Very Good

Gen 1:26-27
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, 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.
NIV

Gen 1:31
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

In the creation account each day’s work was viewed by God and pronounced good. On the sixth day, after adding man, creation was finished and God saw that it was very good.

Man alone is fashioned in the image of God. The earth was made for and given to man. Man was made for God. Later in the story, man turns away from God in disobedience. Creation is marred with that act.

Much later in the story another man comes, begotten not created. This One, Jesus, is the exact image of God, His Son. This man obeys God perfectly and is given authority over all things. He will restore creation as God intended. Once again, it will be very good.

Why?

Acts 17:24-28 (NIV)
²⁴ "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
²⁶ From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
²⁷ God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
²⁸ 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

Paul speaks to the question we all have at one time or another. What is it all about? Why are we here? Verse 27 puts the answer into words; that we would find Him. The world exists and our life is given that we might discover God. Everything points to Him for it is by His hand, His Word that all things are made. He is not far because we are part of that creation.

We are here to find Him. Love reaches out to us, seeking love. Love only exists when freely given. It is the only way to God. We both give and receive.

That is why.

Believe

John 6:40 (NIV)
⁴⁰ For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 3:36 (NIV)
³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 3:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

These are plain words. There is nothing complicated here. Our eternal future depends on our response to Jesus, the Son of God. There are two choices: to believe or reject Him. God gave His Son that we might have that choice. Jesus showed us the will of God.

Believe
Help us with our unbelief

In The Beginning

John 1:1-2
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 1:2 The Word was with God in the beginning. NETBIBLE

These verses begin and end with “In the beginning”. This would be our beginning. God has always been. God was there. The Word was there, the Word meaning Jesus. He was fully God. The mystery of how this can be is beyond our crude explanations and understanding. But we know that God is greater than we can imagine and one day the mystery will be revealed. Then we will understand the beginning.

He is the beginning of all things. He is the end of all things.
All things come from and come to Him.

Forgotten

Jeremiah 50:6 (NIV)
⁶ "My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.

Jeremiah 50:6 (MSG)
⁶ "My people were lost sheep. Their shepherds led them astray. They abandoned them in the mountains where they wandered aimless through the hills. They lost track of home, couldn't remember where they came from.

Jeremiah 50:6 (NKJV)
⁶ "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.

How easy it is to forget. How easy it is to get lost in our own world, our own thoughts and struggles. It is so easy to take our lead from the things we see in this world that seem desirable or right. We can follow after the world and one day realize that we don’t know where we are.

When we forget our true source and resting place, we lose our bearings. We are subject to wandering aimlessly.

God is our resting place. When we remember this we know who we are. We have the peace of knowing where we are and where we are going, both are in the boundless embrace of our loving Father.

Enter

Romans 4:3 (MSG)
³ What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own."

Romans 4:3 (NIV)
³ What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Abraham lived his life believing God. The Message expresses beautifully the idea of faith. He left behind any confidence in his own power and “entered” into the life of God. Believing and trusting in God brought righteousness to Abraham. It took him into a new life. The same applies to us today. We can enter into what God is doing at this place and time by believing in His Son Jesus.

Jesus said He is the way.

Hope Is Given Breath

On this day we reflect on the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.

Hope is given breath
Salvation takes form
To God be the glory
His love endures forever

The Reward of God's Word

Ps 19:7-11

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
NKJV

Through God’s Word the light shines.
The Spirit speaks to those who seek and to all who would listen.
Wisdom awaits all that ask.
The heart takes joy in the peace given.

Our great reward now is being brought close to Him.
Our great reward to come is to be fully and eternally in His presence.

The Peripheral World

Eph 1:22-23

22 He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. 23 The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. MSG

We are reminded here that the presence of Jesus in the world is not an additional component of the world around us. Just the opposite is true. Our life in Christ is to be the center of our thinking. The world is secondary. When we see things from this perspective things begin to fall in place.

