Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 48

The Ministry of Reconciliation

As I near the time of writing the next book in the Miller's Creek novels, my heart and mind seem to often focus on forgiveness and reconciliation (the theme of the next book, A Bridge Unbroken).



Why is forgiveness so difficult for us?



I can only speak for myself here, but I pray that my own experience will help a fellow traveler. The reason I have trouble with forgiveness basically boils down to my own selfish pride. I want vindication. I want my rights. I want the other person to pay. I want to be understood. I want to tell my side of the story. I. I. I. I. I.



In spite of my selfish pride, the Bible is very clear on the topics of forgiveness and reconciliation. Consider the following passages:



But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ~Matthew 5:22-24



For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ~Matthew 6:14



All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ~2 Corinthians 5:18-19



In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ~Ephesians 1:7-10



Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ~Ephesians 4:31-32



He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~Colossians 1:13-14


Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. ~2 Corinthians 2:5-8



Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We are called as His followers to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21-22) and be peacemakers (Matthew 5, 2 Corinthians 5). As much as it depends on us, we are to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). The letter of the law is not as important as the spirit of the law (Matthew 5).



God, in His infinite mercy and grace, has forgiven us so much. How can we turn around and deny forgiveness to our fellow man? He will never ask us to forgive anyone for more than He has already forgiven us.



On a side note, a popular train of thought is that we should forgive for the purpose of freeing ourselves. After all, holding a grudge against someone isn't hurting them; it's hurting us! But in my very humble opinion, this is a very selfish and prideful way of looking at the concept of forgiveness. Our motive behind forgiving others is because Christ commanded and lived it. We can be assured that once we decide to forgive because God's Word tells us to--in spite of the hurt, the pain, the woundedness we feel--the reconciliation and peace we extend to others will overflow into our lives as well.

The Eternal Significance of Knowing Jesus

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]. ~Matthew 7:21-23 (AMP)



But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came and said, Lord, Lord, open [the door] to us! But He replied, I solemnly declare to you, I do not know you [I am not acquainted with you]. Watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come. ~Matthew 25:10-13 (AMP)



To "know" someone means to have a first-hand experiential knowledge of that person. And the only way to truly get to know someone is to spend time with them.



The most important relationship we can have is our relationship to Jesus through faith and obedience to Him. In the two passages above, the people invited to be with Jesus were those that He already knew.



Right now, at this unique moment in history, we all still have the option of choosing to follow Him in trust and obedience. But the day is coming--and is closer than ever before--when that opportunity will no longer be available.



My plea is for those of you who know about Him, but don't know Him personally. Respond to Him in faith and obedience. Read His Word and pray with the express purpose of growing in your knowledge of who He is and what He has done for you. He loves you and desires for you to know Him as He knows you. And He's promised to be found by those who seek for Him.



Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ~Jeremiah 29:13 (AMP)



P.S. Please check out the life link button in the sidebar for more information.

Whose Image?

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” ~Matthew 22:15-21 (NIV)



Though our hard-earned dollars might be taxed more and more, that money actually belongs to the government that created it--whether we like it or not.



But there is a greater and higher responsibility. Our dollars may bear the image of our government, but each of us bears the image of God (Genesis 1:6).



We chafe when people don't pay their fair share of taxes, but do we ever stop to consider if we're giving God what is rightfully His (AKA our lives)?



All that we have, all that we are, is because of Him. Let's give Him control of our lives in return, by offering up to Him the honor, praise, worship, and service He deserves.

Free for Kindle October 4-8, 2013 - TEXAS ROADS

TEXAS ROADS

(4.5 stars, 140 reviews)




One secret kept, another uncovered . . .




Dani
Davis just wants a place to call home. With quaint country charm,
quirky residents, and loads of business potential, Miller’s Creek seems
like the perfect place to start over . . . except for the cowboy who
gives her a ride into town. Then malicious rumors and a devastating
secret propel her down a road she never expected to travel.




