In the second half of Genesis Chapter 11, the family tree of a very significant man, Abram (his new name "Abraham" is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible), is documented. There is also a brief account of his travels to the city of Haran. The account culminates in Terah (Abram's father), Abram, Sarai (Abram's wife), and Lot (Abram's nephew) moving from an area known as Ur of the Chaldeans (near the mouth of the Euphrates River; modern day Iraq) to the city of Haran (probably named after Terah's son, Haran) following the death of Haran (he died in the presence of his father). It is pretty safe to assume, Terah deeply grieved the death of his son, Haran. It is quite likely that Terah named the city after this son as a memorial, in addition to ensuring Haran's child, Lot, was taken care of.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Multiplication: Good or Bad?
Gen 1:11-12 …sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. NASU
Look at how important multiplication is to the Lord. He doesn’t just tell the earth to sprout forth vegetation and/or fruit, but He commands it to bring forth these things, with the capacity to sprout again in the future already contained within the fruit (the seed). He has established from the beginning the systematic universal law by which multiplication is always the natural reaping to whatever is sowed. It is natural for multiplication to happen on earth because God has designed it so. It is impossible for multiplication not to happen. He has established, by speaking it into existence, that when something is sowed, it will bring forth fruit of its kind, and multiplied seed of its kind. It is His plan for creation for multiplication to always take place. This is not man’s plan, but rather God’s plan. He has established the agricultural world as a witness to us that everything necessary for multiplication to occur has already been put in place by God. The law of multiplication is very, very sobering and should cause us to have reverence for God and trust in Him because multiplication either works for you or against you depending on what is sown! The law is effective whether the seed is good or bad, and multiplies just as effectively!
Gen 1:14-16 14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. NASU
God established the sun as a means of blessing creation. One way that the sun is used to bless the earth is by giving light to the earth. In addition, scientists have discovered that humans receive vital nutrients like Vitamin D from the sun. Light is used by medical professionals on donated blood to destroy destructive organisms in the blood. Photosynthesis, the process that occurs in plants to take sunlight and use it to produce oxygen and carbon byproducts, requires light as well. There are many reasons that light is necessary here on earth and God purposefully designed it this way. The sun warms the earth so that vegetation, animal and mankind have an atmosphere conducive to survive and thrive.
More benefits and info on the sun (some true, some not) can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun.
In His wisdom, having not even yet created man, but knowing what He had intended to create and mans’ requirements to survive and thrive, He established the sun to bring light, heat and solar energy to the earth. Even now, we are discovering ways to harness the energy of the sun. Imagine what could be done with solar energy if we asked God for wisdom regarding the sun’s energy and how we could best harness it and redirect it. Certainly, God has plans for the use of light and energy from the sun that mankind has not yet discovered.
Gen 1:20-22 20 Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." NASU
God established the universal law (the systematic means/process) of multiplication in the animal kingdom, as well. He put the seed in animal and bird as a natural manifestation of His multiplicative nature. He did the same in man, as well. When we trust and obey God, the natural consequence is a multiplication of righteousness, a harvest of righteousness, He ensures it. When we disobey God and move in fear, that which is multiplied is from the seed of rebellion and unbelief, a harvest of corruption. The universal law of multiplication ensures that as well. Know this…God will not be mocked…you will reap what you sow!
Gal 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. NASU
Multiplication that occurs in creation brings glory to God and is a sign to us, pointing to His multiplicative nature. The enemy despises the occurrence of multiplication in creation because it serves as a sign to point away from him, and towards God. Because of the devil’s enmity towards God, he is literally, hell-bent on stealing, killing and destroying the good harvest, and deceiving us into sowing and reaping in a multiplicative manner, the bad harvest, in efforts to redirect attention his way, away from God in efforts to steal the glory of God. Thus, multiplication, is not only natural, but it is a process that brings glory to God. To multiply and be fruitful is to declare that God is and God is faithful, that“the Lord is upright.”
