Nimrod

Genesis 10:7-12 - The sons of Cush: Seba, Hav'ilah, Sabtah, Ra'amah, and Sab'teca. The sons of Ra'amah: Sheba and Dedan.  Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."  The beginning of his kingdom was Ba'bel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar.  From that land he went into Assyria, and built Nin'eveh, Reho'both-Ir, Calah, and  Resen between Nin'eveh and Calah; that is the great city.

As soon as I read the name Nimrod…my brain started to giggle. It could not accept the mighty warrior part of this story that I was reading…because I had heard myself and others called this name for different reasons.  People use this label ‘nimrod’ when others around them have been particularly stupid…or do something really dumb….or act like a total jerk. It has become a term to describe someone ‘unmighty’ at best….a name I sure did not enjoy being called….a name I probably fell in the trap of calling someone else at some point in my life….for sure a name I will need to think twice about using again after rereading this part of Genesis.

God has a purpose in inserting this diversion from the genealogy of Noah in the bible …I think to remind us to be careful with the talents he gives…to not let pride and peer pressure drive us to levels we cannot handle without a Godly dose of humility…..for if you flip to 1 Chronicles 1:10 …you read, “Cush was the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth.” Do you see that word began…he began to be mighty….and his skills drew crowds of people to him so that they made him King…not God. He was the first Earthly king…the first person to sit on a throne here on Earth…the first to mislead people into thinking that a man could ever do for us what God intended us to rely on him for.

Maybe we do use that term ‘nimrod’ correctly today….for Nimrod sure was dumb to leave God out of his life…and all those people that followed him sure did something stupid when they left God to follow a mere man….even if he was mighty….even if he did have the skills needed to protect them.  I need to do a lot more research to be totally sure of my theory…but I am thinking that many of the nations King Nimrod ruled became evil….and prideful…and eventually fell in the process of the Israelites move into the promised land.

Father…I thank you for the double reminder today that I need to be more careful to follow just you.  Thank you for reminding me that the skills and talents you have placed in me…were given to me to be used to bring people to you….not to build any fame or following for myself.  Help me to work for only you…and never be tricked into using them for Satan’s evil.  Help me father to see that I have only to please you...and do not need man’s approval or following to know that I am living my life for you. I also need your help to be more positive in what I say and do.  Satan tricks me daily into using a negative word…or complaint…or falling into the trap of thinking I am not loved.  Send godly people into my life that will help me to feel loved and used as a vessel of your truth….so that every word out of my mouth will be encouraging and reflective of what you truly want me to be…your love and your grace and your mercy overflowing from every action and word I say. Amen.

The Double Promise of the Rainbow

Genesis 9: 12-17 -   And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." 

God played a card that would change the face of the Earth forever…and man would forever remember the power he had to judge and destroy that which did not follow his ways…that which did not love him more than anything else. The flood that released the water vapor above and allowed the waters recessed in the deepest caves of the Earth to flow freely…changed not only the face of the land they remembered…it changed the climate around them. The greenhouse roof that God created with all the water above the Earth was removed…and the regions closest to the Sun got hotter as the regions furthest away got so cold man could not survive. The water on the face of the Earth would be caught up and carried away to collect in clouds…..and released to keep the plants, animals and individual alive.  Every time it rained man and animal alike would remember the terrible year…remember the water that flooded the Earth…and destroyed all but Noah’s family and the creatures he brought into the ark.

So like God to bring comfort just when we needed it. God comforted Noah and his family with a promise….a promise for all future generations to never again destroy the Earth with water. He even placed a visual in the sky …God crafted the beautiful rainbow from the moisture than lingers in the sky after a rain.  He allowed the pure light of his radiant glory to shine through those small …seemingly insignificant water drops….and created a bow of splendid colors…that kissed the Earth…freshly renewed from the devastation of the flood.  The display of colors might just mean more than we think…the royal purple at the bottom signifying that God is at the base of everything…the blue representing the flood of Noah…all the way to the last spectrum of color…the red of the fire that will destroy it in the end times. The rainbow here in Genesis…is only mentioned two other times in scripture…once in Ezekiel 1…were the prophet uses the image of the rainbow to make his point…and then in Revelation 4:2-3…where we find the rainbow wrapping around the throne of God.

We need to also remember that the rainbow was not just for man….it wasn’t put there just to comfort us.  God placed that rainbow in the sky…plainly where he could see it too.  He said that when he saw it…it would remind him…to have mercy…and grace…and never destroy the whole world that way again. He made a covenant that day…with all future generations to weld another plan of salvation…he would send his perfect son…to die on a cross…and sacrifice his perfectness to save a sinner like me. That rainbow I see after a storm or gentle rain…reminds God that he had another way to save man the next time around. Maybe those colors …the purple robe of his royalty….the pure blue of his son’s eyes….the pure golden light of his father watching from heaven…the precious red blood that washes the black sin right out of our hearts…they should remind us of the high price Jesus paid to buy my ticket to heaven some day.

Father…I thank you for that rainbow…that beautiful display of colors in the sky reminds me of more than a promise of no floods again. That rainbow I see that begins on the Earth… with sinful man….reaches to the highest heaven and allowed a way for Jesus to come down to earth and save me. Oh wonderful father…that you should care so much about me is so unbelievable…for I am nothing….a mere sinner…so easily swayed by the forces of the human flesh that belongs to the world. Forgive me this morning for the many sins I still harbor in my heart. Reveal each one to me so I can ask you to please wash them away with that precious blood that was shed for me so long ago.  Give me new strength in your promise to care for me…and see me through to the end of my storms…give me patience to wait on you to reveal your plan for my life….and rest in the promise you made to never leave me. Rule in my heart once more…and create a passion to show your love to others…no matter what you ask me to do. Amen.

Waiting on God

Genesis 8:1-4 and 15-16-  But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided;  the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,  and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had abated;  and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. ….. Then God said to Noah,  "Go forth from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 

God’s time…it it always perfect.  It comes exactly when we need it…and he brings in that moment exactly what we need. Even as I am reading this again this morning…even after writing it down as a note last night when I read it …I am having trouble processing the truth of this statement.  My human brain just doesn’t process time like God does…my human brain doesn’t see the big picture that he is weaving together for me. My human brain wants to see …hear…taste…smell…see…see….see…..it wants to know just where it is going …how it will get there…and how long it will take. 

