Hey Everybody! I know weekends are hard, but stay faithful this weekend and be in church tomorrow morning as we continue the second week of our series on personal standards!! This is some important stuff! Be There!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
McCue: Wow! Preach it! Brilliant ideas about the passage in relation to global warming! GREAT JOB!
Alex: Nope, an elephant is not one of the clean animials... you're right! That wouldl be incredibly hard to do!!
Jessica B: I hope you have fun babysitting! So does your mom pay you to watch Alex or not? :)
Jesh Sandefur: Great Job on the devos man! Way to be transparent! I wish everyone was that transparent!
BETHANY F: CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I am so happy for you! Great Job!
Michael: How did the doves find each other? Well, I don't know, but doves are still around today, so I do know this... they DID find each other. :)
Rachel: Those were some incredible devotions! Your illustration was incredible!
Kacey: Great Job Girl! You are not the only one that tries to justify what our flesh really wants to do (like watching some TV show) but I am so Glad that God spoke to you about it. Thanks for being so transparent!!
Genesis 9
1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
6 “ Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.”
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:
9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.
11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Noah and His Sons
18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
25 Then he said: “ Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.”
26 And he said: “ Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.
Wow! There is a lot here in this passage! I am going to break it down into three seperate parts and talk about each one to make this a little easier.
First Part: God Blesses Noah and His Family
Second Part: God makes and explains the covenant of the Rainbow!!
Third Part: A Weird story about Noah and his sons
First: I think it is so wonderful to see in this passage how, GOD BLESSES NOAH and HIS FAMILY! Do you realize that God will reward you for being faithful, but He will also reward your entire family for YOUR faithfulness. I think that is so great! Noah must have been a happy man! He obeyed God and He was blessed for it! If we obey God we too will be blessed!
Second: This is all about the creation of the RAINBOW. God makes it very clear in this passage that whenever you see a rain cloud, DO NOT FEAR... God will not destroy the earth with a flood again. God explains that the rainbow exists to remind us of that promise. Here is why I think it is so cool.
God knows that there are going to be sometimes (like this week) in our life where it seems like it will not stop raining, but God wants us to KNOW that the earth will not be destroyed by a flood. I think the coolest part about this is the fact that it shows that God cares about us and protects us through the storms in our life.... And God doesnt expect us to believe Him blindly! He gives us little reminders to trust him, just like the rainbow. He gives us His word, which is full of reminders, He gives us His Holy Spirit, which is great at reminding us of Gods plan for our life, and I could go on and on...
When was the last time that you were going through something rough, and JUST WHEN YOU NEEDED IT, God used or did something to remind you that He is in control and He will not leave you or forsake you. It is so comforting to know we have a God who cares about us!
Third: I am sure that if you read to the end, then most of you were scratching your head on this one. I need to do some more research, but I can explain a little bit. Here is the story. Noah plants a vineyard. Noah makes some wine, drinks it, and gets FLAT OUT DRUNK!!!!! So drunk, that He ends up in his tent with no clothes on?!?! Well, His son, Ham, walks by the tent, and sees his father lying there naked... and What does he do? Does he just cover his father up to show respect? Nope! He goes and gets all his brothers to come and look at their dad. Instead of Honoring his father, He made a decision to tell others about his fathers shame, and therefore disrespected his Father.
When Noah found out, after he sobered up... He was ticked. So Ham was cursed, and all of his children that followed would be cursed. It is unbelievable how one bad decision can effect many generations to come. We clearly see that the people of Cannan are ungodly and cursed people throughout the rest of the Bible.
Respect your parents, don't dishonor them, and definitely DO NOT go tell other people to look at them if they are NAKED and DRUNK. We don't want to see that, so just Honor them and keep it to yourself!
FRIDAY, August 22nd, 2008
Have a great day at school! And remember you are just hours away from THE WEEKEND!!!!!
This morning it was raining really hard at my house, in fact... The rain this morning was worse than the hurricane on Tuesday. That is Ironic! Well, I hope you did not have to swim to school.
Stay faithful on these devos!! There are some of you that miss too many days here and there and that will end up holding you back from our rewards trip!! Stay faithful everyday!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jessica Massey: Sweet Nibblets?? Cool! :)
BETHANY F: I am so glad that you are on here again!!!!
