JUST DO IT, only differently

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

posted this the other day.. but it's just such a powerful verse.. it contains the answer as to how to journey back to hope when hopelessness rules the day.. sometimes you gotta go backward to move forward.. it's like when you get off track in a maze and suddenly you see the way out. Keep your focus on the right path as you acknowledge the errors of your former way, until you get back to where you got off track. Then don't just "do it" like so many ppl love to say, but "do it different" until you get to that right place... boots on the ground.

Then as you look back to check yourself and to hold yourself accountable.. you will see that you are a person of character, who perseveres as a man of his word despite opposition and failure, and you will rejoice in that thing that caused you (as well as those who love you) great suffering.. not to rejoice that that evil thing happened, but because God used that attack of hell to press you deeper into the image of Christ.. and placed the HOPE of all the promises of God back in your line of vision <3

Submission Defined

Submission is not a matter of giving someone their way all the time, or spoiling them, or being a doormat to their selfishness.. Submission is wrestling through the hard stuff in life together, it is bringing the other half of the perspective, weighing and sifting all so that it can be measured to the Word and will of God, making an attempt to get the whole truth out on the table and then letting go of the final decision and giving someone else power over you and all that you love, trusting God with the outcome...

basically, it's being the bitch that rains on the fun parade in hopes that people will make the right decision for everyone involved.

An Inside Look (Gen 2)

Genesis 2

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

The heavens and the earth were finished in this era of the Creation of Man as we know it. The heavens were the sky and atmosphere of the earth. The host were all the bodies of matter and the systems they operate in in the sky as they relate to the earth, such as the sun and moon and stars. When the planets and space were created, I’m not sure.

On the seventh day, God rested, which brings to mind the question, “How can God get tired so that he needs rest?” But rest does not necessarily mean that someone must be tired. Rest merely means to break from your work and to take some time to enjoy the fruit of it with the people you share it with. God rested, he finished his work and took the seventh day to enjoy it with his children. Perhaps God designed mankind as needing rest from his physical labor, to ensure that he would make it a priority to enjoy the fruit of it with the people he loves and with God, his Father. Idk… but I am sure it was not that God was exhausted and weak and needed a day to re-coop.

⁴ These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ When no bush of the field^[a] was yet in the land^[b] and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶ and a mist^[c] was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— ⁷ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground andbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Reading this initially, several questions came to mind. I wondered how man could be created before any bushes or plant life had been created. Then it occurred to me that Genesis 1 was a detailed and ordered account of creation.. the plant life was created, it just hadn’t begun to break forth out of the ground. The land was still barren appearance-wise, when man was created and given life. Then God created the Garden of Eden, with fully grown trees and plant life for food to sustain him until the rest of the earth had time to ripen. And here in this garden, God also planted the two trees which seemed separated from the rest of the plant life. I am not sure why. But their presence was clearly necessary if man was to be free to choose obedience and relationship  with God or not. They provided freedom to choose, and they protected the free will of mankind. The verses that follow go on to describe in more detail the placing of man in the Garden AFTER he was created on the earth. He was told to take care of it and rule and reign over it for God. With the exception of the two trees, the mandate was given that he was not to eat from them or he would die. That death would involve a complete death, physically (death of his body, returning to dust) and spiritually (second death, his eternal spirit separated from God).

¹⁰ A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat^[d] of it you shall surely die.”

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for^[e] him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed^[f] every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam^[g]there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made^[h] into a woman and brought her to the man. 

²³ Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”^[i]

After man was put in the garden, the animals that were created were all brought to him (also put into the garden after being created on the earth as man was). Man was told at this point to name each one in search of a suitable companion, a helper. But none was found. So God caused Adam to sleep, and he took a part of him to create woman. This is such a great picture of the Godhead.. Father, Son, and Spirit. She was taken from the Man (earthly father) just as the Son (Jesus) was taken from the Godhead to perform a specific role, temporary, but having lasting effects on many things including himself. She was given the role of HELPER just as the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ from the Godhead to perform the role of paraclete (one called alongside to help). There are so many levels in which mankind was created in the image of God, but they are all rooted in being One, in relationship with each other, in helping and serving and being a part of guarding the wholeness of all that is Good. That’s pretty incredible. What a beautiful thing to be a part of.. family.

The animals were brought to Adam, God knowing that none would be a suitable helper or companion to man. Adam just needed to sense the absence of the woman, in order to appreciate the role that God would create her to perform. The revelation of his need of her, as a friend and a soul-mate. Perhaps, it was so that he could feel the difference between a relationship that is outside of your spirit as compared to one that is created from within, a part of you, that thing that completes you and brings that sense of wholeness. Perhaps it was also to help him to value her for more than just the role she performed, her works, but to value her for who she was and is... to treasure the internal rather than just the external. 