Noah must have understood how important waiting on God was.  He worked 120 years to build a boat…stayed in it over a year as God destroyed the Earth….and then waited to hear God tell him it was time for him to leave the safe haven of the ark.  And as soon as he left that ark…he went straight to the task of thanking God.  He built an altar and gave praises to the one who saw his love for God…and rewarded him with more life….who had spared even his family…who had given an amazing personal encounter with every creature God had created. Noah stopped to thank God for all he had done…and worship him for just being God…I guess that is the reason God saw Noah as a righteous person…Noah realized that God was in control…and was obedient to him in all that he did…no matter what the task…no matter how long it took to complete it.

Forgive me father for needing so many reminders that you are in control of my life…and that everything that has happened to me is part of a big plan that you are weaving.  Help me be more like Noah…finding my strength to wait from you…asking no questions…just doing what you give me to do…and doing it as long as you ask me to do it…not matter how hard..no matter how much pain and sorrow it brings to my heart.  Give me a heart that wants to build you an altar…and stop and give thanks for all that has happened in my life…and learn to wait on you…as you send the winds to calm my storms …as you work around the messes I made when I ran ahead of you.  Help me find joy in everything….help me to look for you and find the peace that will guide me to the end of this journey you have mapped out for me. Amen.

Embracing Joy

Genesis 7: 16-20 and 24 -  And they that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.  The flood continued forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.  The waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.  And the waters prevailed so mightily upon the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered, the waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. …..  And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

My math skills are not that good…but I can add 40 and 150 to get 190. And I can divide the average number of days in a month….30…and see that Noah was shut up in this boat for around 6 months …and this is not the end of the story. I peeked in chapter 8 and he has to stay about another 6 months while God dries up the land. It started me thinking about just how God managed to have that many animals and Noah’s family cohabitate….without any incident of death or injury. Some articles I read said there could have been up to 45,000 animals on that boat. Noah was not just a man of faith… working 120 years to build the ark…he had to have great patience to have lived on the ark for about a year…with 45,000 animals and his large family!

Think of the 24/7 care those animals had to have to survive a year … in a pen…in the stagnant air of the ark…probably no way to exercise. Think of the smell…most animals have a pungent odor…and the waste products that are created don’t smell too good either. Maybe God somehow masked the unpleasant parts of caring for them…had some of them sleep most of the trip…or maybe the experience was horrible…Noah’s family constantly complaining.  Maybe the time passed quickly for Noah’s family as they busied themselves with the care of all those creatures. Maybe the children took them from their pens and rode them around the ark…and Noah’s wife fussed at them like most mom’s do when we do things that might be dangerous or told them to stop riding the lions and wash up because dinner was ready.

For me once again…as I read God’s word …it convicted me.  It reminded me of my lack of faith...and inability to wait on him for answers to my prayers are brought to my attention. I mean…I have to be honest here…..some days it is just easy to do what I have to do…maybe God masks the bad parts of the task somehow like he must have for Noah…to help him complete the job he had been given to do. Some days …most…which is why I felt convicted….I read my bible with distraction number 1,289 playing over in my head…and wake with distraction 1,298…trying to prevent me from sitting down to process and apply what I read. I need to be a little more like I imagine Noah was…I bet he laughed and joined in the merriment of the children riding the hippos….maybe he even hopped on a turtle and shouted…lets race! I bet Noah embraced his job and saw the good in it…and the thought of his part in saving all those creatures built a bond with them that no human will ever have again.  I bet his love for God was transferred to the care of his family and animals…and he enjoyed the year….maybe even was sad as he saw it come to an end.Maybe that is the answer to how to have more faith and patience…when we stop looking at the unpleasant parts of the job….and focus on the good…we can do most anything.

Father…I thank you this morning for reminding me that I need to be more like Noah. Help me to see how you have masked the bad…cause things can always be worse than they seem.  Help me to embrace the purpose of my task and seek the joy of the task.  Forgive me father for allowing Satan to trick me into ever thinking that whining and complaining and not understanding why I have to wait is okay. Give me a new strength this morning and plant it firmly in my heart as this summer of rest comes to a close.  I thank you for my job…and the prospect of all the new children you will place in my life this fall.  Give me clear direction and show me how to squeeze so much joy from my job that no words of complaint come out of my mouth this year! Amen.

God's Voice

Genesis 6: 5-8 and 18 - ……  The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  ……But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you

The thought of God with a broken heart is not a happy thought. The evil seed of Cain had multiplied and God looked down on Earth with sorrow and grief at the way man had chosen to live. It corrupted even the good seed of Seth….Satan must have been proud as he overheard God’s words of distain. God was so disappointed that man had chosen evil instead of a relationship with him. But praise be to God that he found one man that managed to cling to the beauty and true things of God in the midst of all that evil…..for Noah’s righteousness and love for God…established a covenant that would bring eternal life to all who would later believe.

Noah is a model to us all of how to obey God in the midst of horrible times. God gave him directions to build a huge boat…in a spot of the Earth that was nowhere near water….in a day and time where water had never fallen from the sky.  The boat would house Noah’s family…two of every living creature….and food to sustain them all for the duration of the flood that would destroy every other living thing God had created.  This was no cruise ship to give Noah a break from the evil around him…it was a working vessel that would require every man and woman aboard to feed and care for thousands of animals on a daily basis.  The first zoo on record was designed by the master himself…somehow knowing that he could protect and replenish the plants of the Earth…but the animals would need 24/7 care to survive. And the world would be different when they were finally given permission to leave the boat and live on the Earth again. The release of all that water would change the environment so much that man days would be decreased greatly…the almost 1,000 year lifespan would be shortened to a maximum of 120 years. 

I struggle every day to hear God speak to me as he did Noah.  Many days I wish for a concrete task…that he would come sit down in my home and speak audible words…with clear directions for what he really wants me to do. I hear the voice in my head and wonder if it is just my dreams and wishes…God giving me a word…or Satan trying to lead me astray once again. Since no visions or spirits have ever manifested themselves to me …all I can do is check that voice…those words I think I heard…with that bible he left for me to read…to see if it matches up.  Sometimes I get it right…and I quickly see the good that was brought about because I followed God’s direction.  Most times I pray and fast and read and make that decision… ‘thinking’ I might be right…but never being sure. And the answers that come do not make me feel any surer…all I can do is cling to my choice…cause I checked it with the bible…and it lined up with what others who have followed God say is right.

