"And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing."
-Genesis 12:2
I actually was not able to attend this Bible study, but I will share my thoughts on the passage. Abram is introduced, as a man who has no real significance. God then speaks to Abram, and tells him to go to a country where God will lead him. I don't know about you, but if I'm told to go somewhere, I would like to know where it is I am going and why. However, Abram obeys God and follows His lead. Later Abram goes to Egypt, and he lies to the Pharaoh hoping to save his own life. Abram is exposed of his lie, and Pharaoh kicks Abram out of Egypt.
In this passage we can learn the effects of faith. When God tells Abram to go, Abram does not doubt God or question Him. He just goes. God gives Abram a promise that if he goes, that he will become a blessing to all people and his name will be great. Abram decides to take God at His word, and Abram eventually does become a blessing. He is the father of all nations, and God blesses him throughout his life.
We also can see the effects of not having faith. When Abram is about to approach Egypt, he recognizes that he may be killed. To avoid this, he decides to lie about his relationship with his wife, in hopes that the Pharaoh will not kill him. Instead of praying to God and trusting that He will do something, Abram takes matters into his own hands. Abram lacked the faith to allow God to handle this situation, and as a result Pharaoh has Abram escorted from Egypt.
One last thing I see in this passage is the faithfulness of God. God promises that He will bless Abram and make him into a great nation. In later passages we can see the result of this promise, but in this passage we see a glimpse of God's faithfulness. When Abram decides to lie to the Pharaoh, the Pharaoh is very angry at him. God strikes the Pharaoh's house with a plague, protecting Abram and Sarai. Pharaoh does not kill Abram because God was protecting him. God had plans for Abram, and He would not let Abram die without keeping His promise to him. God will never disappoint us if we have faith in Him.
-Smart
The Tower of Babel (Genesis 10-11)
"The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them."
-Genesis 11:6
Today we studied chapters ten and eleven, but we mainly focused on the story of the tower of Babel. After the flood, Noah's descendants begin to live on the Earth and repopulate it. Some years go by, and the people begin to forget about God again. They decide that they want to build a tower that is so tall that it reaches the heavens. The reason they decided to build this tower is so that they could make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the Earth. God is displeased by this decision to build a tower so He confuses the people by giving them different languages.
This is a well known story, but there are lessons to be learned from it. The people built this tower because they wanted to have a sense of pride and security. They felt that by building this huge tower that they would be powerful. We can see that God disapproves of this building because they made it out of pride and to glorify themselves. Man was not made to honor himself, but to honor God. A man is made in God's image, and therefore should strive to glorify God. As soon as someone starts to do things to build up themselves, they go against their purpose.
We should be very careful and examine our motives. I mentioned this before, but it is crucial to our lives. These people making this tower thought that they were doing a good thing; making a name for themselves and unifying the people. They thought this tower was something that could save them and strengthen them. Let's be clear, nothing a man builds from his hands will ever be enough to save him. People eventually die, and they can do nothing to stop that. People also can do nothing to earn their way into heaven, the only thing they can do is accept Jesus and have faith in Him.
Another thing I noticed in this passage is the remarkable thing that God says. He says that "nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them." In other words, because the people were one, and they all spoke the same language, they could do great things. As I have written in my last post, unity is a powerful thing. As seen in this passage though, it can be used for the wrong things. These people worked together to glorify themselves rather than God. We should work together to honor God and spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Imagine if the whole world came together and sang a song of praise to God, and how amazing that would be. I pray that we could learn to work together to praise God forever.
-Smart
-Genesis 11:6
Today we studied chapters ten and eleven, but we mainly focused on the story of the tower of Babel. After the flood, Noah's descendants begin to live on the Earth and repopulate it. Some years go by, and the people begin to forget about God again. They decide that they want to build a tower that is so tall that it reaches the heavens. The reason they decided to build this tower is so that they could make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the Earth. God is displeased by this decision to build a tower so He confuses the people by giving them different languages.
This is a well known story, but there are lessons to be learned from it. The people built this tower because they wanted to have a sense of pride and security. They felt that by building this huge tower that they would be powerful. We can see that God disapproves of this building because they made it out of pride and to glorify themselves. Man was not made to honor himself, but to honor God. A man is made in God's image, and therefore should strive to glorify God. As soon as someone starts to do things to build up themselves, they go against their purpose.
We should be very careful and examine our motives. I mentioned this before, but it is crucial to our lives. These people making this tower thought that they were doing a good thing; making a name for themselves and unifying the people. They thought this tower was something that could save them and strengthen them. Let's be clear, nothing a man builds from his hands will ever be enough to save him. People eventually die, and they can do nothing to stop that. People also can do nothing to earn their way into heaven, the only thing they can do is accept Jesus and have faith in Him.
Another thing I noticed in this passage is the remarkable thing that God says. He says that "nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them." In other words, because the people were one, and they all spoke the same language, they could do great things. As I have written in my last post, unity is a powerful thing. As seen in this passage though, it can be used for the wrong things. These people worked together to glorify themselves rather than God. We should work together to honor God and spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Imagine if the whole world came together and sang a song of praise to God, and how amazing that would be. I pray that we could learn to work together to praise God forever.
-Smart
Lessons from Softball
"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
-1 Thessalonians 5:11
If you've followed this blog or know me personally, you know that I love playing sports. When I was in the 6th grade, I joined my youth group's softball team. None of us had any experience playing either softball or baseball, so our team was very bad. When we entered the softball tournament, we did very bad and I believe we may have lost every single game. Of course we got better as the years went on, but it took a long time for us to start looking like an actual team.
