Wayyy behind! Matthew 8-10

I am doing some catch-up on my readings and I just read Matthew 8-10. I really feel the need to share a few of the home-hitting points that smacked me in the face from this reading. In this one case, I really hope you enjoy the face-smackin!

Illimitable faith, vehemence to share our certainty, fear of God alone, eternal salvation. Those are the steps that define a Christ-follower's life. It, of course, all starts with faith. The last part of Matthew 8:28 says: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Wow. What a simple question, yet such a deep significance. If we truly desire to follow the Lord, we have to be able to answer that question with an undoubtedly trenchant "yes" from the very depths of our heart. The Lord promises so much to those who follow His lead. All He asks of us is that we unequivocally believe that He is able. It is a choice. As easy as it may sound, it took me quite a while to finally dig up that question and truly believe that He is able. Once we can strongly affirm that statement in our lives, we are ready for the Lord to begin the process of living out His glory through us. There will not be many people who honestly believe that. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." Our faith in Him gives us a peaceful hope through ineluctable mockery for the duration of our time on earth. "Be on your guard against men..." "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." If the Lord is whom we affectingly believe, then that sounds like music to my ears. It will not be easy, but if we keep our eyes focused on the reward of eternity with the One whom we serve, what is there to fear? "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell." The Lord should be our unequaled fear. If He is not, do we truly believe the fundamental question of our so-called belief system (Do you believe that I am able?)? We can not be afraid to speak up for the truth by which we live that has saved us. "At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Who can say no to that? All we have to do is be willing vessels, zealous to share the endless grace that the Lord has in store for all of us. Not all will receive it because not all will listen and accept. Yes, some will mock, but that is their own eternal loss. When judgement day comes to pass, there will be many who will wish they had listened to the truth coming from the Holy Spirit via those who believe and live as such. All we are asked to do is follow those basic (yet, still quite difficult) steps: Faith, profess, fear the Lord. Once we define ourselves by the measure of those actions, we will receive the acceptance of our venerated Father. "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven. But, whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in Heaven." Do you believe that He is able?

Joshua 21-24

The theme for my Emmaus walk was "I've Come To Serve". As I read Joshua the word "serve" was repeated many times. Joshua was a great leader and like Jesus he came to serve. In Chapter 24 he hammers the point home over and over. Serve God and Him only. Get rid of all idols. I love the Pep speech in Chapter 24. It reminded me of the end of the movie "Courageous". "Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”" Yes!!!

Matthew 8-10

I love the Gospels because you get to really see the Character of Jesus and his disciples and how they do ministry. So often people get too caught up in traditions and just the way they have seen ministry done for years. We also get doctrine from the church or other sources without basing some of our beliefs on scripture. We forget about Jesus' ministry and the example he shows us in the gospels and the church he sets up in Acts.

When Jesus prays for the sick, dead or demon possessed his prayers do not sound anything like most prayers I have heard in the church; no authority, faithless and unfruitful. When Jesus prays, and later the Apostles, they pray with authority and faith and then God heals the sick, raises the dead and cast out demons.

Isaiah 53:4 says "He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases." So that means along with our sins Jesus also took sickness and disease. The woman in Matt. 9:18-26 was healed according to her faith. Revelation 12:11 says that Satan was defeated by "the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony," now that's powerful! What authority we have as children of God with the name of Jesus! He has the authority and gives us the right to use it just like he did!

So next time you pray for someone or pray over yourself think about how Jesus would pray. See how He will move in your live, or in someone else's life. Lets get back to the way church was in Acts. I want to see God really move in our lives. The Hut is more like the original church than most "Churches" in more than one way.

Sorry to get slightly off topic with the church. I have been wanting to post something about the church for a while but didn't. It's been on the hearts of many people in the area including myself.

Who's the Church?
We're the Church!

God Bless,

~Brandon

Genesis 16-19

While researching some commentary for this mornings reading I was blessed by the thoughts of Warren Wiersbe and decided to share. I never made the connection before that Jesus was one of the three men who visited Abraham. God in the flesh = Jesus.

I. Christ’s Visit with Abraham (18)

Verses 17–22 make it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ was one of the three heavenly visitors; note also Abraham’s words in v. 3. The great theme of this chapter is the believer’s fellowship with Christ, for Abraham was “the friend of God” (James 2:23). In chapter 19 we see Lot, the friend of the world.

It is interesting to contrast the two visits in chapters 18 and 19. Christ Himself visited Abraham, but only the angels went to Sodom to visit Lot. Christ had a message of joy for Abraham and Sarah, but the angels gave a message of judgment to Lot. Abraham was visited in the daytime but Lot in the evening. Abraham was at a tent door; Lot at the city gate. Abraham had power with God but Lot had no influence even with his own family. Abraham saw Sodom destroyed and lost nothing, but Lot lost everything. Only his life was spared. Abraham brought the world blessing, but Lot brought trouble into the world (the Ammonites and Moabites).


Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament (Ge 18:1–Ge 19). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Romans 9-10

Right in line with the sermon today and the purpose of this reading challenge.   The bible is truth.  The bible is inspiration.  The bible is from God.   It is Him speaking to us.  Do not underestimate the power of these words.  I would like to see some discussion about what we read and how we interpret it.  If we all share a little we have fellowship in God's word.

Romans 9:6  But it is not as though the word of God has failed.    


If you belong to Him, His word will not fail.  

Romans 9, 10

Romans 10:17

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Want more faith? Read your Bible.
"Dust on the Bible, drought in the heart." Adrian Rogers

Matthew 8-10 Miracles

Once again there is way too much in these three chapters to discuss in one sitting so I'm going to touch on just one area.
If we just read about the miracles of Christ it may impress us but it might not teach us. God's Word is so powerful that if we read it and walk away just feeling giddy or feeling Ho-Hum, then we've missed something. The miracles speak about Jesus and who He is, the promised Messiah in Isaiah Chapters 35 & 53 for instance. They have messages that shed light on His mission, i.e. - the forgiveness of sins, the gospel going to the gentiles, the mindset of the people. The first two miracles, the leper, and the centurion as examples. The first of the miracles, the healing of the leper, with its reference to the priests in 8:4, is a reminder to us of the priestly function of the Messiah. In the Old Testament, it was the priest who dealt with skin diseases such as leprosy (see Lev. 13–14). So Jesus fulfills kingly, prophetic and priestly functions. The healing of the leper is an immediate act of Jesus, a response to a passionate plea. Leprosy is Jesus day was also a symbol of sin so it represents Jesus power to forgive/heal sin. Jesus touched him.
The second miracle, the healing of the centurion’s servant (8:5–13), is a reminder to us of Jesus’ concern to extend the kingdom beyond the Jewish world. In his encounter with a Roman soldier, we again have the principle of Jesus reaching out that we saw when the wise men came to worship him as a child. All this anticipates the Great Commission to all the nations. What is interesting here is the centurion’s great faith (v. 10), which contrasts with the disciples’ ‘little faith’ (v. 26). Those whom we would expect to have great faith only have little faith, while those whom we might expect to have no faith at all show great trust in Jesus. For the centurion, Jesus heals the servant at a distance, rewarding the absolute confidence that the centurion puts in him.
God is good, all the time...Amen

Isaiah 18-22

God's in charge. The End.

Job 7 - 8 Questions

I read today's text with new(for me) questions. When this was happening what was Job's and his friends relationship with God? There had been no Patriarchs or prophets yet. They talk about God as if they had been schooled or given some divine revelation about Him. Did they have some kind of contact with God previously? There was no Bible yet. Were they venturing some sort of educated guess? Did they know about or have a concept of Satan? I look at what we have now as far as our knowledge of God and feel so blessed. But what did they have and how did they get it. My "guess" is; all they had was word of mouth and maybe some form of written witness. I will not be able to rest until I do some research to see if I can get some answers to these questions.

Psalms 9 - 11 Where is your heart today?

Once upon a time I struggled to read the Psalms. Now they are my favorite. They teach us how to pray, how to praise and worship, how to react to God in whatever feeling we're in on a particular day. It's hard for me to praise God some days when I would rather ignore Him or be mad at Him. The Psalms have taught me how to praise Him even on "those days." Today's readings reminded me of the breadth and depth of Psalms.

Psalm 9:
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

Psalm 10:
O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?



What are you feeling today? There's a Psalm just for you. Seek and you will find

Joshua 16 - 20 Taking possession

“How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?" This might be a stretch but I think not. If I apply this to my life I can see where God has given me many things, but more specifically His Word. This study that we're doing this year has opened my eyes a bit. I've studied God's Word in years past but I've never done it every day as I'm doing now. For the first time I feel like I'm going and laying claim to His Word. I'm clearing the land, I'm chasing out the enemy. I figure this year I'll do all that and next year, when I do it again, I'll start building a house, plant some seed etc. I'm pumped!