John 15:8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. NASU
Ps 92:12-15
12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a cedar in
13 Planted in the house of the LORD,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NASU
Matt 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. NASU
1 Cor 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. NASU
2 Cor 9:10-11 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
NASU
Isa 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. NASU
Heb 6:13-14 13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." NASU
Prov 11:18
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. NASU
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
When I Consider...
No need to explain God. No need to teach how God arrived on the spot or where He had His beginning...simply because....God is...God. The assumption is made right from the beginning of the Bible that God has always been...that this "beginning" being referred to in this passage, refers to the beginning of all creation but not God's beginning.
God started the dimension of time. Without time there is no yesterday, no today, no tomorrow. Without time there is no reference point for time references. There are no seconds, no minutes, no hours or days without a time reference. Because God is "all that and then some," He is able to, not only give creation a starting point, but give time its starting point. Unlike humans, He isn't confined by time. God stands outside the confines and limitations of time. Our whole human existence has always been inclusive of the experiences of time and this makes it difficult to think "outside the box" of time, but God knows what things were like when there was no time dimension and no time reference. Time, to us humans, gains its reference from the earth orbiting the sun and spinning on its axis. We have established time references in our language and customs based on these reference points. One complete revolution on the axis of earth...we have established as one day. One elliptical journey of the earth around the sun is equivalent to one year. Without an earth spinning on its axis and without an earth orbiting a sun, we have no time reference. Thus, God established time when He said...
Gen 1:3-5 3 "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. NASU
God established the dimension of time before the earth was formed, and before He gave the sun and stars shape. He created one day before all this work was formed in His hands. This brings to the forefront of my mind how very awesome God really is. Have I ever separated all of light from all of darkness? Have I started the dimension of time? Eventually God would take the light and form it into stars and the sun, He would create the earth and the seas. Have I ever held the sun or the entire earth in my hands? Have I ever formed these massive substances with my hands? The answer is obviously no. This highlights just one of many differences between God and man. This is following a similar thought journey that inspired a psalmwriter to express...
Ps 8:3-4
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him? NASU
Let us be rightfully in awe of this Almighty God!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Resist, Don't Minimize, the Devil
1 Peter 5:8-9 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith NASU
If we are to walk as God encourages us to walk, shouldn't we place the same emphasis on the reality of the devil that the Bible places on him? To attempt to minimize the devil has resulted, I believe, in putting blame upon God for the things that the devil is responsible for. It's a real shame that somewhere in the history of the Church, someone in the Church deviated from the Bible and began blaming God for sickness and disease, and many, today, have followed suit. Now, it appears, in the eyes of many believers, God and Satan have switched roles. When sickness and disease were confronted in the early Church, believers believed it to be the work of the devil, but now, due to the so-called advances of modern medicine, the handiwork of the devil has been put on God. Isn't it time that we as believers in Scripture took a stand against this kind of heretical doctrine.
Yes, there are many believers that are fixated on the devil rather than fixing their eyes on Jesus, but the appropriate response is not to react to this out-of-balance perspective with another unbiblical worldview. The correct response is to look to the Scriptures to discover the proper emphasis in our daily living that we should devote to resisting the devil. To minimize the devil and his handiwork is to be asleep at the post, when God has commanded us to "be of sober spirit, be on the alert" regarding the devil.
Thankfully, we do not have to fear the devil, for those of us that are born again have been born into a kingdom that has bestowed upon its citizens an authority over the prince of darkness. We have authority over the devil! And, for those of us baptized in the Holy Spirit, we have power...power to fight the devil!
So, go...submit to the Lord, and RESIST the devil...he WILL flee!!!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Receiving By Faith
This realm, this world has been created in such a manner that those of faith will be rewarded and those who doubt will not only, not receive anything, but what they do have will be taken away from them by the devil. Again, this world has been established in such a way that those who have faith will be blessed and blessed mightily, and those who are doubleminded and doubtful and unbelieving will not only, not receive anything, but what they currently possess will be taken away from them by satan. For the devil has come into this world to steal, to kill, and to destroy but Christ came into this world so that you and all mankind can be saved and have life abundant!