Throughout my years playing softball, I noticed a couple things. Even in the first year, when we did horribly, there were many people who came to cheer for us. Every time someone would make a simple play, like get on first base, catch a pop fly, or even get a walk, people would cheer. I always remembered walking up to the plate and hearing people encourage me. I would hear things like "let's go Andrew", "keep your eye on the ball", "you got this", "keep it low", etc.
I am a pretty stoic person, so as I walked up I never smiled or showed any sign of appreciation for the people cheering for me. Actually, I don't think anyone on our team did, because that would mean showing the other team that we weren't disciplined. The people may have thought that their cheering was useless, because nobody really showed any sign of appreciation while on the plate. However, they cheered constantly for every single person who walked up to plate.
Encouragement is something that many people undervalue. Although I did not show any outward signs, I did appreciate people's encouragement. Knowing that there were people who wanted me to do well, people who took time out of their day to come watch and cheer for me, was very encouraging. It made me want to play well and win the tournament. Eventually we did, but it took us a couple of years for everyone to develop their skills and get better.
Another thing I learned while playing softball is the value of teamwork. Every person on the team has a different responsibility, each of which must be carried out. Having a couple of good people is not enough to do well in softball. Even if there are some people on your team who can field well and bat well, you have to keep in mind that everyone has to field and bat. If the ball is hit to someone who is not a good fielder and they lose the ball, the whole team suffers. If a bad hitter is at the plate and strikes out, it affects the entire team.
In many situations, co-working is crucial. People may think that they have no real value in a group, but everyone has to do their part. If one part suffers, the whole body suffers along with it. A person should not look down on another person, because everyone is important. So what is the best way to build up a team? I gave away the answer before- encouragement. People do better when they are being encouraged, not when they are being looked down upon. Those are some of the things I learned while playing years of softball at my church.
-Smart
-1 Thessalonians 5:11
If you've followed this blog or know me personally, you know that I love playing sports. When I was in the 6th grade, I joined my youth group's softball team. None of us had any experience playing either softball or baseball, so our team was very bad. When we entered the softball tournament, we did very bad and I believe we may have lost every single game. Of course we got better as the years went on, but it took a long time for us to start looking like an actual team.
Throughout my years playing softball, I noticed a couple things. Even in the first year, when we did horribly, there were many people who came to cheer for us. Every time someone would make a simple play, like get on first base, catch a pop fly, or even get a walk, people would cheer. I always remembered walking up to the plate and hearing people encourage me. I would hear things like "let's go Andrew", "keep your eye on the ball", "you got this", "keep it low", etc.
I am a pretty stoic person, so as I walked up I never smiled or showed any sign of appreciation for the people cheering for me. Actually, I don't think anyone on our team did, because that would mean showing the other team that we weren't disciplined. The people may have thought that their cheering was useless, because nobody really showed any sign of appreciation while on the plate. However, they cheered constantly for every single person who walked up to plate.
Encouragement is something that many people undervalue. Although I did not show any outward signs, I did appreciate people's encouragement. Knowing that there were people who wanted me to do well, people who took time out of their day to come watch and cheer for me, was very encouraging. It made me want to play well and win the tournament. Eventually we did, but it took us a couple of years for everyone to develop their skills and get better.
Another thing I learned while playing softball is the value of teamwork. Every person on the team has a different responsibility, each of which must be carried out. Having a couple of good people is not enough to do well in softball. Even if there are some people on your team who can field well and bat well, you have to keep in mind that everyone has to field and bat. If the ball is hit to someone who is not a good fielder and they lose the ball, the whole team suffers. If a bad hitter is at the plate and strikes out, it affects the entire team.
In many situations, co-working is crucial. People may think that they have no real value in a group, but everyone has to do their part. If one part suffers, the whole body suffers along with it. A person should not look down on another person, because everyone is important. So what is the best way to build up a team? I gave away the answer before- encouragement. People do better when they are being encouraged, not when they are being looked down upon. Those are some of the things I learned while playing years of softball at my church.
-Smart
The Flood Subsides (Genesis 8-9)
"But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided."
-Genesis 8:1
On Tuesday I discussed the seriousness of sin and how devastating it is. God does not treat sin lightly, and neither should we. In today's passage I want to talk about Noah and how he recognized how merciful God was to him. As Noah sits in this ark that he has built, everyone and everything outside of the ark is being destroyed. After awhile, nothing remains on the Earth except for the ark. Noah waited as the flood filled the earth for about one year. Finally, the flood subsides and Noah and his family can walk on the earth once again, which is now completely lifeless.
Noah must have been absolutely stunned and terrified at the damage that the flood has caused, but the first thing Noah does is worship God. Noah is a great example to how we should respond to God's mercy. Noah saw the flood wipe out everyone, and must have realized how much God cannot tolerate sin and evilness. Noah also realizes that God has spared him from death, and immediately gives thanks to God. We too should give thanks to God, because He has shown mercy to us all.
So why does Noah thank God? Wasn't Noah a righteous man who deserved to live? Noah did not do the evil things the people around him did, and Noah did his best to live a righteous life. However, later in this passage we see that Noah sinned as well. He drank to much wine and became drunk. I believe that Noah was not a perfect man, but because he had faith in God, God credited it to him as righteousness. Noah knew that he was not sinless, and that he did not deserve God's love and grace to him, so he praised God with thankfulness.
Noah also realized that God was with him throughout his whole life. Noah walked with God, living faithfully and doing his best to go against the sinful nature of his people. Noah probably prayed to God often, and we see that God talks to Noah when He warns him of the flood. When Noah is building the ark, God gives him the instructions to build it. God closes the door of the ark after Noah and his family enter into it. As the flood begins to recede, "God remembered Noah." God does not forget anything, but this shows us that God cared about Noah.