Genesis 12-15

Abraham did have more faith than anyone and yet it comforts me to know that even he doubted when he lied about Sarah being his wife.  Of course God worked it out but I am certain he did what I do after the fact -Hit myself in the forehead and say "Why did you doubt Dan?"  It is a great reminder and comfort just knowing that God will bring us through and our faith, though it waivers, will strengthen.  

Prayer

My family and I are in need of some prayers. One of our family cats, Cuddley Duddley, had to be put down. We found out last week that she had AIDS. As the days went on, she started getting worse. We had make a tough decision, but we know that it was the right choice. Just asking for some comforting words and prayers. Thanks for the support.

Genesis 12 - 15 Faith

Abraham got his faith the same place we should get ours. The Word of God.

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God

Romans 7-8

Rich.   Just Rich.   His word comes alive sometimes that just reminds me of how small and insignificant I am and how great He is.  

Romans 7-8

It's 1/22/2012 and this is my first post.  First I apologize for not following with everyone I feel I also need to do this and be held accountable and get help when needed.

Romans 7 1-6 Is a section where mine parts off talking about the adultres.  I have to say that for people who know the law of being a christian and they know it have sinned I feel for those more so that dont know the law, but are indeed a "Christian" and they still do it.  Would they be accountable for the law if they did not know that part before they got a divorce and was still a Christian?


Romans 7 7-12-Talks about the law being holy and we must follow it though we all will still struggle I agree with it.  When it was not here people did not know right from wrong.  Yes they had feelings, but before God told them of this law they did not know what was truley right and truley wrong.  I still find it hard to believe even when we do have the law and have become alive we still fail and dont follow the law when we all know it's right.

Romans 7 13-end  The rest of this chapter is a bit confusing, so can someone clarify me if I'm wrong?  I think what he's trying to say here is that now that we have the law we must fight our sinful desires everyday because we are dead without God's law.  Or flesh want to have different desires then our spiritual desires do.  Being dead from the start and becoming alive again with the spirit we show that the spirit is what is in charge of our lives since we have no chance without it for the body and and mind of us is sinful alone, but the spirit in us is not sinful why we must have it to help control our lives so we don't do any evil.

Romans Chapter 8: 1-11 Was basically a recap looks like on the closing of 7.  It almost says the same thing right?  I'f I'm wrong please correct me.

12-end
I am a bit confused here but I do know he is repeating over and over again that without God and Jesus who is the law we are sin, so we do not know him for he does not know us.  Without him dying on the cross and raising again we would be nothing but dust still on the ground, but because he did that we know he is in us when we accept him and follow his law who God and Jesus is.  (This is what I got from reading that passage.  I cant wait to hear what others have to say about it as well :).  This is a good way to get help and just contemplate on the things you have just read).

Romans 7 -8 Victory!

In Romans 7 we're shown our old nature and its hold on us. Even though we're dead to sin (Chapter 6) we still struggle with doing what we think God wants. Chapter 7 shows us that we can't. "I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I want to do." Works don't work. In and of ourselves we cannot be victors. But, thank God, we "have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." Our goal is not to live up to the letter of the law but to serve in the newness of the Spirit. We serve because we love Jesus and want to, not because we feel compelled or guilty. Chapter 8 wraps up chapters 6&7. It's the victory Chapter. Victory over sin. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". Dead to sin, delivered from the law, Living in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Matthew 5-7

Chapter 5: 11-12; "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." This reminded me of the story Heather told on Friday. How these people insulted you because of what you said about your beliefs. End the end you will be blessed for what you said and hopefully it meant something to someone in your class. I am proud that you were able to say what you said.

Matt 5 - 6 - 7, Matthew 6:33

Matthew 5-7

I'm pretty sure I could spend the rest of my life just studying these three Chapters. I won't attempt that here. Today, just one verse will do. Matthew 6:33 is one of my life verses. I use it a lot in my ministry and it seems to be a verse that speaks to those I work with. It definitely speaks to me. When I was new in my walk with Jesus I was reading James. The verse where James says do not be "double minded" was unclear to me and I had to figure out what it meant. After asking a few trusted mentors about it I did some research. I came upon a phrase that resonated with me called "single eye". Single eye means to be fixed on the spiritual. To be looking only at God. It is the opposite of the double-minded person in James 1:8; 4:4, 8. I call that being cross eyed. That doesn't work. Jesus speaks of it in verse 6:24, we can't serve two masters. So...today I work hard at having the "single eye". When I find myself drifting to double mindedness I pause, hit the reset button, say a prayer and keep on walking. If I had to paraphrase this verse I would say "This journey is about a relationship with Jesus Christ and nothing else!"

Isaiah 12 - 17

A. Worldly Glory: Babylon (13:1–14:27).
B. Worldly Alliances: Near Neighbors (14:28–18:7).

These chapters are difficult to get a handle on for me. I suspect it is for scholars also. If I was pinned down I would say this: I believe God's Word is meant for all peoples and for all times. A casual reading of these chapters might appear to be talking about Babylon etc and that time period. If that was the case, then while it might be an interesting History lesson, it wouldn't hold much significance for us. But, I believe it was written by Isaiah, with God's inspiration, for all of us. For the Israelites of that day it would have given them hope. It's as if God was saying - Yes, Babylon is a great glorious empire but it is going to perish. Yes, all of its neighbors who will conquer it and come to power are intimidating, but they too will perish. I think it was God saying, have Faith in Me alone. I know what I'm doing. Trust me alone and you'll be fine. Don't be swayed by what your eyes see and your ears hear. Listen to me, be obedient and all will be well.
God doesn't change so I believe it's a message also for us today. We live in a great nation. If we go the way of Babylon then God will deal with us the same way. We can be assured that we will fall. The Israelites of today are us, believers in Jesus Christ, and we can take comfort in Jesus promise that, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Psalm 8: I am not the point.

I am not the point.

I was reading Psalms this morning, because I fell asleep reading last night =D

And everything  I read is saying to me I. Am. Not. The. Point. At first, we hate to hear that. What?! You mean I'm NOT the center of the universe?! But... but...!

But then, I realize that not being the point frees me. If I am not the point, it frees me to be a servant. It frees me to lift others up, to encourage. It makes me much harder to offend. In the end, it makes me a better human being (which isn't the main goal, but it's all part of God's rather spectacular plan.)

It frees me to make much of the Name of Jesus, and realize that my name is just one in a billion, passing away like mist. But my life can count for one thing - His glory.

By being everything, He has freed me to be nothing.

How beautiful is that?!

Questions of the day

How will we react when stressors hit us?  Will we listen to our friends?  Will we listen for God?  I have never lost everyone I love, or had sores all over my body.  I am not sure what I would do if I was in Job's shoes.   But I do know that the closer I get to Him the stronger I am.  I believe the Holy Spirit would give me the strength, stamina, and whatever else I needed to survive.   If I am with someone that is hurting I want to keep my mouth closed, ears open, and a listening heart.  

Job 5 - 6 - How will we react?

Eliphaz the Temanite speaks. It's easy for us to read this and and maybe pass judgment. What strikes me is that these three friends in Chapter 2 saw Job from afar, barely recognized him and wept. Then they sat silently with him for a week. Finally Job speaks and of course He's on his pity pot. It's hard. It scares me to think what I would have done. The lesson for me in Chapter 5 is: If I really don't know what to say then "Nothing is better than something". When our friends or loved ones are suffering pain or discomfort it causes us pain and discomfort. We humans don't like that so we react by saying anything or doing something which sometimes makes things worse. We speak from our intellect, or our opinions. This might make us feel better, but that should never be our motive. Eliphaz words were coming from his wisdom and his experience and not from God. "The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God." We should never speak for God unless we're sure it is from God. Eliphaz words sound very wise, but he's building a straw man. I think Job nails it when he replies in verse 6:25 "How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove?" And verse 6:28 "But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face?" Eliphaz has gone from being a comforter to an accuser. A question that God's Word brings to me in Chapter 6 is: Sometimes life brings us trials and tribulations and we honestly don't know why. If that happens to me, how will I react? I've not done well in the past in this area. As my faith and trust in Him grows I've been doing better. It's a fact of life that this will happen to us. I think the book of Job is definitely a great teacher for us when it does.

Job 5-6

Job felt he was unjustly being punished because he believed God punished those who were living righteously and he knew he had been.  He thought God was being unfair and was complaining about it.  He also got on his friends who were of no help.  His suffering apparently lasted for months.  It must have been horrible.
  He has taught me this morning to be patient.  To be a friend and listen with understanding instead of joining in.  He taught me to trust in our Lord.
 

Would like to hear from you.

