Genesis: Chapter 3

 I've decided that as I try to read and understand and study the bible, I will post here my summary of what I think it means and how I interpret it, so thank you for joining me in this journey.

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Genesis: Chapter 3

"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. "It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’"
"You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

Of all the animals God made, the serpent was the shrewdest. And knowing how women think with their feelings, it knew how to appeal to the woman. (This is where I have some beliefs that deviate from the bible. I don't think the serpent was a "he", I think it was Lilith, the first wife of Adam, who didn't want to be dominated by a man so she ran off, and was cursed by God to be a snake. After all, a woman would know best how to appeal to another woman and think the way she does. And how else would the snake know the true workings about the tree of knowledge if it hadn't previously been around to have experienced those things?)

Anyway, the snake approached Eve and asked about the fruit and the trees, wording it so that Eve would correct it. The snake was baiting Eve to get the the part where she would tell the serpent about dying if she ate it or even touched it so the snake could revel the secret.

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

After the serpant put that little bug in Eve's ear, she couldn't stop thinking about the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and the more she had to see something she knew she wasn't supposed to have, the more she wanted it. She caved in and ate the fruit. Then appealing to the logic of man, she convinced Adam to eat it, too.

At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Now that they had gained knowledge of life, they understood was shame was. (They probably gained other senses like modesty, dignity, embarrassment, guilt, etc.) They realized they were naked and wanted to cover themselves up, so they sewed fig leaves together to make covering for their personal parts.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.

Evening came. The man and woman could hear God walking in the garden, so they hid from him, I imagine out of guilt for what they had done.

Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

“Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

God could sense something was up. I'm sure he knew exactly where the man was, but called out to him anyway to let him know he was actively looking for him. So the man came out to explain. When he gave such an odd answer, just like a child would do when being honest about something they were guilty of, God knew what he had done, so he asked him directly if he ate the fruit from the tree that he told him not to eat from. Then man took accountability for himself, but tried to pass the blame off onto the woman by saying "the woman you gave me". I'm sure the man was thinking that if God knew he was tricked into doing it, that he might be excused from the crime. But he didn’t know that this was God's test, to see if he would be honest about it. They could have eaten from tree of everlasting life, or they could have chosen to be obedient and not do anything... but the opportunity to know new things, after being told they weren't allowed to? It was just too tempting.

Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Eve didn't do any better here. She also took accountability for what she did, but she also tried to pass the blame, but she passed her blame onto the snake.

Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

God saw that the snake DID play a part in this though, and punished it as well. He told the snake that because it had played a part in instigating all of this, it would be the most cured of all animals. That's why we associate snakes with evil to this day, for the most part (other than the iron snake on the medical symbol). That's why so many people fear snakes. This last verse is interesting though. "He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Many people say it refers to Jesus bruising Satan's head, and Satan causing Jesus to die at the cross? But I see it as - either way, both creatures get injured. The man, and the snake. The good, and the evil. But while the evil gets it's attack in by going for the good's heel, the good shall triumph as it strikes the killing blow to evil's head.

Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”

The part here about pregnancy is obvious. They don't call it "labor pains" for nothing. When a woman goes into labor, it hurts. While she WANTS to push, it's still very painful. But the part about wanting to control her husband, but he shall rule over her? That's a lesson many woman still need to learn to this day. That's part of what destroys marriages, because a woman won't be subservient to her husband like she is supposed to. I can't say that "if women were less wild like Lilith and more docile like Eve, things would blah blah blah better" because God just told Eve that she would desire to control her husband, especially now that she had gained new feelings, thoughts, and personality traits from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It's just a principle of nature, that men are supposed to rule the roost, and women are always going to think they can control the man.

And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

This was God's way of telling Adam "You had it easy. The fruit just grew on it's own for you. Now you're gonna have to work hard for it." He told him that now the ground was going to be cursed (meaning the food wouldn't just magically keep reproducing on it's own) and man was going to have to eat in order to live, so he would have to put in the work to earn the food. He would have to plant the seeds, weed it, water it, give it sunshine. He would get sweaty doing it, and there would be thorns and thistles to sometimes get in the way. He would eventually have to die and return to the ground from which he was created. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as they say.

Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.

Pretty self-explanatory. She was the first woman, the eve of all other people to come.

And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

I imagine this is where the first animal sacrifices have taken place? Because God had to make clothing of animal skins for Adam and Eve, he had to kill some kind of animal to do it.

Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

I bet at this point, God was feeling pretty salty about what happened. After all, have you ever put your trust into someone (like your own child), with the understanding that they would do as commanded, only to find out that they didn't listen to you? How did it make you feel? You try to tell your kids not to touch the stove, it's hot, and then they do. Aren't you both mad and concerned? But you know it's a lesson they had to learn. So I picture God talking to the angels about Adam and Eve, saying "Look, now they have consciousness. They know good and evil, just like us. They know shame, guilt, how to be sneaky, how to get what they want... Next they'll find a way to eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. But not if I can help it! Before they can even think of it, I'm going to banish them. I'm done with letting them eat whatever they want from here. They're leaving Eden, where they are going to have to work for their food."

After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

So Adam and Eve were officially banished. The East of Eden must have been the only way in, because that's where he placed guards with a flaming sword to keep them from getting back in. So he not only had the might cherubim guards to keep anyone from getting back in, but the flaming sword was there, moving back and forth like some obstacle in a game so that no human could get to the tree of life.

Genesis: Chapter 2

I've decided that as I try to read and understand and study the bible, I will post here my summary of what I think it means and how I interpret it, so thank you for joining me in this journey.

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Genesis: Chapter 2

"So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation."

Now everything was done. The universe was made. Since God was finished on the seventh day, he rested. He blessed this day and declared it holy. (Sunday... which suggests that it is actually the last day of the week, does it not?)

"This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. The Man and Woman in Eden When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land."

This is the statement of how everything was created. About how man and woman existed in Eden, and now neither wild plants or grains grew yet because God did not yet send rain to help them grow, and no one else was around to help work the ground anyway. Instead, springs and mists of water came up from the ground and provided a water source for the land.

"Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made."

God decided to create a man from dust. He breathed into his nostrils with the breath of life (which is also said to be the pronunciation and true name of God) and the man came to life. Then he planted a garden in the East of Eden, and that's where he put the man that he made to live there.

"The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

After God made a living space for the man to live, he made all sorts of trees grow from the ground. The trees were beautiful and they grew delicious fruits of every kind. In the middle of the garden, he placed two very special trees, the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

"A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates."

There was a river that flowed out of Eden. This river watered the Garden of Eden before breaking into four different rivers. One was called Pishon and it went around the whole land of Havilah. Havilah is a land where gold the gold you find there is exceptionally pure, and there is also strong smelling resin and onyx stone. The second river is called Gihon, which goes around the entire land of Cush. The third is called Tigris, which flows east from the land Asshur, and we know it exists today in Mesopotamia. And the fourth river is called the Euphrates, which we also know exists in Mesopotamia.

"The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden - except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

God placed the man that he made in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and watch over it, and he told him he could eat from any tree, except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he went against what God said and ate fruit from that particular tree, he would be sure to die. (That's probably why we can't live forever, we eventually have to pay the price of death. But what about the tree of life? What if he ate from that other special tree? What would have happened then?)

"Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals."

Then God knew that it wasn't good for the man to be all by himself, so he made animals and birds (also from the ground) to keep him company. He brought them to the man, and the man named each one. (All of the names for animals originally came from Adam, but all the new animals we are discovering today are all given names by the descendants of Adam.

"But still there was no helper just right for him. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man."

The animals just weren't good enough to help out the man like he needed. And although they were good company, and as much time it took to name so many of them, they just weren't what he needed. So God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, God took out one of his ribs and closed the opening where he took it from with flesh. Then God made a woman from that rib, and brought her to the man some time after he was awake.

