Read 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Context: Paul has been defending his ministry. Apparently people thought he was commending himself for the growth of the Christian movement, and others wanted him to get reference letters from the original apostles. He goes on to explain how Christ has changed the way people can approach God.
Text:
7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
God made us in his own image, but we quickly shattered that image by giving in to sin (which God cannot do). Through the years he taught us how to make our way back to his image with the law, but we failed miserably. So instead of rigid rules, God sent his son, made in his perfect image, to show us in person how we must live.
The cool thing is that when we follow Christ and abide by his teachings, God will work to transform us back to that original creation. We are being transformed into the image of God again!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Mar 29 - Majestic
Read Psalm 8
Context: A psalm of David, written for the director of music
Text:
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
At this time of year I really get excited to watch new shoots popping up in the garden. I rejoice over each perennial that returns and I can't wait to see the new blooms. My family just shakes their head when I come in announcing that yet another daffodil has bloomed.
I wonder how excited God got when his creation started taking form. At the end of each day he looked at his work and declared it 'good' or 'very good'. Did all the flowers appear at one time, or were Adam and Eve continually surprised as the seasons passed and new wonders appeared?
Context: A psalm of David, written for the director of music
Text:
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise [b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
At this time of year I really get excited to watch new shoots popping up in the garden. I rejoice over each perennial that returns and I can't wait to see the new blooms. My family just shakes their head when I come in announcing that yet another daffodil has bloomed.
I wonder how excited God got when his creation started taking form. At the end of each day he looked at his work and declared it 'good' or 'very good'. Did all the flowers appear at one time, or were Adam and Eve continually surprised as the seasons passed and new wonders appeared?
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Mar 28 - God's Reminder
Read Genesis 9:1-7
Context: Noah and his family have survived the great flood, and the land has dried up. He released the animals and built an altar to the Lord, sacrificing some of the clean animals and clean birds.
Text:
1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." (NIV)
www.biblegateway.com
Last time God started the human race he created man in his own image. It didn't take long for Cain to kill his brother, Abel. This time God is giving man another chance, only this time he is pretty specific about killing. I don't see any text showing that God told Adam that he had been made in the image of God, I wonder if this was a new insight for Noah?
Context: Noah and his family have survived the great flood, and the land has dried up. He released the animals and built an altar to the Lord, sacrificing some of the clean animals and clean birds.
Text:
1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." (NIV)
www.biblegateway.com
Last time God started the human race he created man in his own image. It didn't take long for Cain to kill his brother, Abel. This time God is giving man another chance, only this time he is pretty specific about killing. I don't see any text showing that God told Adam that he had been made in the image of God, I wonder if this was a new insight for Noah?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Mar 27 - God Forms Man
Read Genesis 2:4-17
Context: God has completed his creation and he rested on the seventh day. The author of Genesis then retells the creation story with more details.
Text:
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth [b] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth [c] and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams [d] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- 7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And 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.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin [f] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [g] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
Like a potter, God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth, then he breathed life into him. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Did Adam look like him, as if looking in a mirror? Or is it more the qualities of man that mirror God? Does God have a physical form -- two legs, two arms, ten fingers?
We know that God gave man a job to do...to take care of the Garden. He created in us a purpose and the ability to be useful. In the image of God, we have a part in his greater plan. And we have the ability to create gardens (and other things) of beauty using the basic items that God created!
Context: God has completed his creation and he rested on the seventh day. The author of Genesis then retells the creation story with more details.
Text:
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth [b] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth [c] and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams [d] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- 7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And 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.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin [f] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [g] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
Like a potter, God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth, then he breathed life into him. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Did Adam look like him, as if looking in a mirror? Or is it more the qualities of man that mirror God? Does God have a physical form -- two legs, two arms, ten fingers?
We know that God gave man a job to do...to take care of the Garden. He created in us a purpose and the ability to be useful. In the image of God, we have a part in his greater plan. And we have the ability to create gardens (and other things) of beauty using the basic items that God created!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mar 26 - In God's Image
Read Genesis 1:26-31
Context: God has completed five days of creation. On the sixth day, he has already created the living creatures: wild animals, livestock, and creatures that move along the ground.
Text:
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So 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 said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (NIV)
www.biblegateway.com
There has been a lot of controversy through the years over this passage. What does it really mean to be made in the likeness and image of God? Looking up the original language doesn't help much...the Hebrew words are defined pretty simply as 'likeness' and 'image or likeness of', respectively.
This week we are looking at what it means to be made in the image of God. I'm looking forward to what Steve has to teach us!