Okay,
    The word is rich.  Full of wisdom.  It is exciting to read and feel it change you.  The idea behind the HUT challenge is to blog what God is revealing to you through His word.  There are only a couple of bloggers and it would be nice to hear from others.  There is some good stuff being said.  I know that at about this time some may be behind on the reading.  It is okay.  Remember you do not have to catch up.  Just start today.  If you can go back to the ones you missed then great.   The idea is to be in the word daily and to share with others.  
   Love the Word.  Love you guys.  Looking forward to reading about what God is saying to you.

Psalms 6,7,8

I will just make a comment on Psalm 6. As I read it this morning I was very moved. It's one I relate to in a big way. I could feel David's pain, his sorrow, his longing for the Lord. I've felt all that. My favorite verse is: "I know you've heard my plea, and I know you will answer my prayer."
The one thing missing for me before I committed to Christ was verse 9. I didn't trust God, I didn't have the Faith that David shows here.

Thank God, I do now.

Verse 9 is a promise from God. I believe it, I trust it, I stand on it! Now I read Psalm 6 and I relate to all the verses.

Come, Lord Jesus

What I think: Joshua 11-15

These chapters in Joshua display some of the most prevalent foundational ideals of following Christ. Chapter 11 shows Joshua and his men continuing to follow the Lord's direction to a T. The Lord threw a lot at Joshua and his men, things that to a lot of us would seem unconquerable. Just as Joshua knew: the Lord will protect us against the imminent opposition we face by claiming the name of Christ. The Lord promises us that He will guide and protect us as long as we will listen and obey, no questions asked. When we start to doubt the Lord is when we begin incorporating our own decisions in with the Lord's will. That is never a favorable concept. We are human, so to second-guess is in our nature. When the Lord is first and everything He says goes, we have confidence in His promises to Joshua. No matter how great the opposition, the Lord is greater and can do all things through those who obey.

I love that it said Joshua was old, but the Lord still had many things He wanted to accomplish through Joshua. That just goes to show that regardless of our earthly situation (young, old, handicapped, etc.) the Lord does not see our ailments, He sees a vessel sold out to His will, working for His glory. If we are willing to trust and obey the Lord with everything in us, He will do great things for His kingdom through us. The Lord does not see our worldly circumstances as hindering, so why should we?

The Lord worked through Joshua and His men in marvelous ways because they hinged on His every command. Chapters 12-15 list the accomplishments and blessings bestowed upon Joshua and his men. It just astounds me the immensity of the blessings they received because they followed the Lord. It occurred to me that Joshua and his men were working for the Lord, not for the blessings they would receive. Their eyes were fixed on the prize, but not the immediate ever-chased prize. They diligently pursued the prize of serving their King with all they had and working for His glory. They did not consider their reward to be the earthly benefits the Lord gave them. They received the ultimate prize, the only thing they really wanted: an eternity with their Lord. It is proven by what the Lord says in 13:33: the tribe of Levi was not given any earthly inheritance, the Lord was their inheritance. What is incredible to me is that was enough for them. That is all any of them wanted. When we choose to follow the Lord and His commands, we can't always expect tangible blessings of this earth. We have to desire the Lord with all of our heart, which makes Him enough. He should be all that we need and what we desire most of all. He has proven time and time again that He IS enough for us. He is really all we need. Following Christ is not about what He can do for us or what He can give us. Pursuing the life of a Christ-follower with anything but the mind and heart of Joshua is inaccurate. We were designed to follow Him for a relationship, not benefits. When we gain that true relationship and change of heart, immediately, the Lord becomes our focus, fully our God. Though we may receive earthly blessings, it no longer really matters. True Christ-followers desire God above all else. With that mindset, we will receive the everlasting prize.

Joshua 11-15 TRUST

Joshua: 11-15

Lots of real estate transactions in these chapters! The lesson/s for me in these chapters are:

1. When God makes a promise, bank on it.

2. Your age makes no difference to God, act like you believe Him. Have strong faith as Joshua and Caleb. Don't be a wimp like the others.

3. Caleb at age 85 asking for his promised land. Never mind the giants and the mountains, he believed God and so his attitude was: What giants? What mountains? Attitude is important.

4. All of the above and more can be summed up in Proverbs 3:5-6...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

What I think: Genesis 8-11

The underlying theme of these chapters, I believe to be: Keeping our eyes on the Lord and striving to emulate His nature will keep us from choosing to partake in the desires of our human nature. It just baffles me how patient Noah was through the story of the flood. He was willing to wait however long the Lord needed Him to. Why? Because He knew the Lord would keep His promises, so He eagerly awaited that fulfillment. Then, after the Lord's promise was enacted, the very first thing Noah did was offer sacrifices of praise to the Lord. His heart and mind were in the right place. The Lord blessed Him by giving Him the entire earth at His disposal. The Lord promises blessings to each and every one of us that faithfully await them. It may not be the whole earth at the palm of our hands, but the blessings are eternal. How we react to the blessings combined with what we do as a result, I believe, dictates the extent to which we will receive them. If we live the life of a Christ-follower by giving all that God has given us back to Him, the Lord can, will and wants to bless us immensely. In addition to that, we must remember that we are called to turn away from the ungodly nature of this sin-soaked world. Ham chose to look into the face of sin and, by calling his brothers, inevitably became a stumbling block for others. We are called to be the Shem and Japheths of this world. There are plenty of Hams who will give in to earthly desires and effortlessly attempt to bring us down as well. When that arises, we have to turn our backs from the sin and do our part to radiantly shine the nature of Christ. We have to help those who sin, yet not allow them to cause us to stumble. If we live a life completely bathed in the nature of the Lord, our desires and actions will change. For that, the Lord will bless us. We were meant to have a heart similar to Shem and Japheth: pure and focused on mimicking the Lord's character. We are called to be leaders for Christ in the temporary while patiently awaiting the eternal. Will we stumble along the way as Noah did? Yes, for the simple fact that we are human. As the Lord says, "Every inclination of our hearts are evil from childhood." That is why Christ died for us, not to give us an excuse to succumb to our human inclinations, but rather to cover our sins and offer grace to those who stumble. Through doing our best and wrapping ourselves in the Lord's nature, we will be able to turn away and be leaders in the name of Christ in this naturally sinful world.

Genesis 8-11

I read today's Word from a Bible that has no notes, no commentary. Except for a short description at the beginning of each book describing Who the inspired author was, when it was written etc., it has nothing but God's Word. It's very hard to find a Bible like that. I like it because I can read His Word without the distraction of someone else's opinion. It's just me and the Holy Spirit. So each morning when I read that's how I start. What is God's Word saying to me. I look for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. I have a template that I make notes on. I observe His Word(people, places, things etc.), try to Interpret it, and look for ways I can apply it to my life or use it in my life today. Now, having said all that, I promise you that I didn't just wake up one morning and Poof! I knew how to study. No. I'm still a work in progress and probably will be for the rest of my days. But, I developed my own style of studying that works pretty good for me right now. I think part of my style comes from God's inspiration but a whole lot of it comes from other people. People who have gone before me and dissected God's Word for all it's worth. So this morning I decided to give an example of one man and how he interpreted our reading. This is great fun! :). Use this year to develop your own style.

These are some notes I copied from Warren Wiersbe. I think his analysis is very good and so I thought I would share.

Enjoy

II. The Flood Considered - Typically

The ark is an illuminating picture of our salvation in Christ (see 1 Peter 3:18–22). The salvation and the ark were planned by God, not invented by humans. There is only one way of salvation and there was only one door in the ark. The ark was made of wood, speaking of the humanity of Christ: He had to be born as man in order to save us. The word for “pitch” in 6:14 is the same as the word “atonement” used later in the OT. God invited Noah and his family into the ark (7:1); then, once they were in, God shut them in so that they were secure (7:16). The ark saved not only humankind, but also the creatures within it, just as Christ’s death will one day deliver creation from the bondage of sin (Rom. 8:18–23). The ark saved Noah and his family from judgment because they believed God’s promise (Heb. 11:7); Christ saves us from the wrath to come as we believe Him. First Peter 3:18–22 connects the ark with the resurrection of Christ; the waters buried the old world but raised Noah to a new life. Noah was faithful to obey all that God commanded; Jesus said, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29). Noah was brought safely through the floods; Christ went through the flood of suffering (Ps. 42:7) and came out in victory. Noah went out of the ark, the head of a new creation with his family; and Christ came out of the tomb, the Head of the new creation, and the Father of a new family.

Noah went through the judgment and was kept safe, just as the believing Jewish remnant will go through the Tribulation to establish the kingdom on the earth. Enoch was raptured before the judgment came (5:21–24; Heb. 11:5), just as the church will be raptured before the wrath of God is poured out upon the world. See 1 Thes. 1:10 and 5:9–10.