Kacey: God always seems to bring about the right passage at the right time!!
Kervin: Was fourth falls the hardest thing that you have ever done? What are some of your goals??
Jonathan Massey: I want you to help me with something. We are going to do something really amazing at Trunk or Treat and I want you to help me brainstorm!
Alex: I must agree with you, that is not what I would expect Rachel to be talking about in the devotions. It took me by suprise!
Genesis 8
1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.
2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.
7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.
8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.
9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.
10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark.
11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.
14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying,
16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.
17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
There were many different lessons in this passage but the one, most influential lesson to me is the one found in verse 20. It explains that after Noah got on dry land he took all of the "clean" animals (the ones in groups of seven) and sacrificed them.
I dont know about you, but I read this, and I think to myself: WHY IN THE WORLD!!! would they carry these animals on the ark for A YEAR!!! just to sacrifice them as soon as they got off the ark?!?!?!
In my small mind that does not make sense. But to God that is crucial!!!!! God wanted to make sure that the new beginning of civilization put Giod first in their life. This sacrifice proved to God that not only was Noah obedient, but He was willing to work hard for NOTHING other than glorifying God!!!
Noah sacrificed these animals and it shows that nothing comes before God in his heart.
What do you have in your life, that you need to give up?? Maybe you have been babying this "animal" for years!! Maybe this animal is special to you? Maybe YOU LOVE IT!! The question is: Is it more important that God in your life?? God requires a sacrifice for success in our life! Maybe it is time that you sacrifice some things for Gods glory!
Is He first in your life? Obey Him and Show Him by sacrificing any idols in your life!
This morning it was raining really hard at my house, in fact... The rain this morning was worse than the hurricane on Tuesday. That is Ironic! Well, I hope you did not have to swim to school.
Stay faithful on these devos!! There are some of you that miss too many days here and there and that will end up holding you back from our rewards trip!! Stay faithful everyday!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jessica Massey: Sweet Nibblets?? Cool! :)
BETHANY F: I am so glad that you are on here again!!!!
Kacey: God always seems to bring about the right passage at the right time!!
Kervin: Was fourth falls the hardest thing that you have ever done? What are some of your goals??
Jonathan Massey: I want you to help me with something. We are going to do something really amazing at Trunk or Treat and I want you to help me brainstorm!
Alex: I must agree with you, that is not what I would expect Rachel to be talking about in the devotions. It took me by suprise!
Genesis 8
1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.
2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.
7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.
8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground.
9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.
10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark.
11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.
14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying,
16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.
17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
There were many different lessons in this passage but the one, most influential lesson to me is the one found in verse 20. It explains that after Noah got on dry land he took all of the "clean" animals (the ones in groups of seven) and sacrificed them.
I dont know about you, but I read this, and I think to myself: WHY IN THE WORLD!!! would they carry these animals on the ark for A YEAR!!! just to sacrifice them as soon as they got off the ark?!?!?!
In my small mind that does not make sense. But to God that is crucial!!!!! God wanted to make sure that the new beginning of civilization put Giod first in their life. This sacrifice proved to God that not only was Noah obedient, but He was willing to work hard for NOTHING other than glorifying God!!!
Noah sacrificed these animals and it shows that nothing comes before God in his heart.
What do you have in your life, that you need to give up?? Maybe you have been babying this "animal" for years!! Maybe this animal is special to you? Maybe YOU LOVE IT!! The question is: Is it more important that God in your life?? God requires a sacrifice for success in our life! Maybe it is time that you sacrifice some things for Gods glory!
Is He first in your life? Obey Him and Show Him by sacrificing any idols in your life!
THURSDAY, August 21st, 2008
Well hello everyone! I enjoyed last night so much! I hope you did as well! I loved the enthusiasm that each of you had the entire time beginning with the opening music all the way to the closing prayer! You are GREAT!
