 which is prior to the first day of creation that starts in verse 3. My point is that the Bible was not written to explain the origin of the universe. God skips over the details beyond our planet and focuses on the basic elements that every man, woman, and child physically encounters every day. God sets the tone for the entire Bible right here. It's not about facts. The focus is on the connection between God and man.
APPLICATION
Remind yourself every day that you were purposefully created as a reflection of God's glory. How do you make this practical? Build the foundation of your self worth on God. Don't place your value in relationships with your family and friends. These are vital, but not of the utmost value. People are always fallible and your relative value will drop in kind. Don't stand on your accomplishments. Success is not eternal and failure should lead to your demise.
You can not properly grow as a Christian until you plant your roots in the solid ground of your Creator. Set God as the sole determining factor of your self worth. The best part is that the almighty God has placed a value on you higher than any person or achievement can hope to match. Yet somehow as the troubles of this earth come crashing in on us, it is so easy to forget. Remind yourself daily.
This may seem minor to some grizzled veterans of Sunday morning church, but until you set your foundation you can not build higher.
PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing value that you have placed on my life.
Help me to fully commit to setting my foundation on You.
Amen.
If you were around for In the beginning the original:
Some would argue that it's not scientifically realistic to believe that the universe was created in seven days. Others claim the seven days represent undefined periods of time and not a literal 24-hours. Ultimately your belief in the origin of the universe relies on faith. Do you have faith that a loving God created everything or do you have faith that, given an unlimited amount of time, scientific laws can eventually produce self-sustaining life?
The interesting thing in the first chapter of the Bible is that the heavens and the earth where created in verses 1 and 2 which is prior to the first day of creation that starts in verse 3. My point is that the Bible was not written to explain the origin of the universe. God skips over the details beyond our planet and focuses on the basic elements that every man, woman, and child physically encounters every day. God sets the tone for the entire Bible right here. It's not about facts. The focus is on the connection between God and man.
APPLICATION
Remind yourself every day that you were purposefully created as a reflection of God's glory. How do you make this practical? Build the foundation of your self worth on God. Don't place your value in relationships with your family and friends. These are vital, but not of the utmost value. People are always fallible and your relative value will drop in kind. Don't stand on your accomplishments. Success is not eternal and failure should lead to your demise.
You can not properly grow as a Christian until you plant your roots in the solid ground of your Creator. Set God as the sole determining factor of your self worth. The best part is that the almighty God has placed a value on you higher than any person or achievement can hope to match. Yet somehow as the troubles of this earth come crashing in on us, it is so easy to forget. Remind yourself daily.
This may seem minor to some grizzled veterans of Sunday morning church, but until you set your foundation you can not build higher.
PRAYER
God,
Thank you for the amazing value that you have placed on my life.
Help me to fully commit to setting my foundation on You.
Amen.
If you were around for In the beginning the original:
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