III. The Flood Considered - Prophetically

Christ teaches that the days before the rapture and the Tribulation will be like the days of Noah (Luke 17:26, Matt. 24:37–39). We are living in the “days of Noah” today. We see such parallels as the multiplication of people in the “population explosion” (6:1); moral corruption of every kind (6:5); violence (6:11, 13); the expansion of arts and industry (4:16–22); lack of conscience, even for murder (4:23–24); and true believers being in a minority (6:8–10). But keep in mind that “the days of Noah” were also days of witness. In fact, God had told Enoch that judgment was coming, and he warned the people (Jude 14–15). Methuselah, Enoch’s son, was born in the year 687 and lived 969 years. He died in the year 1656—the very year the flood came! In other words, God gave the wicked world 969 years of grace. And for the last 120 years of that period, Noah was preaching and preparing the ark (Gen. 6:3; 1 Peter 3:20). Today, God warns that judgment is coming (2 Peter 3—fire not water), but few listen, and even fewer believe.

IV. The Flood Considered - Practically

We see in the flood account at least these six practical considerations: (1) God must punish sin. There must be death to the old before He can establish the new. (2) God gives warnings but eventually His patience ends and judgment comes. (3) God has always saved people the same way: by grace (6:8), through faith (Heb. 11:7). (4) True faith leads to obedience (6:22; 7:5). (5) True witness demands separation from sin, and Noah and his family kept themselves unspotted from the world. (6) Whether “the sons of God” in 6:1–4 were angels or the family of Seth, the same lesson is seen: God condemns compromise and rebellion, but rewards the separated saint.

Genesis 8-11

This mornings reading revealed to me that the genealogy is listed for our complete understanding.  Each name has a purpose and affects future generations.  Going through the descendants of Noah opened up different parts of the world.  A grandson named Egypt?  Abram?  I think sometimes I just assume these people and places just existed.  It is a good reminder to me that God is fully aware of everyone and every place.  He never changes.  His promises are true (rainbow).  The story of Noah gets toned down because of the commercialization of it.  But really focus and think about this man and what God did with him.  It is truly amazing.  Just amazing.  

I am praying for each blog member this morning.  I pray that His word pierce your hearts and give understanding to the depth of His love for you.   Let's hear what He says to you.  Send out a note.  Amo Dei.

Romans 5,6

Romans is not hard for me to understand but it is hard for me to articulate my understanding.

Chapter 5: Justification through faith in Jesus Christ takes away guilt and so makes way for God's peace. Through Jesus Christ alone the believer comes into fullness of joy, being saved from wrath, not only going to heaven, but going triumphantly.

Chapter 6: Deliverance from the power of indwelling sin by counting the old life dead, and yielding to the new life. It is an abuse of the grace of God in Christ for the believer to think he can sin because he is justified by faith. We must cease from the acts of sin, denying the fleshly life, and surrender to righteous law of God so that we give glory and honor to the righteousness of God.

Promises I like from these two chapters:

1. We've been justified by faith

2. We have God's peace

3. We have gained access into grace

4. We rejoice in our sufferings

5. We get perseverance, character and hope

6. We have God's love in our hearts

7.. We have the Holy Spirit

8. We are no longer powerless

9. We are alive to God through Christ Jesus.

10. We have become slaves to righteousness.

Matt 3-4

This morning was one of those days when the Word just opened up.  Specifically regarding baptism and righteousness.   With all the debates about baptism, it is clear that Jesus gave the reason for it.   He said in Vs 3:15 "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.  His only purpose was to be obedient to the Father.   The events we debate:  birth, death on the cross, suffering, baptism, temptations, healings, etc were all done as acts of obedience to the father.  Jesus did them because the Father told Him to.   Do we really need baptism for salvation?  Is salvation the moment when the Holy Spirit descends on us as it did Jesus?  The debates have been going on for hundreds of years.  Yes, we need to have our belief and stand firm in them, but we need not quarrel about those differences.  One fact that no one can quarrel about is that we are to be baptized because God said we are to be baptized.  That's good enough for me.  We can't be righteous without obedience in fulfilling His commands.  Jesus came to bear witness to the truth.  And the truth is, once again, God is God and we are not.  Amen.

Matthew 3 & 4

Chapter 3

Matthew 3:3 - "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." Another prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled. Matthew 3:13 - This verse used to baffle me as to why did Jesus need to get baptized. After study and reflection I have an answer that works for me now. God may reveal more later but for now I'm okay. After we are "saved" it is suggested that we get baptized. I've heard it said that we do this to make public our commitment to Jesus and I agree. But I think there is another reason. When Jesus was baptized He was making public His commitment to His Father, announcing His intention to follow God's will of saving sinners(all of us). He came to save, to "fulfill all righteousness." He was beginning His messianic ministry. That's the part that I think we need to dwell on. Is Baptism necessary for salvation? No. But if we're going to have a relationship with Jesus I think a powerful way to start it is to get baptized as He did. It's our way of announcing that our ministry is now started and that we intend to do the will of the Father who we now have access to through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our ministry isn't to save sinners as Jesus ministry was. Our ministry is to witness for Jesus. To point sinners to Jesus. When we get baptized we're publicly proclaiming we will be faithful to that calling.

Chapter 4 - One valuable lesson I've learned from this Chapter is this: the best way to deal with the temptations and attacks of Satan is with Scripture. Three times Jesus was tempted and all three times he threw Scripture at Satan. I think it's interesting that Satan also used Scripture, almost as if he was mocking Jesus, when he said "for it is written". Satan often likes to attack me by bringing up my past. I always find peace when that happens by praying Romans 8:1. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It works!

Isaiah 7-11 Jesus in the Old Testament

Whew, that's a lot of reading and way to much material to comment on in a paragraph or two. I narrowed mine down to Jesus.

Isaiah 7-11

I heard a preacher, Adrian Rogers, one day state - "The entire Bible is about Jesus Christ. From the very first verse in Genesis to the last verse of Revelation." I never realized when I first started studying the Bible how much of Jesus there is in the Old Testament, and especially Isaiah. Isaiah 7:14 in our reading today is a prophecy of Jesus. It is referenced in Matthew 1:23 of the New Testament. That's a powerful witness for me of the inerrancy and truthfulness of Scripture. Other references to Jesus are in verses (8:14,15,18)(9:1,2,6,7)(11:1-2,10). That's eleven verses about Jesus, in just four chapters of Isaiah, seven hundred years before He was born! In Isaiah 11:10 is also a prediction of the promised Messiah being available for the Gentiles(all of us). Praise Jesus!

Isaiah 7-11

Jesus.  It is all about Him.  It does not matter who is ruling in the world.  Which king is after us.  It matters that we trust in the God who delivers us through His son.  The difference is that they said it and we read it.

What I think: Job 3-4

Job ends up doing what I believe most of us would have done long before things got to the point they did. I admire Job for still serving the Lord through the horrid things he was forced to endure. He does, however, take his eyes off of the Lord's promises to sulk. While it is understandable, he (in addition to all of us) should put into practice what Eliphaz said to smack Job back into the realization of what his faith does for him. I absolutely love his response. He shows Job that his suffering is for the Lord. He shouldn't be down because all that is happening is due to God's plan for him. While the idea that a side-effect of choosing to live solely for the Lord is great trials, so much more is promised to us because we live to serve the Creator of all things. This life is only temporary and the struggles within it are imminent. If we keep our eyes focused on the Lord and His promise of blessings, He will carry us through the storms of our mortality. Keeping our eyes focused outward on how we can help others will not only take our minds off of our present circumstances, but it will also give us hope of a better tomorrow due to living the way the Lord would have us to live. The struggles of this life are difficult, and in Job's case, overwhelming, but remembering that we are living for our creator and His ultimate purpose should help us to realize that it is not about us. It is not about what we go through or the curve balls thrown our way. It is about reaching out to people who don't have a relationship with the one who saved them. It is about giving others what we already have. Job did that through being a living vessel for the Lord to work through; a beacon of hope for those who are lost. Once we are completely sold out to the Lord, it is no longer about us and our own earthly expectation of a "good life." It is about living the life of a Christ-follower. Is it always easy? No. That is why we have the choice to follow Him or not. When we choose to follow Him, we have to be living proof that it is all about the Lord and trusting that His plan is what is best. Our lives should be a living testament to what the Lord can and will do for all who call upon His name, no matter what we have to go through for that to become reality.

Job 3,4

Chapter 3

After seven days of silence Job speaks in chapter 3. Job is lamenting being born and then saying there are those "Who long for death, but it does not come." Job does not curse God but he does go into "Why" mode. If I counted right He asks seven why questions. If I had to sum up Chapter 3 in one sentence I would use a why question. Job is asking, "Why has thou forsaken me." The words uttered by David in Psalm 22 and Jesus on the cross. Job knew the answer...acceptance. The words he spoke in 2:10 "Shall we indeed 'accept' good from God, and shall we not 'accept' adversity. That's a good lesson for us. We can know the answer but as Job does in Chapter 3 we fight it. Our trust and our resolve weaken.

