Genesis 5-7; Matt. 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3; Prov. 1:10-19
Good Morning!!
Day 3 and I started off in Genesis today and I'm reading the line from Adam to Noah. I come up to Methuselah (how many didn't know he was a guy from the bible?) and I'm trying to imagine what it would have been like to live for almost an entire millenium. No big spiritual thought here, just what would that have been like?
But in chapter 5 it says that God was sorry He ever created man because the thoughts of his heart were just evil all the time. So in verse 7 He says he is going to destroy man...and beast. I just thought that was such an example of how our sin affects the world around us. God wasn't just going to destroy the creation of man but also everything that had ever stepped foot on the face of His earth. We can't continue to sin and delude ourselves into thinking that it doesn't affect the people and things around us. If man's evil thoughts affected the creatures around them, what must our actions do the the people around us everyday? We need to live life realizing the magnitude of our actions, thoughts, and heart.
I've always loved Genesis 6 because it spends most of the chapter with God giving Noah blueprints for the first cruiseliner. A detailed blueprint. Then it ends in verse 22 with "Thus Noah did. All that God commanded, so he did." No questions asked. Just...."thus Noah did." Love it!
Matthew just spoke to me today about how we can all experience those moments in our lives when we know God is with us. Jesus gets baptised and a dove comes down and a voice is heard. Pretty clear picture that God is there. But then comes the desert. Temptation. Weariness. As great as the dove moments are, we need to realize that many times the desert comes right after. We need to learn to carry those dove moments into the desert with us so that we to can overcome the temptations we face. We are never alone, especially when we hide God's word in our hearts and minds.
Psalm 3 - David is on the run. This time from his own son. He cries out to God. The number of people against is increasing, he is getting no encouragment from anyone. But then he remembers who He can hide behind. God is his shield. I love verse 5. "I lay down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustained me."
No matter how bad life seems, no matter how many people tell you there's no hope, and no matter who's out to get you...I pray you sleep. How many nights have I laid awake worrying and stressing about something. How many times have I woke up every hour thinking about what was coming the next day. God help me to find rest in you, knowing you are in control and you will sustain me. That no matter how bad it may seem I'm still going to wake up tomorrow BECAUSE GOD IS IN CONTROL! Amen
This post is for Cindy Heath and Wand Mercado and quote.."Day 3 we are on schedule...reading is coming along fine "
ReplyDeleteGenesis spoke to me this morning. Reading about Enoch and Noah. How they pleased God even in a generation of such wickedness. It says that both Enoch and Noah "walked with God". The word walked jumped off the page and into my heart. It signafies a simple act of motion. "To go, or "to travel" with God. As believers we are called to "walk" daily with Him. To be in motion with His steps. To go where He leads. Travel the path He has laid out for us. A close relationship with our God. But sometimes so many of us feel like it's too hard to walk with God and travel in a righteous direction in this day and age. We feel like that fish swimming in the oppisite direction of everyone else and the current is to strong. But I believe God would encourage all of us today and say "walk with Me", get caught up in My motion. In the current of my righteousness that is stronger than any sin or temptation the world will put before you. When everything around you is wicked and currupt, when everyone else has turned away, turn to God. Walk with Him in 2011! Be in motion with His steps. Let us walk with God this year and see where He takes us.
ReplyDeleteAs I started reading tonight I put pen to paper and wrote words, versus and random thoughts. This was a tip Pastor Ben gave me when I asked his advice in regards to reading the bible. After nearly 2 pages and a little carpal tunnel I've came through the other side and as with all of Ben's advice I am better for it....not sure you all will be once you get a sample of it...BUT here it goes
ReplyDeleteGen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying this one will comfort us concerning our work and the toils of our hands. According to definitions I can find Noah means Peaceful and/or comforter....How did Lamech Noah's father know Noah would ultimately be a comforter because I know there was a lot of comforting going on when Noah told his wife and daughter's in law they were getting on the Royal Gopher wood sailing to no where for who knows how long...with a bunch of animals. You better believe he was a comforter!!!!
Speaking of the great flood why didn't destroy the plants and tree's (Tree of Knowledge)??
I know now why people say old as Methuselah...Because he was the oldest... He beat Jared by 7 years...Can anyone say old as Jared. It doesn't have the same ring to it..Poor Jared missed out being all cliché and such...at least he has that Subway money!!!
I really love the book of Matthew; I've read it before but am excited to read it again. I love 3:11 specifically when John the Baptist says he who is coming after me is mightier than I , whose sandals I am not worthy to carry - That gives me a real good idea of John's opinion on the size of Jesus’ shoe's
One of my favorite versus in the bible is the statement God makes in 3:17 This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased... I know we all come up short in various areas of my life but this is what I live for...I want to hear those words from God. I want to please him.
When Jesus is tempted in the Wilderness it is like he is using the Force on Satan, this is the greatest Jedi mind trick in history. A duel in the knowledge of the force. It's like the Emperor trying to lure Luke over to the dark side with temptation of power, trying to appeal to the nature of the flesh... What if Jesus were a Jedi Master...How cool would that be...Would that mean Angels would be his Padawans ? ....Nope cause there is only 1 Master Jedi
Proverbs 1:10-19
Anybody curious about the world Sheol ? Well I was here is what I found... In Judaism She'ol is the earliest conception of the afterlife in the Jewish Scriptures. It is a place of darkness to which all dead go regardless of the moral choices made in life and where they are "removed from the light of God" (see the Book of Job). She'ol is a concept that predates the Christian and Muslim ideas of judgement after death and also predates, and is different from, Heaven and Hell. It is unclear whether Sheol was to be considered a real place or a way of describing the unknown status of a person's conscious being.
