Doing God's Work (Gen. 2:8-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/20/2006

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Doing God’s Work

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 2:8-15

            Message of the verse:  “8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.  9  Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing 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.

10  Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.  11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.  12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there.  13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush.  14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.  15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”

            Moses again talks about what God had created on the third day, which was in chapter one, and in verse eight.  God planted a garden called Eden and He placed the man in this garden to do work in this garden, which is revealed in verse fifteen.  Verse nine gives information to the reader that this garden was not only beautiful to look at, but that there was also all kind of food produced from the plants and trees that God had planted in this garden.  Verse nine also speaks of the tree of life and also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and these two trees were planted in this garden.  Later on Moses will write much more about these two trees. 

            In verses ten through fourteen Moses speaks of some geography that modern man does not know much about, but there are two rivers that is the Tigris and the Euphrates, that are known today and give us some idea as to where this garden was located.  I am sure that it is all very different than when it was first created. 

            As said before verse fifteen tells of the job that the Lord gave to the man that He had just created.  The work before the fall was much different than the work after the fall, but God still gives work to His children even today.  God gave work for His Son to do while He was on the earth and Jesus spoke of doing the work of the Father in John’s Gospel.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God has given me work to do and I have to figure out exactly what that work is that He wants me to do at this stage of my life.  God has a plan for me, and God has a job for me and when it is time for my departure, either in the Rapture or through death I want to be able to say with Paul that I have finished the work that God has given me to do.

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith:  To trust the Lord to give me the message that He wants me to give to those at the Bible study this afternoon, to be controlled by His Spirit in order to do this.  I want to trust the Lord to guide me and direct my paths and to teach me contentment through the trials that I am going through.   

The Breath of Life (Gen. 2:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/19/2006

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Breath of Life

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 2:7

            Message of the verse:  “7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

           

            This verse goes into more of the details of the creation of the first man.  I would like to go into the portion of this verse that speaks of God breathing into man’s nostrils the breath of life.  I do not think that when God breathed the breath of life into the man that it was all about giving him just physical life, for one reason you cannot see in the Scriptures that God breathed life into any of the animals or plants, and they all have life, but in the case of man it was all different because I believe that God breathed spiritual life into the man, and not just physical life into the man.  It also seems to me that when man first sinned that he lost that spiritual life and the only way that he would recover it was to be born-again through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Even though that would be a long time in the future from when Adam sinned God did speak of that right after man had sinned in Genesis 3:15, and all of the sins of the world would be put on the Lord Jesus Christ, both those that had been committed before and those afterwards.

2/28/2020 9:45 AM  When God breathed life into the man it made him different than all of the animals that He had created, therefore when we look at this verse we can say that it would be impossible for evolution to be involved in the creation of man as even some Christians believe would happen.  Evolution is an attack from Satan to take away what the Bible has to say about the creation.  God made the entire creation in six 24 hour days.  God could have spoken and the entire creation could have been made right away, but He chose to do it in six days, six 24 hour days and to have people believe that it took longer is an attack on the Word of God in this area which sets up the possibility of putting doubt in the rest of the Bible including what Christ did on the cross.  2/28/2020 9:50 AM

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is a miracle that through the new birth that God has restored to me what was lost through Adam’s sin.  It is only through God’s love and His grace and mercy given to me through faith that I can now be a part of His wonderful family.

The Word of God was so very refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today: To continue to believe that God will give direction to my life concerning whether or not to stay at the present job that I have or to go with Tim if he gets this job in Uganda.  To continue to trust the Lord to guide my steps and to teach me contentment.   

More Details of the Creation Week (Gen. 2:4-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/18/2006

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  More details of creation week

Bible Reading & Meditation                                  Reference:  Genesis 2:4-6

            Message of the verse:  “4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.  5  Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.  6  But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.” 

            In this section Moses, by the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, gives more details of creation week, and kind of fills in some things that helps all to understand more fully the creation that God has made.  Verse four states that “this is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.”  Verse five gives a recap of when the earth was made that there were not yet any plants or shrubs on the earth because God had not created them as of yet.  The verse also tells that there was not any rain that fell upon the earth, and no mention of rain is made in Genesis until the great world wide flood later on in the book.  Verse six tells how the earth was watered as a mist would come up out of the ground to water the surface of the earth.  In the account of the flood it is said that water actually came up out of the earth to help flood the earth, and this could very possibility be the very source of where this water that gave a mist to the earth came from. 