Chapter 4

Now Eliphaz speaks. He's supposedly the oldest and the wisest. I felt during his talk that he was condescending and sarcastic. First he asks if he can talk but he doesn't wait for a reply he just jumps right in. Eliphaz based his speeches on two things: his observation of life "I have seen" (4:8) and some scary personal experience he had one night (4:12-21). Eliphaz put great faith in tradition as is later explained in Chapter 15 and his God was an inflexible lawgiver, "who ever perished being innocent" (4:7)? His philosophy left little room for the grace of God. He would have made a good Pharisee. The lesson for me in Chapter 4 is: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Or other peoples understanding. :)

"Strengthened Weak Hands... "

Although the rest of what he had to say may not have been all that helpful to Job, or accurate, I really liked what his friend Eliphaz said about him in verses 3-4:

"Behold, you have admonished many,

And you have strengthened weak hands.

Your words have helped the tottering to stand,

And you have strengthened feeble knees." 

I read the rest of chapter 4 and 5, but this one section has stuck with me through the day so far. I like hearing about the kind of man Job was. As I keep reading it over and over again, I wonder... would my friends be able to say this of me?


Happy Thursday, all...

- Abbie

Job 3-5

Job regrets ever being born.  Do you think he was depressed, hurting, etc?  There are those who are out of work, get a splinter, have an argument, or a get a headache and feel the same way.  This man is sick, in pain and lost everything.  I can't imagine and I pray none of us need suffer this bad.  Though in vs 5:17 it says blessed is the one whom God reproves, therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.  IIt goes on to say that Job will have many descendants, live to be a ripe old age, and that this is good for him.  I imagine at that time Job was having a hard time understanding that this was good for him.  I have a hard time understanding that my trials are good for me but I need to be intentional in my thinking that when things are not pleasant for me, God is still God and I am not.  I will trust Him-completely.   Job's friends, who should not speak, started telling him it must have been his fault as what they have seen is that those who plow iniquity also reap the same.  We know that is not Job's case.  God disciplines us for his glory.  His grace does not allow Him to discipline us for what we do wrong.  Thank Him for that.  Anyway, Job is a comfort to me to realize that suffering can be good for me and though I do not think that way in the midst of my trials, I need to be intentional in my thought that I trust His will for me through them as He will never leave me or forsake me.

Psalm 3-5

When I'm studying God's Word one thing I always strive for is finding an application for us, here and now. Psalm 3 has David revealing his mindset in his troubles with his enemies and more specifically with his son Absalom. "Many were saying there is no help for him in God." But David trusted in God, he was able to sleep well at night "for the Lord sustained me." He was suffering consequences for his sins but God had not abandoned him and he knew it. When we become believers we too may have lingering consequences from past and present sins but God is faithful in his promise to "never leave us nor forsake us." In Psalm 4 I like the verses "be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart", "Be still". James also tells us "be slow to anger." It's okay to get angry as long as it's for a right reason and done in a right way and then quickly replaced with "stillness" and a not held onto. Psalm 5 has so much to offer but I'll choose my favorite, the first three verses. I read those and they give me comfort. First we are asking God to hear our words. Then it promises He will hear our voice "in the morning". And I love the conclusion, "In the morning I will direct it to you, And I will look up." It never ceases to amaze me how powerful God's Word is in such a short phrase. "And I will look up", fills me with emotion. I get the mental picture of we invite Him to hear us, He says I'm listening, and then we pray. . We look up. For me that feels like... Father I love you, I know you love me, I trust you completely...Amen.

Psalm 3-5

He lifts us when we are down.  He places a shield around us to protect us.  He sustains us when we are weak,.  He gives me relief when I am in distress.  He puts joy in my heart and gives me peace. He is my safe place.   What an awesome God we serve.  

Psalms 3-5

In Psalms 3, I like how it says "But you are a shield around me, O LORD." I feel that the LORD is going to be a shield for each one of us throughout are lives. He is the one to protect us when there are good times and bad times.

In Psalms 5, I like this statement that is made "Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." This seems to go back to the LORD is a shield. When He spreads his protection it is like a shield for us. Having His protection can make us want to be happy and rejoice are you.

Psalm 3-5

David is crying out to the Lord for a reason that is familiar to all that have been Christ-followers for some time. There will always be opposition for those of us who choose to live in Christ because we are denying ourselves and relying on the the Lord to better us. The world does not take this well. There will always be people whose greatest desire is to knock us down a couple pegs, essentially bringing us to their worldly idea of a level. That is often a very dauntingly scary situation, to me, at least. Really, what can they do to us, though? If we are living for the Lord and that is the cause of their jealous desire for wrath, what is the worst thing another human being can do to us? Torture us? Kill us? Scary thoughts, I know. However, if they torture us in the name of the Lord and we are still living, clearly that was a part of our God-given purpose. We need to find joy and comfort in that. If we are living purely as an instrument for our Lord, that should be all that matters, paying no mind to whatever our earthly circumstances may be in order to fulfill that plan. If we lose our lives over that, then we clearly know we have lived out our purpose in life and we are going on to spend a perfect eternity in the presence of the Savior that we lived and died in the name of. That kind of mental stability is not always easily achievable. We are only human, which comes with it's own set of human emotions and worries. How do we overcome them? Keep our eyes focused on the Lord, just as David did. The Lord will keep us safe and be everything that we need. We have to search for Him in times of hardship, He is always there. We can't be swayed by the delusions of this world. God will abide in a vessel that belongs solely to Him. Where He abides, there should be no worries because He rules our lives, including what happens to us. We have to keep our motives pure and of the Lord in all things. If we follow our human instincts, our intrigues will be our downfall. We can not have God and worldly pleasures. Only following His law will bring about the intangible blessings that last us an eternity. We must commit all of our worries, cares, questions, and ideas to Him and wait in expectation; knowing we will receive all that we need. He will be our all in all if we allow Him to be. We must seek Him out and do as He commands, and nothing else in this world should cause us any strife. We have the power of God in us, what can touch us?

Joshua 6-10

The story of Joshua is definitely one fit for a man...on the surface, at least. The lesson, however, is one that all of us need to learn. It is not easy, by any means, but Joshua and his men are the epitome of the pay-off. We need to learn to be willing to drop EVERYTHING to follow God and His commands. By "everything," that includes, but is not limited to, our time, resources, efforts, but especially everything in us that pulls us away from God's commands. He told them not to take any of the riches from the city, for the city and all that was in it belonged to the Lord. They did not listen. The more we give in to the pull of our human nature, the less God is present in our lives and the more punishment is bestowed upon us to take His place. Now, in Joshua's time, things were much more drastic. You died for going against the Lord's commands. But, even now-a-days, when we fail to obey the Lord's instructions, there are always consequences. The gaping hole that we leave open in our lives when we move the Lord out in an effort to fulfill our own will is inevitably going to be filled with evil. There is right and there is wrong, there is not middle ground. Right leads to blessings and wrong always leads to consequences. What is of the Lord and commanded by the Lord is right, all else is wrong. When you leave the Lord to fulfill any even miniscule desire, you are on your own. You are basically proclaiming that you are your own God. You are what is most important when it comes to whatever that choice pertains to. God can only dwell where He is number one. When we rely solely on ourselves as Joshua did when he made the treaty, things may appear one way, but in fact do nothing but put a kink in the Lord's plan. We have to consult Him for everything. When we consult Him, we have to be prepared to whole-heartedly commit to the answer He gives us. Sometimes our human minds can not be wrapped around a justification as to why the Lord is asking us to do something, but that is because we have our limits in mind. We live inside a box of human possibilities. The things Joshua and his men did when they were committed to following the Lord were astounding! As humans, most of us believe that kind of success to be so far out of the realm of possibility for us that we don't even try. It says over and over again that the cities, their rulers and people were delivered into Joshua's hands. Were Joshua and his men responsible for that; did they cause that to happen? No. That was the Lord, plain and simple. All it took on Joshua's part was complete and utter obedience to what the Lord said to do; no matter how crazy. I mean, seriously, if I had been asked to march around a city for seven days and blow trumpets and expect a wall to crumble, I think I might seek out some professional help and some good medication. It is not something I would ever believe was possible, however, Joshua believed and obeyed and the Lord did the rest. He took what was humanly impossible and made it happen through a body of reverent, obedient men. When the Lord does do something great through us, we can not forget that it was all Him. Joshua continues to say, "The Lord has delivered them into our hands." He doesn't allow his ego to overtake Him. That is why the Lord was able to work through him. He also gained earthly success because to the non-believers, he did what was impossible. We as believers need to know in our heart of hearts and spread the word that nothing is impossible with God leading you.

