Noah and the Father’s Love

Genesis 6:5-7:24


The reading for today is about Noah and the great flood --- a familiar story for many of us.  As I read this story I kept coming back to Genesis 6:5-8.  These verses describe mankind’s “wickedness on the earth” and God’s response.  Verse 6 especially got my attention, stating “The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”  This is from the NIV translation.  Other translations say God was sorry or regretted that he had made man and that his heart was grieved and even broken.  My study bible has a note that says “Man’s sin is God’s sorrow” and directs you to Ephesians 4:30 where Paul directs us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”.  


It is amazing to me that Almighty God can be pained or sorrowful because of our sinful behavior and disobedience.  But that seems to be the case in this story.  And yet, when I consider God as a loving Father who sacrificed His Son for our redemption, why am I surprised?  Just as obedience shows our love for God, disobedience (sin) grieves his heart. 


Over the past several weeks we have been singing a song at church that seems to give a good summary to these thoughts.  I have included a link below.  Please take a moment to listen closely to the lyrics, especially the second verse, and give thanks that we have a Father that loves us “beyond all measure”.


“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us"

Restored at a Price

It was Augustine of Hippo who confessed, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they can find peace in you.”¹ He certainly spoke for me. In fact, so restless was I one Sunday evening years ago that I called my mother to vent my frustration. “Mom, over the past ten years, I’ve prayed, read the Bible, gone to church, and begged and pleaded with God; but I’m just not getting it.” She listened patiently to my lament and then responded, “I hear you speak of God, but I don’t hear you mention Jesus.” And with so few words, she had gotten to the crux of the matter.

“That’s a sore spot with me,” I replied, “I know the Bible teaches salvation comes through Jesus’ death and resurrection, but I don’t understand why. Why all the drama? Why couldn’t He have just clicked his heels together three times and that be good enough?” (It somehow seemed like a plausible alternative at the time.) Now my mother had been a Bethel Bible Series teacher, and so she summarized the two-year course for me in about five minutes! She shared Leviticus 17:11, where God made it clear that “. . . the life of the creature is in the blood . . . it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” In other words, it takes one life to redeem another life lost.

Then, pulling it all together, Mom said, “In the Old Testament, it was the blood of bulls and goats that was shed for atonement, but that was only a foreshadowing of what was to come. After all, how many goats are you worth? Only God’s life is able to save our life, which was made in His image. Jesus sacrificed His perfect life to pay for our imperfect ones.”

At the heart of redemption is this: Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own.”² We are so treasured and He loves us that much! For life, which is sacred, costs life that is sacred. No other currency spends in the Kingdom of God. No other funds are sufficient. Jesus’ blood—Jesus’ life—is required and nothing less.

Everything clicked. After saying our goodbyes and hanging up the phone, I went to my room, knelt beside my bed, and entrusted my life to Jesus and His payment for my sins.

And, redeemed, I have rested well.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18, 19)

[Read today’s Scripture in 1 Peter 1:17-21.]

¹ Augustine, Saint Bishop of Hippo, The Confessions of Saint Augustine, trans. Rex Warner. (New York: The New American Library, 1963), 17. ² Titus 2:14

This post is taken from Christ in Me. Copyright © 2016 Paul Nordman. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to purchase a copy of Christ in Me by Paul Nordman.

Say Yes to the Dress

Revelation 19:6-9

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2019%3A6-9&version=NIV;MSG;AMP

  

Getting ready for your wedding can be very stressful. In our American culture, it normally falls to the bride and her mother to plan the event. Everything has to be perfect; the dresses, the reception, the music, and did I mention flowers.

 

At my wedding, the cut glass vase for the flowers couldn’t be found. As a result, the flower bouquet sat in the front of the church in a blue plastic beach pail. If there is one thing that you can count on at a wedding, it’s that something will go wrong.

 

If the bride is the focal point of a wedding, her dress is the spotlight. There’s even a reality TV show called Say Yes to the Dress. It’s all about picking the perfect dress at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan, which will cost at least $1300 and possibly as much as $40,000. Perfection!