            I believe that Moses is laying the ground work, (no pun intended) for the creation of man in these three verses, and not only the creation of man, but what his responsibilities would be when he is created.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I read through the Bible I can find that there are many things that are repeated, and this is one of them, although it is not repeated exactly as when it was written in the first chapter, but there must be a reason for the repeating of things in the Scriptures, and that is that God wants me to learn about these important things He has written about, and creation week is one of the most important items that is written in all of the Bible.

The Word of God has been refreshing to me as I read it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to show me what His will is for my life in regard to where He wants me to work, either at the church or with Tim  if he gets another job.

Day Seven of Creation (Gen. 2:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/16/2006

My Worship Time                                                                         Focus:  The seventh day.

Bible Reading & Meditation                                          Reference:  Genesis 2:1-3

            Message of the verse:  “1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.  2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

            Verse one declares that all of God’s creation was complete, and it was complete in six days as is written in Exodus 20:11:  “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  This word Sabbath was not used until Exodus, but it does seem that Israel knew that the seventh or Sabbath was something that was Holy to the Lord.  God rested on the seventh day not because He was tired, for God is never tired or weary, (Isa. 40:28), but God rested because His work was done, and Dr. Wiersbe believes that because there is no mention of evening and morning of the seventh day, that this rest was suppose to last forever, but because of man’s sin it did not.  Jesus speaks of the work that He was doing as well as the work that His Father was doing in John 5:9 & 17. 

            Verse three says that God blessed the seventh day and set it apart and the reason was that He rested from all of His work.  The text speaks of the day being sanctified, which means to set apart.  There are many things that can be sanctified or set apart for the work of the Lord, including buildings, and people, even one of God’s names means sanctified, “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”  God set apart Israel, and I believe that every believer in the Church age is set apart of sanctified to the Lord for service to Him. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would like to start out by saying that selfishness is probably one of, if not the biggest sin that I struggle with.  With that been said it is extremely disappointing to me when I sin in this area because I have been set apart for the work of the Lord, and should be willing to serve Him in any way at any time, because I have been set apart for His service.  Romans 12:1-2 pretty much sums this entire thing up:  “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The Word of God has been very challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to seek the will of the Lord concerning what it is that He wants me to do about our job situation, whether to continue on at the church or to go with HRSG when they get a job.  I surely need the Lord to direct my path.

PT-2 Creation of Man (Gen. 1:29-31)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/13/2006

My Worship Time                                                      Focus: Part 2 Creation of Man

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Genesis 1:29-31

            Message of the verse:  “29 Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food’; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

            As I was reading Dr. Wiersbe’s notes on this first chapter of Genesis he said that God created the earth on the first four days and then He filled it on the next three days.  As I look at the creation of the animals and man this is part of filling the earth, but verses 29 and 30 describes how God filled the animals and also man by giving them the plants and also the fruit from the plants as food.  I do believe that these days were 24 hour days, and I also believe that there were never any animals on the earth until this time, and that all of these animals ate nothing but plants and the fruit from them, including the fruit from the trees that God created.   Verse thirty give kind of a commentary from God about all of His creation, for it says “God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good.”  God looked over all that He had created in this week of creation, the earth, the stars, the seas, the dry ground, the fish, the birds, the animals, and man and said that all of this was very good, and it surely was.  Now in the next chapter it will show that on the seventh day God would rest from His work, and thus make the seventh day a holy or Sabbath day.   

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at what God said after creation was over, that it was very good, I cannot help but think that, that is what I should be able to say after each day of my life that I walk with my Creator God, that, that day was very good, but I cannot always say that because of the times when I have sinned against Him.

The Word of God has challenged my heart as I read it and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to direct my path, and to teach me to be content to walk with the King today and be a blessing, and to trust the Lord to give me the things to say at our Bible Study that will be pleasing to Him and helpful to all who attend.

PT-1 "Creation of Man" (Gen. 1:26-28)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/12/2006

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  Creation of Man Part 1

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Genesis 1:26-28

            Message of the verse:  “26 Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  27  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  28  God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

            In verse 26 it seems that the Trinity can be seen because the word “Us” is used as if God were speaking to someone, yet there was no one else involved in the creation of man other than the Triune God.  The verse goes on to say that man would have rule over the creatures that God had just made.  Man would loose this privilege when Adam sinned against God by eating the fruit in rebellion to God. There will be a day coming when God will restore this privilege to man to rule over His creation and that will be when Jesus Christ returns to the earth to set up His kingdom.