Another thing to be reminded of is that we are the presence of Jesus in the world. He reveals Himself through our actions. It is only because He supplies the will, strength, and power for this to take place that we can be assured this is the case. Because of Who He is, this comes to pass.

Help me to be present to You
And Your presence in the world

Through Him

1Peter 1:18-21

1:18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold, 1:19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ. 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. 1:21 Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. NETBIBLE

Through Jesus we have seen the love and power of God. He demonstrated His redemption and our salvation by raising Jesus from the dead. By this we have eternal life.

Believing or not believing in the resurrection does not alter the fact it took place. Believing or not believing in God does not alter the fact that He does exist.

Believing or not believing only has a bearing on whether we live or die.

Choose the path of life. Believe and live.

What Do You Want With Us?

Mark 1:23-26

23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!"
25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
NIV

I get the feeling so many of us ask this question voiced by this spirit long ago. What do you want with me? Notice the possessed man is in the synagogue, in their church. Was the evil spirit comfortable in that place, or was it a great place to find a gathering of those seeking God that they might be turned? It reminds me of the story the fall in Genesis.

Jesus does come to destroy, but to destroy sin. When we are immersed in sin it can feel like He came to destroy us, but that is not the case. 25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" He seeks to free us so that we might truly live. He wants the best for us, more that we could ever imagine.

The evil spirit knows who Jesus is but rejects Him. There will come a time when Jesus will call out all the evil spirits in the world and they will be cast out forever.

Oh Lord
Remove any part of me that is not pleasing to You
Fill me with all that is

He Has Blessed Us

Eph 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
NIV

Eph 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
NKJV

Before the world was created God is. Before yesterday, today, and tomorrow, God is. Before time as we know it came to be, God chose us to be in Christ. If we are in Christ then we stand before God with and in Christ in heaven. Christ has everything given to Him by the Father. We, as the body of Christ, receive His blessing from the Father. He becomes our Father as well. We are adopted and brought in to His household. In Christ we are made holy and without blame in the eyes of God. God accomplishes this in love for love.

We are truly blessed

Grow In Faith

Ephesians 4:14

14 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for imposters. 15 God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. 16 He keeps us in step with each other, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
The Message

God looks for us to grow in faith and love. He wants us to experience and know the truth. We tell that truth when we live it. He gives us Christ as the example and the Spirit within that enables and strengthens our walk with God. We are in the woods of this world but we carry a light within that shows us the way. Following Him keeps us in step with each other as we share in the love and light with those around us. That is how we grow.

May we be strong in our walk and reflect Christ in love.

Power in Weakness

2 Cor 12:7-10

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
NIV

Everyone has struggles, even Paul. Though we don’t know what this thorn was in Paul’s life, we can all relate to being weak in the flesh. When we come to terms with that fact, we are then able to reach out to God’s strength and power. When we are weak in ourselves, we can become strong in the Lord. As we let go of ourselves and rely on Him, we will experience His grace and power. His grace is more than sufficient. He is more than able.

Justice

Rom 3:21-26

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
NIV

R.C. Sproul in his book on Romans observes that the cross merges our perceptions of the God of Wrath in the Old Testament and the God of love in the New Testament come together in the cross. In fact He has always been the same. God demonstrates both His justice and love. His justice required death as the penalty of sin. His love brought forth His Son to pay that price. All are freely justified when they believe and trust in Jesus.

How Great is our God!

God Provides

Ps 44:1-3

With our own ears we have heard it, O God —
our ancestors have told us about it,
about the great things you did in their time,
in the days of long ago:
2 how you yourself drove out the heathen
and established your people in their land;
how you punished the other nations
and caused your own to prosper.
3 Your people did not conquer the land with their swords;
they did not win it by their own power;
it was by your power and your strength,
by the assurance of your presence,
which showed that you loved them.
TEV

God provides. This has been shown in many ways, in many stories we find in the Word. The Psalmist remembers how God gave His people a new land. It was His power and His strength that enabled the Israelites to be established in that place. God did what they could not. He does the same thing through Jesus. Through that same power, He provides a truly new land to those who trust in Him: the Kingdom of God.