Father…I thank you first for Noah…who found the inner strength to follow and obey you in the midst of a world gone mad. I pray this morning that you would help me to listen to you more closely so I can be sure that I have your complete directions for what you want me to do. Help me to screen out the world that has become just as evil…to listen just to you…to tune my ears to your voice by continuing to study and ask you to reveal the deep meaning of the Bible you left me to live by.  Speak to me father…and tell me what kind of boat I need to build….so I can find favor with you…and help lead someone else to know you before the world comes to an end for good. Amen.

We Are All Connected

Genesis 5:1-5 - This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.  Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.  The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had other sons and daughters.  Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. 

We are all connected…way back…even to the creation of man. We might never have all the answers to how two people populated the whole Earth…but we get a small piece of it here. This small piece...this genealogy of Adam…describes for us how God blessed the first man and woman…how God made man in his own image…and what names Adam used to help God show the basic importance of all men. These names…they are just some of the men…that will someday connect the first man…to the holy son of God.

They sure did live long lives back then….from Seth living a full 912 years…to Methuselah’s 969 (the oldest on record)…to Noah….whose father proclaimed, “Out of the ground which the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands." The genealogy of the first few men show the average lifespan of man as 906 years.  The way I see it...that was part of the curse God placed on man when he chose to disobey God in the garden. Some of the commentaries I read said the purity of God’s perfect creation and the vapor cover over the Earth prevented the Sun’s radiation from decaying the body as fast as it does today….but that is just theory. Life was given to man only for a season…even if it was a long season back then.

When I read these chapters of the bible that contain the endless lists of connected life…I am tempted to skip them…and think there is nothing important in them to apply to my life….but I know I must try and read the details carefully…to see how much God loved the life he created.  He had to have been so hurt…that man would disobey him… and it must have pained him so to banish him from that beautiful garden and curse the ground.  God knew how bad it was going to get…he knew he would see ten generations of his precious creation propagate the sin Adam chose to participate in. God knew that finally a man named Noah would have a heart that heard and obeyed God.

It always amazes me how much God must love us all…from Adam to Phillip James Simpson…the father that connected my humble existence to this first man…he has waited patiently for more Noah’s. He continues to love us and teach us how to be more like him…in spite of the way we ignore him….in spite of the evil he sees in our hearts. And sometimes we have a father…who gets a glimpse of the future somehow…and like Lamech ….they proclaim that their son….will do something special to change the world.

Father…I thank you for your patience in me this morning.  I thank you for showing me that I need to be a Noah in this world gone crazy.  I thank you for parents that taught me about you and showed me how important I am…who introduced me to you…to your body of believers.  Help me this morning to embrace the task you put me on the Earth to do…let the importance of my life…the life your son saved by his holy blood…be known in my heart. Let that love you show me daily overflow to others as I remember that I am connected to that first man and woman….and you created me in your image…to love you and walk with you every day….to show your love to others…so that they may walk with you too. Amen.

A Lesson From Cain

Genesis 4: 3-7 - In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,  and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,  but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." 

We might never really know what was wrong with Cain’s offering. We are just not told the specifics. Many theologians have given their take on these verses. Most think it had more to do with the attitude of his heart than the gift itself. God could see the scene of Abel’s murder being conceived in Cain’s heart as he brought his offering to the Lord.  God could see the evil thoughts he had in his heart for his brother. God could see the deep anger he held in his heart …and tried to help him understand that these thoughts of evil were trying to take over his heart….but Cain did not listen.

And so it starts with most of us…we have a thought…we know it is bad…we know God will not be pleased with it when we have it...but instead of asking God to cleanse our heart from the thought we know will be hurtful if it manifests itself into actuality …we allow the thought to fester.  The thought builds in importance in our mind…and before we know it…we have forgotten God altogether and gone out on our own to make the sin a reality.  The sin has mastered us …it has taken over our heart and replaced the love of God with the hate of Satan. I know…I walked in Cain’s shoes for a while….I never let the sin enable me to murder anyone…but the hate was there…doing damage to my heart.  I let anger rule many times in my life…the hate of Satan quickly pushing out the love of God I had….and I fell into all kinds of sin.  It really doesn’t matter what the sin was…it was wrong…and it hurt God to see me abandon him that way.

That is not the end of the story folks.  God allowed Cain to live…he suffered some pretty intense punishments…but God loved him still.  He even put a mark on him to tell others to leave him alone.  God knew that he could use Cain…even though he had messed up.  God knew that the damage the sin had done to his heart was fixable…and from Cain’s seed he populated the earth with farmers…. ranchers… metal workers…and musicians.  And just as God dealt with Cain…he will deal with all of us when our sin is found out. We can try to hide it…but eventually God will come to us and ask us, “what have you done?” The punishments for our sin might be pretty harsh…but he will still love us.  He will always hate the sin…but he will always restore us to love him again.  He will cleanse our hearts from all the evil that Satan tricked us into putting in there…and he will fill our hearts once more with his love. …a love that burns within our soul…to share this wonder…to share how it changed our lives.

Father…you are so amazing.  Thank you for not killing Cain…for giving him a second chance…for using his seed to bring many talents and especially music into the world.  I thank you Lord …for forgiving me…and restoring me…and placing so much love in my heart that I cannot help but share it somehow with others. Help me Lord to recognize the hate when it creeps into my world…give me courage to rebuke it …and tell it that there is no room for it in my heart.  Fill me with so much love that any hate and evil that comes close is revealed quickly…so I can tell it to go back to the dark where it came from….so that anger never appears in my voice and heart again. Amen.

Salvation for Shame

Genesis 3:7-12 -    Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"  And he said, "I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."  He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"  The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 

That old saying…”oh what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive”….from Walter Scott’s Marmion, published in 1808…is running through my mind.  The serpent deceived Eve…Eve gave it to Adam….and they all ended up paying a high price for this first sin.  The disobedience that led to the eating of the fruit of Conscience…filled the garden with way more that God intended to be there.  Adam an Eve’s eyes were opened to more than their nakedness…their sin introduced shame to their heart. The kind of shame that has us running from God…because we are ashamed of what we have become.  We run and hide and separate ourselves from the one person who can fix us.

Sin has consequences…sometimes they are pretty tough. We are banished from a wonderful garden …complete with everything we need…to toil the earth for our sustenance.  But a wonderful thing happened when Adam admitted his sin…despite his harsh punishment for listening to Eve…and eating that fruit…for disobeying God….God allowed him to live…God provided a way for Adam to live.  He banished him from the garden …so he could protect the tree of life from Satan’s trickery…but he put in motion a wonderful plan to reconnect man with God.