            Verse 27 speaks of man being created in the image of God, and this makes us different than the creatures that God had made.  When God created man He breathed into him the breath of life, and this was not just air, but God gave man a spiritual life that was lost when Adam sinned.  This is why Jesus Christ came to earth, to restore this Spiritual life to those who will accept His work on the cross as being for them and thus receive forgiveness for their sin and become a part of God’s own family.

            In verse 28 God blesses man and again tells them that they have rule over the fish of the seas and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When I look at the world around me and look at the stars in the skies I do not have to think that all of this was some kind of cosmetic accident, but I know that the very God who created me in His own image created all of this for man to enjoy, yet sin has marred this, however God, through His Son Jesus Christ has caused me to be born again so that one day I will see Him face to face and have the opportunity to thank Him for all of His creation.

            I am thankful to know that I am created in the image of God.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to see me through the tests that I have to go through this morning, to give me His strength and to take away my fears.  To trust in the love of God and not to think that I have to perform in order to be pleasing in God’s sight, because I have all that I need for godliness in Christ Jesus.  To trust the Lord to teach me contentment and to direct my path.

Creation of Animals (Day 6 PT-1) (Gen. 1:24-25)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/10/2006

My Worship Time                                                    Focus:  Creation’s Sixth Day (Part 1)

Bible Reading & Meditation                                   Reference:  Genesis 1:24-25

            Message of the verses:  “24  And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—livestock, small animals, and wildlife.’ And so it was.  25  God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.”

              Verses twenty-four and twenty-five describe the creation of the animals that God would fill the earth with.  Just as God filled the air with the birds and the sea with fish and other water animals, so He now fills the land with different animals.  God would also make man on the sixth day, but that will be a discussion for another day.  God made all of the animals out of the dust of the ground and the animals were to reproduce after their own kind just as the birds and the fish were to do along with the plants.  When the animals would die they too would go back to the earth from which they were formed out of.  At the end of the creation of the animals God again said that this was good. 

            Even though animals were created on the same day as man was created there is a large difference between the two.  When God created man He breathed life into him, but this was not true of the animals.  Mankind is to treat animals in a good way, and not torture them, however later on God told man that he could eat the animals, but this did not mean that man could torture them. 

            It is very sad today that some people want to treat the animals better than humans are treated, especially the unborn babies, and this sure opposes the things that are written in the Word of God.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: I must have been kind of brain dead all the years of my life to not understand that when God would breath the breath of live into humans it was not so that they could breathe air and live, but it was to have a spirit and a relationship with God.  When I was born again in Jan. of 1974 the Spirit of God breathed into me a new life, as He does all who are born again.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read it and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust in the Lord to lead me and to guide me onto the paths that He would want me to go.  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me contentment as He leads me through the troubled waters of life, hoping that some day He will restore our funds that have been taken from us.  I also want to trust the Lord to choose the job that He wants me to do for Him, either continue in my job at GBC or go on another job with HRSG International.

Day Five; Birds and Fish (Gen. 1:20-23)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/09/2006

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Fifth Day Creation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 1:20-23

            Message of the verse:  “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.’  23  There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.”  (NASB95)

            God is now filling the expanse above the earth with birds that will fly in it, and He is also filling the oceans with fish and wales and other sea creatures.  This is part of the filling process that God is doing in the creation week.  Again just as when God created the planets and said that they should reproduce after their own kind, so now when He creates the birds and also the fish and sea animals He said the same thing about them.  Verse 22 has the first usage of the word “bless” that is recorded in the Scriptures as God blesses all of these birds and fish and tells them to be fruitful and to multiply and to fill the waters in the seas and let the birds multiply on the earth.  This was part of their blessing that they were to multiply and to fill the earth.  God also pronounced that this creation was good.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is truly amazing all of the things that God created in just a week, and I can see the planning in all of this as God first created the earth, and the stars and then began to fill them with plants, animals, and with fish and sea creatures.  As I read about all of God’s creation I cannot help but praise Him for all of His power and all of His wisdom in creating all that is created on this earth.  Our God is and Awesome God.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord for direction as to what He would want me to do and also to trust Him to teach me to be content, as Paul wrote about in Phil. 4:11 where he said that he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in.  He learned how to be content, and it was God who taught him how to be content, but putting him in the different situations that he found himself in and learned to trust the Lord in all of those circumstances.