(Book One in the Miller’s Creek Novels)

Sovereign God

All throughout the book of Amos as God pronounces judgment on top of judgment against the nation of Israel, we see the words "Sovereign God." I think it's both urgent and important as we face uncertain times to recognize Him as Sovereign God.



He always has been and always will be in control. Yes, He may bring judgment, but it is for the purpose of bringing justice and weaning hearts away from this world and toward Him.



Consider the following verses:



This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek Me and live;
    do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
    do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Seek the Lord and live,
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
    and Bethel will have no one to quench it. ~Amos 5:4-6 (NIV)



For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ~Matthew 16:25-26 (NIV)



Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ~Matthew 10:28 (NIV) 



No matter what happens in the days ahead, we need to remember the sovereignty of the LORD God Almighty. He knows those that are His. Just as He provided for His people in the wilderness, He will provide for us.



Our part? Seek Him and lay down our lives for Him. The only thing we need fear (awe and reverence) is Him.



Father God, these are scary times. We recognize that our lives are not what they should be. We've allowed religious practice to become a substitute for a relationship with You. We've grown comfortable and complacent. Sovereign God, we thank You that You use troubling times to get our attention and draw us back to You. We proclaim that You are in control. Help us to remember that You are the only One who should inspire holy fear, reverence, and awe in us, because You hold the power of life and death--not just in the physical realm--but in the eternal spiritual realm. We offer You our praise as the King of kings and Lord of lords. In the priceless name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Warning Signs

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ ~Ezekiel 33:1-6 (NIV)



None of us like to be the bearer of bad news, because bad news is an unpopular message. Sadly, we care more about people's opinions that we do about their souls. While we are bearers of light and good news, we also bear the responsibility of warning people about coming judgment.



We are the watchmen.



In Luke 17:3, Jesus told His followers to warn a wayward brother to swerve him away from danger. In Jude 23, we're told to snatch others from the fire. The above passage from Ezekiel reveals that failing to warn others will result in their blood being on our heads.



We only have to look at the warning signs around us to know that storm clouds loom on the horizon...and rightfully so. If God did not spare Sodom and Gomorrah--if He did not spare even His chosen people of Judah and Israel--why do we assume He will spare us? Our personal and national sins are stacked to the sky, and the stench rises to heaven. A cleansing of the land is surely coming and has indeed already begun--a time of judgment, punishment, and discipline.



Our response should be heart-searching and repentance, turning away from our idolatry and selfish, prideful ways toward the LORD God Almighty and His ways.



Sound the trumpet, and get ready.



Oh, LORD God, we fall on our faces before You, pleading for mercy and grace, aware that because of sin we've far exceeded our right to do so. Like the prophet Isaiah we confess that we are people of unclean lips and live among people of unclean lips. Our self-righteousness is like filthy rags before You. As Your people we've compromised ourselves with complacency and pride. None of us are righteous on our own. Lord, we've set up idols in our hearts, giving the place that rightfully belongs to You over to others and stuff. We've been idle and self-seeking. Oh, Father, our nation has become a filthy place after all You've done to bless us. Help us to allow You to search our hearts. Convict us. May we repent from our sin and turn completely to You. Lord, give us the strength and courage we need to blow the trumpet, to sound the warning, to ready ourselves. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Christian Kindle Freebies for September 13, 2013

Want a way to read all these great Christian Kindle freebies without purchasing a Kindle? Check out this post that tells you how. All the books listed
here are free at the time of posting, but these free e-books change to
pay status very quickly. Always check to make sure the books are
free before you click to buy. Just so you know, I have not read
all
these books, so I can't testify to their content or scriptural accuracy
(though I try to be discerning about which books I share on WordVessel).
Happy reading!







The Way of Grace 

by Cathy Bryant





Fiction: In pursuit of justice, in need of grace . . .