“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame."

The man was excited because this new person was just like him, same kind of bones, and same kind of flesh. He said that she would be called "woman" because she came from a man's woe (Adam yearning for someone like himself). This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins his wife and the two become united as one, and have children (both of the DNA from two beings becoming one being). And both of them were naked, but they didn't know what being ashamed felt like, so there was no shame between them.

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End of Genesis: Chapter 2

Genesis: Chapter 1

I've decided that as I try to read and understand and study the bible, I will post here my summary of what I think it means and how I interpret it. And although my Pastor suggests not starting in Genesis, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a whirl. I think the best way to do this (at the moment) is chapter by chapter, so thank you for joining me in this journey.

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Genesis: Chapter 1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters."

In the beginning, God created the universe, even the very planet we live on. The Earth was just a meteor without any shape and no life no land, only water, and it was always dark. (Because of this, it stands to reason that perhaps we really ARE the only planet with life on it? And does this mean the Earth existed before the Sun? Seeing as how science believes the Earth and the sun were both created about 4.5 billion years ago, then yes, it would stand to reason that the Earth could have been formed before the sun.)

"Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day."

Then the sun formed, and there was light. And the Earth rotated around the sun, making night and day. God saw the benefits of what night and day did to earth (tides, temperature, weather), and he saw the potential and it was a good thing.

"Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day."

As the sun heated up the Earth, it became a planet of humidity, and he created oxygen to be a space that formed a layer between the evaporating waters and clouds above, and the deep waters below. Night came and went, ending the second day.

"Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good."

On the third day, as more evaporation occurred, the surface of the ground began to peak, becoming the land, and the waters were known as the seas and ocean. God saw the potential in this and thought it was good.

"Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day."

Then God said to let grass, plants, and trees, and anything that makes seeds and fruits that bear seeds to keep producing plants of their own kind with seeds. All sorts of vegetation covered the ground. Then night and day came, the third day passed.

"Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day."

Then he made planets visible to the sky, so we had stars, sun and moon. We would be able to use the stars be to determine seasons, days, years, and locations. (But wait... If light existed BEFORE the sun was put in the sky, then where did the light come from? The answer is that the light came from God because He IS the light.) He saw that it was good. Day and night passed, and the fourth day was completed.

"Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day."

Then God created creatures for the water, and birds for the sky. Whatever this creature was, it would give birth to the same creature of it's kind. He blessed them and told them to multiply. Evening passed and morning came. That was the 5th day.

"Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good."

Then God created land animals, and also had them make babies of the same kind. (A monkey could only mate with a monkey, a chicken only with another chicken. Etc.) God saw that it was good.

"Then God said, “Let us make human beings." So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."

Then God made human beings that looked similar to him. He made them male and female. (But wait... If this says he already made a female, how does Eve come from Adam's rib, as they don't come in until Chapter 2? Does this mean there were more people in Eden other than just Adam and Eve??? The answer here is no... There was no one before them, as Chapter 2 just goes back and tells more in-depth history to the creation story.) He told the humans to bear children and grow in numbers. He told them to master the animals and the land, and to eat the plants that grow fruit and the plants that make seeds. Leafy plants were for the animals. Basically, he told humans to take care of his creations, and be vegetarians (even though this would later change). He saw that it was good, evening passed, morning came, and that was the sixth day.

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End of Genesis: Chapter 1

Be Angry and Sin Not

For our May 12, 2024 Sunday School class, we were asked "How do you be angry and sin not?" Meaning how can you get made and be angry, but not be a sinner in doing so? So we read over Ephesians 4:17-32, which says "With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

We have got to train ourselves to think the way God wants us to think. Sometimes when we get angry, it's best to just keep our mouths shut. But some people would even lie when the truth would sound better. For example, they might say they're too sick to go out and do something when really they feel fine, they just don't want to. I don't know about you, but I would rather hear that someone just don't feel like doing it, rather than worrying about them being sick and wishing there was something I could do to help.