He made the Stars Also: (Genesis 1:14-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/05/2006

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  Creation on the forth day.

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 1:14-19

            Message of the verse:  “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.  16  God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.17  God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.  19  There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.”

            In verses fourteen through it can be seen that God created the sun and the moon and all of the stars in order to separate the light from the darkness, the day from the night.  There was already light upon the earth, but now by creating the sun, moon and the stars there would be light in the heavens as well as on the earth.  The sun, moon and stars would be used to divide the days, and the seasons. 

            It did not take people too long after the fall of man to begin to worship the stars, and later on when God had to scramble the languages, it was because men began to chart and to worship the stars, and this surely was not the purpose of them being made, for only God deserves all worship and glory given to Him.

            At the end of day four’s creation God again said that it was good. 

These last three days of creation were the filling of the heavens and the earth which had been created on the first three days.

            Notice from the highlighted portion of verse 16 “He made the stars also.”  This kind of seems like an afterthought when you think about it.  God spends most of the creation week making planet earth and then Moses writes that God also made the stars too.  Something to think about.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I guess that this part of God’s creation gives me the most trouble in my mind, and I suppose that the better that I get to know my Creator the less trouble that it should give me.  The problem is why God created all of the billions and billions of stars that, at least for now, man cannot even see.  Were these done for the purpose of man or does God have another reason?  The more that I ponder all of this, I believe that God did this because He loves His creation that much, for if He was willing to have His only Son die for His creation, then the issue with the stars should be answered in my mine that it was out of love He did this.

The Word of God has been very challenging to my heart as I read and studied His Word this afternoon.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to guide my steps and to teach me contentment.  

Creation on Day Three (Gen. 1:9-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/04/2006

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Creation on the third day

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 1:9-13

            Message of the verse:  “9 And God said, ‘Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear.’ And so it was.  10 God named the dry ground ‘land’ and the water ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good.  11 Then God said, ‘Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And so it was.  12 The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good.  13 This all happened on the third day.”

            These five verses declare the things that God had created on the third day and for the first time God said that it was good, in fact this is spoken of two times in this paragraph, in verse ten and also in verse twelve.  God is preparing the earth for both animals and also man and on this third day of creation God separates the water from the dry land and on the dry land He creates all of the grass and trees.  This will become food for both the animals and also man.  One cannot help but notice the order that is involved in God’s creation, for when He creates both the grass and trees He puts in them a reproductive system that enables them to produce after their own kind, and of the trees He also produces fruit.  There is order in God’s creation as He now will create animals and man to fill the creation that He has just completed.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The word seed or seeds are used for the first time in these verses, and seeds that produce after their own kind.  I can see the background being laid for when man would sin and God would again use the word seed, only this time that seed would mean His own Son, His Son would give life to those who would become believers and would be called God’s children as they would be after their own kind.  I am so thankful that I am one of God’s children bought by the precious blood of God’s Seed and Son, The Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord for His direction of my life today, and also trust Him to teach me to be content with my life and not get so upset over circumstances that surround me.

Creation Day 2 (Gen. 1:6-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/03/2006

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Creation on Day No. 2

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Genesis 1:6-8

            Message of the verse:  “6 Then God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’  7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.  8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.’”  (NAS95)

            6 And God said, ‘Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water.’  7  And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below.  8 And God called the space ‘sky.’ This happened on the second day.”(NLT)

            It seems that at the time of the creation all of the water was together, and so on this second day of creation God divided the waters and some of it went up into the air and this was the water that God would later use to bring the flood upon the entire earth.  Above these waters or probably even in the heavens was the water that was suspended above the earth to possibility keep the destructive rays from coming upon the earth.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: The earth would begin as a perfect place to live, but soon sin would cause big problems even for the earth.  Sin is the biggest problem that I as a believer have to deal with, and at times it may get the best of me, but by God’s grace I can live a life that that is pleasing to God.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read it this afternoon.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord and to continue to work on being content as Paul wrote about in Phil. 4:11.  

The First Day of Creation (Gen. 1:3-5)

01/02/2006

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  1^st Day of Creation

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 1:3-5

            Message of the verse:  “3  Then God said, ‘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.”