 

Even John focuses on the wedding dress of the bride.

The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
    his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
    of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.     MSG

 

Here, the bride is a metaphor for the church. In this picture, the bride is preparing herself; getting ready for the groom, which is Jesus. According to the Amplified Bible, “the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers]”.

 

In this verse she (the church) is given a gown of righteousness. That is to say, the righteousness that only Jesus, the King of Kings, can give us through his death and resurrection. Or as Paul wrote in Romans 13,”…clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

So go ahead, Say Yes to the Dress. I’m not referring to the perfect gown to shine on the bride, but to the gown of righteousness that makes it possible for us to come into the presence of the groom and say with the multitude, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”

 

 

 

You Want Me To Do ALL That?

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -Ephesians 4:25-32

Today I have posted the entire scripture text for you to read.  The Apostle Paul is so strategic in how he instructs us, that I wanted you to see the entire picture.   This section of scripture ends with a very specific command. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.”

I think as a Christian we grow accustom to reading and hearing that we should be kind and compassionate and to other and forgive.  We know it’s something we should do, and I bet many of us truly want to be able to live up to that instruction.  There are times, though that we want to yell, “It’s just not fair!”

We don’t feel that God understands the hurt. There are times that being kind and compassionate, forgiving the person who hurt you so deeply is just impossible. That is where I want to introduce this entire passage to you.  Take a look. 

Paul starts by saying,

• ·         Don’t lie, but speak truthfully.
• ·         Don’t get so angry that you sin, and if you are angry make amends quickly.
• ·         Don’t steal.  Work for what you get.
• ·         What you do work for, share with those in need.
• ·         Watch your mouth.  Don’t say hurtful, negative, slanderous things.
• ·         Don’t give credit to something else that belongs to God, that Grieves the Holy Spirit.

Lastly Paul sends out a barrage of don’ts… Get rid of ALL bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with EVERY form of malice.

I think Paul structured this passage in this way for two reasons. First, before he asks us to forgive others he reminds us of our own areas of sin.  Christ has forgiving us completely so we should forgive others.  It’s easier to show compassion when you remember the compassion that was first shown to you.

Secondly, I think Paul wants us to see the impossibility of EVERYTHING he is asking us to do if we are not connected to God.  We CAN’T walk the path of speaking truthfully, not sinning in anger, making amends, honest work, giving to those in need, positive talk, giving God glory, and everything else on our own. It does seem impossible to show kindness, compassion and forgiveness to deep hurts if we do it in our own strength.  God never intended us to do this alone.  He wants us to rely on him and his strength.

We need to be mindful of all of this, but also surrender to the One who can do this work in and through us. 

To Live Is Christ!

I can’t believe it has almost been six years since my dad passed away.  This February is approaching fast and my memories of his death are as strong as ever.

One of the best memories I have was taking communion together as a family.  Pastor John came over and led my father, mother, sister and I in the sacrament.  It was a touching moment.  We knew this was going to be the last time we shared the Lord’s Supper together.

After we received the elements we spent some time in prayer.  We confessed our love for each other and thanked God for the time we had together.  We made sure that all past sins were forgiven.  As our prayer ended my father looked at us and with all seriousness, spoke some of the most profound words I have ever heard.

He said, “This was great.  Praying together and loving each other, but I want you to remember one thing.  It means nothing without Jesus.”  Wow! Not what I was expecting.  I was having a moment with my dying father and he was busy pointing us all back to Christ.

This was not typical of my father.  Yes, he loved God and had a relationship with Christ, but his mind was not always on Christ.  He was human like all of us, so I knew this moment came directly from the throne of God.

This story was the first thing that came to my mind when I read today’s scripture.  Romans 8:5 says, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

We were worried about my dad and our relationship with him.  We wanted to make sure everything was good before he was gone.  None of that is bad, but it was motivated by the flesh.  I love that my dad’s last life lesson for me was, “Focus on Christ and him alone.” 