A justice-seeking
perfectionist pursues her dream of a perfect life in her hometown of
Miller’s Creek, Texas. Sidetracked by a desire to be a prosecuting
attorney, Grace Soldano launches into uncharted waters, making herself
over to please her boss and mentor.

Then a disheveled free spirit
turns her perfectly ordered world upside down, challenging the concept
of personal goodness. A fall from perfection leaves Grace teetering
between vengeance and grace, caught in a deadly crossfire that leaves
her dreams in a heap of ashes.

Can she learn to joyfully accept the life God has given her–far from perfect–but completely immersed in His grace?





Click HERE to download.







Living Joyfully Free 

by Lisa Buffaloe





Nonfiction: Living joyfully free is falling back into God’s arms and releasing your
worries, problems, concerns, and fears. Living joyfully free doesn’t
mean you won’t have trouble or problems; it is allowing God to take full
control—trusting and believing He has your best interest at heart.

This
isn’t a regular devotion book. Each page is a stepping stone, a place
to pause and ponder, a field to run through, a mountain to climb, a
river to dive into God’s Living water. A picnic on the Bread of Life
with The Bread of Life. Time along a garden pathway in the sun to be
Son-kissed by God’s Son.

God invites you to live joyfully free. Explore how you can start today.





Click HERE to download.







Abound in Love 

by Rosemarie Naramore





Fiction: When Laura Lander’s family invites her to return to her hometown to join
them for the Thanksgiving holiday, she’s uncertain. She and her sister
haven’t gotten along since they were children, and Laura’s heart still
aches from the old hurts.

To complicate matters, she’d left her
heart behind years before, and she’s not sure her feelings for family
friend, Dalton Jance, are dormant.

Laura accepts the holiday
invitation, and finds that her family is falling apart. Her sister’s
marriage is seemingly over, her nephew and niece are suffering for it,
and her brother is exhausted from trying to run interference.

With
God’s help—and a little help from Dalton—can Laura bring her family
together again? And will she find her own ‘happily ever after’ with the
man who has occupied her dreams for years?





Click HERE to download.

The Historical Accuracy of the Bible

In a world that often denies the existence of God, one only needs to look to the Bible to discover the truth. The Bible is God's revelation of Himself, and one way we know the Bible to be true is its historical accuracy. In addition, words of prophecy were authenticated by events in history. Here are just a few passages to back up the claim to the historical accuracy of the Bible:



In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. ~2 Kings 25:27-30



Babylonian tablets confirm the that King Jehoiachin, his sons, and others received rations from Nebuchadnezzar. After the death of the Babylonian king, Evil-Merodach, in order to curry favor with the Jews, released Jehoichin from prison and treated him well.



It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. ~2 Chronicles 32:30

In 1880 an inscription was found at the mouth of the Siloam tunnel which describes this marvel of engineering. Water was brought from the Spring of Gihon to a place inside the city. Workers dug from both ends and met almost exactly in the middle of this 1777-foot tunnel.



See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.
Their bows will strike down the young men;
    they will have no mercy on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.
Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
    the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
will be overthrown by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah. ~Isaiah 13:17-19



He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ~2 Chronicles 36:20



Isaiah predicted that the Babylonian empire would be overturned by the Persians. One only has to study historical records and the history books to see that this prophecy and its fulfillment indeed happened.



When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. ~Nehemiah 2:10



Sanballat is mentioned in the Elephantine Papyri as governor of Samaria at the time that Nehemiah returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as a matter of historical fact.



King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them....That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians,was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. ~Daniel 5:1, 30-31



Herodotus and Xenephenon (Greek historians) both testified that Babylon was entered by diverting the Euphrates. The enemy entered to find the people in a drunken festival.



Application : I could go on and on with examples, but instead decided to just furnish more verses below for those who wish to read further. This list is by no means exhaustive.



The application for all of us is that because of its historical accuracy the Bible and the One True God who both inspired it and is its chief subject can be trusted.