But how do keep yourself from getting angry? Maybe don't let yourself get tired. Be well fed. Sometimes you're still gong to get angry, so how do you be angry without sinning? Sometimes you gotta take a step back and refocus. Wait it out. Walk away. Ask for forgiveness. Turn something bad into love. Sometimes people have to be the bigger person and give it to God. Pray about it. Tolerate it. Have some forbearance.

When you have resentments – think of the cause, effect, and your part in it. Sometimes you're a part of the fault even though you may not have realized it. And people don't like to hear this, but sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. You may have meant to help someone or do something good for somebody, but then something bad comes out of it unexpectedly. You might have thought that baking a sweet for your neighbor was a good idea, but then they chip a tooth or develop a cavity from it. It was unintentional, but that would be an example of a situation where you were part of the fault even though you didn't realize it.

When someone says something and you say – that's stupid... think about what would make them say that, or think about what could be the cause of it. There may have been something going on with them that made them say that stupid thing. Or maybe the problem is with you? Why is it so stupid to you? Are you lacking tolerance? Does what they say touch a nerve with you, and maybe it's something you need to work out with yourself?

Whatever the case, if you find yourself getting angry about something, try to remember that just because you're angry, that doesn't give you an excuse to sin. Uncontrolled anger leads to doing something wrong. Do you best to take a moment, pray about it, and give it to God. Be angry and sin not.

Wring it Out Like a Sponge

For our May 12, 2024 Sunday School lesson, we started off by talking about "grace", which as the Pastor put it, stands for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Earn God's blessings and riches through the expense of Jesus Christ, not by you trying to earn them through your own expense and works. Thank God, praise and worship Jesus Christ who paid the price, and everything on earth and in the heaven is yours.

Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Our life is a work of God. He works within you to get you to him. Everything you have done has been influenced by God, and though you have had free will to make your decisions and choose your path, he's the one who brought you to where you are now. He has always known where you will end up and where you are going to be. So what are you going to do with it?

Some of the things we can do with it is by helping to take care of our neighbors. We can help those in need. We can talk to people about God. We can help out with the church.

Something we have to think about is - are we the sinner or is God the sinner? Of course it's us. So all of this going to church and trying to be a good person - is this really about God? Or are we just in this for ourselves? Sure, in the beginning it might be. But don't let that become the only reason for you to be going to church or helping someone out. Don't do it because you're just trying to feel better about yourself. Do it because you want THEM to feel better.

Remember JOY. You put Jesus first, then Others, and then Yourself. In the beginning, we come to church like a sponge. We soak it up, taking in the good stuff and learning about everything, but then eventually you gotta wring it out. The church does what it can to help you out, but eventually you should be wringing it out on others, or as they say - Pay it forward.

Just don't wring yourself out so much that you can't help others because SOMETIMES you gotta take care of yourself too. Life is not about ourselves. That is when we are most miserable. When we focus on our self, we either start to see our flaws more and don't like ourselves, or we become so overconfident that we don't like others, or they don't like us.

But as 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says, "Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love." Take care of yourself so that you don't become stretched too thin, but do everything in love. Put others before yourself, and do it with love.

We Are Saints

For Sunday School, May 5, 2024, we talked about how there is a big difference between people who die without hearing the gospel, and those of us who do. We're held more accountable because we're now expected to know the difference between what God wants us to do, and what he doesn't. People who don't know can't exactly hold accountability, because they haven't been taught the difference and are ignorant to what is expected of them.

Yet we are to live blamelessly, so that you can't look at someone else's life and blame them for the way YOUR life is. You can't pre-judge people, but you can have opinions. Opinions are how you feel. Judging people is a false fact. An opinion of mine would be: I don't like okra. But a judgement of okra would be for me to say: Okra is disgusting. One states what I personally feel about it, and the other assumes that it is the opinion for everyone. And to assume makes an ass out of u and me, as the saying goes.

