Month: January 2017

God Remembered Noah–Genesis 8 Part 1

The destruction of Man and his evil ways was  no small task.  It took close to a year for the world to reset.  In that time, Noah and his family took on and successfully carried out their job as caretaker of what would become the new earth’s population.  There were no fights or outbreaks–all was simply moving forward.  Still, in that time, God Remembered Noah and the animals.  As if watching out for the greatest treasure on earth, God slowly brought things back into shape.  Noah watched and patiently waited until the time when God was ready to repopulate the earth–he never cried out, he never complained–he simply trusted God and allowed God to do what needed to be done.
 
In our lives, we need to adopt Noah’s patience and trust God’s plan–Just as Nah did.  The Ark had no complex steering function, God directed and placed it.  When he did, he did it in his timing and in his way. He does the same for us.  While his plan may seem extreme and very slow going, what we typically see at its conclusion is exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever hope or dream.  We have to trust him, follow him and allow him to execute his plan in our lives.
 
God Bless You
But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.6 After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.

Let’s Be Clear–Genesis 7 Part 2

This was no ordinary rainstorm.  Inside the Ark, the world was a place of peace; outside, not so much.  It flooded for 150 days.  Not just rain from above, but blasting from every pore of the earth. Five months of cleansing the world of all evil that had touched the ground.  It had to be a mixture of grief and fear for the Noah and his family.  While they knew the evil of men and the destruction of the earth, they did not know what was next, or how things would be–after they reemerged.  Such unknowns had never faced men.  Noah and his family, while faithful, had never experienced the devastation or the destruction of the entire world.
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In our culture, we face unknowns–daily.  We know that with the technology that currently exists, men could easily wipe out much of the world as we know it–but, what is more disconcerting, is that God could and has every right to do the same.  We are easily as evil as the people of Noah’s time.  If I were the Lord, (Which, I am not–and am very glad about that!!!!!) I would lay awake thinking it has to be half past time to wipe us off the earth, once again!  If our humility is waning and we think we are all that and a box of Oreo’s–we need to take note of how little control we really have over our lives and our circumstances.  It is the realization of our need to trust and follow God–that frees us from the fear of the unknown, and the depression of not being able to assure our beloved destiny. 
 
We need to show reverence to the absolute power of God and his plan, but, we also need to rejoice at his ability to withhold his hand of judgement.  One need only remember the absolute nature of his judgement, to know we would rather have his mercy and grace!
Thanks you Lord–for withholding judgement on me–the worst of all sinners!
 
God Bless You

On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[a][b] 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

The Flood and Faith–Genesis 7 Part 1

It must have been a daunting feeling the day Noah and his family entered the Ark.  All of the animals parading in and all the preparation for feeding and caring for the animals,  All of the behavior, the ridicule and scorn as Noah and his clan entered the boat on that sunny day.  Then the door was closed and  well, nothing happened. Nothing happened for a week. I am sure it took some time to get everyone and everything settled in.  I am also sure that as the family prepared, they had to practice the care and feeding of the animals…BUT, by day 6, faith had to be growing weak.  Of course, day seven changed everything.  The world had never seen rain or flood–the people would not have known what hit them, they never would.  Noah and his family would be the lone survivors for the world they knew.

When we are faithful, God will make our lives full and meaningful.  He will put us in positions to test our faith, and in the midst, allow us to experience every human emotion.  We do see through all of Bible history, that God always protects, provides and prepares His chosen for what lies ahead.  He allows our faith to be stretched and pushed–so when struggles hit; we can face them with confidence, not in our abilities–but in God’s character.  We can never lose either faith or hope.  Those things are gifts.  We simply trust him, follow him and allow him to steer the boat–then we will survive!

God Bless You

The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth

Thanks God for Giving Us Noah–Genesis 6 Part 2

In the midst of horrifically evil times, Noah and his family stood out as righteous.  It must have been quite a sight.  Everyone knew that Noah and his family were different. They continued to worship God and they did not participate in the evil men accomplished.  Now, they were building this giant boat…What was that all about.  In the midst of the looks, the harassment and being ostracized, Noah and his family continued to do as God commanded.  It took well over 100 years to build the Ark–then to stock it, populate it, enter and close themselves in–would have been an oddity and wonder to all.  Still, Noah remained faithful and probably even explained to the others why he was building the ark–the people probably laughed hysterically! The problem has never been that God was unclear with his plan–no, the problem is that most men think they know better, and they think God is not relevant for their daily lives.