Make sure you come to church on Sunday morning. In Sunday School we will be continuing our series on setting personal boundaries in your life! This is important I hope that you make it a priority!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
To the Fantastic Four: Josh L, Rachel, Michael. and Marvin!! Thanks for coming on yesterday before school! That is very cool! I am thankful for you guys! (and girl) :)
Tyler: You missed a great night in church! If you and Cary would have been there we would have been right at 40 people!!! UNBELIEVABLE! COME TO CHURCH!
Tricia: Thank you! For your incredibly kind words! I am so thankful that God is using us to work in this youth group!!
Kervin: Awesome! I think that will be so cool!
MALLORY: ONE SHY OF 30!!!!! and then you had to rub it in!! Unbelievable!! :)
Kacey: We missed you! It really was a great night in Church! I was sad that you were not there!
McCue: Call me! Lets get together today or tomorrow if you can! Let me know!
Genesis 7
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”
5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth,
9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—
14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.
23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
Have you ever been on a cruise? I have been on 5 cruises and I love them. If you ever get a chance to go on one, do this... Late one night, around midnight or so, go to the pizza buffet and get a late night snack, and then take your pizza up to the top deck of the ship. While you are enjoying your pizza from the top deck of the shiplook around the ocean, and feel the strong wind blowing in your face, and think about what it must have been like for Noah on the ark.
I will tell you right now, it can be scary on a cruise ship, let alone a wooden ark made by yourself!!!! The power and darkness and splashes and waves of the ocean can be absolutely terrifying!! And Noah went from never seeing a drop of water fall in his lifetime to floating in the worst storm of all time. It is absolutely clear that Noahs craftmenship is not what help that boat up in the water. The hand of God was holding that boat up the entire time!!
The longest cruise that I have ever been on is 6 days... I know that by the last day, I was ready to be getting off the boat. Just last night, Katie and I were looking at some mediteranean cruises, and they last 12 days, 14 days, and there are even some world cruises that last longer than a month. That would be SO LONG!!!!!
I cannot imagine floating in that ark for over a year, probably around 370 days!!!!!! That must have been very tough! Yet as Noah trusted God daily, God got him and his family through every moment!!
Just like I spoke about last night, there are many times in our life where God is taking us through a storm, a trial, some tough circumstances, but if we Trust and Obey just like Noah did, then God will protect us through the storm, and he will get us through every tough time in our life.
Just like it is scary out on the pitch black stormy sea, the seas of life can toss you around and be just as scary... trust God through the storm!!
Make sure you come to church on Sunday morning. In Sunday School we will be continuing our series on setting personal boundaries in your life! This is important I hope that you make it a priority!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
To the Fantastic Four: Josh L, Rachel, Michael. and Marvin!! Thanks for coming on yesterday before school! That is very cool! I am thankful for you guys! (and girl) :)
Tyler: You missed a great night in church! If you and Cary would have been there we would have been right at 40 people!!! UNBELIEVABLE! COME TO CHURCH!
Tricia: Thank you! For your incredibly kind words! I am so thankful that God is using us to work in this youth group!!
Kervin: Awesome! I think that will be so cool!
MALLORY: ONE SHY OF 30!!!!! and then you had to rub it in!! Unbelievable!! :)
Kacey: We missed you! It really was a great night in Church! I was sad that you were not there!
McCue: Call me! Lets get together today or tomorrow if you can! Let me know!
Genesis 7
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;
3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”
5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth,
9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—
14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.
15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered.
20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.
22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.
23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
Have you ever been on a cruise? I have been on 5 cruises and I love them. If you ever get a chance to go on one, do this... Late one night, around midnight or so, go to the pizza buffet and get a late night snack, and then take your pizza up to the top deck of the ship. While you are enjoying your pizza from the top deck of the shiplook around the ocean, and feel the strong wind blowing in your face, and think about what it must have been like for Noah on the ark.
I will tell you right now, it can be scary on a cruise ship, let alone a wooden ark made by yourself!!!! The power and darkness and splashes and waves of the ocean can be absolutely terrifying!! And Noah went from never seeing a drop of water fall in his lifetime to floating in the worst storm of all time. It is absolutely clear that Noahs craftmenship is not what help that boat up in the water. The hand of God was holding that boat up the entire time!!