But the real question is, with the vast historical record to back the words of the Bible up, can we afford to ignore and dismiss it?



Further Reading : 2 Kings 24:1-2; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Esther 1:6; Isaiah 45:1; Isaiah 47 (the fall of Babylon); Isaiah 48:3-5 (prophecy regarding the Jew's exile to Babylon)



Father God, Your Word tells us that men are without excuse simply in light of the world You created. But in addition, You have provided historical record that substantiates Your Word even further. Lord God, may we be quick to read Your Word, seek You out as its Divine Author, and live our lives in its light. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Free Christian Kindle Books for September 12, 2013

Want a way to read all these great Christian Kindle freebies without purchasing a Kindle? Check out this post that tells you how. All the books listed
here are free at the time of posting, but these free e-books change to
pay status very quickly. Always check to make sure the books are
free before you click to buy. Just so you know, I have not read
all
these books, so I can't testify to their content or scriptural accuracy
(though I try to be discerning about which books I share on WordVessel).
Happy reading!





The Way of Grace 

by Cathy Bryant



Fiction: In pursuit of justice, in need of grace . . .



A justice-seeking
perfectionist pursues her dream of a perfect life in her hometown of
Miller’s Creek, Texas. Sidetracked by a desire to be a prosecuting
attorney, Grace Soldano launches into uncharted waters, making herself
over to please her boss and mentor.



Then a disheveled free spirit
turns her perfectly ordered world upside down, challenging the concept
of personal goodness. A fall from perfection leaves Grace teetering
between vengeance and grace, caught in a deadly crossfire that leaves
her dreams in a heap of ashes.



Can she learn to joyfully accept the life God has given her–far from perfect–but completely immersed in His grace?



Click HERE to download.





Bleeding Heart 

by Amber Stokes



Fiction: Five bleeding hearts. One profound journey.



Summer 1886



Sally
Clay's livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an
opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted
suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic
miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California,
waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years
before.



But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon
learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound
the hearts of others - and hers isn't the only heart that's broken.
Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to
the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way
and a place to heal?



A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her.



All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.



Click HERE to download.





SuperGal vs. GOD 

by Lori Hynson



Nonfiction: Who was this befeathered woman in the mirror?



Let’s see. To-die-for shiny pumps with bows, fluffy pink boa with feathers, blue eyes and dimples.



SuperGal
was a slightly mature—okay, middle-aged—dynamo, a go-getter, an
achiever. She was as cute as she could manage at 47, well-organized, a
community leader. Supremely independent. A fixer. She could fix her own
problems and the rest of the world’s as well.



“What’s that, God?
Do I need some help? Advice? No, I’m fine. Thanks! Oh no, don’t worry
about me—really. You’re a Sweetie for offering, though. See You in
church on Sunday. You do remember, right, that I joined a few years ago?
Yes? Ta! Ta!



SuperGal. Strong, successful, self-reliant.



Love? Phooey! Never again. Until the moment she found herself, well—back in love!



Joy quickly became despair when her new love fell desperately ill. SuperGal rolled up her sleeves. She would fix this, too.



Tomorrow,
the battle would begin, and she would find herself at the epicenter.
God’s victorious hand was stretched out to SuperGal, but she circled
around it. Blind. And lost.



Yes, SuperGal could handle anything life threw her way.



Until she couldn’t.



Until she utterly failed.



Until finally, God had her right where He wanted her.



Click HERE to download.





Otherworld 

by Jared C. Wilson



Fiction: Something strange is happening in Houston and its rural suburb,
Trumbull. It starts with the bizarre mutilation of a farmer's cow,
sparking rumors of UFO sightings and alien visitations. It's all an
annoyance for the police, who would prefer to focus on the recent
murders in the area. Mike Walsh is a journalist with a nagging editor
and a troubled marriage who finds himself inexorably drawn into the
deeper story creeping up on all who dare get close enough: a grizzled
small town police captain, a depressed journalist, a disillusioned
pastor, and a little old man. They are unlikely allies against the
otherworld.