We won’t read about God’s plan for a while in this story…but God will begin to reconnect with him…to rebuild his relationship with man based on sacrifices….offerings…to show that he loves God and will obey him this time around...and even later in the story still…God is going to send his own son down to earth…to be a perfect lamb and sacrifice….cause man just can’t get it right. It is amazing to me…as I read this first account of sin….how many times God will attempt to reconnect with us…the length he goes to save us once and for all.

And even more amazing to me is how that plan works…all we have to do is believe…and love him more than anything else. And when we mess up…like Eve…and we feel that same guilt…that shame ….and we hide from God just like they did…we just need to stop and admit what we did…to reconnect with him.  We need to stop being so defensive …stop hiding from god…and tell him that we are sorry we disobeyed.  That admission of our guilt…it erases the sin from God’s memory and allows him to start the healing process.  It allows him to begin to teach us that his way is better than our way.  There may be a few consequences on the road to recovery….but they eventually lead to a life with the father…the son…and a spirit that will give us the strength to be obedient the next time the serpent rears his ugly head to us with a temptation again.

Father…thank you for not allowing Adam and Eve to die when you found out their sin.  Thank you for putting a plan in motion that would allow them to live…allow them to have a second chance to obey you.  For because you allowed them life…I too may experience what it is like to walk with you…and have a relationship with the best friend I have ever had.  I ask you to keep exposing my sin father…even the sin I have covered up for many years...sins I have even forgotten.  Help me admit them to you…so you can begin to wash them from me…and make me a stronger vessel to share your truth.  Help me to walk with you in truth…help me to share the great things you have done for me….the strength you have provided as I have let you lead me through some pretty tough times of life. Show me father that your way is the best way….and don’t let me fall back into selfishness and think that I can do it on my own ever again. Amen

The Conscience

Genesis 2:9-17 - 9And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." 

God created the world with order…he put everything man needed in a lush Garden of beauty.  The Garden of Eden was complete with a river to water it and this river branched out to nourish the rest of the Earth. Man was given a task…to care for this Garden of Eden…to care for the animals and care for himself….everything he could have needed was right there. I can close my eyes and think about the most beautiful…lush garden I have ever beheld…but I just don’t think my human brain can wrap itself around the perfectness of that garden.  The perfectness included trees of every kind…..all intended to feed man…except for one...the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  My Living Bible called it the tree of conscience.

Man was given choice on that day. His task included obedience….God commanded him not to ever eat of that tree…for its fruit would cause death. God placed within reach of man the choice to obey or disobey…he gave man a choice…to be satisfied with the trees he provided for food …or eat of the fruit of conscience and die. God knew that tree would open Adam’s eyes….open Eve’s eyes to the evil that existed in the world. Eating that fruit would open their heart to Satan’s power….cause an inner struggle that would lead them eventually to death.

I still struggle every day with the choice of being obedient…with the exception of reading my Bible faithfully and writing for the last two years…I really can’t recall another task I have truly been obedient too.  I broke my first marriage vows…and couldn’t recall all the other times my selfishness has encouraged me to make a wrong decision. I might accidently choose the right path occasionally…and maybe a few short term tasks have been completed successfully …but if I am honest…I have failed more that I have succeeded.  But here’s the kicker…the amazing thing about God….as soon as my conscience tells me I have done something wrong…and I admit that sin to God…he takes it away.  He restores me…repairs the damage I did..and sets me back on the right path.

I may never really understand why God created the world as he did…giving us choices…asking us to be obedient…he could have left that tree out of the garden. Maybe it was because he wanted a person to love him back the way he loves us….not a robot that automatically does everything right.  Maybe he put that tree there to make his creation more like him…so he could have a relationship with us…to share the wonder of the world he made…to talk about the beautiful things he made and enjoy them with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind. Maybe God was lonely …like me sometimes…just for someone to love him back.

Father…I know in my heart that you love me more than I will ever love you back.  Thank you for your merciful and faithful love that has built a relationship with me that helps me see my sin.  I am so glad that you made a way to save me when I make the wrong choices….so that I can be restored and try once again to do what is right.  Help me father to let you guide my decisions…to let you be my conscience…to let your heart be my guide when I have to make a choice in this life. Thank you father for loving me so much that in spite of the wrong choices I have made you love me so much  that you fix my messes….and make them a testimony to how you can change lives and take evil and make it good.  Give me new strength to be obedient…in every new task you give me to do. Amen.

And God said...let there be light!

Genesis 1:1-5 -  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. RSV

It all began with God…his spirit hovering over a mass of nothingness…it was dark … there was water…..but in the beginning Earth was just a massive ball of water and darkness.  My living bible used the word brooding…like a bird would do on a nest of eggs. I picture God trying to decide if it was worth it…to create man and a place for him to survive…cause God could see the ending…God knew in his heart that man would mess up. It is amazing to me that God decided to create the world…knowing exactly what man would do ….and just what it would take to save him from his selfishness.

It is really cool that God created the light first. He chose in a single moment to create the world and all that was in it….but first….he spoke light into existence…and for the first time darkness was chased away from his presence. The light would make the plants grow…the plants would feed the animals….and the animals would help man work the garden intended to sustain life for Adam and Eve. His plan really was excellent in every way…a simple chain or order and beauty that was perfect in every way.

That light…that we see when we open our eyes in the morning….is really the sun reflecting the glory of the God who made it. He sits on his throne and broods over us still….watching us cast shadows on all that he made. A sweet Sunday school teacher told me Friday night that I need to be more aware of that shadow.  He told the story of Peter…in Acts 5…and how people would line up in the street to be touched by the shadow of his body as he passed by them in the street. His shadow cast the pure love and healing power of the father…and we need to cast that that kind of love and power too.

Father…I am amazed by the world you created…so simple…yet so complex. I thank you for allowing me to be one of your creations…to have walked on your Earth… and experienced the light…and the plants  and the birds…and the other animals. Thank you for making me and saving me from my own destruction and sin by sending your son to earth and dying in my place. Help me father this morning to allow more of your light into my life.  Make your light overflow from my soul and cast a shadow of kindness and goodness and mercy to others like your son Jesus did. Make my shadow strong…like Peter’s…and let it chase darkness away from the goodness you want me to provide to others. Amen.