The longest cruise that I have ever been on is 6 days... I know that by the last day, I was ready to be getting off the boat. Just last night, Katie and I were looking at some mediteranean cruises, and they last 12 days, 14 days, and there are even some world cruises that last longer than a month. That would be SO LONG!!!!!
I cannot imagine floating in that ark for over a year, probably around 370 days!!!!!! That must have been very tough! Yet as Noah trusted God daily, God got him and his family through every moment!!
Just like I spoke about last night, there are many times in our life where God is taking us through a storm, a trial, some tough circumstances, but if we Trust and Obey just like Noah did, then God will protect us through the storm, and he will get us through every tough time in our life.
Just like it is scary out on the pitch black stormy sea, the seas of life can toss you around and be just as scary... trust God through the storm!!
WEDNESDAY, August 20th, 2008
Wow! It is hard for me not to wish we had a "Fay Day" every single day of the week. We were just one shy of 30 yesterday! That is so great! I am so encouraged and so proud of you all! Now that school is starting back, it will be hard to continue your devotions in your busy schedule, however, strive to make them a priority and you will never regret it!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Thank you everyone for all of the "Happy Anniversaries"!! We had a great day! The storm cancelled some of our extravagant plans, but we still made it a wonderful day of relaxing arround the house.
Michael: I must admit I did them before I went to bed on Monday... I was not sure if I would have power when I woke up on Tuesday Morning. :) Very Observant!
Brooke: Thanks for the DETAILED update on NPHS! I miss your detailed reports! Are you coming tonight?
Bethany: I am so glad you are a part of this youth group!! Will we see you at church tonight? Thanks for being faithful on your devotions! I hope you had a great day at school!
Tricia: Thanks for your encouraging words!
JESSICA B: I am SO GLAD THAT your computer is working again!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!
Jessica M: I need you to show me how to say "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!" in a sweet way. :) You are funny! I am glad that you are doing devotions even though you hate Genesis.
Amy: I am glad that God is with us even through whimpy Fay! :)
Michael: You know all about giving your best (drum corps) For victory you must give it all... God requires the same thing.
Jonathan: At least if Jessica murders you, she will do it sweetly :)
LINCOLN LOGS: I have missed you so much! I am so thankful that you are back on! Be Faithful EVERYDAY!!!
Kacey: I am praying for you in whatever you are working through dailty
Brooke. Amanda, and Kacey: YEs, it is weird to think about all of those children and it can be very confusing. God only created Adam and Eve, so... yes: Cain did marry his sister, but the genetics were different, and so it was not like horrible mutations... so don't worry :)
Kervin: UNBLEIEVABLE! In ancient times, the king of a city would kill the messenger if He did not like the message that He brought... I did not like the message you brought from your king Marvin... but I will not be like Cain, I will not kill anyone :)
Matthew Caldwell: HEY MAN!!! IT IS SO COOL TO SEE YOU ON HERE!!! THANKS FOR COMING ON! Great Job on the devotions!!! See you tonight!
Lucy: Thanks for the really cool hearts! :)
Cary: Right On! Jealousy leads to hate which leads to murder!
Ryan: You could blow air out of your mouth stronger than the winds you got at your house? WOW! I have got to see that! :)
Josh L: DO YOUR DEVOTIONS EARLIER THEN YOU CAN SPEND TIME ON THEM!!!!!
Genesis 6
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
God saw the wickedness of man, that it was only evil continually!! Can you imagine that? I can... watch TV at night... I think we are more like the people in Noahs lifetime than we would imagine. Everything that our culture uses as entertainment is usually sin. We laugh at immorality, hatred, homosexuality, bitterness, disrespect, and so much more, as if it were simply a joke. I guarantee God doesnt think that it is funny... And I GUARANTEE you that the worl of people that died in Noahs day, do not think that their sin is funny any more... They have all been in Hell for over 7,000 years now.
Think about the people who will die today, who do not know Christ, and think about where they will be 7,000 years from now. It breaks my heart, god wants us to turn from our sin so that we can live for Him and for His Glory!!
You see, Noah found Grace!!!!! I want to live my life, so that If the entire world was going to be destroyed again, I would be the ONE that would find grace in the site of the Lord!!