Perhaps it was so that he would not see his role of having authority as being greater than her role of submission.. rather that her value as a wife, as family, as part of himself, that other that completes him would be the treasure of her worth. Seeing her as his equal, causes a sense of humility when he glimpses the sacrifice of her role of submission. She gives herself for the good of the family, while the man wields his authority for the good of the family. Both a reflection of Christ, both performing specific roles, both of great worth to each other and to God. 

One in Christ.. that is what makes a marriage work.
Anything else is death.


²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

This closing passage is so key because it emphasizes the replication of the family, and yet the limits. Every family formed on the earth becomes another mirror image of the Godhead, and speaks the name of God just by being. It is made clear that after children are raised to maturity they are to leave that family unit and form another.. repeating the name of God in the earth.. replenishing.. filling the earth with the glory of God.. not just bodies.

Honor is to be given always to our parents for their role and sacrifice and love for God and for us. But as adults, it is our calling and purpose to leave that family unit and birth another.. every time a family is formed in the earth it is a continual declaration of "Glory to God!"

I also love that they were naked. There was no doubt or lack of understanding.. purpose was clear and beautiful and valued.. there was absolute freedom because there was absolute obedience and ownership of the will of God. Some day, that freedom will return to us, because of the sacrifice and price that God paid to redeem us back to him once again. Some day, everyone will have made their choices to accept that freedom.. or to reject the free, yet costly gift offered to them.



~ On a side note.. I think it is just another reason that Scripture says that God hates divorce.. it mars the beauty that God designed the family to declare.. adultery, fornication, homosexuality.. all those sexual sins moves the family and each of us further away from the image of God.. the character of Christ.. declaring the Glory of the Lord in all the earth.

~ Yes, there is mercy and forgiveness.. but scars remain.. the church must do some serious back pedalling concerning all such issues that make divorce so acceptable and popular these days.

 

Divorce Doesn't Make It Stop Hurting

~ "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy." 
(I Cor 7)

~ yes, you may have a reason for divorce.. but what if God says "just wait a while" and your children are blessed by your patience... your wedding vows were that "it takes three to make a marriage".. your vows at the dedication of your children were to ensure the home life of a family as God defines it not according to what anyone else says or does.. family is not dependent upon what any one person does or says except God.. you made vows to God concerning your marriage... you made vows as to the raising of your children concerning your family.. your vows are not just to your spouse.. if everyone breaks their commitments and vows.. will you keep the ones you made to your God and to your children?...

~ "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36)

~ "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

~ When the ones you love and trust hurt and destroy You
You may be discouraged, certainly don't think of giving up
When you are broken, when you are wounded
Forgive those who persecute you
For it's alright to be broken, and it is no shame to cry
But I do not want you to remain in that place of brokenness
Even though I am in that place with you
Still I do not want you to stay there
Where you see bones, I can see the army

When you see floods, I see the shore
Where you see dry winds blow, I see new life grow
Where you see clouds in your way, it is the Lord
Like I delivered Moses out from the desert place
So I will lead you through
You will see a fire in the night and a pillar of cloud in the day
I will go before you
And if you can forgive then when your soul is really mended
You will see that there is gold, pure gold
Real gold of great worth
You will see there is gold, pure gold
Real gold of great worth in your life
But I do not want you to remain in that place of brokenness
Even though I am in that place with you
Still I do not want you to remain there
No, no, no, no I do not want you to remain in the land of your affliction
No, no, no, no I do not want you to stay there in the land of your broken dreams
To know that I the Lord your God dwell within you
Live beside you and walk behind you
This the pure gold I am talking about
That cannot be consumed by fire or stolen away by human hands
This is the gold of ministry that you have longed for
That you have laid awake at night on your bed dreaming of
And you need to know that I have been wishing for you
Dreaming in you, hoping for you
For my dreams are so much greater for you than yours
And to know my hand in Your life
This is the greatest prize
So much better than recognition
And as you rise up in me, many will know
Many will see, many will hear
Because I am your God
This is the pure gold that I am refining in you
That will shine within your soul
And your cup will run over
And you will see the fruit of your labours
And you will not be disappointed forever
For your toils and your struggles are not in vain
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

© 2001 : Brian Houston
KingsWay's ThankYou Music/MCPS

~ SONG ON YOUTUBE

Discern Rightly

⁹ But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

¹⁰ But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

¹¹ For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

¹⁴ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (Cor 2)

The natural man cannot know or understand what is right or what is the will of God.. because the ways of God seem foolish to him.. even we, who are called by the name of Christ as Christian, often times get it wrong and operate in our old nature, in sin, in the way of the world, reasoning and rationalizing in ways that are is such opposition to the Word of God.. we miss the mark...