            I would surmise that the question concerning verse three is where did the light come from when God did not create the sun until day four?  The best answer that I can come up with is that God was the One who was the light.  In the book of Revelations, which has a lot in common with Genesis, states that in the New Jerusalem God is the One who provides all of the light needed, and there will be no darkness there.  As stated before light represents God, and God’s goodness and righteousness as looked at in many Scripture passages, for Jesus said in the Gospel of John,  “Joh 8:12  Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life,’  Joh 9:5  ‘While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.’”  As seen in this passage of John, (John 8:12) Jesus said that those who follow Him will not walk in darkness, or in sin.  Darkness is equated to sin in many Scripture passages.  In Genesis 1:4 Moses states that God separated the light from the darkness, and I do not think that it would be stretching this verse to far by saying one can look at in the way of separating righteousness for sin. 

            Verse three of Genesis tells the reader how God created things, and that can be seen by the phrase, “Then God said,” for in that phrase one can see that when God spoke things were created.  The phrase at the end of verse four, “and there was evening and there was morning, one day,” tells how the Jewish people counted there days, for the Jewish day begins in the evening, where most places begin a day at midnight.  The other thing here is that there is a number corresponding to the day, which makes it a 24 hour day and not some unknown period of time, like the day of the Lord.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It was God who planned to make the world, and when God has a plan there is nothing that will stop His plan, even though at times from my observation point here on planet earth it looks like there is someone or something that is thwarting God’s plans here for planet earth and also for my own life, but this is not the case.  Just as God had a plan when He created this earth, He also has a plan for my life, and I desire for Him to “direct my path” each and every day in order to work out this plan for my life.

The Word of God has challenged my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  As I begin this New Year I have some goals that I would like to accomplish and they can be summarized in a couple of passages from God’s Word:  “5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”  Proverbs 3:5,6 and Philippians 4:11b.  In a sense this is a two part goal for as I yield to the Lord in all of my circumstances He has promised to direct my paths, and by doing this I believe that I will learn to be content.  This verse uses the word learn, so to be content is a learning process, and not something that you get in an instance.                            

Formless Earth (Genesis 1:2)

12-31-2005

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Formless Earth

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 1:2

            Message of the verse:  “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

This verse has raised a lot of questions of which they will not be answered here, however I will write about some of the theories.  The first theory is called the “Gap” theory, and that came about from a book by G.H. Pember called Earth’s Earliest Ages, and in this book the author theorized that because of the fall of Satan God had to remake the entire earth and so there is a gap between the first and the second verses of Genesis. 

            As of lately there have been many different people who theorize that the earth is much older than what most Bible Scholars believe it to be and thus say that the days in the creation were not twenty-four hour days, but very long periods of time, like millions of years.  The word for day in the Hebrew does have different meanings, however when preceded by a number they always mean a twenty-four hour day.

            As far as my belief on this I do believe that the earth was created just like the Bible tells that it was, and that there was no gap between the first and second verses and that the days were twenty-four hour days. 

            God does not always tell us everything that we would like to know, but only tells us what he wants us to know.  Deu. 29:29 speaks to this when it says:  “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

            This verse seems to say that the initial creation of the earth was without any light at all and it was also covered with water, and the Holy Spirit was hovering over it like an eagle hovers over the earth now.  The question has already been raised as to why the Lord created the earth in stages and why was it like this before He began to make it perfect?  Like Deu. 29:29 speaks to the secret things do belong to the Lord and perhaps this is a secret thing that does belong to Him and He does not want us to know why He made the earth in the way He did.  With that being said one can look at the way some of the words used in this verse are used in other places of the Scriptures to perhaps shed some light on this verse.  The word “darkness” is mostly used in conjunction with sin, but there was no sin committed by a man at this time because man had not been created.  However man would soon be created and man would soon sin after he was created, and if one would look at this world in a spiritual way it is pretty dark, that is the world system, and pretty formless.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at and try to completely understand what this verse is saying, I cannot understand it completely, and so faith has to enter into the picture, faith in God that He will tell me the things that He wants me to know, and faith to believe that it was God who created this world that we live in.  I don’t have to understand everything that God has done, nor how He has done them, however I must obey the things that God has revealed to me, and when I fall ask God to forgive me as He has promised to do.

The Word of God was indeed a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to led and direct my path in 2006 and give contentment to my heart as I go through the troubles that He is leading me through.