Living Water.... to share with all....

Revelation 22:1-6 -  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.  The angel said to me," These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

God designed this great Earth with an amazing substance….water. About 70% of our enormous planet is made up of water…but only 1-2 percent is pure enough to drink…or use to grow the fruits and vegetables that also contain 80-90 percent water when they are ripe and ready to eat. Water…the life giving substance of which most things on Earth contain at least 60-70 percent. Our bodies have less as we age…making it more important to find sources to replenish the supply our bodies need to function properly.  Good ole tap water works most of the time for me…but I can’t deny that some of the bottled waters taste better.

John’s last vision in this great book of prophecy…reveals a river…flowing from the throne of God and the lamb. It is flanked on both sides by amazing trees of life…that bear twelve crops of fruit every month….and leaves that heal the nations scarred by Satan’s tricks and lies.  God will finally be able to lift the curse he placed on the Earth when Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil…when man chose to follow the lusts of their heart ...instead of obey God.

How fitting that God should begin and end his great work with references to water. From Genesis 1:2…where he created it …Ephesians 5:26…where he told us of its cleansing power…Isaiah 55:1…which tells everyone who thirsts to drink it…John 4:1-42…where Jesus told the woman at the well to drink the living water and thirst no more…John 7:37…where Jesus extended this invitation to drink his living water to everyone….to these last verses of revelation….where we see clearly the source of this great water is God himself.

He tells us not to seal up this wonderful message…but to spread it to everyone we know…for the time is near. I feel it...the intenseness of his message more and more every day…just as John must have felt it as he processed and wrote down the visions he was given to tell us what to expect.  As I sit down to watch the news and see the horrific stories of craziness around me….I feel the closeness of that day coming faster and faster. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of 9-11…over 73 people died in US hurricanes in the last three years...twelve people died in a movie theater shooting just yesterday…sixteen dead from an earthquake in Italy May 29^th of this year…over 12 dead from wildfires in Colorado this summer…the list could go on and on. …and doesn’t even include the crazy stories of how our plants and animals are dying in mass numbers too.

I hope all those people had heard of the living water…death took them without warning...just like it will most of us.     Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”….and it will! The calamity will continue to claim the ones who are not ready with the ones that are….what a reminder to me to be a steadfast worker…bringing in the harvest…before it is too late.  The last words of John ring in my ears and heart, “ He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.”

Father…I THANK YOU…for helping me to complete this task of reading your word.  Help me this morning to focus on these last words of John…to spread this great message to all the places you guide me to.  Lord…forgive me for my selfishness once again and use that living water to wash me clean and fresh once more for the task you have laid out before me.  Open my eyes to the truth of your word and allow the entire bible I have read to be assessable whenever I need to share it with others. Lord…help me to be ready…and be your vessel to prepare others for the days ahead. Amen.

EVERYTHING New

Revelation 21:1-5 -  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Great word…new…the shininess of a brand new coin…the smell of a new car…the pride and satisfaction of walking through the door of a new home…or the gratification you feel when you buy anything new.  The object is brand new….it never existed before in your world…and it fills your soul with such great pleasure to know that you were blessed enough to possess it now. John says that EVERYTHING we know and love….EVERYTHING….will be made new.  God will lay a foundation of 10 of the most beautiful gemstones I have ever seen…many of which I had never heard the name of. He will place his throne right smack dab in the middle and rule the new Earth…made with many brilliant metals and gems to reflect the wonderful glory of God.

This new Earth is going to be perfect….as we step into the glory of God...his mere presence will wipe every sad memory we ever thought right out of our minds.  Any pain we suffer from will vanish as we step through one of those pearl gates. No one will ever mourn the loss of another loved one…or watch helplessly as a violent car accident…horrible storm…or terrorist takes the life of someone we love.  EVERYTHING will be made new….and we will experience the fullness of God for the first time. His mind will become our mind…his soul will embrace our soul…and all the questions we once cried out to him in prayer…they will fade as we fall on our knees and worship the one who made us new.

The earthly pride we feel so often at a new accomplishment…or new home…or purchase of a new car…will melt away as we finally understand the term humility.  Our hearts will swell with pride because of the love we feel in his presence…and we will want nothing more than to worship him 24/7…in the brilliant light God’s glory reflects on all that glittering gold and gems.  We will live with God in his Holy City …the New Jerusalem…forever and one more day. 

Father…to know you is such an opportunity …I marvel at what you have prepared for me someday.  I anxiously await the wonderful moment when I will meet you face to face…and have a chance to sit at your feet and feel your complete love wash through my soul.  I thank you for saving the many family members you have already called to live with you there….oh what a great party of reunion I will get to attend when you call me home too.   I am so excited that someday you will wipe away my tears of loss….the pain and grief that causes me to feel lonely …because I will live with you in this New Earth…and I will finally understand how to let go of all my earthly sorrow and pain…and be complete in just your presence. Help me to listen to you voice and share those words on this ‘old’ Earth…so I can open the door for many others to come with me. Amen.

Judgement

Revelation 20: 11-15  -  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.  The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The end will come…be sure of it...John says it in plain English. It is just like the ending to a great movie…where they catch the bad guy… lock him up …and you think the movie is over.  But then the bad guy escapes….and you sit on the edge of your seat for just a bit longer…praying for that ‘happily ever after’ ending.  The good guy …this time God himself… is so brilliant that even the Earth and sky hide from his presence. As he sits on his throne his glory will be our permanent light….to live in forever. The ‘happily ever after’ ending comes….but not to everyone.  The particulars really don’t matter…first death..second death…first resurrection…the confusion of the words will be cleared up on that day. The devil…Satan…anti-christ…dragon…or whatever term you choose to give the beast will be forever cast into the lake of burning sulfur…and God will reign on Earth.

John describes for us that scene where we will all be judged.  Everyone who has ever lived will be raised from their graves to stand before the father.  He will open many books…containing all that we have done…and then open the book of life…to see if our name is there. Oh that I wish everyone’s name would be there…but it won’t.  John has already shared this sad fact with us…some of the people will choose to never believe in God…never ask him into their heart…never request that he write their name in the book…so they can be part of the happy ending.  So many people…some you know…some you were standing next to in the grocery isle yesterday....some are even sitting next to you in church on Sundays.