Guy Stuff

Readings today full of "Guy Stuff"- battles, stones falling from heaven, victory over enemies, etc.  Israel simply whooped up on everyone as long as they were obedient to God.  The one instance that one man took a fleece, gold and silver against God's command caused Israel to get slapped and ultimately he and his family to be stoned and burned.  But then God gave Israel victory again and let them plunder everything.
God caused the sun and moon to stop in the sky to allow Israel to complete their battle.  He rained stones from heaven that killed more than the warriors did.
  The underlying message is, once again,  God is God and we are not.  If we are His children and remain obedient to Him we will be victorious against the enemy.  Should we choose to satisfy our own flesh, God will remove His hand from us and we are weak.  Isn't it amazing how Israel always stuck together.  All tribes joined and listened to their leader, Joshua.   They did not seek their own but God's will.  As Christians we are to join together for the purpose of glorifying God.  Then we can be sure that God will be with us and we can whoop up on the enemy.

Enoch

I think it is amazing that Enoch walked with God.  He was like a teenager when he father Methuselah at only 65 and he was very young at 365 when God took him.   He is the only one mentioned that did not die.  He was taken by God.  Oh, to walk with God and then have him take me.   Wow.   I like Enoch.

Genesis 4-7 -Heather and Jared

Okay, so first I would like to say I love the story of Noah. But first Genesis 4 is mostly about Adam and Eve and the family history of the first family, and Genesis 5 is mostly about how long people lived in the beginning times. BUT, for the longest time I had wondered why people back then lived so long and why people don't now. About three or four years ago a friend pointed this scripture out to me that answered my question fully, and reading it again tonight just reminded me of how amazing it is. Genesis 6:3 The Lord said, "My Spirit will not remain in human beings forever, because they are flesh. They will only live 120 years." This just truly amazes me. I don't know why, it just does.
Now the story of Noah has always been a favorite story of mine because God is so precise about what he wants in the ark and Noah abides every single command. How many people on earth today would do that? Can you imagine what all these people around him thought? I'm sure he was ridiculed and God says to count it all blessing when that happens but it took Noah YEARS to build this ark not to mention that nobody on earth had ever seen rain until the flood so I'm sure everybody in town really ridiculed him about how crazy they probably thought he was and he obeyed God the whole way through. That shows strong faith! We all say we would do just as Noah did if faced with a situation like he was but would we really?
-Heather and Jared

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What the heck are "sons of God?"

And I don't mean "sons of God" as used in the New Testament. I'm talking about in Genesis 6, when the "sons of God" slept with "daughters of men" and had giant children, or Nephilim. WHAT IS THIS?!?

In all seriousness though, Lisa and I have been talking about it today and we're wondering. Are they angels? Are they fallen angels? Because in Job 1:6, it mentions sons of God and Satan coming to present themselves to God.

Of course I've read this before, but never really given it too much thought. And Bible commentaries are saying mixed things. 

Inquiring minds want to know. What do y'all think??

- Abbie & Lisa

Genesis 4-7

Having a relationship with God will always pay off. God desires to shower blessings and happiness upon each and every one of us. It requires self-sacrifice on our part. I love the story of Cain and Abel. It is not a pleasant one, but it is one that provides a fantastic example for those of us who fail to deny ourselves and allow our temptations and emotions to take over. We are selfish, by nature. We want the best for ourselves and ourselves alone. We believe that what we want and what feels right to us is what we deserve. That belief does not coincide with having a real relationship with the Lord. God wants our best; the things that are hardest for us to surrender. That will prove that He is more important in our lives than any material thing (Genesis 4:2-5). Like Cain, the Lord doesn't just want us to give Him some of what we have. Nor does He want the best of what is easiest for us to give up. If we are not willing to surrender the best of the things that mean most to us, we will never gain the profits of a relationship with our Savior. It's one or the other. They can't interconnectedly rule our lives. By hoarding the best of the best, we are allowing those things to come before God. The desire and action of keeping material things from the Lord is just Satan waiting to own us in disguise. We are not the Lord's territory if He is not first in our lives (Genesis 4:7). If we don't master sin through Christ, sin will (and probably already has) mastered us (Genesis 4:8). Refusing to call on the Lord to fill the void of sinful self-gratification will end up compounding more sin and hurt than most of us even imagine. Sin only snowballs to much worse sin (Genesis 4:9-11). Why wait? God will protect us and bestow His blessings upon us if we ask and truly surrender. The more sin we partake in before giving in to this saving knowledge, the worse the consequences. Sin will ALWAYS have consequences (Genesis 4:13-15). Sin takes over when God is not the center of our lives. If we allow God to be our foundation, He will bestow His blessings upon us (Genesis 6:17-18). From the beginning of creation, it is apparent that He wants to bless us, but we make our choices to go against that. Punishments go hand-in-hand with wrongdoings (Genesis 5:1-2). We can be set apart from that. Call on the Lord and He will protect you from the evils of this world and the consequences intertwined with that alternative lifestyle choice. The key to receiving God's infinite blessings is wonderfully obvious through Noah's example. Obey God's commands EXACTLY and He will take care of you in all things (Genesis 6:22, 7:1). We need to lead others in this just as Noah did. If you do as God commands, people will follow and things will fall into place (Genesis 7:5-10). Unending blessings will forever be a defining characteristic of your life. God is waiting to unceasingly rain blessings and protection down on every one of us; He is waiting to do His part. Will we do ours?

His righteousness

What a gift He gave us.  We don't have to earn it.  We get blessed by it.  And it isn't even for us.  It is for His righteousness to be seen through us.   Isn't that just amazing?

Romans 3-4

These chapters in Romans basically sum up the common-sense basics of what it means to be a TRUE Christ-follower. Paul says that if we are to be called followers of our Lord, we have to live like it. Now-a-days, there are so many skewed ideas of what it means to be a Christ-follower and of who our Lord even is. There are many hypocrites who believe they are doing what it takes to be saved from hell, when in fact, all they are doing is justifying their sinful ways through meaningless banter and driving a larger and larger wedge between them and the Lord. Sin has control over their lives, there is no room for another governing force. If we want to gain a relationship with the One who will save us, it requires slaying our egos and denying ourselves. Those are the first and biggest steps towards really knowing our Savior. We can't live for Him until we completely relinquish the reigns of our lives to Him. We have all made mistakes and we all struggle with things, but the Lord wants to relieve us of the burden of being in control. Many, such as myself, cringe at the idea of not being in control. I thought everything I did was ok because I was totally in control of my choices. Big surprise, the life I thought was justifiably still Christian ended up gaining control of me. There is nothing but sadness and brokenness within the options the world has to offer us. Living for earthly things, though seemingly controlled, leads to nothing but a dead-end into depression due to regrets that none of us have control over. The reason we suffer is because we don't have control over our temptation. By giving into whatever that may be, we allow it to gain control over us. The Lord made us to only have one governing force and that is Him. Nothing else will satisfy. If it is not the Lord, it is not as it should be.

Once we make the choice to relinquish power, the Lord will save us. He will heal us of our wounds from the mistakes we made. No matter what we have done or how far we have strayed, once we give the Lord our all, He will restore us. That is why He sent His son to die (Romans 3:30). Once the Lord saves us, it will not be all unicorns and butterflies. Our human nature will forever pull us one way, but we need to cling to our Savior with the everlasting knowledge that He can and will make beauty out of our mess (Romans 3:21-26). That is where faith comes in. Faith is the founding principle of what we base our lives on. If we don't have total faith that every aspect of what we are living for is real (including God's promises), why even try? We have already proven that we can not run the show, God HAS to lead or things won't work. We can't have a relationship until He leads and we whole-heartedly follow. God has a plan for each and every one of our lives, but He will not begin work in us until we truly trust God with our life (Romans 4:13). With an undying faith in the Lord and what He can and will do through us, great things will come about. With faith comes good works, with good works, we are teach-able, mold-able. God wants to bless us and do great things through us. The founding necessity in this is self-less faith. God did amazing things through Abraham because he trusted that the Lord would do what He promised. We have the opportunity to be a testament to God's grace. All it requires of us is realizing that every good thing that occurs in our lives is about God and because of God (Romans 4:3). None of us can fathom what God can and will do through us. You are a true Christ-follower when you trust Him to do what you know you can not (Romans 4:5). Even when things appear hopelessly impossible, we need to ignore what we know we can not do, and rather, put our faith in and find strength through what God said He would do (Romans 4:18). Once we are saved, it is a never-ending cycle of joy and amazement in the Lord. There is no point in relying on an ever-changing world with ever-changing excuses as to why wrong is acceptable. God stays the same, honest, pure, loving, faithful, and redeeming (Romans 3:1-8). We need to focus on Him and find all that we need through Him. Being swayed by human justifications is a sure-fire way to end up with crippling fear and regret. Romans 3 and 4 are all about the connection we have the opportunity to form with Christ. We can not be defined by the label, all that matters is self-less faith. Rely on God to do the rest.