What do you think of when you hear about a Saint? Did you know we are to be saint-like? Because we are saints. As Ephesians 1:1 says, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." To Paul, a saint was anyone who believed in Jesus. Saints are those who are consecrated and claimed by God for His service.

But you might ask the question, "How can we call ourselves saints if we are sinners?" So let's say you're in a dirty room, and there's dirty people. And there's well dressed people. Who is more likely to get upset when they get dirty in that room? The well dressed people. Dirty people will be fine with the dirt.

What I'm saying is that - the reason why we should see ourselves as saints is because we will do better to be good people and stay clean if we hold ourselves up to being pristine. If you're clean and you get dirty, it will bother you more than if you are already filthy and you get more filth on you. So if you are spiritually clean and you do something bad, it will bother you and you will do better to try and stay clean, rather than someone who is a constant sinner and thinks to themselves, "Eh, it's only one more sin. How bad can it be?"

The difference between someone who has heard the gospel and someone who hasn't – we have heard it so we're held more accountable. So if we see ourselves as saints, we try to do better to be good people and stay clean. We're more inspired to live in our souls rather than our bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 says "So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body."

As long as we are in our bodies, we're not truly with God. You are not a body, you possess a body, and your soul should be in charge, not the body. We're supposed to walk by faith, not by sight (or as some people believe - seeing is believing. Sometimes you just have to trust and have faith.)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells us "And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words."

Every christian is to live with the hope that Jesus will come back in their lifetime. The body goes to sleep in the ground and the soul goes into the presence of Jesus. Even if all the things you wanted don't work out, if all of your hopes and dreams remain just hopes and dreams and never come to pass, our hopes when we die should be to meet with the Lord. Everything we believe is based on Christ's resurrection.

For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:21-23, it says "So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back." Because Jesus was resurrected, so shall we be resurrected as well. Not those who just belong TO Christ, but those who belong IN Christ. They are the ones who shall be made alive again.

When Jesus was resurrected, his body was transformed. If we believed that he just mystically arose from the grave, we have nothing to go off of. He had to physically get out. With his new body, he went through the stone at the resurrection. Like a 4th dimensional being, he knew the insides and out. (In the 3rd dimension, we can only see the outside of a box unless we open it and look inside, in the 4th dimension, you see both the inside and outside without having to open it. One day I should make a blog about the specifics of the first 4 dimensions and how they work.)

To believe it was just his spirit that showed himself to his disciples means there might as well not have been a resurrection at all. He had to physically be there for them to hold his hands and see the wounds that he bore. Why do people who don't believe in the resurrection even show up? (That's a personal statement.)

Anyway, to conclude this entry... You are a saint whether you feel like you deserve to be called one or not. And why should you believe that? Because as 1 Corinthians 15:47-54 says, "Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory."

One day, you will be with God in his Kingdom. While you are still in this body, right now in this time, do what you can to be a good person and do good things. Live a good Godly life. Be saint-like. Keep yourselves clean. Yes, your body will be transformed some day, but it is your soul that will be judged.

Salvation - The Gift for Everyone

For Sunday School, May 5, 2024, we started off by reading Ephesians 2:8-10 which says "God saved you by his grace through faith. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Faith is our conduit. It is through faith that we get through the hard times. Through faith, we are saved. Faith makes us feel good because we know that once we give it to God, he will make things right. Through faith, we are given salvation, and it feels good because it is our gift.

Let's say there's a man who comes up to you and he says "I'm gonna give you a gift. It's going to be an amazing gift, but you just have to work for me a couple of days". That's not a gift. That's a bribe. God gives you salvation as a gift, not as a reward for a trade-off. Salvation is not a gift to be won, so you can't boast about it. It's for everyone. We are ALL worthy.

It doesn't matter who you are, as Ephesians 1:4 says, "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." Adam was made in the image of God and we are all made in the image of those before us (following our DNA traits, all the way back to Adam and Eve).