Jason, I was very entertained and educated by your post...keep up the writting!!
ReplyDeleteGenesis 3:1
Why in some places like Gen 3:1 is it stated, Lord God, but in other places Gen 1:31 it says simply God? I will find this answer out and get back...I wonder if it has something to do with the 3 head as compared to just One...maybe not but I have found that everything in the Bible is intentional, so it is not like they just forgot to put Lord in some places.
Genesis 3:16
And he shall rule over you
I know what I am about to say is not a popular belief in today's society but I feel from the bottom of my heart this is another direct commandment from God that is ignored. We as a society have gotten so wrapped up in having power and control that no one is taking care of what we need to anymore...myself included. Mothers were made to raise children and be nurtures and men to be providers. We all have lost our roles but so many of us had to put on hats that were not ours because someone else dropped the ball. I am not sure how to fix this...we are raising generations of girls that feel like they have to be superior to men and generations of boys that have grown up without fathers. I know I am not talking about EVERYONE but of my circle of girlfriends I can say that 80% of them parent alone for the most part and don't have a "MAN" in their life.
Matthew 2:13-4:11
Our flesh desires bread to live but our spirit desire and lives on the word. Without the Word our spirit will starve and not exist, having us to make judgment only by what is living and we are feeding ...THE FLESH. WE MUST feed our spirit daily with the Word just as we feed our flesh with bread.
Matt 4:6
An example of the devil knowing the Bible...We should be careful of those claiming to be righteous...Many of them know the word, just like the devil, but do not have God in their heart.
Proverb 1:7
but fools despise wisdom and discipline
I struggle with having discipline in my life.....at this point I AM the Bibles definition of a fool.
Heather. I really love your post. Even those of us in 2 parent households struggle withraising our kids the way we should raise them. I believe my mother has the best opinion on this subject and she basically says it is due to us as parents trying to satisfy every worldly desire and not just take care of our needs. We all have given up on the Leave it to Beaver type family where the wife takes care of the house and the kids and the husband provides. Society tries its best to make us believe there needs to be 2 wage earners in the household....not that its wrong for a women to work I just believe a mother does a much better job caring and nurturing. Like you I am not sure the answer but maybe we cut back our spending habits try to work less so we can spend more quality time with our kids.... Let's face it as my mom would say cable is not a necessity
ReplyDeleteHallelujah! I finally have a moment to sit down with my computer to post what I've had in my heart since I read this. I've had to take family members to the doctor the past few days.
ReplyDeleteGenesis 5-7 I see God’s mercy in a name as I read this passage.
In Bible days a name was very important the name must glorify God. I think that since Enoch walked with God that God revealed some things to him during these walks. God may have instructed him what to name his son because this name has meaning.
It is prophetic.
• METHU means "Death or one dying."
• SELAH means "It shall come....."
The name simply meant: "When He dies, it shall come." It meant that something will happen when this boy dies.
What is coming? I believe they knew it was destructive. Eventually they were told that a flood was coming. And God wanted them to get ready. Noah's flood did not take this world without by surprise because way back 969 years earlier, they were given the warning.
Everybody knew that time was short. This walking sermon now had a grandson who proclaimed they would be destroyed. Not until Noah came along did they actually know what was coming or what would happen. Noah said it would happen with the power of water and preached for a hundred and twenty years.
Notice Hebrews 11:7. "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." So here in one verse he has the word "faith" mentioned three times. Faith is a very important thing. Faith is what caused Noah to build that ark. And today, we need faith in order to walk victoriously. Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word.” Noah heard the word his entire life, “When he dies, it shall come.”
Noah got busy building an ark. Methuselah may have even helped to build the ark. We don't know. He could have been good help up until the last years. Noah had a living illustration. He may have said, "Look at my grandfather, standing right here on the deck of this ship. When this man dies, the end will come. The flood will come." Everybody could see he isn't going to live much longer. He's nine hundred and something years old. He did this for 120 years while being ignored and mocked by the wicked. The timelines do not all agree to the exact date of his birth, his death and the flood, but one thing certain is that Methusealh died shortly prior to the flood.
God doesn’t just sneak up on us with an event. He is truly a God of mercy. He has always given us signs to prepare us. Look at the signs of the return of Christ for His Bride. Oh how exciting to see the signs leading up to this event.
Matthew 3:7-4:11 The first thing we see Jesus doing is “being led by the Spirit.” How many of us would want this kind of leading or even yield to it for that matter? How God like to show us an example of being led by the Spirit even to the point that it is not in our comfort zone. This first incident has a lesson that is paramount in the life of a Christian. We must be able to wield our weapon proficiently in order to be victorious over all the temptations satan will try to bring our way. 1Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;” Ephesians 6:1-18 the weapons of our warfare all originate or are the Word of God. This is why He says we must renew our mind with His Word. He doesn’t just want us to read the story He wrote … it’s for our own good.