In our world, little has changed. Whenever the church speaks out, whenever God’s people take a stand–the world laughs, harasses and ignores the message. Even as God’s message of hope and the clear repercussions of a Godless life are exposed–men taunt, ignore and even persecute those that would try to save them from themselves. Then and now, God will not strive with men forever. As his chosen, we, like Noah, must remain faithful and do all that we can to build a legacy of revival in our land.  As his word demonstrates–God is patient (Methuselah). He is willing to make any sacrifice for those that he loves (Jesus). We simply must trust him and do all that he has for us to do. We must not, however, expect for the world to listen or repent–they never will.  We have to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel and count it a great gift whenever another comes to know God because of his impact through us.

God Bless You 

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[c] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.[d] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[e] high all around.[f] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.UU

Evil on Steroids–Genesis 6 part 1

There are few scriptures more disturbing or disheartening than God’s realization of what an atrocity men had become.  It became apparent that the knowledge of good and evil was devastating unless it was accompanied by a desire to be selfless and loving–men simply did not have that.  The state of people had become so terrible that it caused an all knowing and all powerful God to throw up his hands and give up.  They were so bad that he cut life spans from the 900’s to no more than 120 years old.  Then, he decided to wipe men and land animals off the planet.
 
But, there was Noah–He was the one man in all creation that still honored, trusted and obeyed God–like his ancestors, he knew that following God was still better than running independent of him.  That realization is why we are here and why we serve a risen Savior. Even in this disaster of a culture, we still make up a significant number of lives.  If we, as his people, will live humbly and righteously, then we will experience the life he intended.  The disaster of eternal separation from God that awaits the rest of the world will be devastating, but, His chosen will live an eternal and fulfilling–purposeful life.  We could easily be the next people of revival.  We simply must live and pray as if the revival was as immanent and sure as was the flood.  We can pray and he will respond.  His promise is to heal and restore what was taken and devastated by the enemy.
 
God Bless You
 
When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah[c] and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth….
 

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with[a] humans forever, for they are mortal[b]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Father and Son!!!!–Genesis 5 Part 2

When you look at the lineage, some striking things stand out as the time of Noah draws close.  1st, Noah’s great granddad, Enoch only lived on earth 365 yrs–the significance is not how long he lived–it is how long he lived on earth.  You see Enoch never died–God was so close to him that he simply took him home, without his experiencing death–What a testimony of a life of devotion.  In addition, Enoch literally named his son “When he dies judgment will come”–Methuselah. 

Methuselah has the amazing distinction of being the longest living human to die–He was a picture of God’s devotion to his father and also God’s devotion to man.  Methuselah was a true illustration of God withholding judgement–He did so for close to 1000 years.  By that time, men were turning terrible and this family–a line of faithful men, were standing out.  Interestingly, merely a year after Methuselah’s death, God sent his judgement–It would be the beginning of a different world.

We see very few that live past 100 years old.  To  understand that a father and son live for that length of time shows a love and devotion between God and them. It would be so great to have that kind of relationship with God–We do, we will live with him for eternity. It will be a world without sin and a life without disease or sickness–the kind of life God intended.  I simply pray that I will have the love for him and the connection that these great men of God had!

God Bless You

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah[c] and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

The Importance of Oral Tradition–Genesis 5 Part 1

It is often forgotten that, while Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible, prior to that, there was a rich oral history of the beginning of the nation of Israel.  What one learns, as we study these scriptures, is that the people near Noah’s time–still had the ability to talk to Adam and Seth, the 1st two generations.  The discussions about original sin, the garden, and the life of men were bantered throughout time.  It was that generational training and continued worship of God that set this lineage apart from the rest of the men in the world.  In God’s planning, there was a covering of truth and involvement in the lives of these men that made the reality of creation and life stand the teat of time.