Noah recognized that he could do nothing about his situation. There was a huge flood, and even though he had built an ark, Noah could do nothing to lessen the waters of the flood. Also, Noah had been in the ark for a year. Even if the ark was huge, I wonder how Noah could have possibly stored enough food for all the animals and people for one year. I believe God was with him the whole time, providing for him. When God finally decides to end the flood, Noah thanks God because he knew that it was only because of God that he was saved.
We should give thanks to God as well. God has not saved us from a flood, but God has saved us from something just as serious, if not more serious. Like Noah, we have to realize that we are sinful people and do not deserve God's help. We also must recognize that there is nothing we can do about our situation. We are trapped in the flood of our sins, but God gave us an ark to survive on- Jesus. Our sins are not something that we can stop, just as Noah could do nothing to stop the flood. Only God can save us from our sins, and He has given us Jesus. We must learn to be grateful to God and thank Him everyday for the grace He has given us.
-Smart
-Genesis 8:1
On Tuesday I discussed the seriousness of sin and how devastating it is. God does not treat sin lightly, and neither should we. In today's passage I want to talk about Noah and how he recognized how merciful God was to him. As Noah sits in this ark that he has built, everyone and everything outside of the ark is being destroyed. After awhile, nothing remains on the Earth except for the ark. Noah waited as the flood filled the earth for about one year. Finally, the flood subsides and Noah and his family can walk on the earth once again, which is now completely lifeless.
Noah must have been absolutely stunned and terrified at the damage that the flood has caused, but the first thing Noah does is worship God. Noah is a great example to how we should respond to God's mercy. Noah saw the flood wipe out everyone, and must have realized how much God cannot tolerate sin and evilness. Noah also realizes that God has spared him from death, and immediately gives thanks to God. We too should give thanks to God, because He has shown mercy to us all.
So why does Noah thank God? Wasn't Noah a righteous man who deserved to live? Noah did not do the evil things the people around him did, and Noah did his best to live a righteous life. However, later in this passage we see that Noah sinned as well. He drank to much wine and became drunk. I believe that Noah was not a perfect man, but because he had faith in God, God credited it to him as righteousness. Noah knew that he was not sinless, and that he did not deserve God's love and grace to him, so he praised God with thankfulness.
Noah also realized that God was with him throughout his whole life. Noah walked with God, living faithfully and doing his best to go against the sinful nature of his people. Noah probably prayed to God often, and we see that God talks to Noah when He warns him of the flood. When Noah is building the ark, God gives him the instructions to build it. God closes the door of the ark after Noah and his family enter into it. As the flood begins to recede, "God remembered Noah." God does not forget anything, but this shows us that God cared about Noah.
Noah recognized that he could do nothing about his situation. There was a huge flood, and even though he had built an ark, Noah could do nothing to lessen the waters of the flood. Also, Noah had been in the ark for a year. Even if the ark was huge, I wonder how Noah could have possibly stored enough food for all the animals and people for one year. I believe God was with him the whole time, providing for him. When God finally decides to end the flood, Noah thanks God because he knew that it was only because of God that he was saved.
We should give thanks to God as well. God has not saved us from a flood, but God has saved us from something just as serious, if not more serious. Like Noah, we have to realize that we are sinful people and do not deserve God's help. We also must recognize that there is nothing we can do about our situation. We are trapped in the flood of our sins, but God gave us an ark to survive on- Jesus. Our sins are not something that we can stop, just as Noah could do nothing to stop the flood. Only God can save us from our sins, and He has given us Jesus. We must learn to be grateful to God and thank Him everyday for the grace He has given us.
-Smart
Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-7)
"God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon earth."
-Genesis 6:12
I often talk about God's mercy, grace and love on this blog. I talk about these things because I want to stress that God is not an angry god who wants to control our lives, or make us live a bad life. Also, because of His mercy anyone that turns to Him can be saved, no matter their past. God accepts anyone that will turn to Him, because He loves everyone. Today I want to talk about something I don't normally talk about- the seriousness of sin.
After Adam and Eve sinned against God, their sin spread to their children, most notably Cain. When Cain becomes jealous he murders his brother Abel. After this tragic event, Adam and Eve give birth to another son, named Seth. Seth is similar to Abel; one who follows God and His ways. Now there are two different kinds of people being born, the children of Cain and those of Seth. Cain's line is one that is full of sin, disobedience, and disregard for God. Seth's line is one that is full of people who follow God.
In Genesis 6 we see that "the sons of God" took "the daughters of men" as their wives. It is not clear who these sons of God are or who the daughters of men are, but it is a safe assumption to say that they are the sons of Seth and daughters of Cain. What we do know for sure is that these "sons of God" married the "daughters of men" because they were beautiful. Seth's descendants began to live according to their flesh desires, marrying whomever they chose. Later in the passage God sees corrupt and wicked people, who stopped following God. Today I want to share with you three things we should be aware of in our own lives that may indicate if we are falling into sin that I see in this passage.
We forget about God. Seth's line was one that followed after God. It is not clear exactly what they did, but we can see that Seth's descendants are called "sons of God." These people probably lived faithful lives to God, constantly praying to God. However, they being to lose sight of God, and they forget about Him. People usually begin to forget about God when they replace Him with something else, such as money, other people, or pleasure. This reminds me of Philippians 3, where Paul warns the Philippians to be aware of the enemies of God, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite...". Which brings me to my next point...