We're not all children of God until we get saved and live as God wants us to. We're not born into the family of God. We're adopted in. When you're adopted, you are chosen. However, it's a mutual thing. He doesn't just choose particular people. Those people have to choose HIM. And that's where our free will comes into play. Not everyone will choose to have faith in him, and not everyone wants the gift of salvation. He gives them free will to make that decision on their own.

God knew who was going to come to him, and who was going to reject him. But why does he allow it to happen? Because he gives us the choice. Some people eventually find their way, and that is where his mercy and love shines on us. He wants that none shall perish, but we have to want it too, and he is here for us, waiting for us, when we are ready.

Eve kind of fell into the trap, but Adam chose his decision. The serpent played on her emotions to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit, because women are emotional and think with their feelings, but Eve appealed to the logic of men when she convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Even though they were tricked, they made their decisions, knowing they weren't supposed to do what they did. They knew the right choice from the wrong choice, but had free will, and chose the wrong choice.

Even though they were banished from Eden and paid the price of an eventual death, God still says we deserve salvation under his blood. That's why people are innocent until proven guilty, because the devil will ALWAYS say you're guilty (unless he's trying to deceive you). God has no pleasure for the death of the wicked.

We are to live our lives for his pleasure. He gives us all limited sovereignty. Revalations 4:11 says “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” He created us, we are his creations of pleasure.

God Will Take You Out

Tonight at evening service, we went over Genesis, Chapter 12. It states, as follows:

"The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”"

You notice here that God said HE will curse the people who treat Abraham. He didn't tell Abraham to go out and curse people. When you get mad at people, you can't just go around cursing them, as much as you want to. Technically, you can, but that's not the right thing to do. God wants you to be a blessing to others. If you have some beef with somebody so much that you feel like they need to be cursed, then you need to figure out what's going on in YOUR heart.

"So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the LORD, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the LORD, and he worshiped the LORD."

If you've noticed, Abraham did not just build one alter where he went. He would build one in every place he resided. How many times have you met God at the alter in your life? You meet him when you give your life to God. If you're lucky, you meet him at the alter to bless your union for your wedding. Me, personally? I feel like I've internally given my life to God at this point, but I've still not done it externally. I haven't really went to the alter to ask for forgiveness for my sins, or to physically speak my dedication to God. I hope to soon though. When we get the chance, my brother, and Khloe and Devin and I all want to get baptized together. I didn't want to get baptized right away. I wanted to make sure I felt like I truly belonged somewhere before I took that step. And now I do, so I feel like I'm finally ready to make it official, so to speak, by this ceremony which represents my rebirth as a Christian.

"Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner."

Here, Egypt represents the world. Basically, when Abraham enters Egypt, this represents him bringing God to the world.

"As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty. When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. But the LORD sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his wife and all his possessions.

You would think that for a man representing God, Abraham would have been an honest man, but the first thing he does is lie to them, and had his wife life because she is so beautiful, so he has her tell them she is his sister so that they wouldn't want to kill him and take her. Sometimes... SOMETIMES lies are necessary. After all, the 10 commandments does not mention lying amongst them.

But now the pharaoh had knowledge of Abraham's God, and had fear of his God because he got plagued. Otherwise the pharaoh might have just killed him anyway, but because he now feared the wrath of Abraham's God, whom had already sent terrible plagues amongst the pharaoh and his household, he just told him to take his things, his wife, and go.

Abraham was saved - not because he was a good man... You don't have to be a good man to be saved. You just have to be a man who has faith in God and trusts God. Believing IN God and believing God are separate. Believing in him doesn't mean you're going to trust him and do as he wants you to do. Believing him means you will do whatever he asks of you. You trust him and have faith in him.

Now let's go back to the beginning of the chapter, where God told Abraham to “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” When you get saved, God wants to separate you spiritually (and sometimes actually physically) from the world you knew. You need a new scene. Sometimes you gotta just get away from your past life and start fresh. Abraham's parents were pagans and he had to get away from them, that place, etc.