Does John tell me this to give me comfort…or to create a passion in my heart to share the truth of God with others? I think it is both…he wants me to rest in faith that I have reserved my place in heaven…and through my experiences of knowing God…of allowing him to walk beside me and comfort me in all that I do and say..I gain the first-hand knowledge and testimony I need to share what God has done for me.  A passion….even a great longing should build within my heart to share this testimony with those that might still have a tender heart. Remember that the words of this book are not really John’s…they are God’s…seen through a vision… dictated by an angel. God is showing John that our faith is not completed when we give our lives over to his care.  His care creates a passion in our hearts to see others come to know him too.

Father…I thank you for the testimonies of others who understood what to do with your love…and I thank you that they shared it with me.  I thank you that you spoke to my heart with the love of the others around me….and that you helped me see the need to accept your love. Thank you for writing my name in that book and giving me the comfort of your great word to know that I will be in your presence someday…and share the wonders of Heaven along with everyone else who chose to accept your love. Now father…help me to grasp what it really means to have my name written in that book…create in me a passion to share the love you gave me with those you have placed around me….so that you will need to add pages and pages and pages to the names that are already there. Amen

Pure Praise and Worship

Revelation 19: 5-10 - Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."  Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."  At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Praise ….blessings…honor…these are the words that ring in my heart as I read this chapter.  It must have been something to behold...as John heard a great roar from a multitude of angels in Heaven…the 24 elders that sit on the thrones next to God….the 4 living creatures who cry holy …holy…holy every moment of the day…and the call comes from Heaven for all on Earth to behold and praise the son of God as he makes his entry on a radiant white horse…all praising God for the day that evil would be banished from our world…and the son of God would reign the Earth. Even the angel who gave John this vision…knew who to worship…knew that he deserved nothing for completing the job he was given to do.

Oh how I wish I could do that now….you know…not have to wait to learn how to enter into his glorious presence and give him the praise he truly deserves….just stay there…all the time. My world …it is so full of distractions…because evil is still here...Satan constantly trying to block the visions of pure praise that John was allowed to write about.  Reminds me of those football games I watched my sons play for many years.  The offense would get the ball and try so hard to move it down the field to make a touchdown…and sometimes it was easy. The crowd would cheer and shout…and scream…and dance…and taunt the other side with their accomplishment.  But many nights…I would watch the other side racked up the points...and laugh and taunt my boys with their higher score. Satan is like that you know…always trying to make us fumble the ball that God gave us to run with…always messing with our minds and making us think we are less than we really are….trying to keep us from dancing and singing praise to the father.

Another thought came to my heart as I read last night. I have allowed myself to think for years that when I die my Earthly home would be of no importance to me anymore.  My home in heaven will be just what I need…and provide a 24/7 atmosphere of worship and praise to the Lord who saved me and gave me the home I will reside in up there. But this passage offers me a new thought…Jesus…in his splendor and brilliance…will ride a  great white horse onto Earth to wed his bride….and I will be invited! All in attendance will watch as Satan and his false prophet are cast into a lake of burning sulfur…along with all his tricks and evil ways….forever! I will return to Earth with him…and share in this rebuilding of the temple of worship of Earth. I am trying not to peek…cause I know what is coming in my heart…God is going to fix the Earth…cause it  says he will remove all the evil…cast every last bit of it into a lake of burning sulfur!

I will be so awe struck at his presence…so overwhelmed with the need to worship him…as he spreads a banquet of splendor before me….and gives me …and everyone else who was invited..a new fine linen garment to wear. It will be perfect…a feast to outdo any Thanksgiving covered dish lunch I have ever eaten…a meal that will be paired with some mighty fine church.  I can just hear the shouts of praise…the Hallelujah’s…the holy…holy…holy’s...the amen’s….the pure worship of the son of God as he begins his reign on the Earth. Such music…such praise…such true worship will be a new experience…for I am sure…even though I have experienced some great worship before..this will be far greater than my Earthly eyes and ears have ever encountered before.

Father…I thank you that you have allowed John to paint with your words the awesome scene of your wedding feast.  I thank you that I will be invited…because you saved me and showed me mercy when you died on the cross for me. Help me learn to praise you as these heavenly creatures did that day now.  Show me how to keep the Devil from stealing my joy and trickling me into accepting less than you have planned for me.  Show me how to embrace you….your presence and glory…show me how to use the vision of my invitation to the greatest feast imaginable to fuel a passion to spread your word here on earth. Amen.

In the World, Not of the World

Revelation 18: 4-11- Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;  for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.  Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.  Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'  Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.  "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.  Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'  "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more—

I had two thoughts when I read this passage. My eyes and heart first fixed on the words….come out from her.  I know John is writing what his vision tells us about the end…and I know that God is rescuing the Christians that have made it through these terrible days of tribulation…but I thought….why do I have to wait…to separate myself from the world.  John tells me why…so I will not share in her sins, so that I will not receive any of her plagues;  for her sins are piled up to heaven.  I have read these words before… for Paul said, “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” In 2 Corinthians 6:17.  I may not make it to these end days…I had better heed God’s directions today…I sure don’t want to be judged like this Mystery Harlot when I get to heaven…it sounds pretty severe. For me …it is a reminder to check my involvement in things that I am doing simply to please other people.

I also hung on the words and thoughts of all those merchants and Kings as she was destroyed. They cared nothing for her…John says that they cared for the property …the sales they were losing….because no one would buy her cargo anymore. I realized these are unsaved people…and even though it is very hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that some people will reject Jesus…no matter what…it  is still hard for me to see them care so little about the Harlot  herself. It is a reminder to me to always think about the person…what they have the potential of becoming…if Jesus can take up residence in their heart and life.

If I put these two thoughts together….I see Jesus again….separate and different from anyone else on the Earth.  Always looking for a wayward heart to harvest with his mercy…forgiveness and healing touch. I must strive to be more like his example…to say no to the things I know will not build up my knowledge of God…to say no to the worldly things that might give Satan a chance to trick me into sin. But always remembering that I need to have that heart like Jesus…that looks for the hurt inside a person…and knows just which ones God has placed there because I have a word…testimony or …moment of time to minister to the needs of their soul.  To separate myself from sin…not the people he has placed in my life to help. Easier said than done….but I have to try….for John wrote in 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV) “ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I guess it was a reminder for John too!