In current culture, there are so many influences that can draw men away from God.  It is the personal influence of Godly Christian men and women that sets the Christian culture apart from the rest of the culture.  If we do not share our knowledge of God and his influence on our lives, our kids and friends will become just like the men that have no selfless influence. We can never be afraid to offend others by speaking the truth in love–It is so important to continue the tradition of God so that the lineage of God will continue for the next generation and many to come.  Our prayer, as his children, should be that we will be and raise Godly men and women that will raise Godly men and women.

God Bless You 

When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”[a] when they were created.

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father[b] of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.

Seth-A new Hope–Genesis 4 Final

When we look at the beginning of the world and the fall of man, Clearly, men did not start well.  Cain killed his brother and built a lineage of selfish and self-absorbed people.  With that came the bully/victim mentality and a push for self-preservation.  But, in the midst of that Adam and Eve had another son, Seth.  Seth represented a fresh start.  He was not a part of the initial pain of sin and death and he was not a part of the outright rebellion of those that proceeded him.  He instead was raised to honor God, It was his lineage that started worshipping God.  Then hope was returned.  God had not given up on men, he simply changed the relationship.  He did not love them less, but was separated by the sin that entered the world, and, as it did, a wall sprang up between men and God.  Yet in the separation, God blessed the line of Seth–the ultimate restoration of the relationship destroyed by sin.

In our day, in our world, we still look back to the restoration started with Seth carried through Noah and settling on Jesus.  It realigned men and God.  It made our choice to worship him be a personal choice, and it allowed us to reach out directly to God with our greatest needs and desires.  We do not need an intermediary–we accept him personally, seek him personally and follow him personally to an eternity of fellowship as was created and intended to be.  Today, we should call on the name of the Lord with the same fervor as did the line of Seth. 

Thanks Lord for being personal and exceptional in my life and the life of those that seek you!

God Bless You

25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,[h] saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

At that time people began to call on[i] the name of the Lord.

My Brothers Keeper–Genesis 4 Part 2

When selfishness hits its apex, only ones own life and interest still matter.  Cain had become so jealous and cynical that he killed his brother.  He did not like the competition and he did not like how Abel and God aligned.  So rather than change his own attitude and heart, Cain simply killed his brother–the height of selfishness.  It was e precursor of the attitude of a world without God.  If our needs become the only thing that matters–then life, family and God become expendable.  Throughout History, civilizations that forsake God follow a similar track.  Godless communities quit valuing the importance of marriage, of the lives of the unborn, the lives of the elderly and finally the lives of anyone other than themselves.
 
Such a view of the world traces back to Cain.  He was only sad that God called him out.  He was not regretful that he killed his brother, he regretted only that it was cramping his life.  No remorse, no regret; he only felt self pity. Nothing has changed.  We live in a world where the only lives that matter are the ones that scream the loudest and raise the biggest commotion.  Family, marriage, authorities, veterans the unborn and the elderly have all been marginalized by the culture.  We live in an age where our desire for personal gain has completely replaced our sense of community and grace.  Only the church can stem the tide and become the people that make life a treasure once again.  It has t become the community that restores value to marriage, family and authority.  God promised Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
 
God Bless You
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[e]; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.

Control, the Illusion–Genesis 4 Part 1

The original Hebrew actually says–I have brought forth a man I can control.  Little did Eve understand, control is an illusion.  The harder we try to take the reigns in life, the less we actually have input into its outcome.  Adam and Eve tried hard to raise sons that did the right things, but Cain saw no value in it.  He simply wanted to do what made him happy–sound familiar?  In his search to control life, he was plagued by the peace and success of his brother.  It made him jealous and crazy.  Even God, himself, tried to help Cain understand that it is not what we do but what is in our hearts that keep us from destroying our lives.
 
Nothing has changed.  Whether as a parent or as a person, we must remember that control is an illusion.  We cannot control our destiny any more than could Adam and Eve or Cain.  Like Cain, God reminds us that we must not be angry about the circumstances we face.  We need to be grateful and patient.  Things rarely go as we have planned.  If we are unwilling to be flexible and trust God, we, like Cain, we  will grow more cynical and angry and if not careful, we will walk away from faith.  God calls us to trust him and allow him to bless us–while that is difficult, it will make our life full and meaningful.
 
God Bless You
Adam[a] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[c] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

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