Like 2 Corinthains 6:17 says, "Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you."

God needs to put you in another place to get you out from a bad place, but the Devil tries to get you back. In a lot of ways, this reminds me of the situation with my brother. When he stayed with us the first time, things were pretty good for him. He got away from the bad people and the bad situations, but Satan pulled him right back away from us. He was just itching to get back to the bad things he originally tried to escape. Then he hit the bottom again, hiding out place to place, stealing and lying to get by... eventually he went back to rehab, and has come back, but this time he has joined our church, and seems to be doing really well! Hopefully this time he stays faithful to God, and between the both of us, maybe we can keep him on track this time. I, myself, just have to trust that this is what God wants me to do as well, to guide him, help him grow, help him stay right, and keep him away from the bad people who influenced him before. Who knows? Maybe he can find a good church girl along the way, instead of picking up trash from the street.

As 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" Or as another version says, "Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?"

You can't date unsafe people because you'll end up marrying one of them. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes light overcomes darkness and both of the people work well together and support one another and are able to lift each other out of the dark... But more likely than not, if you love and support a sinner, it will drag the believer away from God.

It's easy to avoid it though. Just avoid people like that. Fellowship with people at your church. Find like minded people who just want to live a good life and be good to others. People with good morals and values. Listen... Darkness don't overcome light. Only you can allow the darkness to take it out. You remember that song "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine"? When it says not to put your light under a bushel or let Satan put it out? You're the one putting your light away and hiding it. So when you find yourself in the dark - only you can get yourself out. Thankfully God will guide you if you allow him, but it's your free will to make that decision.

When you get saved, there becomes something in you that doesn't feel right going back to that old life. If you can go back to that place, back to those people, those habits and situations... and you're fine with it??? If it doesn't bother you, were you even actually saved? Something to think about as we end this entry.

The Parable of the Lost Son

For morning service of April 28, 2024, we discussed Luke 15, and the Parable of the Lost Son, a story about a son that let guilt get to him and kept him from returning home. But when he finally got home, he told his father - I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Please at least me be your servant (because he was starving and desperate) but his father took him in and gave him love and a new robe. Family forgives and loves you, just as God does.

He wouldn't have had to lose all of the things he lost if he just would have had patience and waited on his father to give it to him as it came along. Just as we learned earlier today about patience, trust, and waiting. He had dreams about adventures and big plans and hopes... but that time he spent dreaming, he was wasting when he could have been living and actually putting things into action. (I resonated with this, as I spend a lot of time planning and coming up with things that I dream one day will happen, when I should be actually out there working toward making them happen.)

Then came the trouble for him... Trouble comes at the worst times because the Devil waits until the perfect time to make your trouble worse. So this son, not only did he lose all of his money, wasting it on cheap thrills and stupid choices, but then he ended up having to live with the pigs in order to try and make a living.

God didn't make us to live among the swine and eat like them and be like them. But this is what happens when you go against what God meant for you to do and be. It's during these terrible moments that you come to your senses and wake up and realize that you deserve better than this, and you're wasting your life, time, and talent. You don't get the blessings of God until you return to him and surrender. This son had got it worse than even the hired servants.

The "famine" he dealt with represents the wrong seeds that he had sewn. Just as we're told if we sew the right kind of seeds, we will reap the good rewards of it, if we sew the wrong kind of seeds, we're gonna be hurting. If you're supposed to be out there planting a garden for your family to eat from, and instead you're out partying and wasting your time, then your family is going to starve because you would rather be satisfying your lusts instead of being responsible. You can't abandon responsibility without paying a price.

When you're spiritually hungry and you're just feeding yourself with empty husks, you need to be spiritually full and you can do that with God. The son in the story starts to figure it out and see it, so he finally puts his pride to the side and returns to his father. We don't realize what sin is until we wake up. We can't just go out and tell people what they're doing wrong and that they're sinning, they have to figure it out for themselves.

The biggest sin is to tell yourself - I don't believe God, I don't trust God.