Romans 3-4

While reading chapter 3, the first thing that popped out to me was verse 3 and part of verse 4 "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!" This means to me that those people who have a lack of faith is still going to be rewarded with God's faithfulness no matter what.

The second thing that popped out to me was verse 20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." That is a powerful statement to read. That we will not be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law but rather by through the law we can be aware of our sins and be righteous in his sight.

Matthew 1-2

I really admire the complete obedience, faith and selfless acts of worship within the story of the birth of Jesus. Let's start with Joseph and Mary. They had their lives planned. They were going to be married and live the typical lives of two normal Israelites. Something I have learned many times in my life: God's will does not always match up perfectly with our plans. As a Christ-follower, we must be prepared, willing and even excited about the possibility of the Lord changing our plans and working through us. Mary and Joseph did not know what Lord was doing when He asked them drop all their plans and leave the comfort zone that they had created for themselves. They simply trusted (1) that was the Lord's will and it was the Lord speaking to them and (2) that they would be taken care of if they chose to follow the Lord's lead. Like Mary and Joseph, we must be determined to give of ourselves in direct obedience, despite not being confident in the human knowledge of why things are the way they are (Matthew 1:24). Thoughtless obedience and confidence in the Lord is the only way He can fully work through us. Mary and Joseph didn't know the outcome, what they did know was that beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Lord was working through them for the good of His kingdom. They wanted to be a part of that, despite the struggles they knew they would have to endure. If we have a Christmas-story faith, He will use us and protect us through everything that He leads us through. He will reveal to us that it is Him speaking to us if only we keep attentive and remain faithful (Matthew 1:20). The story of Jesus' birth is the epitome of His character. The Lord sent His son to save our lives. He is ever-present and desires to form an everlasting bond with each and every one of us. He stooped to our level by becoming human and walking through the same struggles we face. He came to give us a chance; a chance to be saved despite our human nature; an opportunity to know Him; and a chance to live eternally in His Heavenly perfection (Matthew 1:21,23). The Lord even gave Herod a chance to know Him. I believe that is why he and the Magi crossed paths. The Lord was giving Herod a chance to do the right thing and surrender to the Almighty. Did he take that opportunity? No, but that is free-will. Nonetheless, all we as Christ-followers must be willing to put His word out there. When we take that opportunity to know Him, it is crucial that our next step lies within the willingness to be like the Magi and go the distance to worship Him (Matthew 2). The Magi had faith and were willing to give of themselves and travel for miles and miles just to worship Him. We may not know why things happen the way they do, but in the end, all things will work together to fulfill His will (Matthew 2:13-16). There is confidence in that. But, we have to be willing to walk through whatever He calls us to with complete faith in Him. We have to want to go the distance; as far as He calls us to go; as much mess as He calls us to go through just so we can end up worshiping Him in Heaven for all eternity. How far will you go; what will you walk through to worship the King?

A marvelous Creator

I am finally all caught up with the readings and I was so far behind for this week I will just post my favorite reading which was Genesis 1-3:

My heart skips a beat and butterflies arise in my stomach as I read the first five words in Genesis "In the beginning God created.." What a marvelous sentence for the beginning of an amazing story. I try to visualize the next several sentences but its so hard to image what the beginning could have looked like, however it must have been amazing to watch God form everything together. After the overview in Chapter one, Chapter two gets more detailed. My favorite part about chapter two is verse seven (not taking this from what we talked about at the Hut, by the way) Gods breath of life fills our nostrils...As I read that I just see all of creation just pausing, all wind ceases, animals stop there feeding and look up to what there Creator is going to do next and then there it is a Man form with God in front of him smiling and then... BREATH... WOW! Gods love is AMAZING breathe in us, who are we? Gods breath is so very important to this life without it we are but a form, a body, a shell, but with breath, with life we can do so much. We can seek knowledge and wisdom, we can accept or reject, we can dance or jump, we can talk with our Creator! Breath is important because it is a part of our Creator inside us, every time we inhale and exhale we are reminded, yet I know that I take my breath, my life for grant. This chapter showed me how important we are to God, important enough to fill our nostrils with his breath and with out HIM we are nothing.

Chapter three I will be short cause I talked your ear off in chapter two...

Reading through the fall of man it showed me just ONE choice can change the course of a persons life FOREVER. I need to remember that every minute, every moment, every choice is important and my decision effects my course of life forever..

In all God has shown me the Importance of Him as my Creator and how to handle this life he has given me with obedience and submit to His will because my choices will fail with out HIM!

Isaiah 1-6

The book of Isaiah is a real smack in the face to those of us who believe that everything we do is because of ourselves. We get so wrapped up in believing that what we do on our own; our wisdom, our deeds (good and evil), our talents, etc. are all products of a personal achievement. We all know somewhere deep inside that there is something bigger than us. Our consciences are a prime example. There must be something more if there is an internal spectrum of right and wrong. If there was no governing force out there, there would be no correct and incorrect. We would all be able to do what we want in this life without question of whether it is correct because our greatest judges would simply be the people around us. Therefore, those who choose not to dig deeper into the possibility of accuracy within that statement, continue their sinful ways. It obviously causes damage, yet it is the way of our fallen nature (Isaiah 1:4-6). We choose not to strive for better because we believe it to be difficult and not worth it compared to immediate earthly pleasures. Though temporary, we find those to be more worth it because it caters to the "it's all about me and what is pleasing to myself" mentality. The damage that our sinful nature leads us to is just astounding. Yet, we ignore it because we, for whatever reason, believe it is worth the price we pay. You know what price we pay for being Christ-followers? We are asked to live a life that is not about us. A life that does not cater to our every whim. A life that, in the end, may not cause us to be rich, healthy or well-liked. Yet, if we choose that route, God promises us the pay-off (Isaiah 3:10). We all think it will be difficult having to give this or that up to follow Christ. I know that was a HUGE issue for me when I decided to give the Lord my life. But, that is just it! God doesn't want our sacrifices. He doesn't want what we will "give up for Him." He just wants US (Isaiah 1:11-13). He understands that living a God-fearing life is not going to come easily, but that is why He wants to forgive us (Isaiah 1:18-19). The effort on our part is as simple as choosing to stop the wrong we partake in and seek to do what is right (Isaiah 1:16-17). We must be willing and obedient and He will bless us (Isaiah 1:19). Easy? No. Worth it? COMPLETELY (Isaiah 3:10). So, again, from an eternal standpoint this time; what are we giving up to follow God? Those who choose the immediate over the eternal will have earthly riches now, but nothing in the end (Isaiah 2:6-9). This life is all we have, death will end those who have not lived a life worthy of eternal joy in Heaven (Isaiah 1:20, 28). On judgment day all that we have gained on earth will be stripped from us (Isaiah 3:18-23). We will be left with our soul and the deeds (negative or positive) that we have wracked up in this life. What will your judgment be? Often times, I fear that my downfall will be that I think things are about me. The good things that happen to me are an account of what I have done. That is the evil nature within us, so we choose to go with what we believe to be right, though it is usually skewed as compared to what the Lord would have us do. If I am going to call myself a follower of Christ, I must defy my human nature, keep my eyes focused on the Lord and HIS will, and be humbled by what God can do through me, not what I can accomplish in this life. Everything I have, all that I am is from God, why misuse it? It is not about me.

What I Learned About Pride (Isaiah) - Abbie

So I haven't posted yet because I've been catching up on reading, and I figured I'd just jump in now rather than trying to catch up on posting :) I've really enjoyed reading all the stuff you guys are sharing!

Today I read the first 5 chapters of Isaiah and I was absolutely convicted of this one pesky little sin in my life...

Pride.

Know what sucks about pride? If I'm going along my merry little way, thinking I'm not prideful, I look at someone who is and then I actually start feeling really proud that I'm not prideful like they are.

Really?!

That's because it's not at all about "not being prideful" - it's much more than that. It's about making much of the name of Jesus. It's about realizing that I have nothing to be proud of - nothing except my Savior.

"The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day." 

- Isaiah 2:11

Job

I love the book of Job, its a real motivator. No matter what Satan does Job won't give up on God, and God won't give up on Job. It always makes me wonder though; if this is what God thinks of Job, what does God think of me?