That is what the Spirit desires isn’t it? Even our most pure intentions mean nothing if Christ is not at the center of it.

Read today's entire scripture here. Romans 8:5-12

Survivor

Genesis 47:13-26

Survivor is a popular TV reality show in which contestants try to “outwit, outplay and outlast” the other competitors in order to win the grand prize of $1 million. Participants have been willing to go to almost any lengths to win including lying, stealing, manipulating and back-stabbing.

 The people in Egypt and Canaan found themselves in a survival situation, only it wasn’t a game. The famine became so bad that the people were starving. At first, they spent all their money for grain. When that ran out, they traded all of their livestock. Finally, they traded not only their property, but their very bodies. They became slaves to their desires, and as a result to Pharaoh.

 But, let’s examine Joseph and Pharaoh for a minute. As a result of the famine, they accumulated tremendous wealth at the expense of the people. Because of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, they were like inside traders who knew what the stock would do. Instead of telling the masses the future so that they could get ready, they planned and prepared so that when the time arrived, they could prosper at the expense of others.

At times, we all fall into one of the above groups: victim or victimizer. Whichever side of the coin you find yourself, there is a message for you from Survivor.

The title of Survivor this season is Second Chance because each person on the show has played in a previous season and lost. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a God of second chances. God gave Joseph a second chance to provide for his father and brothers, thus taking another step towards fulfilling His covenant to make a great nation out of Abraham.

And now, through Jesus Christ, we have a second chance to be a part of that same covenant. Not a second chance to just survive, but a second chance to live our lives for

Him; to follow Him; to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. God has given us a second chance so that we might share THE Second Chance with others.

 “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];”            Genesis 12:2 AMP

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%2047%3A13-26&version=NIV;TLB

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Gen.47.13-Gen.47.26

The Bad Guy Looses Once Again, Isaiah 52:1-10

I love action adventure movies where the main character utters clever lines, seemingly off the cuff. Let’s see if you can name these movies?

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth” (A Few Good Men).

“I’ll be back” (Terminator).

“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”(Batman, 1989).

I get chills when the hero puts the villain in his place. Our scripture passage today shows God putting Israel’s captors in their place. He says, “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.” He then says that they will know it is God who saved them and they will know His name.

At first glance it may not seem like much, but God is informing Israel’s enemy, who considers themselves invincible, that He alone will redeem his people and it will be at their expense.

This story contains a promise for us as well. Many people today are enslaved; whether it’s physical, mental, or spiritual. Our enemy wishes us harm and God is announcing that He will redeem us, and the enemy will know it was God! Jesus is our redemption. Though it cost Him everything, it’s funny, Jesus death isn’t payment to the enemy, this payment goes straight back to the Father.

Read today's passage on Biblegateway Isaiah 52:1-10

Dust to Dust, Genesis 2 and 3

I own a t-shirt sporting an apple with a bite taken out of it and the words, “My Bad, -Eve”, under the apple. This shirt get’s a lot of attention whenever I wear it. Everyone, Christian or not knows the story of Adam and Eve.

We all sin. Some still don’t want to admit it, but it doesn’t change how every day we doubt God’s sovereignty by doing things our way. The end of our passage shows what the consequences to our sin would be. God tells Adam,

“By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

Even through the consequences to sin, God has a plan. Think about this. Dust; get it wet and you have clay. A lump of clay is ineffective on its own; it is full of nothing, but more clay. Like us, without God and His direction we are a lump of clay, useless and full of ourselves. But in the hands of the Potter we can be molded into something useful. The process can be painful; the Potter will push, pull and stretch us into a useful vessel.

Once we let the Potter shape us, an amazing thing happens. Despite our sin, He uses us! He hollows us of ourselves, filling us with His love and grace so we can pour that love back out into a hurting and sinful world.

You can read today's scripture on Biblegateway.com Genesis 2 and 3

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