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BSF Genesis: Week 4, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

7.

  • snatches away the seed sown in hearts of uneducated (seed along the path)
  • Sows weeds among the seeds
  • murderer from the beginning, no truth in him, he lies, native tongue is lies, the father of lies
  • the prince of this world who will be thrown out and condemned
  • god of this age, blinds the mind of unbelievers
  • ruler of the kingdom of the air, a spirit working in the disobedient

8.
a.
Because of us. We were told to rule this world, yet we don’t fight the prince who seeks to usurp and destroy the kingdom

b.
not omnipresent, not omniscient, only has what power God allows. Cannot stand up against the true word of scripture. he and his followers faces eternal torment.

9.

  • prayer and confession of sins, pray for each other
  • Fasting
  • armor of God, the sword of the word of God
  • Submission to God. Resist the devil and he will flee (torment from satan is always temporary)

My Daily Journal:

When I see pictures on the news of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, etc., I am always amazed to see how people find ways to live their daily lives in the midst of a war zone.  Children play among bombed out cars.  Mothers scurry to cross streets with their children for food and education.  They survive through vigilance.  They are not stronger than the men with guns, but they know where to find shelter and protection.  They are never complacent.  They are never blind to the battle being fought around them, nor do they forget whose side they are on.

Our lesson today reminded me of the fact that, as christians on the earth, we live in a war zone.  We were given the command to rule this earth, but we have allowed the prince of the air to usurp our authority and command in our stead.  We were called to be soldiers and equipped with the strongest shelter and most powerful weapons, yet we try to rely on our own man-made shelters for protection and our own wit for a weapon.  But mostly, we too often become unaware or even in denial that there is a battle going on.  If that occurred on the streets of a terrorist controlled village in the middle east we would consider the person insane or suicidal, but when we do it, we consider it normal, realistic and rational.

I am not advocating that we spend our lives in fear or in a constant focus on the forces of evil.  I believe our focus should remain on our supreme commander.  However, I am concerned that we go about our day forgetting or being too careless or complacent to wrap ourselves in prayer, fasting, submission to God and strengthening ourselves with His word.   Take the time to suit up – it is the rational thing to do.

BSF Genesis: Week 3, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

10.
a.
The fruit that comes from and unites us with God, the divine. The fruit of the spirit and the tree of death (cross) conquered by Jesus to give us everlasting life.

b.
They were prevented from, not allowed to have the choice. To live forever without justice would be eternity apart from God.

c.
Yes, not only to eat of the fruit but believers have been “grafted to the vine”. John 15:5, and thus we also may bear fruit Gal 5:22, We also eat of the fruit of the divine through communion John 4:43

11.
Rom 6: 23: the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord; 1 Peter 2:24: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed

My Daily Journal:

What does it mean to die?  As anyone who has spent any time pondering the question has concluded, there are things far worse than physical death.  We understand that the time we have on this earth is not even a dot on the timeline of eternity.  We know that our existence in the physical world is a dead end street.

However, we learn that (1) we weren’t created to end and go away and (2) we don’t have to stay on that path.  Yes, our cells and organs and flesh will cease to grow and will die, but we have been given the opportunity to eat and drink in the gift of salvation and to once again unite with our divine creator.  Jesus became man and paid the price of just punishment to buy us back from the choice man originally made and all men since have repeated.  And, he has offered to make us one with Him, for us to “remain in Him and for Him to remain in us (John 6:56).  He offers for us to become the branches of His vine and to live in Him for eternity.

But eternity doesn’t start after we draw our last breath.  In the same way someone turns off a dead end road as soon as they know it dead ends, so to are we given the opportunity to turn off the dead end road of mortal death and onto the path of eternal life.  Why wait to begin living until death – we are called to live in Him now with a well of living water flowing from us daily.

BSF Genesis: Week 3, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

6.
Iraq, parts of Turkey

7.
Trees, pleasing to eye and good for food; work and care of the garden; free to eat from any tree but one

8.
Free to eat from any tree buy not the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will die

9.
a.
Companionship, comfort, beauty of the plants and trees and flowers, great food, rewarding work and ministries

b.
Prov 3:5-6: I fail to trust in the Lord, I lean on my own understanding and I fail to acknowledge him – no wonder my paths zig zag and are so full of hills and valleys.

My Daily Journal

Just a couple of points to think and pray about today:

1. Interesting that it is a tree of knowledge of good and evil since one of the items I struggle with is to try to take control away from God and rely on what makes logical sense to me.  I struggle to try to figure things out on my own, using my knowledge and my judgment and then, too often, turn to God to bail me out.  We don’t consider it ignorance or naivete for a child to trust that their loving parent knows better; we call it wisdom.  Yet, even knowing that God is all knowing, I still convince myself that I should rely on my own limited knowledge first.

2.  I don’t know if it is just how it translates into English, but I had not before caught the wording in Genesis 2:17, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  It doesn’t say “if you eat from it”, but simply “when you eat from it.”  What amazing love God has for His creation that He would give us the ability to turn from Him even with His perfect knowledge.  It was never a question of “if” only of “when”.

BSF Genesis: Week 3, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

3.
a.
1:26 Made by God in His image to rule, 27 male & female, 28 blessed, be fruitful, rule 29 given plants for food 2:7 formed from dust, God breathed life into man, 8 placed in garden, 15 to work and care for garden, 16-17 free choice, 18 not good alone 20 name animals, 21-22 woman formed from rib, 25 naked not ashamed, P8:5 lower than angels crowned with glory, 6 rulers

b.
That we are blessed: In life’s trials it is critical to remember that from the moment we were formed we were blessed and crowned with glory and honor, trials will pass, but life in God will last forever

4.
a.
First man, Ruler over all things (Gen 1: 28, 29; Ps 8:6-8, Heb 2:8)

b. Responsibility but not position. A failed leader. God did not revoke our responsibility, but we have failed to perform our job

c.
That while we failed as mankind, Jesus, in becoming a man and conquered death, has regained the position

5.
a.
v15 to work the Garden and care for it

b.
Work the harvest and care for the Kingdom on Earth. My services focuses a lot on the youngest sprouts in the garden.