Context: God has completed five days of creation. On the sixth day, he has already created the living creatures: wild animals, livestock, and creatures that move along the ground.
Text:
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So 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 said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (NIV)
www.biblegateway.com
There has been a lot of controversy through the years over this passage. What does it really mean to be made in the likeness and image of God? Looking up the original language doesn't help much...the Hebrew words are defined pretty simply as 'likeness' and 'image or likeness of', respectively.
This week we are looking at what it means to be made in the image of God. I'm looking forward to what Steve has to teach us!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Mar 23 - God Loves
Read 1 John 3:1-3 and 1 John 4:7-12
Context: 1 John was written by John the apostle (son of Zebedee). He wrote to believers to expose false teachers and to give believers the assurance of salvation. In the process he gives us a wonderful picture of God's love.
Text:
1John 3:1-3 1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (NIV)
Footnotes:
1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
1 John 4:7-12 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)
Footnotes:
1 John 4:9 Or his only begotten Son
1 John 4:10 Or as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away
taken from www.biblegateway.com
While we cannot comprehend God's love, he gives us experiences here on earth that offer a glimpse into the strength of his love.
When Doug and I were in the process of adopting our boys, we found out that both boys had severe asthma. We had to get them up every 2-3 hours around the clock to give them treatments, and we learned a lot of new medical terminologies and procedures we didn't know existed. About two weeks into this new adventure, we realized that we had never once stopped and said, "this isn't what we signed up for." We were treating these boys just as if they had always been our own, doing whatever was necessary for their well-being just as we would have done for our biological children. I had a new understanding for the love God shows us as his adopted children.
The reason we can love each other is because God first loves us...whether we realize it or not!
Context: 1 John was written by John the apostle (son of Zebedee). He wrote to believers to expose false teachers and to give believers the assurance of salvation. In the process he gives us a wonderful picture of God's love.
Text:
1John 3:1-3 1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (NIV)
Footnotes:
1 John 3:2 Or when it is made known
1 John 4:7-12 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)
Footnotes:
1 John 4:9 Or his only begotten Son
1 John 4:10 Or as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away
taken from www.biblegateway.com
While we cannot comprehend God's love, he gives us experiences here on earth that offer a glimpse into the strength of his love.
When Doug and I were in the process of adopting our boys, we found out that both boys had severe asthma. We had to get them up every 2-3 hours around the clock to give them treatments, and we learned a lot of new medical terminologies and procedures we didn't know existed. About two weeks into this new adventure, we realized that we had never once stopped and said, "this isn't what we signed up for." We were treating these boys just as if they had always been our own, doing whatever was necessary for their well-being just as we would have done for our biological children. I had a new understanding for the love God shows us as his adopted children.
The reason we can love each other is because God first loves us...whether we realize it or not!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Mar 22 - God Saves
Read Romans 10:8-13
Context: Paul is explaining that the way to righteousness is no longer through the law.
Text:
8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"[d] that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[e] 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."[f] (NIV)
d: Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
e: Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16
f: Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
www.biblegateway.com
It is hard for us to comprehend what we are being saved from, or saved to, while we are here on earth. The best place on earth that we can imagine pales in comparison to Heaven, and the worst place we can imagine is but a shadow of what Hell must truly be like. It is our faith that God wants the best for us, regardless of the situation, that will keep us on the road to Heaven.
There are many people who can't believe that a loving God would knowingly send people to a Hell, or that he would even create (or allow creation of ) a place like that. However, God doesn't send us to Hell, he merely carries out the reservation that we make before we die. All we have to do is say the word, and he will mark our reservation on the scrolls of Heaven, and he gives us the Holy Spirit as our deposit...that even allows us late arrival privileges!
Context: Paul is explaining that the way to righteousness is no longer through the law.
Text:
8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"[d] that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[e] 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."[f] (NIV)
d: Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
e: Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16
f: Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
www.biblegateway.com
It is hard for us to comprehend what we are being saved from, or saved to, while we are here on earth. The best place on earth that we can imagine pales in comparison to Heaven, and the worst place we can imagine is but a shadow of what Hell must truly be like. It is our faith that God wants the best for us, regardless of the situation, that will keep us on the road to Heaven.
There are many people who can't believe that a loving God would knowingly send people to a Hell, or that he would even create (or allow creation of ) a place like that. However, God doesn't send us to Hell, he merely carries out the reservation that we make before we die. All we have to do is say the word, and he will mark our reservation on the scrolls of Heaven, and he gives us the Holy Spirit as our deposit...that even allows us late arrival privileges!
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