We begin to do whatever we want, regardless of our intentions. Seth's descendants began to fall away from God because they lived for their pleasure. They married based of their feelings and lust, disregarding the fact that the daughters of Cain were sinful people. When we do whatever we want without considering why we are doing these things, it is very easy to fall into sin. We are people of flesh, and our flesh desires sinful things. When people live for pleasure, they fall easily into sin, and start believing that they are living a fulfilling life. Make sure to think about your intentions when you do anything.
We start to fit in with others. It's sad to say, but people of this day are quite similar to the people of Noah's time. People only live for pleasure, and do not bother to follow God. The norm is not following God or living a righteous life, but living a sinful and pleasure-seeking life. If people cannot tell us apart from other people, we have to consider our lives. It is definitely very difficult to live a righteous life because everyone else is not. Also, people will look down on you if you don't fit in with them. I'm sure that when Noah began building the ark that God had commanded Him to, people were making fun of him all the time. Living for God is not easy because you will not fit in with the world.
So why is it so important to live a righteous life anyway? Why fight against sin when it is inevitable that we will sin? These are valid questions. I believe that if we understand who God is, and what His view of sin is, that will be enough to convince us to live for Him. God is a righteous and just God, and He does not take sin lightly. When the people began to sin against God, His heart became deeply troubled because He was forced to take action. God decided to send a massive flood to destroy everyone, except for Noah. Noah found favor in God because Noah did his best to live a righteous and blameless life.
"The wages of sin is death". Although God does not wipe out everyone who sins through a flood, a person who sins and does not repent will die. I am not just talking about a physical death, because everyone dies, even the righteous. Unforgiven sinners will die an eternal death, far worse than dying in a flood. Sin is a very serious thing, and we cannot treat it lightly. We must realize that God is just and He will punish sin. Having this in mind, we also know that we have a savior who died in our place. Jesus took the punishment for our sin, but we have to repent and accept God's forgiveness.
-Smart
-Genesis 6:12
I often talk about God's mercy, grace and love on this blog. I talk about these things because I want to stress that God is not an angry god who wants to control our lives, or make us live a bad life. Also, because of His mercy anyone that turns to Him can be saved, no matter their past. God accepts anyone that will turn to Him, because He loves everyone. Today I want to talk about something I don't normally talk about- the seriousness of sin.
After Adam and Eve sinned against God, their sin spread to their children, most notably Cain. When Cain becomes jealous he murders his brother Abel. After this tragic event, Adam and Eve give birth to another son, named Seth. Seth is similar to Abel; one who follows God and His ways. Now there are two different kinds of people being born, the children of Cain and those of Seth. Cain's line is one that is full of sin, disobedience, and disregard for God. Seth's line is one that is full of people who follow God.
In Genesis 6 we see that "the sons of God" took "the daughters of men" as their wives. It is not clear who these sons of God are or who the daughters of men are, but it is a safe assumption to say that they are the sons of Seth and daughters of Cain. What we do know for sure is that these "sons of God" married the "daughters of men" because they were beautiful. Seth's descendants began to live according to their flesh desires, marrying whomever they chose. Later in the passage God sees corrupt and wicked people, who stopped following God. Today I want to share with you three things we should be aware of in our own lives that may indicate if we are falling into sin that I see in this passage.
We forget about God. Seth's line was one that followed after God. It is not clear exactly what they did, but we can see that Seth's descendants are called "sons of God." These people probably lived faithful lives to God, constantly praying to God. However, they being to lose sight of God, and they forget about Him. People usually begin to forget about God when they replace Him with something else, such as money, other people, or pleasure. This reminds me of Philippians 3, where Paul warns the Philippians to be aware of the enemies of God, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite...". Which brings me to my next point...
We begin to do whatever we want, regardless of our intentions. Seth's descendants began to fall away from God because they lived for their pleasure. They married based of their feelings and lust, disregarding the fact that the daughters of Cain were sinful people. When we do whatever we want without considering why we are doing these things, it is very easy to fall into sin. We are people of flesh, and our flesh desires sinful things. When people live for pleasure, they fall easily into sin, and start believing that they are living a fulfilling life. Make sure to think about your intentions when you do anything.
We start to fit in with others. It's sad to say, but people of this day are quite similar to the people of Noah's time. People only live for pleasure, and do not bother to follow God. The norm is not following God or living a righteous life, but living a sinful and pleasure-seeking life. If people cannot tell us apart from other people, we have to consider our lives. It is definitely very difficult to live a righteous life because everyone else is not. Also, people will look down on you if you don't fit in with them. I'm sure that when Noah began building the ark that God had commanded Him to, people were making fun of him all the time. Living for God is not easy because you will not fit in with the world.
So why is it so important to live a righteous life anyway? Why fight against sin when it is inevitable that we will sin? These are valid questions. I believe that if we understand who God is, and what His view of sin is, that will be enough to convince us to live for Him. God is a righteous and just God, and He does not take sin lightly. When the people began to sin against God, His heart became deeply troubled because He was forced to take action. God decided to send a massive flood to destroy everyone, except for Noah. Noah found favor in God because Noah did his best to live a righteous and blameless life.
"The wages of sin is death". Although God does not wipe out everyone who sins through a flood, a person who sins and does not repent will die. I am not just talking about a physical death, because everyone dies, even the righteous. Unforgiven sinners will die an eternal death, far worse than dying in a flood. Sin is a very serious thing, and we cannot treat it lightly. We must realize that God is just and He will punish sin. Having this in mind, we also know that we have a savior who died in our place. Jesus took the punishment for our sin, but we have to repent and accept God's forgiveness.
-Smart
Real Money
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."