My Daily Journal:

Work and care.  Thinking about the fact that God gave Adam, and by extension all mankind, work and care to do from the very beginning of creation stirred me.  We are often described as a culture of consumers.  But we weren’t created to consume, we were created to work and care.

Too often our only thought is on WII-FM: What’s In It For Me?  Even when it comes to church and bible study (i.e., getting to know God).  We don’t recognize we are put here to work and care and when we do that we get to enjoy the fruits of the garden.  I’m not saying that people don’t grow and there aren’t different churches that are better fits for families at different stages of life.  But in the big C Church – the body of all believers, we are all to work and care.

I also love how, from even the very beginning, those two terms go together:  work and care.  It reminds me of James 2 and the discussion in the early church over the position of faith and works.  In Genesis we see and even more basic command.  As men, created by God in His likeness we are to do work AND care.  Community service without caring for the spiritual being is a fool’s errand.  Having a heart for the Lord without rolling up our sleeves is also foolish.  We need to care for God as a child cares for a father; we need to care for God’s creation as a prince cares for his father’s kingdom; we need to care for other people as God cares for us – totally.  From this caring and compassion we need to be compelled into action to save and care for God’s people.

BSF Genesis: Week 2, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.

  • Said let there be light and there was, Light was good, sep’d from darkness, called “day” and “night”
  • Keep my lamp burning, turn darkness into light
  • With you is fountain of life, in your life we see light
  • Word is lamp to feet and light to path, unfolding of words give light; understanding to simpleminded
  • In him: life; light of all, shines in darkness, not overcome. JTB came to testify re: the light, JTB witness to it (JTB=John the Baptist)
  • Light has come into world but people loved darkness (evil) evildoers hate light, exposed, truth->light
  • Jesus is the light of the world, followers will never walk in darkness, but will have light of life
  • Unbelievers blinded, not see gospel light=glory of Christ/image of God, light shine 2 know God
  • Chosen people, royal priest, God’s possession, called out of darkness into His wonderful light
  • Walk in Light=fellowship and purification for sin, if confess sin, He is faithful/just & will forgive

4 a. GREED: the eye is lamp of body, healthy (generous) eyes fill body with light, stingy eyes with dark; IDOLATRY: Light cannot have fellowship w/ evil; DEEDS: Live as children of light, expose deeds of darkness, shameful what disobedient do in the dark; FAULTLESS: shine like stars; FORGIVEN: walk in light, if say in Christ but walk in darkness you lie; ETERNAL: God’s glory is the light of heaven.

4 b. To help me be a better witness in and with my emotions. The worry and stress I carry and that I, at times, allow others to see does not convey the trust that I have that God is in control. I find my mind and emotions at times in a dark place despite knowing that God’s light will overcome all darkness and worry.

My Daily Journal:

On opening night of BSF we discussed that the bible as a whole is the method God has chosen to reveal Himself to His creation.  That is true for it as a whole and for each part or element of it.  Everything in the bible is suitable to teaching and learning about God.

In week 1 of BSF we focused on the big question: Who is God?  Specifically as revealed in the first chapter of Genesis.

This week we look deeper into: What can we learn about God from what He did? Again, with a focus on Gen 1.

So, after going from eternal nothingness to creating ALL of the heavens and the earth (all mass, matter and laws that govern it), God wasn’t ready to call it a day.  No, he said, “let there be light and there was light.”  Then He separates the light from darkness, calling the light day and darkness night.

We can go a lot of directions with this.  Light is just light and it is also not just light.  Light is the shekina glory of God that was a pillar of fire in the desert.  Light is justice and mercy of God shining on all.  Light exposes darkness.  Light is a word that encompasses all of glory and goodness and power and energy.  Jesus is the light of life and the light of salvation. Scientifically, light is unique.  According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, light is the only constant.  We won’t even get into the Particle / Wave Duality of Light and Matter & Quantum Entanglement discussion.  But, let’s just say that light is a much bigger thing than most of us recognize as we live our daily lives.  There is nowhere anywhere that does not contain some light either in a visible or invisible spectrum.

And what of darkness?  We learn in these first few verses that God allowed choice far before He created anyone capable of making that choice.  His light, His glory is capable of penetrating everything.  As we peer deeper and deeper into space, it is impossible to find any space where there is not light.  Scientist are even now making discovers through analyzing light bending around galaxies.  But God allowed there to be darkness, for there to be a place where people can choose to not be in His light (even though that is an illusion because the waves of light always penetrate the darkness).

We can follow lots of discussion and dissect the Hebrew words used for light and darkness, but what strikes me is something for more simple and one that we almost always miss in reading God’s story of creation.  Look at Gen 1:5b, “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”  When I think about the end of a day, I might think about midnight.  I might call it a day when the sun sets.  But look at what God did.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

See, the important message is that from the very beginning God never left His creation in the dark.  He never called it a day until it was morning and the light shined again.  He didn’t leave his people in the darkness of sin, His Son Rose from the darkness on Easter morning.  He will not leave His creation and His children in our current state, but take us up to the new heaven for all eternity, to live forever in His perfect light without darkness and without night.  Now that’s a good day!