GENESIS 1:3: And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
GENESIS 1:6: And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”
GENESIS 1:9: And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.: And it was so.
GENESIS 1:14: And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.”
GENESIS 1:20: And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
GENESIS 1:24: “And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.”
“AND IT WAS SO.” Notice that God spoke and all these things were created. The fact that He can speak and create is not surprising, being the all powerful God that He is. In the next verses concerning creation of man and woman, there is a difference.
Genesis 1:26: 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.”
Genesis 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:6,8: The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:18,22: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. O will make a helper suitable for him.” Then the Lord God made woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The difference being that God created, formed, and made man and women. He “hand” made us. Now visualize God taking dust in His hands, molding, forming and smiling when the finished product was done. Can you see His hands forming the woman.? Can you see Him breathing His first breath into mankind. What an awesome thought. We are HANDMADE by our God.
Knowing this, don’t you think you matter to God? Sure you do. But, why do we go on hurting people, why do we feel superior to some, and inferior to others? Why do we place labels on certain groups of people? Why is someone different from us somehow better or worse?
Remember this, you have never locked eyes with someone that does not matter to God and that was not HANDMADE by God. Therefore, people should matter to us. All people, short and tall, big and small, regardless of “status”, regardless of age, heritage, etc, matter to God because they are HANDMADE by God.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
Philippians 1:22: “… yet what I shall choose I wot not.”
The choices you make affect you now and later. They determine what you do and where you go. And, like a stone cast into a pond, they also affect many others. How can you then make the right decisions?
Fear (reverence) God - Psalm 25:12: “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way he shall choose. First of all remember that God will judge you. Matthew 10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Second, Realize that God cannot be taken for granted. Proverbs 1:28-29 says, “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose to fear the Lord.”
Then we need to fellowship with God - Isaiah 30:21: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
Fellowship means agreement. (Can two walk together except they be agreed?)
Fellowship means acceptance - Psalm 32 8-9: I will instruct thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eyes> Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. Lest they come near unto thee.” Learn His will from His Word.
And then, follow the example of Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 2:21: “>>>leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. He sought always to do those things that please the Father.”
Put the welfare of others first.
Life is filled with choices. You can make your decision based on “Magic” or chance…or you can choose to look to God and follow His plan for your life. Which will you choose??
The choices you make affect you now and later. They determine what you do and where you go. And, like a stone cast into a pond, they also affect many others. How can you then make the right decisions?
Fear (reverence) God - Psalm 25:12: “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way he shall choose. First of all remember that God will judge you. Matthew 10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Second, Realize that God cannot be taken for granted. Proverbs 1:28-29 says, “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose to fear the Lord.”
Then we need to fellowship with God - Isaiah 30:21: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
Fellowship means agreement. (Can two walk together except they be agreed?)
Fellowship means acceptance - Psalm 32 8-9: I will instruct thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eyes> Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. Lest they come near unto thee.” Learn His will from His Word.
And then, follow the example of Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 2:21: “>>>leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. He sought always to do those things that please the Father.”
Put the welfare of others first.
Base your choice on the Word of God.Isaiah 66:3-4: “Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighted in their abominations, I also will chose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer, when I spake, they did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.”
Make your choice only after feverent prayer.
Make your choice in light of tomorrow.
Make your choice remembering your influence and testimony.
Make your choice remembering God.
Life is filled with choices. You can make your decision based on “Magic” or chance…or you can choose to look to God and follow His plan for your life. Which will you choose??
Sunday, December 7, 2008
WALK AND WORK
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 2:10
Did you know that God has ordained every single work He has prepared you to do? What a privilege, then, we have as Christians to single-mindedly focus on the tasks that Jesus Christ Himself sets before us. The question for us is: What exactly are those works, and how will I know what to do?
Again, God’s beautiful plan comes into play. He sums it up in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” As the good Shepherd, God knows where He is leading us. We may walk through rocky places, down in the valley or up the top of mountain peaks. He is faithful to lead us home, forming he character of Jesus Christ in us all the while.. And as we commit all the tiny details of our day over to Him and ask for Hid guidance, He swings wide open the doors we were born to walk through, to not only witness His glory, but also to actively participate in the building of His Kingdom on this earth. It’s freeing to realize that we don’t have to do everything. We just walk in the works that God has planned for us, He’ll take care of the rest.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
BUT NOW-BUT GOD!!
1. Jesus knew who He was.
2. Jesus knew what He believed.
3. Jesus knew what to say.
These are three reasons why Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man was successful. If we would do the same thing, then we can have the same success.
Jesus knew who He was, so can we as sons and daughters of God. We must have a revelation knowledge of this in order to do the things that Jesus did. Mark 16:15 through the rest of the chapter tells us we re to be like Jesus in every way, in character and nature. Remember we live on the resurrection side of the cross; we are now made alive in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2 was written to us personally from God Himself.
(Scriptures are from the Amplified Bible and written as a personal confession)
Read, meditate on this, you will have victory in every area of your life. Let the Holy Spirit lead and guide you in what He would have you to do, and go.
2. Jesus knew what He believed.
3. Jesus knew what to say.
These are three reasons why Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man was successful. If we would do the same thing, then we can have the same success.