Father…thank you for this lesson…this reminder that I am to be in the world….because you have work for me to do here…but not of the world…because the world is not of your perfect love.  Help me father to get this right…to walk in the world…and see the needs of others…not the pretty things that will temporarily make me happy.  Forgive me for all the times I have let Satan trick me with his worldly pleasures…give me new eyes today to see his tricks and temporary joy.  Give me eyes to see only God’s permanent joy….that will help me to spread his word on the Earth…so I can enjoy my home in heaven when you call me to live with you there. Amen.

Mystery of Babylon

Revelation 17: 5-9 - This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.  Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.   The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.  "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.

I am trying to process the most confusion chapter of revelation yet. John told me I would need wisdom to figure this one out….and since I admit that I have none….I will have to rely on the wisdom of God and his ability to help me to understand just the part that I need to understand.  As I read last night…I thought I was reading a riddle…one one of those horrible math word problems …. that I never seemed to get right. And the commentaries I searched through seemed just as confusing as the chapter itself… so I just prayed…that God would open my eyes…and help me see …help me understand what I needed to remember about this woman and her relationship with the beast.

My heart began to hang on the word prostitute…the word the angel used to describe the woman. She was beautiful on the outside…yet full of ugliness on the inside.  She held all her wickedness high for all to view…proud…even drunk on the blood that had been shed as she seduced the saints and Kings of the world.  She sits on 7 hills…and I quickly googled my thought ….that we have 7 continents…just to be sure my social studies lessons had been remembered. Then I looked though those commentaries again..most agree that Babylon was the center of idolatry in John’s time..the source of what they called religious Godlessness. A prostitute…one who sells herself for money…one who exchanges her talents…abilities or name for an unworthy purpose.

When I really started to think about it…maybe I had become just like this woman to some degree… before Jesus…before God started to change my heart. I became astonished at the ‘prettiness’… was somewhat ‘seduced’ by the world and the tricks that Satan has placed in just the right places to catch my eye….and I began to trade the blessings God intended for me …for the worldly pleasures that were right in front of me. It was easier to me to just do what Satan made look right…instead of … praying…really searching.. ‘waiting’ on God’s timing to reveal the great blessings he has in store for me.  It is hard to relate myself to the word prostitute….for I have never fit the world’s definition …but I have to admit…that  I did allow myself to get tricked by Satan to exchange my time… talent…money….and other abilities to many things that were not given me to do by God. …they were just the things that seemed right to do…at the time.

I saw a poster of a Francis Chan quote  yesterday…it said, Do you know that nothing you ever do in this life will ever matter…unless it is about loving God, and loving the people he has made!” I believe that quote…more than ever in this season of life.  I have to stop selling out to the world…I have to stop settling for what looks good at the moment…and pray…and seek God…with all my heart and soul and mind and strength…just like Mark told us in Mark 12:30…just like Moses told the Israelites just before he died in Deuteronomy 6:5…just like Jesus told that man of the law in Luke 10:25-27.  I have to stop being seduced by the Great Mystery of Babylon…I must begin to take a stand for what God says…not what I think is right for me at the moment…so he can begin to use me to spread his word to the ones who have not decided to ask Jesus into their heart…so their name can be written in the lamb’s book of life with mine.

Father…I am astonished at your great wisdom…how you can reveal to me at just the right moment…exactly the part I need to understand…for me…because I sought you…and I asked for your help.  I thank you for taking this complicated scripture and helping me to see one more sin in my life that I need to turn over to you.  I ask you this morning to wash any remnants of the world from my heart…so I can have more of you living there. I thank you for the peace and freedom this cleansing gives my being…and I pray for your strength to continue to search for the other wisdom you have hidden for me in your great book.  And God….while I continue to search for you….give me some “Satan vision goggles” you know …like those night vision goggles you allowed someone to invent….so I can see more clearly the tricks and schemes of Satan that are slowing down my journey to you. Amen.

How much do you love God?

Revelation 16:1-2 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. 

Painful sores…blood stained water…scorching sun….darkness…rivers that dry up completely…and the thunder storm to upstage all the storms to ever happen on this Earth….complete with hail the size of a baby hippo…these seven angels pour out suffering and calamity to anyone who took the mark of the beast and worshiped him. Maybe it’s because I love God so much that I just can’t fathom how anyone could curse him…could refuse to accept his judgment and repent….but these people do just that.

The plagues of God’s ending wrath are so reminiscent of the exodus from Egypt. Pharaoh‘s heart was just as unyielding as these folks that had allowed themselves to be marked by the beast. Exodus 7:14 records, ^….Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.  Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness.

God simply will not allow us to worship the beast and him too.  These seven bowls of pure judgment….delivered by his holy angels are the final attempt to find anyone who has not hardened his  heart enough to repent..but sadly…none are found. The angels themselves sing a song to God…an agreement of his judgment….an outpouring of their disgust that anyone who ever loved God was mistreated by Satan. Matthew Henry sums it up in his commentary, “The heart of man is so desperately wicked, that the most severe miseries never will bring any to repent, without the special grace of God. Hell itself is filled with blasphemies; and those are ignorant of the history of human nature, of the Bible, and of their own hearts, who do not know that the more men suffer, and the more plainly they see the hand of God in their sufferings, the more furiously they often rage against him. Let sinners now seek repentance from Christ, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, or they will have the anguish and horror of an unhumbled, impenitent, and desperate heart; thus adding to their guilt and misery through all eternity. Darkness is opposed to wisdom and knowledge, and forebodes the confusion and folly of the idolaters and followers of the beast. It is opposed to pleasure and joy, and signifies anguish and vexation of spirit.”    http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=66&c=16

Father…help me to love you and you alone. Guard my heart from ever being swayed by Satan to love anything but what you give me to love.  Help me to see through the tricks of Satan and stand firm to the end….allow your grace and mercy to cleanse me daily from the worldly things that influence me to be less than I can be for you. Please forgive me for the times when I have allowed the world and its fleshly pleasures to pull me away from developing my relationship with you. Give me strength and power today…to fight off the temptations of the world…and instead….allow you to soften my heart even more…to hear your voice…to do your will…to love you more fully. Amen.

The last 7 Plagues

Revelation 15: 1-4 - I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues--last, because with them God's wrath is completed.  And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.  Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." 

The final wrath of God…what an ominous thought.  The fury of God will be so powerful …. so complete that it will take 7 angels to deliver the 7 different plagues he will send to show his power to the Earth. The word plague…the concept of a plague… is not new to us…throughout the bible God used plagues to send his judgment….my phone ap quickly pulled up 110 verses with the word plague.  But my brain…my heart..is remembering the scriptures in Exodus…where God used Moses to deliver the 10 plagues to Pharaoh.  He waited too long to accept the power and deity of God…and allowed his hardened heart to hold on to the world’s standards…and lost everything.

