Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
The Light Of The World
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 KJV
Jesus is the illumination of God's love.
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." - Genesis 1:3 KJV
God wanted to make it possible for us to see things that were far away in this creation He was making so He illuminated it.
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." - John 8:12 KJV
Yes! Yes! Yes! He Is the light that lights every man and shows us the love of the Father. Love is invisible unless you show it... It is unknown unless you say it. God didn't hide His love. He showed us His love.
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV
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Friday, July 28, 2017
All From Three Mothers
Just pondering the time between Adam and Noah. It must have been very interesting. Wild. Dangerous. People lived long lives in a world that was very different than our own in many ways.
"The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." - Genesis 3:20 ESV
"Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood." - Genesis 7:6-7 ESV
All of humanity came from one woman but then in Noah's time, the lineage of mankind was narrowed significantly. All of the mitochondrial DNA only gets passed down through these three women. Everyone on the planet today came from the traits these three women possessed.
What variation there must have been in that ancient world.
God narrowed humanity down. Our genetics was focused so that a child could be born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Mary was just a women like other woman but she was the right woman for the job even though she didn't seem to think so.
God arranged things so that you would be who you are. The molecules that make up your body at any given time were arranged by God to give you form so that you could have a chance to know your creator.
"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," - Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV
One day we are going to meet some strange folks. Their mothers died in the flood and our mothers didn't. Eternity has so much to look forward to if we know that baby born in Bethlehem.
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"The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." - Genesis 3:20 ESV
"Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood." - Genesis 7:6-7 ESV
All of humanity came from one woman but then in Noah's time, the lineage of mankind was narrowed significantly. All of the mitochondrial DNA only gets passed down through these three women. Everyone on the planet today came from the traits these three women possessed.
What variation there must have been in that ancient world.
God narrowed humanity down. Our genetics was focused so that a child could be born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Mary was just a women like other woman but she was the right woman for the job even though she didn't seem to think so.
God arranged things so that you would be who you are. The molecules that make up your body at any given time were arranged by God to give you form so that you could have a chance to know your creator.
"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," - Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV
One day we are going to meet some strange folks. Their mothers died in the flood and our mothers didn't. Eternity has so much to look forward to if we know that baby born in Bethlehem.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Atmospheric Rivers
Here is an interesting term I have been hearing lately... 'atmospheric river'... Our atmosphere can apparently contain huge amounts of water under certain conditions. Which brings me to this passage in scripture.
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights." - Genesis 7:11-12 ESV
Before the great flood there was no rain. Mist formed to water the garden. What a different world it must have been. Our first ancestors lived hundreds of years at a time when the world was young. The atmosphere must have been like an ocean not just an occasional river.
But when Noah was 600 years old the bubble burst.
It is always amazing to me how scientific discovery keeps reinforcing the reliability of the scriptures.
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"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights." - Genesis 7:11-12 ESV
Before the great flood there was no rain. Mist formed to water the garden. What a different world it must have been. Our first ancestors lived hundreds of years at a time when the world was young. The atmosphere must have been like an ocean not just an occasional river.
But when Noah was 600 years old the bubble burst.
It is always amazing to me how scientific discovery keeps reinforcing the reliability of the scriptures.
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Friday, January 13, 2017
The Mystery Of Menopause
As far as we know there are only three species that experience menopause... humans, killer whales and short-finned pilot whales. Every other living thing reproduces until the end of their life.
The whole concept of menopause baffles evolutionist thinking because this mindset is based on the idea that the goal of life is to pass your genes on to the next generation. If that stops then why should a creature keep on living? Why is there a biological process in place to support such a state?
The best answer I have seen is that God made us this way.
I'm not bringing this subject up to solve a scientific mystery. This issue points to the uniqueness of man. We are made in God's image and we have a special place in creation.
"...For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace..." - Hebrews 13:9b KJV
Grace makes us free to give and receive support. We don't live to perpetuate ourselves. We live to glorify God and grace glorifies God.
You might be young and just starting a family or you may be past that stage of your life but you are very precious to God.
God, please establish us in this truth. We are not important because of what we do. Your love gives us worth and you love each one of us so richly. Thank you God.
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The whole concept of menopause baffles evolutionist thinking because this mindset is based on the idea that the goal of life is to pass your genes on to the next generation. If that stops then why should a creature keep on living? Why is there a biological process in place to support such a state?
The best answer I have seen is that God made us this way.
I'm not bringing this subject up to solve a scientific mystery. This issue points to the uniqueness of man. We are made in God's image and we have a special place in creation.
"...For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace..." - Hebrews 13:9b KJV
Grace makes us free to give and receive support. We don't live to perpetuate ourselves. We live to glorify God and grace glorifies God.
You might be young and just starting a family or you may be past that stage of your life but you are very precious to God.
God, please establish us in this truth. We are not important because of what we do. Your love gives us worth and you love each one of us so richly. Thank you God.
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Thursday, March 31, 2016
What Are We Becoming?
'We are becoming what we already are.' is a theme that is repeating again and again in the booklet I'm reading.
Our world view is so vital isn't it? The theory of macro evolution states that change is happening slowly. Some change is useful and some isn't. The useful change will survive and the less useful change will die out. But Christian thought makes a distinction between natural replication and spiritual replication making the claim that the natural is missing something vital and that over time that missing piece causes a more and more degraded product.
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;" - 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 ESV
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:10a ESV
When what was missing (spiritual life) has been restored we are what we are by the grace of God and we are becoming what we are by the grace of God.
