Saturday, July 28, 2012

The Character of God in Genesis Ch1

Wow this blew my mind.  How much of God we can see in this passage if only we are looking.
First of all He is intentional, He hovers over the formless and empty  face of the deep and He works to change it!
He’s orderly, first he gives light and then dry ground before filling the earth with living things.
He’s disciplined, measuring each day with a new act of creation.
He’s powerful, needing to only speak things into existence.
He’s creative, not only creating species but variations within. Creation was created in “their vast array”
Discerning, with each creation He could see that “it was good”.
He is plural, “Let us make man in our image”
He is an enabler, giving the ability to be fruitful and procreate. Scripture says this is a blessing.
He is a provider, taking care of every physical need. Even rest on the seventh day.
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It comforts me to know that God knows my every need even before I do. It also inspires me to take care of those needs for myself and others. What’s more is that seeing these qualities in My God makes my soul say, “He is good!”
Are there any of these areas in your world that you have not acknowledged the work of God and given thanks?
Does God want to work through you in any of these areas and bless someone else? 
*(I would like to dig deeper into what our image and likeness actually means)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Reading Through The Scriptures, Any Joiners?

Today I made the decision to read through the Bible. Not in a year, and not with set daily segments, not with a digital program or with reminders. Simply, read through the Bible from start to finish.
Having the pleasure of a little more space and time at the moment I am revisiting the five disciplines of the spiritual life, Bible reading, study, prayer, meditation, and evangelism.
I stumbled across a book on meditation called, “A Tree by a Stream”, by Edmond Smith. In his book he has compiled readings on meditation from a list of great writers and preachers. However, it was his intro that grabbed me.
I had read Psalm 1 to my son the day before explaining how surrounding ourselves with sin even in our entertainment can corrupt us. If we want to be strong and fruitful in our lives we need to have boundaries that are healthy and remind ourselves of the things of God.
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Today, in Smith’s book, this came back to me. God has a way of speaking to us about these things! If I am to combat the messages that the world bombards me with on a daily basis I must meditate on His word. Further more, if I am to know His word in context I should now it in its entirety. I should know God’s plan for humanity and how I fit into that.
So, I have tried it before and gave up quite quickly. I am not one to read masses of information at top speed. I get bored with this very quickly. Smith says there is about 50 hours of reading in the old testament and 20 in the new. 15 minutes a day should cover this quite nicely I think. That’s achievable isn’t it?
I know I can do 15 minutes of reading a day. I know I won’t read with speed so I am not aiming to read it in a year. However, I am starting at the front and will aim to read straight through. My goal in my reading is to discover the Character of God in the Scriptures. I am going to read from ‘The Daily Bible In Chronological Order – 365 Readings” This way I can see the Scriptures in a timeline and understand the way God is at work through history.   Sorry for the long explanation but if there are any joiners let me know by leaving a comment.