Jesus knew who He was, so can we as sons and daughters of God. We must have a revelation knowledge of this in order to do the things that Jesus did. Mark 16:15 through the rest of the chapter tells us we re to be like Jesus in every way, in character and nature. Remember we live on the resurrection side of the cross; we are now made alive in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2 was written to us personally from God Himself.
(Scriptures are from the Amplified Bible and written as a personal confession)
“You (God)also made me alive, so rich are You (God) in Your mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which You loved me. You made me alive (together in fellowship and in union with Christ;) You gave me the very live of Christ Himself, the same new life with which you quickened Him, For it is by grace (the operation of Your-God’s power on my behalf), Your favour and mercy which I did not deserve that I am saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers (now in this present life) of Christ’s salvation. And You God raised me up together with You (God) and made me sit down together, giving me joint seating with You (God) in heavenly places by my being in Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One. You (God) did this so the You might clearly demonstrate through the ages to the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of Your (God’s) free grace ( the operation of Your power and unmerited favour) in Your (God’s) kindness and goodness of heart towards me in Christ Jesus.
For it’s by free grace (the operation of God’s power and unmerited favour) that I am saved, delivered from judgment and made a partaker of Christ’s salvation, through my faith. And this salvation is not of myself, of my own doing, it came through my own faith, it is a gift of God. For I am Your (God’s own handiwork, Your workmanship) created in Christ Jesus, born anew so that I may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for me taking paths which You (God) prepared ahead of time, that I should walk in them, living the good life which You (God) made ready for me to live. Therefore, I am no longer and outsider, excluded from the right of Heaven’s citizenship, but now I share citizenship with the saints, Your (God’s) own people, consecrated and set apart for Yourself (God). And I belong to Your (God’s) own household.”
Read, meditate on this, you will have victory in every area of your life. Let the Holy Spirit lead and guide you in what He would have you to do, and go.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
WE ARE CALLED TO UNITY
Ephesians 4:3: Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.
1 Corinthians 4:6b: …that no one of us be puffed up for one against another.
1 Corinthians 4:7: For who maketh these to differ from another?
Unity is: “one with each other,” whatever our differences are, we are to over look each other’s differences to have unity. To have unity is to have peace.
To have unity is for each one of us to be humble towards one another and with God; to be with complete lowliness of mind, having humility, and meekness, being unselfish, with quietness and mildness, thinking about and honoring the other person, and seeing them as being better than we are ourselves. Having patience, and long suffering with one another and making allowances for each other, because we love one another with a fervent, energetic, Godly love. Let each of us go out of our way to love other people unconditionally, this is how Jesus loves us.
When we have patience and accept that others have a lot to offer, then we learn from one another, and it increases our knowledge. We need everyone in the Body of Christ to share with one another and learn from one another.
We can learn so much from one another when we share with each other, and, we can learn much more when we look past the differences we all have. Where there are major differences and we begin to work on the things we have in common, we can begin to reach unity. Remembering each one of us are a part of the Body of Christ, no one is a loner for Christ, even though we need to be alone with Him, so we can be together with each other and work together in unity.
To have unity we must communicate with each other, whatever denomination we each belong to, or whatever teaching we grew up with, finding an understanding with each other. We must do better than we are doing to bring unity into the Christian community.
There are many benefits when we walk in unity: unity brings peace with each other,
The Word of God has much to say about those who walk in unity and peace. First of
all it’s pleasant, it brings blessings, but we must pursue it, that is go after unity and
peace, it doesn’t come to us.
“AND A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU,
THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU,
THAT YE ALSO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YE ARE MY DISCIPLES,
IF YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”
1 Corinthians 4:6b: …that no one of us be puffed up for one against another.
1 Corinthians 4:7: For who maketh these to differ from another?
Unity is: “one with each other,” whatever our differences are, we are to over look each other’s differences to have unity. To have unity is to have peace.
To have unity is for each one of us to be humble towards one another and with God; to be with complete lowliness of mind, having humility, and meekness, being unselfish, with quietness and mildness, thinking about and honoring the other person, and seeing them as being better than we are ourselves. Having patience, and long suffering with one another and making allowances for each other, because we love one another with a fervent, energetic, Godly love. Let each of us go out of our way to love other people unconditionally, this is how Jesus loves us.
When we have patience and accept that others have a lot to offer, then we learn from one another, and it increases our knowledge. We need everyone in the Body of Christ to share with one another and learn from one another.
We can learn so much from one another when we share with each other, and, we can learn much more when we look past the differences we all have. Where there are major differences and we begin to work on the things we have in common, we can begin to reach unity. Remembering each one of us are a part of the Body of Christ, no one is a loner for Christ, even though we need to be alone with Him, so we can be together with each other and work together in unity.
To have unity we must communicate with each other, whatever denomination we each belong to, or whatever teaching we grew up with, finding an understanding with each other. We must do better than we are doing to bring unity into the Christian community.
There are many benefits when we walk in unity: unity brings peace with each other,
The Word of God has much to say about those who walk in unity and peace. First of
all it’s pleasant, it brings blessings, but we must pursue it, that is go after unity and
peace, it doesn’t come to us.
“AND A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU,
THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU,
THAT YE ALSO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YE ARE MY DISCIPLES,
IF YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”
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