"The Beginning" (Genesis 1:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR

12/30/2005

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  The Beginning

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Genesis 1:1

            Message of the verse:  1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Moses begins the first book of the Bible with the words “in the beginning.”  This does not mean the beginning of God, for God has always existed and will always exist for He is eternal.  This beginning speaks of the creation of the earth and the things we see and can’s see in our sky, things that until recent years have not been seen by human eyes, but were created by God. 

            The word used for God in this verse is “Elohim,” and this word is plural, which could speak of the Triune God or the Trinity.  The word means God, Judge, and Creator. 

            There are three books of the Bible which begin with the word beginning, and they are Genesis, Mark, and John, and the beginnings that they are written about are all different.  Mark writes about the beginning of the Gospel, of when Jesus begins to teach and preach about the good news of God.  John writes about eternity past and of Jesus Christ the second person of the God-head, when He was in eternity past before He became a man and came to earth.  In John’s first letter he also writes about a beginning:  “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I think about beginnings I cannot help but think about the beginning of my salvation, when I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Lord.  That was on January 26^th of 1974, but in truth it was in eternity past when God choose me before the foundations of the earth, and it was also when the Lord Jesus Christ died for me on the cross as He paid for my sins, but it was on January 26^th of 1974 that the Holy Spirit of God called me to be His own that I was born again.  The entire Trinity was involved in the salvation of my soul, as in the salvation of everyone who has been saved or will be saved.  January 26, 1974 was truly the beginning of eternal life for me and I will praise the Lord throughout eternity for this wonderful gift of love and grace that He has given to me, not because I deserved it, but because of God’s wonderful grace and mercy, along with His great love for me.

The Word of God has been refreshment to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  As this year of 2005 comes to a close, with less than two days left, I want to praise the Lord for seeing me through this very difficult year and providing everything needed for Sandy and I, even though it is not exactly how we had planned out for our retirement years, yet God has a plan for our lives and nothing will stop the execution of His plan for us.

  

End of Daniel "Final Instructions to Daniel" (Dan. 12:8-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/14/2014 12:20 PM

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  Final Instructions to Daniel “The End”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 12:8-13

            Message of the verses:  We begin what is actually our last study from the book of Daniel as far as looking at the last verses in the book.  I mentioned that we will return to Daniel in February to do a review of the book.  I am not sure how many SD’s that will take, but we will decide that when the time comes.

            The End (Daniel 12:8-13):  “8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?" 9 He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 “Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11 “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13 “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.’”

            We know that Daniel did not understand all that he had seen and been told about, so he asks questions, but did not receive the answer that he was looking for.  When I come to passages of Scripture that I really have trouble with and I do all the research that I can do and still do not understand it I think about Deuteronomy 29:29 which says ““The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions (NLT).”  I like the NLT translation of this verse because it makes it more understandable.  God is so far above us that we may never understand how far above us He is and because He is God and can do as He pleases He does not have to tell us everything He knows, and for one thing we could never understand all He knows for He is God and we are man.  He tells us what He wants to tell us and what He tells us we are to obey.

            Daniel is told by God that in the end times there will be great trouble to come upon those on the earth, and I think that he is especially talking about the Jews, and he goes on to say that these hard times will make believers more pure, and wicked men more wicked.  When we go through hard times as believers we are to look at what the Lord is teaching us and not so much as to look to just get through it.  Peter has something to say about prophetic events “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).”  He is saying that the Word of prophecy is our light when things get dark.

            Daniel speaks of 1290 days and 1335 days which begin at the middle of the tribulation when the temple is desolated by the Antichrist.  When you multiply 360 times 3.5 you come up with 1260 and we understand that the Lord will return to planet earth as seen in Rev. 19 at the end of the tribulation period so there are thirty extra days given in the prophecy and then when we go to 1335 that makes 75 extra days.  I have heard that the Lord will uses those extra days to begin to set up His Kingdom.  We could look at it this way, when the Lord returns at the end of 1260 He will take the thirty days to judge those who are left alive on planet earth.  He tells us that He will separate the sheep from the goats, and the goats (unbelievers) will go into eternal punishment, and the sheep go into the Kingdom.  Daniel says that those who make it to 1335 days are blessed, and the Lord could use those remaining 45 days to set up His Kingdom and begin to rule from Jerusalem.  When we look at the events that occur in Ezekiel 40-48 we see that many things will happen in order to set up the Kingdom.  I heard one commentator speculate that Jesus would build the Millennial Temple in three days, but I don’t know if that is what will happen.  If the Lord wanted to build that temple in three days He surely could.