Only when we humble ourselves and truly seek God for answers and understanding and direction.. only then will we begin to discern rightly, to do what is in the best interest for the good of all.. only then will answers come that bring peace to mind and body and spirit.. even if understanding and the completion of things remains beyond us, we will rest in knowing that our actions and steps are ordered by God and we have obeyed in faith, with a right spirit, rightly motivated rather than selfishly motivated..

but only when we truly do whatever is set before us out of love of God and love of people... only then will we discern rightly (make the right decisions).

male vs. female

~ .. a cheerful giver (helper, wife, image of the Holy Spirit) allows obedience (service, submission) to be effective without offense, for the wholeness of all.

~ That is why women move so powerfully in the Spiritual gifts and their operation.. because they were created in the role of helper.. just as the Holy Spirit operates as Helper.. Woman (helper).. Paraclete (one called alongside to help)...

~ Men are often ridiculed for operating in the authority God has given them to lead.. Women are often ridiculed for operating in the role of paraclete, a role that God has fashioned them for, possessing keen awareness so that they may serve more effectively.. woman's intuition you might say.. So maybe men aren't leading in arrogance and ambition as it may seem.. and maybe the way a woman feels isn't just pms..

~ Tho sometimes it is exactly that.. selfish ambition or male ego.. or just plain pms...

Plurals of Creation (Gen 1:24-31)

Fourth Day, plant life was created.

Fifth Day, birds and sea animals were created.

(Gen 1:14-23)

Sixth and Final day of Creation: Animals and Mankind.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man^[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God had thought through and discussed this new creation he was about to form. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all three knew what this new creation was, and the risk of such a creation, a child made in the image of God and placed in a network of relationship called Family, a reflection of his maker, with the freedom to embrace a loving father or reject him.

God wanted a child to love, to share all the Goodness that he ruled and reigned over.

Then God said, “Let us make man^[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Plurals.

God is many things, performing many roles, and yet concerning the earth and mankind..
God is an "us" consisting of Father (daddy), Son (child and heir), and Spirit (mom).

Man is a "them" consisting of Male (daddy) and Female (mom), with the ability to procreate (children).

I love that the Holy Spirit is the divine "paraclete" which literally means
"one called along side to help."

And the woman was created and ordained to be the male's "helper".

So much attention has been given to men as the one given spiritual authority like the Father over the family.. and yet so often women are belittled and taken for granted as a gopher or slave. So much confusion as to the role of both. It was designed to flow and operate based on giving -- more so than sheer obedience.. a cheerful giver allows obedience to be effective without offense, for the wholeness of all.

That's a huge thing.. "A CHEERFUL GIVER (HELPER, WIFE, IMAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT) ALLOWS OBEDIENCE (SERVICE, SUBMISSION) TO BE EFFECTIVE WITHOUT OFFENSE, FOR THE WHOLENESS OF ALL"

When men lord their God-given gift over women as though they are above them.. it corrupts the beauty and health of the relationship. It imprisons the woman as a slave to his selfish ambition rather than freeing her to nurture the relationship and the wholeness of the man, their marriage, and their family. When a man abuses the authority given to him as a gift of God by abusing the woman given to him (also as a gift of God), he brings destruction and bondage to himself, his success, and his relationship with God and Man.

Just as when a woman is selfishly motivated by ambition so that she demands to lead.. to have authority over her husband's sincere attempts to lead his family as God has directed him. She brings destruction to her own home and to herself and all that she holds dear. Sometimes, men refuse to lead.. sometimes he just doesn't want to for whatever reason.. then the woman must pick up the ball to lead those she loves to victory (as with Deborah and Abigail).

It was very interesting to me that Man was given dominion over the animals, the fish and the birds. But the plant life was given as a gift to man and all the animal life on the earth. Plant life was given as food to both, just as air was given to breathe.  I find that little detail interesting though I don't fully understand the significance of it.. I will keep it in the back of my mind knowing that at some time as I read through Scripture it will open more fully and some greater significance will emerge. 

So here on the sixth day.. God completed this new creation of mankind and all that was made for him to have dominion over and that was necessary to sustain him as a whole and healthy creation, a child, as an image and living being representing the children of God, loved and cherished, cared for and given purpose. God called all that was made those six days.. GOOD.

Day Seven: God rested.

We all have a story to tell.. some have many..

When dreams die...







now what?...


.