Click HERE to download.






by Beth Redman



Nonfiction: In this powerful and deeply vulnerable book, Beth Redman writes to pass
along a message that changed her life—that the God who made us also
understands us intimately. He hears our cries and reaches out in love to
help us and fight for us. He’s always at work shaping our character.
And no matter what others do, He will never, ever leave or forget us.
Drawing on Scripture and her own experience, Redman invites us to
explore the revolutionary implications of being loved by a God who knows
our name. And she invites us to call on His name as well—to respond to
His heart and love Him as He has loved us from the beginning.



Click




Running On Empty 

by Ruth Logan Herne



Fiction: Anne Kellwyn has a secret. It's cost her everything to keep it,
including her marriage. Now she may have to pay an even higher price to
reveal the truth, but is she too late? Back home to care for her dying
mother, Anne is faced with the past she ran from and a future she can't
have, a future that includes Joe McIntyre and the happily ever after
she'd dreamed of years ago.



Chief of Police Joe McIntyre takes
his position seriously. A lead-by-example Christian, he's put to the
test when his ex-wife appears with another man's child after eight years
of silence. Anger and pride challenge his small-town-hero existence,
driving him out of his comfort zone. Faced with choices he made eight
years before, can he tackle the present to ease Anne's future so she's
no longer "Running on Empty".



Click HERE to download.





Amazing Love 

by K. Dawn Byrd



Fiction: Gabe Knight, a pastor in a small coastal town, finds his life is turned
upside down when Dee Dillow arrives and hires him to remodel an estate
she's inherited from her aunt. Dee dashes his plans for wedded bless
when on a drunken binge, she divulges that she's the highest paid call
girl in Nevada and part-owner of the ritziest brothel in the state.



Gabe
falls in love with her, but can't believe he's hearing the voice of God
when a still, small voice tells him to marry her. After much
questioning, they marry and he is deliriously happy. Until, Dee betrays
him.



Gabe soon discovers just how hard it is to have the
unconditional love God calls him to have for his wife, the kind of love
God has for his children. When faced with losing her, Gabe realizes what
true love is, how much it hurts, and just how much God loves and is
willing to sacrifice for his children.



Amazing Love is a contemporary version of the Hosea and Gomer story from the Bible.



Click HERE to download.





The Hidden Son 

by Dianna T. Benson



Fiction: When U.S. DEA Special Agent Lelisa Desmond refuses to follow an order to
bury evidence in a high profile case, her superior inexplicably hires a
hit man to kill her. Lelisa barely survives the first attempt on her
life, but someone close to her is mistakenly murdered in her place.



Lelisa
sets off on a daring mission to bring down the man who ordered her
execution. A man in a high position, with powerful friends. A man who
will stop at nothing to protect his son.



Can she take him down, before he sends someone else to silence her forever?



Click HERE to download.

Beginnings Bible Study - Genesis 2

(If you missed the last segment of the Beginnings Bible Study, you can find it HERE.)



Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. ~Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)



"Completed in all their vast array" – God knocked it out of the park with both diversity and intricate design in His creation. The world is the work of a highly skilled Craftsman!



"Rested" – literally means “cessation from work,” but not in an idle, passive sense. God's work of creation was complete, so this day of rest was a celebration of sorts. He certainly didn’t rest because He was tired or needed a nap.



Food For Thought – Think of a project you’ve completed and the thoughts and feelings that evokes. (Not that anything we’ve ever done could compare to what God did in Creation, but so we can in some small way sense the purpose and meaning behind God’s day of rest.)



"Blessed…made it holy" – other days mentioned evening and morning—giving a boundary to the days—but that’s not mentioned here, giving an eternal aspect to the day of rest.



