Sitting in church listening to the sermon yesterday, the pastor referenced a scripture that for the most part was more of a side note to the sermon than an integral part. What's more is that as soon as he read it, I immediately heard that scripture with new ears.
Anytime God's word stand out like that and remains with me 24 hours later I believe God is teaching me something and I need to listen before I miss the lesson.
Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but
God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the
middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
I have read this scripture before, several times. Never once did I ask the question "if eating this fruit that God has forbidden will have such a profound impact, why doesn't the serpent eat it?"
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
Out of everything the serpent said to her, Eve heard what she wanted. She heard she would gain wisdom. And she then acted on what she heard and what she wanted.
I'm not saying I would have acted any differently than Eve in that given moment. In my own defining moments I have made choices equivalent to Eve's, defiant of God's instruction.
I tend to move quickly, not always evaluate such moments as deeply as I should. Even though I have slowed & matured much in this area, I suspect not nearly enough. What if in such moments, I stop and see what Satan ISN'T doing or saying to help me see a new perspective, ask some questions.....
Why does Satan care if Eve eats the apple?
If it's such a great idea, why isn't Satan eating the apple?
Why is the snake even talking?
LIGHT BULB MOMENT: If I would stop in the midst of such moments and ask the logical questions, the answers would then create a whole new picture of my circumstances.
What is important today is that I continue to stop and learn when God teaches.
What have I learned?
If God tells me to do something or not to do something, then His wisdom is infinite and is for my own good. I may not understand why, but I need to remember Who God is and that He is unchanging.
If circumstances arise that are contradictory to what God has instructed then I need to STOP and notice the BIG RED FLAG!!!!
The circumstances, words, or whatever is presenting itself contrary to God's instruction should be heavily questioned and viewed with suspicion.
I need to remember that Satan knows precisely how to tempt me in all circumstances. I need to always be aware of the cost of listening to his false sales pitch.
If anything contradicts God, then it is not God and no matter how tempting it may be.
I need to immediately commit this situation to prayer for God's wisdom to be revealed and for Satan to be exposed.
Thankfully, I am not facing anything at this moment, but I am guessing He is preparing through His teaching for what is on my path ahead.
I am thankful to have sat at His feet while my Teacher teaches me perfectly. Now I pray this teaching takes deep root in my heart so that I will have this to draw upon when needed. In Christ, Amen.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Hebrews 1:3a
Hebrews1:3atheSoneradiatesGod'sowngloryandexpressestheverycharacterofGodandhe
sustainseverythingbythemightypowerofhiscommand
How much sense did that make? I'm guessing it made about as much sense to you as it made to me the first time I read it. No, that's not how the verse appeared in my bible, but it might as well have.
On Sunday, the pastor had asked us to memorize this verse over the course of the next week. He said this was a powerful verse and it would be good to have this verse with us throughout our lives. But I am going to be honest, when a verse reads the way the verse above reads at that moment you just feel thick-headed. And this was one of those moments for me.
However, give me instructions and generally I will follow through. And so, on Monday with no understanding of its deeper meaning I began to memorize the first six words of this verse.
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
By the end of the day I had it.....
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
No real meaning, but I was definitely armed with words!
Day 2 was a piece of cake..... The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory-and-expresses-the-very-character-of-God
I wrote these 12 words probably 12 times yesterday. Last night I bet I said them three or four more times before I fell asleep. At 1:54 am the dogs woke me up and then I landed on the couch downstairs. While I laid there and still without understanding I said my 12 words a few more times. In the dark there with God I uttered the words I haven't said in quite a while, LORD, here I am. Help me to understand.
And here is what followed:
The Son radiates God's own glory
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.... the same, yet different. It is important to understand their interconnectedness.
"Radiates" a VERB, an ACTION, to emit energy (especially LIGHT or HEAT), interesting.... these are things you can see and feel. The Son is making you feel and see God. Through the Son we have received the Holy Spirit and so the Holy Spirit equally radiates to makes us feel and see and experience God the Father and the Son.