These seven angels…they have some pretty nasty stuff in those bowls…but the people on the seashore are not worried…they know they have been sealed in God’s love and protection….so they are singing a mighty praise song.  They are singing the song of victory over the beast… the song of Moses and the lamb…a song of victory over the difficult times they had endured to achieve God’s will in their lives. A song that celebrates the things they have overcome in standing firm till the end.

I love the words of this song!  There are great phrases like…Great and marvelous are your deeds….just and true are your ways…who will not fear you…all nations will come and worship you. All these phrases …when combined … show God’s mighty power and give me hope for the end….if I endure and continue to search for his will in my life and stop to celebrate the wonderful things he has already done for me. If I …unlike Pharaoh…continue to let God soften my heart…I will continue to focus on how my hardships have strengthened my walk with him …and how I can reduce the number of people who will have to stand in this wrath of God in the last days!

Father…I praise you for your mightiness…I thank you for your marvelous deeds…and I accept this morning that EVERYTHING that you have allowed to be a part of my life has been just and true. I will never be worthy to stand in the holiness of your being….yet you love me and give me wonderful gifts and rich blessings every day.  Help me to bring glory to your name in everything that I do and say. Help me to keep my heart as soft as possible…to not only ward off the tricks of Satan…but to enjoy the comfort of your mighty arms that wrap me daily in love and mercy and forgiveness. Amen

The Only Judge

Revelation 14:6-7 - Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

It is no surprise to me that God revealed these verses to me. He has convicted me of so many sins as I have read through his great word…selfishness….greed…materialism…forgiveness…to name just a few of the big ones. Why would he stop there…I mean…now that he has opened my mind to understand that I have many things about my heart I need to adjust...why wouldn’t he keep asking me to adjust my old way of thinking.

My friends and I were going to eat dinner by the wonderful pool the second night we were here for training. I had already pointed out and made fun of a quite large woman in a very revealing swimsuit…she apparently had tried to squeeze her large body into a swimsuit 5 sizes too small…cause she was spilling out quite badly at the top. They all laughed and agreed with me of course…she had no business wearing that in public. They were ordering pizza…but I wanted a salad…so I entered the restaurant here at the motel to get one to go. They sent me to the bar area…where I had to sit and smell the strong drinks of others…and wait for it to be prepared. I knew in my heart I would use the thought as soon as I had it…so I typed it into my blackberry. As I typed… “How in the world did Jesus do it…sit in those places…with those people…” I was completely oblivious to the fact that he was in the process of teaching me a HUGE lesson about being judgmental.

These verses take every thought I have ever had that included they shouldn’t…or they have no right…and turn them right into the next big sin I must try to remove from my heart. I simply am not the one who is suppose to judge….anything…anybody….for any reason. It was those other sins he is in the process of washing away from my heart that gave me the need to judge. Jesus sat in…  “those places…with those people..” because his heart never had the thought to judge them…he knew that was his father’s job.  So as he looked up at people like Zacchaeus in Luke 19….or the woman caught in adultery in John 8…or the criminal that hung beside him on the cross in Luke 23…he saw their need to be saved from his father’s judgement…rather than all the things that his father might see wrong with them when they stood before him.

I must change the way I look at everyone from now on…ask God to help me see the hurt they are using to substitute for a relationship with God. I must learn to see into their heart…and love the person…not what I think they have done wrong.  I must realize that I am not sinless and can never cast stones at others again.  I must begin to look at other’s heart first and ask God to help me turn my need to judge…into an opportunity to minister to someone. I won’t feel so inadequate for the task if I realize that God sent the Holy Spirit to help me…all I have to do the next time I am tempted to judge is ask for help …to ask the spirit to give me a heart to love…to befriend…to forgive…to invite them to go to paradise with me someday!

Father…my tears are fresh reminders that I have messed up once again.  Forgive me for all the thoughts that I was ever better than anyone else…that my standard of dressing….that my values to never drink again…that my need to point out the faults of others…were the benchmark for others to follow.  I realize this morning that I am just a saved sinner…who by grace and mercy…and the forgiveness of the father…needs to worry only about her own righteousness. Help me father to be more loving…to ask you to help me search for ways to remove this habit of judging completely from my life…so you can teach me the thoughts that Jesus had…as he sat next to Zacchaeus….and allowed Him to realize on his own that he needed to change.  Help me to see what you wrote in the sand that day you knelt beside the woman caught in adultery….that helped her see the need to be more pure. Help me to feel the love you had for that criminal on the cross as he revealed to your dying son that he knew who he was…and accepted the salvation that gave him a free ticket to paradise that day. Amen.

Courage and Faith

Revelation 13: 8-10 and 16-18 -  All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This  calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints………..  He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

I am glad that I read verse 8 carefully…my name is in that book…I am sure of it! It is the only thing that can protect me…seal me …from this horrible day John saw with his own eyes that will come….the day when all men will bow down and worship Satan.  This chapter paints a picture of trickery that has never before been seen….Satan will appear to all men as the God each individual believes in….and those of us that are left….who believe in God….  will be so thoroughly convinced that we will believe we are in the presence of Jesus himself . Patience and faithfulness will go out the window for most of us…because it will easier for us to believe the lie….than to endure the sure death that will result if we reject the beast.

I’m not worried…for I remember those great words of Paul…from 2 Corinthians 5:8… where he said, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” I also remember that courageous girl from Columbine High School….who looked in the eyes of her executioner…and proclaimed loudly that she indeed was a saved soul of God. Of course I hope to be raptured up before my faith is tested….Many scholars and studies say the church will already be gone when all of this comes to pass…but just in case…I want that kind of confidence in my Lord too…to be so sure of my salvation and record in that book that I can say no to the beast…if he asks me to take that mark….and close my eyes and see heaven as I am martyred for my faith in God. 

Oh father….I praise you this morning …just for who you are. I thank you that you gave your son for me…and placed people in my life to show me the way to your cross. Make me strong and courageous like that girl from Columbine…who was certainly in your arms the moment she reopened her eyes in heaven after proclaiming who she belonged too. Give me a strong faith like Paul…that will shout form every place I am sent to that Iife with you in Heaven will be greater than anything available to me here on Earth. Amen.