-Hebrews 12:2
For those of you that don't know, I recently got a new job at my college. I work at the technology store, where I sell computers and computer accessories. Recently, a customer bought a Macbook Pro, paying for it in cash. This reminded me of the first week of the job, where I learned about a marker that we have, which we use to check for counterfeit money. If you write on the money and a black marking comes up, the cash is fake. If you cannot see a black marking, the money is good.
This reminded me of two sermons I have heard that talk about the antichrist. Many people, when they hear about an antichrist, immediately being to look for them. This is not how it should be. When a person is determining whether money is fake or not, without the aid of any tool (like the marker), they compare it to real money. A person has to study real money in order to determine if the money is real or not. Similarly, a student doesn't study wrong answers on a test, but the answers that are correct. Studying false answers wold be highly impractical.
In the same way, we should not be looking for the antichirst. Doing that would be impractical and a waste of time. In the verse at the beginning, we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus. The only way we will be able to test an antichrist is if we know who the Christ really is. If we spend time reading the Bible, praying, and obeying God's word, we will know who Christ is. When an antichrist comes around, we will know that they are not the Christ, because we know who Christ really is. So don't spend your time looking for antichrists; look for Jesus.
-Smart
-Hebrews 12:2
For those of you that don't know, I recently got a new job at my college. I work at the technology store, where I sell computers and computer accessories. Recently, a customer bought a Macbook Pro, paying for it in cash. This reminded me of the first week of the job, where I learned about a marker that we have, which we use to check for counterfeit money. If you write on the money and a black marking comes up, the cash is fake. If you cannot see a black marking, the money is good.
This reminded me of two sermons I have heard that talk about the antichrist. Many people, when they hear about an antichrist, immediately being to look for them. This is not how it should be. When a person is determining whether money is fake or not, without the aid of any tool (like the marker), they compare it to real money. A person has to study real money in order to determine if the money is real or not. Similarly, a student doesn't study wrong answers on a test, but the answers that are correct. Studying false answers wold be highly impractical.
In the same way, we should not be looking for the antichirst. Doing that would be impractical and a waste of time. In the verse at the beginning, we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus. The only way we will be able to test an antichrist is if we know who the Christ really is. If we spend time reading the Bible, praying, and obeying God's word, we will know who Christ is. When an antichrist comes around, we will know that they are not the Christ, because we know who Christ really is. So don't spend your time looking for antichrists; look for Jesus.
-Smart
Cain and Abel (Genesis 4 and 5)
"'If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.'"
-Genesis 4:7
This is a very sad story, as it shows a very serious and deadly (literally) sin. After Adam and Eve sin against God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we see how sin can spread. Cain and Abel offer up a gift to God, but Abel's gift is superior to Cain's gift. This stirs up jealousy in Cain, and he murders his own brother in cold blood, even after God warns him not to. This again is very unfortunate, because we see how sin spread from Adam and Eve to their son Cain. Sin indeed is a very powerful enemy, and is very difficult to prevent, especially if you allow it to enter your life even once.
In this passage I noticed people's capacity to do great evil. Although people are made in the image of God, because of sin people have done very bad things. Adam was made from the image of God, but he sinned, therefore passing the sinful nature to his son, Cain. Adam's sin was bad, but Cain's sin was very extreme and evil. He murdered his own brother out of jealousy and anger, and then lies to God about it. His murder was premeditated, as we see that he calls Abel out into the field in order to kill him there.
The good news is that people are also capable of doing great good. In chapter five Enoch walks with God his entire life, and God rewards him by taking him into heaven. Another example is Job, who despite being afflicted with many misfortunes is able to live a faithful life. Paul is a great example of both evil and good; before knowing Christ he persecuted the church, but after he preaches the gospel and suffers for Christ.
One thing that determines if someone does good or evil is how much they value God. In Genesis 4, it is clear that Cain has no regard or respect for God. Cain probably only thinks about himself, and doesn't care about God. This is seen when he does not offer God his best, and when he does not listen to God's attempts to help him. Cain is more concerned with his life and his emotions than what God has to say. In other words, Cain does not give God his due worth.
Something to keep in mind is that God believes that we are worth it all. He sent Jesus to die for our sins, because He cares about us and He values us. No one dies for someone else unless they believe they are worth something. In this passage, God wants Cain to repent and do good things, but Cain does not accept God's offer. Cain rejects God and does not think listening to God is worth his effort. God does not need us to give Him anything, but He wants us to love Him with all our heart. When Abel offers God his best, God is not only pleased in the offering but in Abel. For reasons I don't know, God loves us and wants us to be saved. He doesn't need anything from us, but He wants us to follow Him because that's how we can get eternal life with Him. He believes that we are worth saving. How much is God worth to you?
-Smart
-Genesis 4:7
This is a very sad story, as it shows a very serious and deadly (literally) sin. After Adam and Eve sin against God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we see how sin can spread. Cain and Abel offer up a gift to God, but Abel's gift is superior to Cain's gift. This stirs up jealousy in Cain, and he murders his own brother in cold blood, even after God warns him not to. This again is very unfortunate, because we see how sin spread from Adam and Eve to their son Cain. Sin indeed is a very powerful enemy, and is very difficult to prevent, especially if you allow it to enter your life even once.
In this passage I noticed people's capacity to do great evil. Although people are made in the image of God, because of sin people have done very bad things. Adam was made from the image of God, but he sinned, therefore passing the sinful nature to his son, Cain. Adam's sin was bad, but Cain's sin was very extreme and evil. He murdered his own brother out of jealousy and anger, and then lies to God about it. His murder was premeditated, as we see that he calls Abel out into the field in order to kill him there.