I think it is wonderufl how God protects his followers! God said He would destroy every living thing; however because Noah followed and Obeyed Him, Noah was spared by God's Amazing Grace!!
Think about this: I love how verse 21 says: Two of every animal will come to you!!! That is so cool! God did not expect Noah to do everything! God made it easier for Noah, by sending the animals to Noah. What in your life has God orchestrated to make things fall into place so that you will see His plan for your life!!! I am sure that God has brought his plan to your life in the same way that He did for Noah, if you have obeyed Him!!!
And the passage ends by saying: Noah Did ALL THAT GOD HAD COMMANDED HIM!!!!
Nopah Obeyed God regardless of the opposition! Regardless of the public opinion! Regardless of the peer perssure HE OBEYED! Will YOU OBEY REGARDLESS????
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Thank you everyone for all of the "Happy Anniversaries"!! We had a great day! The storm cancelled some of our extravagant plans, but we still made it a wonderful day of relaxing arround the house.
Michael: I must admit I did them before I went to bed on Monday... I was not sure if I would have power when I woke up on Tuesday Morning. :) Very Observant!
Brooke: Thanks for the DETAILED update on NPHS! I miss your detailed reports! Are you coming tonight?
Bethany: I am so glad you are a part of this youth group!! Will we see you at church tonight? Thanks for being faithful on your devotions! I hope you had a great day at school!
Tricia: Thanks for your encouraging words!
JESSICA B: I am SO GLAD THAT your computer is working again!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!
Jessica M: I need you to show me how to say "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!" in a sweet way. :) You are funny! I am glad that you are doing devotions even though you hate Genesis.
Amy: I am glad that God is with us even through whimpy Fay! :)
Michael: You know all about giving your best (drum corps) For victory you must give it all... God requires the same thing.
Jonathan: At least if Jessica murders you, she will do it sweetly :)
LINCOLN LOGS: I have missed you so much! I am so thankful that you are back on! Be Faithful EVERYDAY!!!
Kacey: I am praying for you in whatever you are working through dailty
Brooke. Amanda, and Kacey: YEs, it is weird to think about all of those children and it can be very confusing. God only created Adam and Eve, so... yes: Cain did marry his sister, but the genetics were different, and so it was not like horrible mutations... so don't worry :)
Kervin: UNBLEIEVABLE! In ancient times, the king of a city would kill the messenger if He did not like the message that He brought... I did not like the message you brought from your king Marvin... but I will not be like Cain, I will not kill anyone :)
Matthew Caldwell: HEY MAN!!! IT IS SO COOL TO SEE YOU ON HERE!!! THANKS FOR COMING ON! Great Job on the devotions!!! See you tonight!
Lucy: Thanks for the really cool hearts! :)
Cary: Right On! Jealousy leads to hate which leads to murder!
Ryan: You could blow air out of your mouth stronger than the winds you got at your house? WOW! I have got to see that! :)
Josh L: DO YOUR DEVOTIONS EARLIER THEN YOU CAN SPEND TIME ON THEM!!!!!
Genesis 6
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.
18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.”
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.
God saw the wickedness of man, that it was only evil continually!! Can you imagine that? I can... watch TV at night... I think we are more like the people in Noahs lifetime than we would imagine. Everything that our culture uses as entertainment is usually sin. We laugh at immorality, hatred, homosexuality, bitterness, disrespect, and so much more, as if it were simply a joke. I guarantee God doesnt think that it is funny... And I GUARANTEE you that the worl of people that died in Noahs day, do not think that their sin is funny any more... They have all been in Hell for over 7,000 years now.
Think about the people who will die today, who do not know Christ, and think about where they will be 7,000 years from now. It breaks my heart, god wants us to turn from our sin so that we can live for Him and for His Glory!!
You see, Noah found Grace!!!!! I want to live my life, so that If the entire world was going to be destroyed again, I would be the ONE that would find grace in the site of the Lord!!
I think it is wonderufl how God protects his followers! God said He would destroy every living thing; however because Noah followed and Obeyed Him, Noah was spared by God's Amazing Grace!!