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section and actually the end of Daniel with the following words:  “Though the Lord had taught Daniel many things and revealed to him many mysteries, it was not for him to know everything before he died.  As the end of his life drew near, it was enough to know that he had been faithful to the Lord and would one day rest from his labors (Rev. 14:13).  He will one day be raised from the dead ad receive the reward the Lord has allotted for him (Matthew 25:21).  ‘I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness’ (Ps. 17:15; 1 John 3:1-3; Rom. 8:29).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In twelve days from today I will begin my 41^st year in serving the Lord, as I was saved on the 26^th of January, 1974.  I desire to finish strong and continue to serve the Lord as long as He gives me breath.  I have learned much from the book of Daniel and some of the things that I learned are was about the wonderful character that Daniel possessed.  Daniel is a person that I can pattern my life after.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “The angel of the Lord” (Matthew 1:20).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Where was Peter when he received the vision of the sheet?”

Answer in our next SD.

1/14/2014 1:01 PM

PT-2 Final Instructions for Daniel (Dan. 12:5-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/13/2014 9:46 AM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  Final Instructions for Daniel PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  Daniel 12:5-7

            Message of the verses:  In today’s SD we begin the second sub-point from this last main point “Final Instructions for Daniel.”

            The Times (Daniel 12:5-7):  “5 Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?" 7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.”

            We see two more angels arriving on the scene at this time, one on one said of the Tigris River and one on the other side of the river, and then we see One who is standing above the river, and that is probably the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ who we met at the beginning of this vision in Daniel 10:5-6.  Next we see an angel ask the Lord how long will it be until the end of these wonders, and the Lord’s answer was for three and a half years, (a time, times, and half a time).   We saw this figure in Daniel 7:25, “25  ’He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”  This period of time, three and a half years, refers to the last half of the tribulation period or what some have called “The Great Tribulation.”  There are several ways that the Bible describes this last part of the tribulation period, the one we are looking at today, and then in Revelations 12:14 we read “But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”  (The same way.)  When we look at Revelations 11:2 and then 13:5 we read “"Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread underfoot the holy city for forty-two months.”  “There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.” In Revelations 11:3 we read “"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.’”

            We have learned that the Tribulation period begins with Antichrist signing a peace treaty with Israel for seven years, and then in the middle of the Tribulation period we see him go into the rebuilt temple and commit the abomination of desolations and declaring himself to be God.  Now when this happens the Jews should be getting out of town, for they know that he is a false god.  Jesus says “15 “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16  then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”  (Matthew 24:15-21)

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section by writing “The key to God’s timing is the purpose He fulfills for ‘the holy people,’ the nation of Israel.  Throughout the Book of Daniel, the emphasis is on the nation of Israel, and the only reason other nations are mentioned is because of their relationship to the Jews.  While the Tribulation period is a time for punishing the Gentile nations for the way they have sinned against the Jews (Joel 3:2-8), it’s also a time for sifting and purging Israel and preparing the Jews for the return of their Messiah (Amos 9:9-12).” 

“2  I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land. 3 “They have also cast lots for My people, Traded a boy for a harlot And sold a girl for wine that they may drink. 4 “Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head. 5 “Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory, 7 behold, I am going to arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and return your recompense on your head. 8 “Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken (Joel 3:2-8).”

“9 “For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations As grain is shaken in a sieve, But not a kernel will fall to the ground. 10 “All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, Those who say, ’The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’ 11 "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name," Declares the LORD who does this. 13 “Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "When the plowman will overtake the reaper And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills will be dissolved. 14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your God (Amos 9:9-12).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that this passage in Amos is the one that the Prime Minister referred to when he spoke at the United Nations last fall, saying that Israel was in their land to stay.  I admire Benjamin Netanyahu and the courage that he displayed and continues to display.  I pray for him most every day for I know that God has placed him in the job that he has to bring honor and glory to the Lord.  All of the prophets had this kind of courage, and I am not saying that he is a prophet, but has the courage of the prophets.  I desire to have this same kind of courage, standing up for my Lord, and doing what He has called me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “He raised from the dead the only son of a widow (Luke 7:11-17).”

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said ‘Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife?”

Answer in our next SD.

1/13/2014 10:22 AM