The flesh isn't 'regarded' in this dynamic because our bodies continue on the course they were on from birth. They age and experience quickenings at times but our identity is new. This new person can live in newness. The new person can glorify God in the moment. The new person can love, forgive and have mercy. The natural person can dabble in those elements but the new person thrives in those concepts. A new person inhales mercy and exhales forgiveness.
If a person hasn't believed in Jesus they have an identity based on the fall. The God of the Bible sees two identities. One is found in the fall and the other is found in His Son Jesus.
"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." - Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV
Yes, I am convinced that we are all becoming what we already are. Are we hidden in Christ or do we have only one birth to identify with?
--
Our world view is so vital isn't it? The theory of macro evolution states that change is happening slowly. Some change is useful and some isn't. The useful change will survive and the less useful change will die out. But Christian thought makes a distinction between natural replication and spiritual replication making the claim that the natural is missing something vital and that over time that missing piece causes a more and more degraded product.
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;" - 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 ESV
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:10a ESV
When what was missing (spiritual life) has been restored we are what we are by the grace of God and we are becoming what we are by the grace of God.
The flesh isn't 'regarded' in this dynamic because our bodies continue on the course they were on from birth. They age and experience quickenings at times but our identity is new. This new person can live in newness. The new person can glorify God in the moment. The new person can love, forgive and have mercy. The natural person can dabble in those elements but the new person thrives in those concepts. A new person inhales mercy and exhales forgiveness.
If a person hasn't believed in Jesus they have an identity based on the fall. The God of the Bible sees two identities. One is found in the fall and the other is found in His Son Jesus.
"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." - Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV
Yes, I am convinced that we are all becoming what we already are. Are we hidden in Christ or do we have only one birth to identify with?
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Birds In The Tabernacle Of God
In David's time there was no temple yet. There was a tabernacle. It was a kind of elaborate pitched tent. The tabernacle, unlike the temple, could be moved from place to place.
At the time this Psalm was written David was troubled and he went to go visit the tabernacle to find God. Once there he sees that birds have made their nest in the tabernacle and they are singing and enjoying themselves in simplicity.
"To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!
Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah" - Psalm 84:1-8 ESV
David is going through a valley but this demonstration of nature finding a refuge in God's house showed him a picture of the refuge we can find in His house.
The valley of weeping is a real place that we face as individuals. Locations can come to represent valleys. Places can have a spirit of defeat and sadness.
David went to find God and found God's place to be a place of birds singing.
The doctrine of God's grace is a place where our mind can go and find birds nesting. Jesus came as the embodiment of grace and truth. He healed all that he came in contact with... rich or poor... young or old... good or bad. He died on a cross and opened the doors of Heaven and gave men and women citizenship. He gives favor apart from merit. We can fail a thousand times and He will receive us as freely and openly as He did the first time we came to Him. Grace. Our mind can make a nest there and find shelter there.
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." - Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV
The thing about the tabernacle is that it can move. It isn't a fixed temple or mountain. The tabernacle can come to the valley and represent the mountain there. When grace teaching comes pools form from the springs of living water. Birds find the tabernacle and make their nest.
Oh, People need the tabernacle. Places need the tabernacle of fellowship. There are plenty of dead buildings in these valleys. No one needs another dead building but people need the refuge of grace. They need to retrace the steps of Christ and explore His mind. They need a safe place to come to on the Earth. A place free of judgement. A place to grow and raise their young.
Our valleys are real valleys. The tabernacle is the answer. Learning and remembering grace is the answer. Drawing near to people who live in grace is a real provision.
God help us. We can get so self absorbed that we abandon our provision. There is a whole world of places that need tabernacles out there. Help us God. Give us a vision and a provision to go out and sow the seed you have given us.
--
At the time this Psalm was written David was troubled and he went to go visit the tabernacle to find God. Once there he sees that birds have made their nest in the tabernacle and they are singing and enjoying themselves in simplicity.
"To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!
Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah" - Psalm 84:1-8 ESV
David is going through a valley but this demonstration of nature finding a refuge in God's house showed him a picture of the refuge we can find in His house.
The valley of weeping is a real place that we face as individuals. Locations can come to represent valleys. Places can have a spirit of defeat and sadness.
David went to find God and found God's place to be a place of birds singing.
The doctrine of God's grace is a place where our mind can go and find birds nesting. Jesus came as the embodiment of grace and truth. He healed all that he came in contact with... rich or poor... young or old... good or bad. He died on a cross and opened the doors of Heaven and gave men and women citizenship. He gives favor apart from merit. We can fail a thousand times and He will receive us as freely and openly as He did the first time we came to Him. Grace. Our mind can make a nest there and find shelter there.
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." - Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV
The thing about the tabernacle is that it can move. It isn't a fixed temple or mountain. The tabernacle can come to the valley and represent the mountain there. When grace teaching comes pools form from the springs of living water. Birds find the tabernacle and make their nest.
Oh, People need the tabernacle. Places need the tabernacle of fellowship. There are plenty of dead buildings in these valleys. No one needs another dead building but people need the refuge of grace. They need to retrace the steps of Christ and explore His mind. They need a safe place to come to on the Earth. A place free of judgement. A place to grow and raise their young.
Our valleys are real valleys. The tabernacle is the answer. Learning and remembering grace is the answer. Drawing near to people who live in grace is a real provision.
God help us. We can get so self absorbed that we abandon our provision. There is a whole world of places that need tabernacles out there. Help us God. Give us a vision and a provision to go out and sow the seed you have given us.
--
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