The good news is that people are also capable of doing great good. In chapter five Enoch walks with God his entire life, and God rewards him by taking him into heaven. Another example is Job, who despite being afflicted with many misfortunes is able to live a faithful life. Paul is a great example of both evil and good; before knowing Christ he persecuted the church, but after he preaches the gospel and suffers for Christ.
One thing that determines if someone does good or evil is how much they value God. In Genesis 4, it is clear that Cain has no regard or respect for God. Cain probably only thinks about himself, and doesn't care about God. This is seen when he does not offer God his best, and when he does not listen to God's attempts to help him. Cain is more concerned with his life and his emotions than what God has to say. In other words, Cain does not give God his due worth.
Something to keep in mind is that God believes that we are worth it all. He sent Jesus to die for our sins, because He cares about us and He values us. No one dies for someone else unless they believe they are worth something. In this passage, God wants Cain to repent and do good things, but Cain does not accept God's offer. Cain rejects God and does not think listening to God is worth his effort. God does not need us to give Him anything, but He wants us to love Him with all our heart. When Abel offers God his best, God is not only pleased in the offering but in Abel. For reasons I don't know, God loves us and wants us to be saved. He doesn't need anything from us, but He wants us to follow Him because that's how we can get eternal life with Him. He believes that we are worth saving. How much is God worth to you?
-Smart
The Fall (Genesis 3)
"Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'where are you?'"
-Genesis 3:9
Genesis 3 is all about how man and woman first fall into temptation and sin against God. Satan (represented by a serpent) begins to tempt Eve by asking her about God's command. Eve tells the serpent that God told her that she could not eat or touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What is interesting is that God never said that they could not touch this tree. Eve added that part in, perhaps because she thinks of God as being restrictive. However, this cannot be known for certain, it is just what we speculated in Bible study today.
What we can see is that the serpent uses God's command and twists it to tempt Eve. Eve knows what God has commanded her; "from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat (Genesis 2:17). Despite knowing this, she still eventually eats the forbidden fruit after believing the lies that the serpent has thrown at her. I believe that Eve listened to the serpent because she did not understand God's intentions in His command. Although she knew the command, she did not understand why God forbade the fruit from the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps she thought that God was being selfish, because this fruit would unlock the knowledge of good and evil, which only God had at that time.
In this we can see that knowledge and understanding are not the same thing. It is possible to know something but not understand it. A child can know that 2 multiplied to 2 is 4, but not understand why. More relevant to this passage, a child can know that a parent disciplines them when they cross the street recklessly, but not understand why. Knowledge is a good thing to have, but understanding is an even greater thing. Eve knew the command that God gave her, but she did not understand why God would restrict her from eating it. It is unclear what she did believe God's reasons were, but we can assume that she didn't understand God.
Eve listens to the serpent and eats the forbidden fruit because she does not understand God's intentions. God's love was clearly seen in the previous passage, where God creates a perfect environment for Adam and Eve- a place with good food, nice scenery, and no shame. The serpent is able to make Eve question God's love, and because she does not understand the extent of God's love, she eats of the fruit. I do not understand why God (other than to offer choice) would restrict Adam and Eve from eating of this fruit, especially since God created the tree in the first place. However, I do know that God loved Adam and Eve very much, and His intentions could not have been bad. Perhaps God wanted to allow them to eat the fruit at a later time, but wanted to test their love for God. I do not know.
I hope I have made clear the difference between knowledge and understanding. We need both, and I encourage you to ask God for both, especially while reading the Bible. If you do not understand a command that God gives in the Bible, just remember that God loves you. He does everything for our good, even if it means disciplining us. I can guarantee that we will not understand everything, and that we will fail, just as Adam and Eve did. God didn't allow us to remain hopeless, He gave us redemption and grace.
Another thing we can learn from this passage is that we need to allow God to have His rightful place. God is greater than us, and we should never try to take the place of God. When Eve considers eating the fruit while being tempted by Satan, he tells her that God is not allowing them to eat the fruit because they will become like God. I believe this made Eve think that God was being unjust and selfish, and she wanted to become like Him. Pride is very dangerous if you allow it to make you think that you don't need God. Although God is not one who will forcefully control your life, He still deserves to be worshiped and honored above ourselves.
Even though Adam and Eve sinned against God, it did not stop Him from loving them. God promised them that He would send someone who would conquer Satan. Although God punished Adam and Eve, He still gave them grace. He did not simply kill them and forsake them, but He did discipline them. One interesting idea I heard today is that God did not let them live forever not just as a punishment, but as a gift of grace as well. Adam and Eve's sin caused them to have great guilt and shame, which they would have carried forever if God had allowed them to live forever. Even when we cannot understand things, God is always working for our good. We should always do our best to understand God and be humble, but know that God will always love you.
-Smart
(Sorry this was a long post. If you read until this point I encourage you to comment and let me know if you like this series so far.)
-Genesis 3:9
Genesis 3 is all about how man and woman first fall into temptation and sin against God. Satan (represented by a serpent) begins to tempt Eve by asking her about God's command. Eve tells the serpent that God told her that she could not eat or touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What is interesting is that God never said that they could not touch this tree. Eve added that part in, perhaps because she thinks of God as being restrictive. However, this cannot be known for certain, it is just what we speculated in Bible study today.
What we can see is that the serpent uses God's command and twists it to tempt Eve. Eve knows what God has commanded her; "from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat (Genesis 2:17). Despite knowing this, she still eventually eats the forbidden fruit after believing the lies that the serpent has thrown at her. I believe that Eve listened to the serpent because she did not understand God's intentions in His command. Although she knew the command, she did not understand why God forbade the fruit from the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps she thought that God was being selfish, because this fruit would unlock the knowledge of good and evil, which only God had at that time.