In all these things the Love of God is revealed. What we could not do on our own, He does for us. He loves us.

Ever Present

Ps 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
NIV

The Greek word meod is translated as ever in this verse. The word ever conveys to me that He is always there. That is true, He never leaves us or takes His eyes from us. But there is more implied by this word meod. It brings forth the idea of the exceeding abundance and power of God in times of trouble. He is present and more than able to protect and strengthen us, no matter the circumstances we face.

He is our shelter in the storm
When our world begins to shake and give way
Because God is greater than all things
He is the mountain that will not be moved or overcome
We are not to fear
As we seek and rest in Him
Our Father, God Almighty

New Way of the Spirit

Rom 7:4-6

4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
NIV

Our nature, apart from God, is shown for what it is by the law. It did not create sinful passions but brought those passions to light so we could see them for what they are. The sinful nature controlled us. We are helpless on our own.

We have been brought into new life through Christ. His natural body bore the penalty of our rejection of God so that we might be brought into the new body of Christ, joined together as one with Him. We have been freed and His grace abounds in the new way of the Spirit.

How Do We Measure?

2Corinthians
10:12 For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
NETBIBLE

If our focus is on self we tend to see things from our own small view. Our frame of reference is limited and distorted. Measuring ourselves by ourselves is like trying to use a ruler to measure the ocean. It just doesn’t work.

If our focus is on God then our frame of reference is true. We are able to see clearly and rightly. Wisdom and understanding come from God.

Some say truth is relative. That is only true if one is speaking of how it relates to God. God is Truth. He is the ultimate and only measure of all things. He is Holy and Just, the Creator of all things. This is understanding.

Not Pleasing Men

1 Thessalonians

2:2 But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of much opposition. 2:3 For the appeal we make does not come from error or impurity or with deceit, 2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts. NETBIBLE

Paul speaks of the right motivation which should be the start of all things. We have been given the great gift of new life from God. Our lives should reflect that light. Our proper response is to do all things, not to please ourselves or others, but in the way that pleases God.

We are to look to Him for the way we should live and seek His approval for what we do. People can be fooled, but God cannot. False or selfish motives will render any good act useless in the eyes of God.

Father, may our words, actions, and thoughts be pleasing to You.

What Counts

1 Cor 7:19

19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
NIV

Outward signs or displays of faith are good only if the heart is sincere. The best deeds and words for the Lord are empty if they are not the result of a heart that obeys God. He sees our inner most part. It is the heart He judges and will reward, not the praise of men or our works.

It is the wholehearted love of God and each other that God commands. This is what counts.

Greeting Filled With Christ

Luke 1:41-45

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
NIV

Mary goes to see Elizabeth after her encounter with the power of God. She carried within her the Son of God, Jesus. Upon hearing Mary’s voice Elizabeth cries out with joy, filled with the Spirit and the baby John who leaped with joy as well from within.

Mary had this effect because God chose her and gave her His Son. She was blessed because she believed and obeyed.

God chooses us as well. He gave His Son to us. We are to carry that Son within us.

May our words reflect the Christ within and bring joy to those who hear.

The child has come
The light is revealed
And the darkness overcome
Let it be so in our hearts

Faith's Eyes

2 Cor 5:6-8

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight.
NIV

Faith gives us confidence for we know who we are and where home is. We have direction and a destination. Our walk can then be sure. We are headed for that home. We find our peace in this certainty.

Faith allows us to see beyond the vision afforded by these mortal eyes. It takes us beyond the horizon into the infinite. It gives us the eternal perspective. It gives us a life illuminated by God. His mercy, peace, and love are here. We are not in His presence in heaven, but He is present with us. Faith tells us that it won’t be long.

Give us faith to believe
And faith to receive
Your strength and power
Your love and forgiveness

We give thanks
And praise You
In the Name of Jesus