Matt 13:10-13 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. NASU
Know this...the one who has...has obtained what he has...solely by faith. One can only receive anything from God, by faith. So the one who has...has...because he has faith. The one who is doubleminded and doubting, the Word of God says that person should not expect to receive anything.
James 1:6-8 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. NASU
There should be no expectation in you and I, of receiving anything from the Lord, when we ask with doubt. God's promises are to be obtained through faith. And since faith is so crucial to receiving anything from the Lord should not you and all His sons and daughters seek to grow in faith? Would it not be greatly beneficial to grow in faith so that you could receive, receive, receive from God all that He has for you? Surely, this is the challenge that He offers those of us who have been born again...grow in faith, by reading and understanding His word (Rom 10:17), as you listen to the Holy Spirit...and pray in tongues frequently (Jude 20)...for surely God desires you not to be in poverty when it comes to receiving His blessings, but rather He desires that you be in abundance, so that you can have something to share, for this brings glory to God. So, grow in His Word! Discover His promises! Obtain His promises by faith! Pray in tongues!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hearing the Holy Spirit Speak
John 5:25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. " NASU
The Bible speaks frequently about hearing the voice of God. For far too long, too many leaders within the church have belittled the necessity, cast doubt on the validity, restricted the availability of every sheep hearing the voice of The Shepherd. Isn't it time that we return to the Bible and begin believing what IT says about hearing the voice of God, rather than someone's (quite often) uninformed opinion? When we stand before the Lord (actually kneel and bow), He's not going to be accepting excuses for not walking in the truth. He isn't going to be accepting statements like, "well, my pastor said...or my priest said..." Umm...what's that in your hand? "It's the Bible," a sheep might answer. What does it say? "It says that I can hear the voice of God." Isn't God's word sufficient? Doesn't His promises settle it?
Think about this...what kind of Shepherd doesn't talk to his sheep? What kind of Father doesn't speak to His sons and daughters? What kind of Groom doesn't speak to His bride?
God is still talking. He didn't finish talking when the Scriptures were canonized. He's still talking today, and He wants you to hear His voice. But for you to hear His voice requires you to believe that He's talking TO YOU! The Bible is clear on this..."be it done to you according to your faith." Faith is necessary for you to receive anything from the Lord...want forgiveness? You can't have it unless you receive it by believing you've been forgiven. Want cleansing? You can't have it unless you receive it by believing your cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Want freedom from addiction? You cannot have it unless you receive it by believing you've already been set free through Jesus' work on the Cross. Want to hear the voice of God? You will not hear His voice till you receive them by believing He's already speaking TO YOU!
Now...go sit at His feet, like Mary, and listen to the words that come from His mouth! He's speaking to you!
Luke 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. NASU
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Dying to the Flesh
Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. NASU
Crucifying the flesh is not supposed to be a wrestling match, just you against the flesh. You put to death the members of your body by walking by the Spirit. To walk by the Spirit is to walk in such a manner as to not fulfill the desires of the flesh. It's not just a matter of this wrestling match with the flesh, but rather it is setting your mind on the things of the Spirit, and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to you.
To set your mind on the things of the spirit is to come to Jesus, listen to His words, and to embrace His words with your will. This results in the mortification of the flesh, it is to die to your self, the will of the old man. When you set your mind on the things of the Spirit, you position yourself to listen to the Holy Spirit AND to do what He says. Setting your mind on the things of the Spirit includes acting on what the Holy Spirit has spoken to you. The moment you choose not to do what He has spoken to you, you have gone from setting your mind on the things of the spirit to setting your mind on the things of the flesh. You have preferred to set your mind on the will of the flesh in your life rather than continuing on in setting your mind on the Spirit. Do not think that simply listening to His words is setting your mind on the Spirit, rather the setting of your mind on the things of the Spirit includes listening to His words, and believing the words to the extent of doing them. In the very moment that you choose to move from listening to His words to not doing them, or even procrastinate in doing them, you have chosen to set your mind on the things of the flesh. It is the making consideration for the things of the flesh, that hinders His will from being fulfilled in our lives.