In this we can see that knowledge and understanding are not the same thing. It is possible to know something but not understand it. A child can know that 2 multiplied to 2 is 4, but not understand why. More relevant to this passage, a child can know that a parent disciplines them when they cross the street recklessly, but not understand why. Knowledge is a good thing to have, but understanding is an even greater thing. Eve knew the command that God gave her, but she did not understand why God would restrict her from eating it. It is unclear what she did believe God's reasons were, but we can assume that she didn't understand God.
Eve listens to the serpent and eats the forbidden fruit because she does not understand God's intentions. God's love was clearly seen in the previous passage, where God creates a perfect environment for Adam and Eve- a place with good food, nice scenery, and no shame. The serpent is able to make Eve question God's love, and because she does not understand the extent of God's love, she eats of the fruit. I do not understand why God (other than to offer choice) would restrict Adam and Eve from eating of this fruit, especially since God created the tree in the first place. However, I do know that God loved Adam and Eve very much, and His intentions could not have been bad. Perhaps God wanted to allow them to eat the fruit at a later time, but wanted to test their love for God. I do not know.
I hope I have made clear the difference between knowledge and understanding. We need both, and I encourage you to ask God for both, especially while reading the Bible. If you do not understand a command that God gives in the Bible, just remember that God loves you. He does everything for our good, even if it means disciplining us. I can guarantee that we will not understand everything, and that we will fail, just as Adam and Eve did. God didn't allow us to remain hopeless, He gave us redemption and grace.
Another thing we can learn from this passage is that we need to allow God to have His rightful place. God is greater than us, and we should never try to take the place of God. When Eve considers eating the fruit while being tempted by Satan, he tells her that God is not allowing them to eat the fruit because they will become like God. I believe this made Eve think that God was being unjust and selfish, and she wanted to become like Him. Pride is very dangerous if you allow it to make you think that you don't need God. Although God is not one who will forcefully control your life, He still deserves to be worshiped and honored above ourselves.
Even though Adam and Eve sinned against God, it did not stop Him from loving them. God promised them that He would send someone who would conquer Satan. Although God punished Adam and Eve, He still gave them grace. He did not simply kill them and forsake them, but He did discipline them. One interesting idea I heard today is that God did not let them live forever not just as a punishment, but as a gift of grace as well. Adam and Eve's sin caused them to have great guilt and shame, which they would have carried forever if God had allowed them to live forever. Even when we cannot understand things, God is always working for our good. We should always do our best to understand God and be humble, but know that God will always love you.
-Smart
(Sorry this was a long post. If you read until this point I encourage you to comment and let me know if you like this series so far.)
Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:4-25)
"Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."
-Genesis 2:15
Today I went to the second lesson in the Genesis Bible academy and we learned about Genesis 2. This passage talks about the creation of Adam and Eve, the first two humans, in more detail. One thing that was stressed in this Bible study was that people were made from the dust, and the breath of life. What does this mean? People aren't just physical beings, but spiritual as well. The dust represents the physical, earthly nature of man, and the breath of life represents the spiritual, heavenly nature of man.
This wasn't what I wanted to focus on though. I want to talk about how we sometimes miss the things that God does for us. The Garden of Eden is a great example of this idea. Some things are quite obvious when you read the chapter; God gives Adam food, water, shelter, and a wife. However, God gives Adam everything that His physical self could desire. The trees of the garden not only gave Adam food, but also something pleasing to look at. God knew that Adam would enjoy having nice scenery to look at, so He creates trees that were beautiful.
So what things does God give Adam that we may not think of at first glance? God gives Adam two very important things, a choice and a mission. I've talked about choice before in this context, so I won't get into too much detail. What's interesting is that when we think of choice, we think of it as something we have to do for God. We think of Adam having the choice to disobey God as something that hurts Adam. Now Adam has to choose to obey God, which will show that Adam truly loves God.
God also gives Adam a mission to take care of the creatures of the earth. When we think of missions, we usually also think of it as something we have to do for God. We think of it as Adam having to take care of the creatures and name them to help God establish rule. This is not the case; God can do anything He wants and does not need our help for anything. God knows that without a mission, people begin to live boring and meaningless lives that feel hopeless. God doesn't give Adam a choice and a mission to benefit Himself, but to benefit Adam.
The point I'm trying to make is that God does everything for our good. It may seem that God does things to benefit Himself, but I don't think that is the case. When God tells us to pray, it is not so God benefits somehow from people praying to Him, but so that we can be blessed by God. God doesn't ask us to worship Him just so that He can be praised, but so that we can draw closer to Him. God doesn't give us choices to make life difficult, but to discipline us. God doesn't give us missions so that we can do His work for Him, but so that we can live a meaningful life. He does everything out of love for us.
-Smart
(P.S. Do you think this is a good series for me to keep up? Comment below and lemme know what you think.)
-Genesis 2:15
Today I went to the second lesson in the Genesis Bible academy and we learned about Genesis 2. This passage talks about the creation of Adam and Eve, the first two humans, in more detail. One thing that was stressed in this Bible study was that people were made from the dust, and the breath of life. What does this mean? People aren't just physical beings, but spiritual as well. The dust represents the physical, earthly nature of man, and the breath of life represents the spiritual, heavenly nature of man.