Called to Procreate (Gen 1:6-13)

Called to Procreate
<sup>Genesis 1:6-13

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”7 And God made[b] the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that wereabove the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

First day, God created Light and Day and Night over the empty face of the earth, covered with water. Not sure when he set it to spin.. but it would have to have been already spinning or set to spinning on the first day, because he declares that evening and morning pass marking the first day. And since morning and evening are result of the separation of Light and Darkness, it makes sense. Then he says each subsequent day that it was evening and morning marking the beginning and end of each one.</sup> 

Second day, he created the layers of atmosphere, clouds (water based) as a canopy over the earth. This is also known as the first heaven, space is the second heaven, and God's domain is the third Heaven. So heaven or heavens has different meanings in Scripture depending on what is being spoken about. It can be confusing to think of the separation of water from water.. vertical separation.. until you realize it is a reference to separating water vapor from the water that was covering the whole earth.  That cloud cover would protect the earth and the life he was about to create upon it from the powerful rays of the sun. And yet, such an atmosphere would still allow the benefits and need of the light that was set in the heavens to shine upon it. 

Once again, even the concept of space and the interconnectedness of the planets and such, reveal the unity and order and oneness of all that God has created. It is such a clear declaration of God's ownership and authority and care over all that exists in heaven and in earth and in all that is under the earth.. physically, spiritually, wholly. What great peace of mind to know that all things truly are in the hands of a loving God...  that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.. which is always GOODNESS.  That is why he made a point to declare that all that he created in the earth was Good.. that was the design he set in place from the beginning. That is what he is redeeming us to, that image, that Goodness. 

Third day, he separated the waters into the seas and made dry land appear, and he created plant life. Interesting thing in that the plant life and animal life were designed to play a part in the creation process, all possessing seed within itself to procreate after it's kind.. much like man. Perhaps the earth was themed with Creation. Perhaps, that was the inspiration of God for creating man, to make a place where things were seeded, including the image of God. Not just God as three distinct beings or persons, but the whole of him as being one. The concept of creation is rooted in the concept of family and unity. Mankind created in his image, commanded to replentish the earth, to marry, to have children, to become family as representatives of the family of God.. it is a beautiful thing. I could see why Satan was so jealous. He wanted so much to be like God and here was a creation given that privilege. No wonder he hates us so much and wants to destroy us and mar us so that we become so far from the image of God.. the image that we were designed to represent. No wonder his joy is seeing how far into sin and hell he can drag us, away from God and looking nothing like the loving Father who created us because of his great love for us, for family.  wow...

Hell is in Your Face.. Make a Decision

Scripture says hell will break loose in the last days as Satan realizes his time is short.. that onslaught of hell is attacking you, the believer, the Christian.. will you stand or fall?.. we all get messy on the battlefield, we falter when a heavy blow catches our breastplate and the breath is knocked out of us.. but when that second wind comes tho nothing has changed, when the blood still drips from your wounds and your heart still aches from betrayal and sins committed against you.. will you die to the pain and continue in the fight?.. are you willing to be that person who dies daily not by giving up a donut or that new outfit or whatever.. but are you willing to be the one who dies daily tho you are robbed and beaten and bleeding?.. when your joy remains but is gone from this life, when you are helpless to change things that cannot be fixed, when you realize how small you are and how big evil is?.. will you continue to speak the name of God? Will you continue to make sure that his name is on the scene and the door remains open for a flood of his presence to rush through your hands and feet and voice?.. the cold war is over.. and this is not the time of peace and paradise.. you gotta fight wounded and you gotta make up your mind that you're ready to die to all comfort and happiness in this world. That's God's Truth. This is a war beyond our understanding.. it's a matter of obedience, not puppies and flowers and sunshine. There is a day coming when evil will be done away with and peace will rule.. but today is not that day. Today is the day of gutting through the pain to see this thing through to a win and freedom for all.

Beginnings (Gen 1:1-5)

"1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day."

There is a theory called THE GAP THEORY that believes that there is an expanse of time that passes between verses one and two. I believe this theory, though I am not an avid scholar of it. The opening statement clarifies that God did in fact create the heavens and the earth in it's beginning. Then it continues in verse two by describing the state of the earth, at the time that mankind was created to have dominion over it and care for it, as children of God who had inherited it from him. This makes sense to me considering that the earth is billions of years old, but mankind can only be traced back a very short time in the fossil record as having existed on the earth. The fossil record doesn't lie. That's why it disproves evolution. If creatures evolved from germs in a puddle of goo... there would be tons of bones and creatures that were half one animal and half another.. but none exist.. except a minuscule  mutation or deformity.