God's glory? What is this, really & fully? Isaiah 6 says Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty. The whole earth if full of His glory. God's glory is His infinite worth and beauty that surround us. It is astounding and amazing what God has placed in our everyday surroundings. Generally speaking we miss so much of Him because we are too busy to notice or take so much for granted. If only we would slow down and view the world around us with child-like wonder then what glory we would see!!!
[The Son] expresses the very character of God
"Expresses" a VERB and mean to convey by conduct.
Jesus lived on this earth. The Bible is filled of accounts of these interactions and relationships. So what does this part of the verse mean? For me it asks do Jesus' words match His actions? He speaks of love and demonstrates this love; he speaks of being just and is just; everything He teaches, He in turn does. Which shows God's character in action.
I'm not done digesting this verse. It IS a deep verse. I don't even have it all memorized yet. I just didn't want to lose what God had taught me so far. I am off to learn the rest of the verse and dissect the rest of it's meaning before Sunday I pray!
Thank You God!!
The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.
It reads so much more clearly and powerfully when translated by God. And the pastor was right, this is a very powerful verse about who Jesus is.
sustainseverythingbythemightypowerofhiscommand
How much sense did that make? I'm guessing it made about as much sense to you as it made to me the first time I read it. No, that's not how the verse appeared in my bible, but it might as well have.
On Sunday, the pastor had asked us to memorize this verse over the course of the next week. He said this was a powerful verse and it would be good to have this verse with us throughout our lives. But I am going to be honest, when a verse reads the way the verse above reads at that moment you just feel thick-headed. And this was one of those moments for me.
However, give me instructions and generally I will follow through. And so, on Monday with no understanding of its deeper meaning I began to memorize the first six words of this verse.
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
By the end of the day I had it.....
The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory
No real meaning, but I was definitely armed with words!
Day 2 was a piece of cake..... The-Son-radiates-God's-own-glory-and-expresses-the-very-character-of-God
I wrote these 12 words probably 12 times yesterday. Last night I bet I said them three or four more times before I fell asleep. At 1:54 am the dogs woke me up and then I landed on the couch downstairs. While I laid there and still without understanding I said my 12 words a few more times. In the dark there with God I uttered the words I haven't said in quite a while, LORD, here I am. Help me to understand.
And here is what followed:
The Son radiates God's own glory
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.... the same, yet different. It is important to understand their interconnectedness.
"Radiates" a VERB, an ACTION, to emit energy (especially LIGHT or HEAT), interesting.... these are things you can see and feel. The Son is making you feel and see God. Through the Son we have received the Holy Spirit and so the Holy Spirit equally radiates to makes us feel and see and experience God the Father and the Son.
God's glory? What is this, really & fully? Isaiah 6 says Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty. The whole earth if full of His glory. God's glory is His infinite worth and beauty that surround us. It is astounding and amazing what God has placed in our everyday surroundings. Generally speaking we miss so much of Him because we are too busy to notice or take so much for granted. If only we would slow down and view the world around us with child-like wonder then what glory we would see!!!
[The Son] expresses the very character of God
"Expresses" a VERB and mean to convey by conduct.
Jesus lived on this earth. The Bible is filled of accounts of these interactions and relationships. So what does this part of the verse mean? For me it asks do Jesus' words match His actions? He speaks of love and demonstrates this love; he speaks of being just and is just; everything He teaches, He in turn does. Which shows God's character in action.
I'm not done digesting this verse. It IS a deep verse. I don't even have it all memorized yet. I just didn't want to lose what God had taught me so far. I am off to learn the rest of the verse and dissect the rest of it's meaning before Sunday I pray!
Thank You God!!
The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.
It reads so much more clearly and powerfully when translated by God. And the pastor was right, this is a very powerful verse about who Jesus is.
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