This wasn't what I wanted to focus on though. I want to talk about how we sometimes miss the things that God does for us. The Garden of Eden is a great example of this idea. Some things are quite obvious when you read the chapter; God gives Adam food, water, shelter, and a wife. However, God gives Adam everything that His physical self could desire. The trees of the garden not only gave Adam food, but also something pleasing to look at. God knew that Adam would enjoy having nice scenery to look at, so He creates trees that were beautiful.
So what things does God give Adam that we may not think of at first glance? God gives Adam two very important things, a choice and a mission. I've talked about choice before in this context, so I won't get into too much detail. What's interesting is that when we think of choice, we think of it as something we have to do for God. We think of Adam having the choice to disobey God as something that hurts Adam. Now Adam has to choose to obey God, which will show that Adam truly loves God.
God also gives Adam a mission to take care of the creatures of the earth. When we think of missions, we usually also think of it as something we have to do for God. We think of it as Adam having to take care of the creatures and name them to help God establish rule. This is not the case; God can do anything He wants and does not need our help for anything. God knows that without a mission, people begin to live boring and meaningless lives that feel hopeless. God doesn't give Adam a choice and a mission to benefit Himself, but to benefit Adam.
The point I'm trying to make is that God does everything for our good. It may seem that God does things to benefit Himself, but I don't think that is the case. When God tells us to pray, it is not so God benefits somehow from people praying to Him, but so that we can be blessed by God. God doesn't ask us to worship Him just so that He can be praised, but so that we can draw closer to Him. God doesn't give us choices to make life difficult, but to discipline us. God doesn't give us missions so that we can do His work for Him, but so that we can live a meaningful life. He does everything out of love for us.
-Smart
(P.S. Do you think this is a good series for me to keep up? Comment below and lemme know what you think.)
In The Beginning (Genesis 1:1-2:3)
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1
Today my church started a program called the "Genesis Bible Academy". What this program entails is a series of lectures based on the book of Genesis in the Bible. The goal of this program is that the attendees learn more about God and are able to teach Genesis to some degree. I decided to join this program because I have some free time in the summer and I always want to increase my knowledge of the Bible. During the study today I decided I would post my thoughts of the passage for every day we have a lecture.
The story of creation is something I have heard many times. God creates the world in six days and He rests on the seventh day. Two things are immediately obvious when reading this passage; God is powerful and He is wise. In verse 3, God says "let there be light," and "there was light". God did not create light with His hands, or with materials. He simply said a command, and light was created. This is a clear example that God has authority and power over everything, even creation. No human could say "let there be light" and create light in that way; only God can.
God's wisdom is seen in creation as well. On the first four days God creates light, the sky, land and sea, vegetation, and the sun, moon and stars. Notice that all of these things are part of an environment and are self sustaining. On the fifth and sixth day God creates creatures of the sea and the land, including people. These things require an environment to live in, but God already created the environment. The order of creation is purposeful and intelligent, revealing God's wisdom.
This passage reveals more than just God creating the world. Creation shows how God is able to put something seemly lost and in disarray together in a beautiful display. Verse 2 states that "the earth was formless and void". The earth was completely in disarray and there was no order, and darkness covered it. God does not leave the earth in this fashion, He slowly pieces things together and creates order and life. God continually says that "it was good", claiming His satisfaction in His work. On the seventh day when the world is complete, God is able to rest and enjoy His creation.
In case you couldn't see the analogy earlier, this also refers to our lives. Before knowing Christ, our lives can seem lost, broken, and in disarray; we are spiritually dead. God didn't leave us like this, He sent His son in order to restore us. This process may seem slow at times, but God is very purposeful and wise. He knows the best way and timing to restore our lost souls. God continually wants to form our lives and create something that is good. When's God's work is done and we are made complete, we can rest and enjoy His presence.
-Smart
-Genesis 1:1
Today my church started a program called the "Genesis Bible Academy". What this program entails is a series of lectures based on the book of Genesis in the Bible. The goal of this program is that the attendees learn more about God and are able to teach Genesis to some degree. I decided to join this program because I have some free time in the summer and I always want to increase my knowledge of the Bible. During the study today I decided I would post my thoughts of the passage for every day we have a lecture.
The story of creation is something I have heard many times. God creates the world in six days and He rests on the seventh day. Two things are immediately obvious when reading this passage; God is powerful and He is wise. In verse 3, God says "let there be light," and "there was light". God did not create light with His hands, or with materials. He simply said a command, and light was created. This is a clear example that God has authority and power over everything, even creation. No human could say "let there be light" and create light in that way; only God can.
God's wisdom is seen in creation as well. On the first four days God creates light, the sky, land and sea, vegetation, and the sun, moon and stars. Notice that all of these things are part of an environment and are self sustaining. On the fifth and sixth day God creates creatures of the sea and the land, including people. These things require an environment to live in, but God already created the environment. The order of creation is purposeful and intelligent, revealing God's wisdom.
This passage reveals more than just God creating the world. Creation shows how God is able to put something seemly lost and in disarray together in a beautiful display. Verse 2 states that "the earth was formless and void". The earth was completely in disarray and there was no order, and darkness covered it. God does not leave the earth in this fashion, He slowly pieces things together and creates order and life. God continually says that "it was good", claiming His satisfaction in His work. On the seventh day when the world is complete, God is able to rest and enjoy His creation.
In case you couldn't see the analogy earlier, this also refers to our lives. Before knowing Christ, our lives can seem lost, broken, and in disarray; we are spiritually dead. God didn't leave us like this, He sent His son in order to restore us. This process may seem slow at times, but God is very purposeful and wise. He knows the best way and timing to restore our lost souls. God continually wants to form our lives and create something that is good. When's God's work is done and we are made complete, we can rest and enjoy His presence.
-Smart
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