Sometimes you have to go through the literal shit (him living with the pigs and starving) to learn, grow, and finally become worthy. Sometimes he has to make you go through the bad things to get you where you need to be. After all, it is though our mistakes, through suffering and pain that we learn and grow to be better people.

He had an attitude adjustment, going from "give me" to "make me", when he was telling his father to give him his money early so he could go have fun with it, verus when he said to make him one of his servants. Sometimes in life, you need to try and not learn everything the hard way.

Not only does his father accept him, but was looking for him to come home. He ran to him! And despite the stink and appearance, he still kissed his neck and embraced him. It very much reminded me of how many times my Mom forgave my brother, even after she SAID she was DONE with him.

In fact, this very story reminded me of me and my brother, because he was the one who went out and had all the fun and made all of the stupid mistakes. Meanwhile, I was the good child, the one who stayed with the parent and was the ideal person. I was the jealous one who didn't think it was fair that the other sibling could do whatever he wanted and still be welcomed back and celebrated. Meanwhile, here I was the whole time, doing what I was supposed to, but being overlooked. Where was MY celebration?

But I'm glad my brother and I are on equal terms now. Just as he has been brought back to the light, I have been humbled. We both found a connection and a bond through going to church. Who would have known that it would be church that would bring us back together? I certainly never would have imagined it a couple of years ago. A year ago from when this was published, I was thinking of giving church a chance for a sense of community with good people, but now I'm glad I found my true appreciation for God and I can honestly say I believe now. Thank you God for helping me find my way back to you, and this time I truly feel like I belong here.

Needeth Not Be Ashamed

In the Pastor's bible, during our Sunday School class for April 28, 2024, in 2 Timothy 2:15 it says "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Those words "needeth not be ashamed"... Part of your redemption is to take your past and use it to make yourself a better person.

Let's say our sins are laid out on the ground, covering a vast territory, East to West, North to South... Sins all over the place... And the blood of Jesus covers our sins. It doesn't matter how much space our sins take up, his blood covers it all. Our sins can't just hide under a rock. No stone is left unturned that his blood can't cover.

But our shame? Satan encourages us to let our shame stand up out of that pool of blood like spires. But you know what? Jesus's blood ALSO covers our shame. No matter how far those spires of shame try to reach, his blood covers it ALL.

Is the blood of Jesus strong enough to cover the strength of our sins and keep them from rearing up? That's where our faith comes in. That's why they say to just put it in Jesus's hands. No matter how worried you are, how shameful you feel... just put your faith in God and know that Jesus has got you covered.

1 John 1:8-10 states "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."

If we confess our sins, we will be cleansed. The devil tries to keep bringing up those sins so that you will feel shame, and therefore you will be discouraged. But you can't just say what you did wrong and expect to be forgiven. God knows what's in your heart. If you say you're sorry for cheating, but don't do what you can to make amends, and you don't truly feel remorse in your heart? You're not really repenting for your sin. Ask for forgiveness and MEAN it.

Like I said, there's no person too far out, too far down, or too far above that God can't reach. And what do you do about things you can't fix? Give it to God. Trust him. REST and WAIT. Have patience. Turn it over to God and let go of it. Your mind will tell you – if you just let it go, you must not care, but that's just Satan trying to discourage you again.

God knows what's in your heart. He knows if you mean it or not when you ask for forgiveness. He knows if you mean it or not when you say you put your faith in him. He knows if you mean it or not when you pray, or if you're just going through the motions. And this is why you can't judge someone based on how they look. Just because someone looks like a good church person on the outside, it doesn't mean they're that way on the inside. And just because someone looks like a shady person on the outside, that doesn't mean they're a bad person or unworthy of God on the inside.

1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

That's why Jesus was so adamant about judging people, because you don't know what's going on in the inside. Just know that God knows. He knows what's really going on in your heart and your mind. But also know that he is forgiving, if you truly want to be forgiven. He is merciful and good, and he loves you.