Just Do It

Obedience is a hard. Our human nature is to rebel as proven throughout the stories in the Bible. Look at part of Noah's story as found in Genesis 7; The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, ³ and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. ⁴ Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

You got to love verse 5 - Noah did what God told him! You may say, "Of course he would - the world was being destroyed". Not so fast. We sin and disobey God on a regular basis, and the world around us is falling apart. Lives are being destroyed, people are dying, and facing a Christ-less eternity. This where James and Paul would tell us to look in the mirror. Praise the Lord that He forgives us. Remember Jesus' words after forgiving, Sin no more. We should do likewise.

Be wise today and always - obedience - just do it!

Only One

Do you ever feel like you're alone in this world? As a believer and living a Christ centered life you could certainly feel lonely. Take heart you are not alone. God knows who you are! Believe it or not things have been worse off in this world. Consider what is shared in God's Word in Genesis chapter six.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Noah was the only one  on earth in whom God found favor. So it is possible to walk in faith even though the world does not honor or follow God. It takes commitment and dedication.

Have you made that decision in your heart, mind, and soul?

Be wise today and always - follow the One who will take you to God, Jesus.

Rule Breakers

 We have a hard time with keeping rules don't we. It's been a problem for a long time. Take a look at the first people Adam and Eve.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.  The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:8-9

There was only one rule to keep in the Garden.

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” - Genesis 2:16-17

We know the rest of the story. They did the one thing that they were not to do, and brought sin and death in to the world. Before we get too self-righteous on them remember we had the same choice. To sin - do something contrary to the will and way of God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Fortunately our names aren't plastered in the best selling book of all time! Praise God that there is another book - the Book of Life we can have our names in. Amen? Today read Genesis chapters 3-4, and thank God that He forgives our sin.

Be wise today and always - do it God's way every time.

The Beginning

God created it all - it's just that simple! Genesis 1:1-2, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Scientists and skeptics have twisted the truth about His world since the beginning of time. I always loved the Big Bang Theory - where did the stuff come from that created the Bang? A fundamental law of physics is that something cannot come out of nothing! There can't be a creation without a Creator. Amen?

I wish instead of fighting it people would open their eyes and behold the beauty of creation. By the way give credit to Father God and not Mother nature. Read Genesis chapters 1 and 2 today and marvel at the God who created it all but loves you so much that He was willing to die for you on the cross.

Be wise today and always - worship the God of all creation.

Hope in the Journey

This week we will begin a month long journey through the Bible. In it we will witness man’s existence from creation to the end of time. Two things have always been consistent:

There will be struggles
There will be God

 

People have had it hard. Sometimes the hardships were of their own doing and other times it was forced upon them, but God was there to see them through it.

 

Noah lived in a world saturated with sin and evilness.

God’s chosen people were enslaved in Egypt.

David faced a giant named Goliath.

Israel was taken over, and her people taken in bondage to Babylon.

400 years went by without a fresh Word from God.

The Roman army took control over the Holy Land.

Jesus was betrayed and put to death on a cross.

The disciples were tortured, put to death, or imprisoned.

 

But God: created a new world after the flood and saved Noah’s family.

He sent a deliver named Moses that set His people free.

The Lord gave power to the boy with a slingshot that beat the giant.

He restored Israel back to their homeland.

God sent His one and only begotten Son to overcome the world.

He created a new covenant for all people with His blood.

Jesus overcame death and rose from the grave!

The church continues to grow in spite of adversity.

 

Bad things happen in life, but God will see His people through them. Every believer has new hope! Having God’s hope for eternity will give you hope in this life.

 

Be wise today and always - regardless of where you find yourself today there is Hope in the Journey.

Don't Stop!

The Bible series starts today at churches across the country and on the History Channel. Let's take a look at where the journey will take us. Galatians 3:25-27 says: But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise. - The Message

Faith in Christ as Lord and Savior is not the goal in life - It is only the beginning! It is like coming home after a long trip. Your destination is to get there, but once you are inside the front door there is still much to do!

I cringe when I hear people say that as long as they can slip through the pearly gates they'll be satisfied. No! Don't sell God short. He has a purpose and plan for your life. We are to grow, and share Christ with the world. Our goal is to become more like Him. For most of us that means we have a lot of work to do!

Praise God He doesn't give up on us. Fall in love with God and His Word. He loves you.

Be wise today and always - keep growing!

He Lives!

Years ago Bill Gaither wrote a wonderful song, Because He Lives. Look at the words of it's chorus:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

He must of been thinking about that great truth of God's hope for the world. Through faith in Christ we have hope that for eternity we will be with God. It is because of this great hope that we can have hope during our life on earth as well.

Praise God for His love, faithfulness, joy, and hope He gives so abundantly. Amen?

Be wise today and always - Because He lives!