Digging Deeper – Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 121:3-4; Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Isaiah 56:2-8; Hebrews 4:1, 3-4, 9-11



(NOTE: There is sooooo much information in God's Word about the Sabbath. Be on the lookout for a separate post on God's special day!)



This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ~Genesis 2:4-7 (NIV)



"Account" – record, family history, generations. (We’ll see this term used a total of ten times: Genesis 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:9; 37:2.)



Note: This is a second account of creation, where the emphasis switches from an overview to God’s special relationship with man.



"LORD God" – In chapter 1, the name of God used is Elohim, a plural word indicating the Trinity, as well as God's sovereignty. Now the name Yahweh or Jehovah is used. This is the covenant, sacred, and personal name for God, and the name most closely linked to His work of redemption (Exodus 3:14-15; 6:6). It also means the self-existing One, and was considered so sacred that it wasn't spoken aloud.



"Formed" – I love this beautiful picture of the potter fashioning a work of art with His hands. The other aspects of the creation were spoken into being. Only with man did God scoop up the dirt from the ground and lovingly shape it into a living being.



"Breathed into His nostrils the breath of life" – The word Spirit literally means breath (pneuma). This is another plural term, and indicates fullness of life.



Digging Deeper – Isaiah 42:5



Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. ~Genesis 2:8-14 (NIV)



Does anyone else find it fascinating that human time begins and ends in a garden?



"Eden" – means pleasure or delight. God had created Paradise. This area is believed by Bible scholars to be located in modern-day Turkey or Iraq, though it is possible that the great flood further obscured its location.



"All kinds of trees" – Notice that the trees are further described, dividing them into four distinct categories:


pleasing to look at
good for food
tree of life
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Notice the abundant natural resources in the area of Eden – water, gold, aromatic resin, onyx-- which further demonstrates God's abundant provision for His creation. There are also four rivers mentioned – Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates. Only the latter two are still known in modern days.



Digging Deeper – Revelation 22:1-2







The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 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.” The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” ~Genesis 2:15-18 (NIV)



Here we see God purposefully placing man in the garden of Eden, this place of pleasure, delight, and perfection.



Food For Thought: What was man’s purpose in the garden? What was the warning (not threat or challenge) God gave man? Why? What is death?



"Helper suitable for him" – There was no comparable counterpart or helpmeet for man.



Digging Deeper – Ephesians 2:1; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12





Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. ~Genesis 2:19-25 (NIV)



"See what he would name them" – If you'll think back to our study of Genesis 1, you'll remember that naming things indicates lordship and ownership. In this case, it also indicates stewardship, because God places the responsibility of flawless Paradise firmly in the hands of man.



"Deep sleep" – As strange as it may sound in a world that often denies the existence of God and rebels against Him, this is where we get our surgical practice of putting people to sleep for surgery.



Notice that the man also names the woman based on her being taken from man. The Hebrew word for man is Adam, very closely related to the Hebrew word for ground, which is Adamah.



Food For Thought : Before God instituted the church, government, the law, God instituted marriage. Leaving and cleaving are so very important. If either partner remains emotionally closer to parents than to spouse, there will be problems. I don't mean to get on a soapbox here, but I've seen marriages ruined because the biblical principle of leaving and cleaving isn't followed.



Digging Deeper – Revelation 19:7-9; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 21:2; Isaiah 54:5







"naked and felt no shame" - At first glance, this phrase seems rather random, but in what lies ahead in the story, the statement will take on new meaning.



LORD God, thank You for being our personal God. Thank You that from the beginning of time, You established a very special relationship with man, a relationship that You would go to the ultimate sacrifice to protect and restore. Thank You that You came to earth to provide a way to bring us back into relationship with You in spite of our sinful nature. Thank You for providing us with a life partner, someone that is very much a part of us, and that the sanctity of marriage becomes a symbol of Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. In His name we pray, Amen.



Beginning Bible Study - Genesis 1