The earth is described as empty and dark, flooded and covered with water, without mountains and valleys.. pretty much just a faceless ball of matter covered with a layer of water suspended in space.. There is much speculation about the history of the earth before the creation of mankind and the reforming of the earth for him to inhabit. But it is all mere speculation.. God gives little clue as to what it was like, because it does not matter in the current work that is playing out in this hour. It's just not something we need to know right now.

Perhaps that former creation was caught in the violence that ensued when Satan was cast out of the heavens and chose to invade the earth. Perhaps, God wanted to recreate and restore the beauty of nature that was on the earth, and so he created mankind to care for it. Perhaps that is part of the reason Satan hates mankind so much because Satan wanted to steal the earth to set up his own kingdom.. but God created mankind to dominate it and rule over it. Satan isn't God.. he is an angel, and angels don't have the power to create.. they can't even play a part in creating more angels. Only man was made in the image of God with that gift.. we get to play a part in creation, the birth of children, a role in the creation and journey of a soul. Satan wanted that power, that sense of being like God. But it was given to mankind instead.

Jealousy.. though not sibling rivalry. Satan is a created being, an angel.. but he is not a man. Angels are creatures as we are, loved by God, fashioned by him for service and blessing, but not made in the image of God. So they are not God and they are not Man.. they are a creation of God, a creature all their own.. but greatly loved by God nonetheless.

God elevated mankind a little above the angels as the Plan of Salvation was laid in place should man ever choose to rebel against God as Satan did. That plan involved God sending Jesus in the role of the Son of God, a man, to reclaim the earth. Man was given dominion over it.. but if man rebelled against God, he was to die. The only way to save the earth and mankind, was for God to become a man (the only man without sin), and own the earth and all in it's domain for God. Otherwise things would digress again, the earth would be uninhabited and Satan would lay claim to dwell there again. Ruling what is not his to rule. Causing death and destruction of the world God had created to be full of Goodness. There needed to be a man without sin, who had the right to live and not die, who could restore mankind's right to dominate the earth again.. God shed his glory and came down to be one of us, Jesus laid claim to the earth for God.

So begins the creation and journey of mankind. The earth has been here for billions of eons.. not so with man. The beginning of the earth was long before us.. but our journey is here and now. We were created in the image of God and placed on the earth to REPLENTISH it. Which is another reason the Gap Theory seems so real. To replentish something means to fill it once again. Which means the earth was once full before we were created. Something happened and it died and became empty and formless and shrouded by darkness.

We are part of something so much bigger than we can fathom. It is a matter of do we believe that God is loving and good, and do we believe that we can trust him even when we don't understand the big picture. We must choose. Not choosing is choosing just the same. You either believe and follow God.. or you don't. And no one can manipulate you or force you or convince you in your decision. You choose based on the internal, and then you act out according to that choice. People can say alot of things.. but it is their actions, their character, how they treat people in the end that reveals who they truly are.

You choose, as do I.

Genesis 1

(English Standard Version - ESV)

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse^[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”⁷ And God made^[b] the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that wereabove the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven.^[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth,^[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants^[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,^[f] and for days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds^[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man^[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Hopelessness.. the elephant in the room

Hope seems lost in so many ways.. ppl live in denial on so many levels these days because disappointment is overwhelming in a society wrought with sin.. hopelessness is the elephant in the room that positive thought refuses to address.. I attended a Bible study on Hope recently.. no one showed up but me and the teacher... It's like 90% of the ppl today, even in the church, have been hit by some betrayal or disappointment or failure.. they look around and see it in the lives of most of the ppl sitting in the pews beside them or living under the same roof with them.. and hope of a better life seems so out of reach and unrealistic... how do we bridge that gap with more than words?.. in a way that stirs hope to rise up within ppl rather than something we beat them over the head with and condemn them for not feeling?.. we need revelation.. God has a way, an answer, a miracle, a something to make Hope a dominating force in our hearts and lives. When enuff of us begin to make it a passionate and personal quest, He will open our eyes and our hearts and our lives to live in it and to share it...

Discipleship.. a broken system

""70 percent of church-going Christians are disconnected. They show up on Sunday for inspiration or out of a sense of obligation but they hardly serve, give, seek the Lord or cooperate with the Holy Spirit to grow in Christlikeness." ~ Jason Pankau and Michael Lee Stallard"

IMO..
Because how we do Sunday school and Bible Study is broken for some reason... lots of possibilities as to why.. but main one involves a cultural change as people become more electronically connected rather than face to face connected. Not sure what the answer is.. but there is nothing on the horizon that seems hopeful. A call to prayer for revelation on the matter would be the best place to start..