Job 1-2

In chapter 1, Job was put to the test by Satan. Satan was trying to get Job to curse God. Job lost everything from this children to his livestock. Verse 21 says "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." I think says a lot about who Job is. He knows that the LORD gave him the livestock he had and blessed him and his wife with children and he knows the what happened to his family was in the LORD hands. Like the verse says, the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Job fears the LORD, so he trust in what the LORD can do and praises him no matter what happens.

Job 1-2

Job is such an admirable individual. He has the faith that we should all envy and strive to emulate. The question that we must ask ourselves: If everything that defined us as happy and successful in this world was taken from us: our loved ones, the possessions that crown our achievements, our physical health, even our emotional health; despite all of those losses, would we still, without fail, praise God because we will never lose Him? I am sorry to say, but the second that any of those were taken from me, I'm not quite sure I would be capable of bouncing back to complete faith. Why? If we, as Christ-followers, claim to have all that we need in our Lord and Savior, why would He not be enough if we were left with Him and Him alone? That is the way of the world in us. We put far too much stock in the physical entities around us. Job clearly states that Satan is in control of our worldly possessions. I believe that is often why the non-Christ-followers of this world have so much, because it rules their lives. That is their god, which, in-turn, makes Satan the reigning power over their very being. If we were to put as much effort into worshiping the God that we claim to serve as they do in their god, would we really NEED everything that we "have to our name?" Granted, it is much easier to give in to our natural instincts than to defy our human nature to follow our Heavenly father. I come back to the fantastic question that Dan asks constantly, "Do you believe that what you believe is really real?" Let's take a quick look at what we believe. Just to name a few...

• God is our provider
• God is our healer
• God is our helper
• God is our deliverer
• God is our strength
• God is our sustainer
• God is our foundation
• God is our protector
• God is ever-present
• God is our guide
  
• God is EVERYTHING that we need

If we live as though we believe that our beliefs are true, we would have no need for the things that Job had taken from him; the very things that often define our status in this life. God is all we need. Either we believe that or we don't; and we must live as such. Satan will do all that he can to devour those of us who claim to have a real relationship with God. If Satan chooses to come after us with all that he owns (i.e. every worldly thing), we must be prepared to lose everything for the Lord. We have to keep our eyes focused on God and be thankful that He is all we need. Choose this day whom you will serve. It MUST be a whole-hearted decision. Everything that we hold dear in this life is at stake. In order to be true Christ-followers, we must be willing to lose everything to gain eternal life; in the end, that is all that matters.

The final question: What defines you? The tangible gains of this world or our intangible father?

Psalm 1-2

Everyone pretty much said what we thought about these two Psalms. Our favorite verse is the last part of Psalm 2, “But what JOY for all who take refuge in him!” AMEN!
That’s all for now, folks!

--Kayla and Brandon

Playing Catch-Up (Tuesday's reading) (Kayla)

Joshua 1-5

Okay, this one won’t be as long =)

I love the story of Rahab and the spies. God used “one of the least of these”, a prostitute, to fulfill his plan. Obviously she was a woman of faith in Yahweh; because she said, “I know the Lord has given you this land” (Josh 2:9). She goes on to say what the Lord has done for the Israelites. Since Rahab let God use her, she and her whole family were saved. Later on she married Salmon and gave birth to Boaz. So, Rahab was the mother-in-law of Ruth. She is also one of only five women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.

This story portrays God’s grace so perfectly!! We as humans may have thought Rahab was a “no-body” because of who she was or used to be. But God’s grace covered that and she was in the family lineage of Jesus!! So cool!!!

---Kayla

Days 3&4

To me Joshua showed what its really like to be a leader in the name of God. He put all his faith in God and trusted in what God commanded him to do, and thats something I hope to one day acheive. To be able to completely trust in God with all the aspects of my life, because at this point its not that I don't trust God. Its just when I pray, its more of a christian duty for me than actually believing God is going to answer. It also said alot to me when in Chaper 1: 6-9 it talked about being strong and following the Law because we all know ressisting temptation isn't always the easiest thing, but sometimes you just have to stick to your guns man up and do it.
Psalm Chapter 1 iss one of my favortie books in the bible because its plain and simple. Follow me and you will be blessed. Follow the ways of the world and your going to die. Psalm chapter 2 was more just fear God, which is something I think alot of us forget to do. I mean we think of all the sappy feelings and how Jesus died for us, but God is still God and we still need to respect him as such.

Playing Catch-Up (Monday's reading) (Kayla)

Just got home from a nice little road trip. I didn’t have computer access, so I hope you don’t mind that I play catch-up!!

Genesis 1-3

I have read these chapters so many times….along with seeing movies and watching cartoons that contain these chapters. But this time when I read them, I had things revealed to me that I never seen, thought much about, or knew before! You possibly have, but oh well, I’m going to share anyways =)

The first one is when God rested on the seventh day (Gen 2:1-3). I’ve always read that and thought,”Okay, God rested…big deal.” But this time, I thought about it more…..since when does God need “rest?” Did He really need to rest after creating the entire universe? Uh, no. He’s God! I believe He rested to show us an example. To show us that we need to have a day of rest, and to lay the foundation for Israel’s worship.

The second observation comes from this verse. Gen 2:9b- “In the middle of the garden he (God) places the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” It doesn’t say “the tree of life and the knowledge of good and evil.” All the times before, I thought this was one tree! Now, all of you probably think this is elementary, but I seriously never knew that. In the movies I remember watching, there was just one tree. Now, God didn’t say that Adam and Eve couldn’t eat from the tree of life. He only said to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). So this means that Adam and Eve could eat from the tree of life, and probably were before banned from the garden. But now let’s skip ahead to after they ate of the fruit and God curses them. Gen 3:22-24 is where it gets interesting. Verse 22 says, “Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” Then God banished them. Why was God so concerned about them living forever now? They were eating of the fruit before, but now that they have sinned it is a different story. I wasn’t sure of the answer, but my study bible made it a little clearer. I’ll just quote what it said. “Mercifully, God prevented humankind from eating of the tree of life and having to life forever in a fallen state. Through Jesus Christ, however, eternal life is once again available.” So, God was protecting us by banishing Adam and Eve, or we would live in a fallen world forever!

Okay…third thing. This one is just a little observation. Eve wasn’t given her name until after they sinned. Gen 3:20- “Then the man-Adam-named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.” Before the fall, Eve was just called “woman.” Not sure if this has any hidden meaning, but I didn’t notice until I read it this time.

I love it when God’s word reveals new things to me! Let me know what you think—if you knew these things already, disagree, agree, or whatever! Let’s get some discussion going! =)

----Kayla

Psalms 1-2

Psalm 1 to us was really just an explanation of good vs. wicked. I felt
Like God was trying to explain to us how much better your life can be
If you simply follow him. Psalm 1:3 says "Psalm 1:3-4 (NCV)
3They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in
season, and its leaves don't die. Everything they do will succeed." The rest of Psalm 1
To us makes us feel like God is trying to warn the wicked of their outcome
If they do not follow him.
-Heather and Jared

Psalm 1-2

I have often struggled in the past with the ratio of what I give up in an effort to follow God vs. gaining in the world. The first chapters in Psalm speak of the ostensible gain that the world brings. Psalm 1:4 basically says that whatever we do in this world will die with us unless we follow the Lord's will. We all desire happiness, wealth, and success in the dreams we choose to pursue. These are all worldly things. Although not necessarily negative, there are things that need to come before the pursuing of "worldly blessings." God blesses those who are intentional about following Him (Psalm 1:1). In addition to intentionally following His word comes enthusiastic studying of His word. Delight in Him is a by-product that comes with intentionality. That takes care of one of the biggest pursuits in this life; joy. Not temporary emotional highs as the world brings; but rather, true joy in the Lord and His promises. As for wealth, the Lord promises us prosperity and gain (Psalm 2:8). Not temporary gain, but eternal gain. In order to gain the Lord's wealth, we must serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling (Psalm 2:11). In that, your riches lie. Not worldly, insignificant, perishable wealth, but everlasting wealth in our Savior. There is no promise of worldly success in this life for anyone; Christ-follower or not. Those who are not Christ-followers and still don't obtain personal worldly gain, in the end, have nothing. Those of us who follow God and His commands have the promise of being blessed and prospering though our Lord (Psalm 1:3, 2:12). In order to gain those, we must trust in Him for everything. We must take refuge in His arms, and not expect everything to go as our physical minds lead us to believe they should. We, in the end of this short life, have everything imaginable, despite our earthly circumstances. Psalm 1 and 2 prove that it is best to follow the Lord and ignore the world's idea of "having it all." Contrary to what my mind may tell me is the best for me, I must remember in all things: if it is not of the Lord, there is no purpose but temporary, fleeting gain (Psalm 1:4). We MUST be set apart and focus our eyes away from the ways of this world and the wicked who inhabit it, in order to gain eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.