Think about this: I love how verse 21 says: Two of every animal will come to you!!! That is so cool! God did not expect Noah to do everything! God made it easier for Noah, by sending the animals to Noah. What in your life has God orchestrated to make things fall into place so that you will see His plan for your life!!! I am sure that God has brought his plan to your life in the same way that He did for Noah, if you have obeyed Him!!!
And the passage ends by saying: Noah Did ALL THAT GOD HAD COMMANDED HIM!!!!
Nopah Obeyed God regardless of the opposition! Regardless of the public opinion! Regardless of the peer perssure HE OBEYED! Will YOU OBEY REGARDLESS????
TUESDAY, August 19th, 2008
HAPPY FAY DAY!!!
Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoy your day today. Today just happens to be my wedding anniversary!! Cool Huh! Can you believe that we have already been married 2 years? Katie and I sat around the house last night watching our wedding DVD... It is amazing! I think you should all watch it sometime soon. In fact, next time we do a movie night, I will bring it and show you the music video of the day. I guarantee you will be impressed; It is so great!
Anyway! Great job on the devotions yesterday! I am thankful for such a wonderful youth group! Each of you are a blessing to me, more than you realize. Love you all!
Genesis 4
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.”
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!
14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23 Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
This is a great passage as well, many of you probably grew up listening to the story of Cain and Able. Here is the story in a nutshell. Cain was a farmer, Abel was a shepherd. Abel sacrificed his sheep, while Cain "sacrificed" his crop. Which do you think is more valuable? Sheep or veggies?
Now, my first thought is that Cain gave God what he had, so why did God punish him?? Right? The issue is that God told them what He expected from them, He wanted a sacrifice that required blood. Cain had to find a way to honor that request. He could have gone out and searched for a wild sheep, or He could have traded one for food from his brother, but instead... Cain disregarded Gods requirements. Cain basically ignored Gods request for His life.
Not only do we see cain disregard Gods requests, then we see Cain disregard Gods man... Cain was jealous because of Abels relationship with God, so Cain killed him!!!
God then asks Cain, where is your brother... Let me ask you? Did God know where Abel was?? YES! Duh! But Cain doesnt even think about that... Instead Cain get SARCASTIC WITH GOD!!!! can you believe it?? UNBELIEVABLE!! It is one thing to be sarcastic with your friends, and another thing to be sarcastic to your parents... BUT TO BE SARCASTIC TO GOD???!?! What was He thinking??
Well... Sin makes you STUPID!
and Sin made Cain stupid. God then poured out the consequences of Cains sin upon Him... and what does Cain say? The punishment is too much for me to bear... Can you believe him? He is now whining about the consequences of the sin that he commited...
It would be easy to sit here and judge Cain all day, but if we are honest... we often act JUST LIKE CAIN... here is what I mean... We get mad, and instead of dealing with the situation rationally, and Godly, we blow up! and although we may not literally kill someone, often times we slay them with our words, or with some other actions...
Then when we get caught often times, we respond sarcastically! Who you?? No!!! Well... think about the last time you were sarcastic to your parents? Was it two months ago? was it two minutes ago?
Probably closer to the latter.
Well, I think there is (once again) a lot of good stuff in this chapter if you are willing to take a few minutes and think through it, and allow God to work on your heart about it!
Stay faithful! Don't get washed away in the storm today!
See you tomorrow night! In Church!!
7379
Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoy your day today. Today just happens to be my wedding anniversary!! Cool Huh! Can you believe that we have already been married 2 years? Katie and I sat around the house last night watching our wedding DVD... It is amazing! I think you should all watch it sometime soon. In fact, next time we do a movie night, I will bring it and show you the music video of the day. I guarantee you will be impressed; It is so great!
Anyway! Great job on the devotions yesterday! I am thankful for such a wonderful youth group! Each of you are a blessing to me, more than you realize. Love you all!
Genesis 4
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.”
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!
14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23 Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.
This is a great passage as well, many of you probably grew up listening to the story of Cain and Able. Here is the story in a nutshell. Cain was a farmer, Abel was a shepherd. Abel sacrificed his sheep, while Cain "sacrificed" his crop. Which do you think is more valuable? Sheep or veggies?
Now, my first thought is that Cain gave God what he had, so why did God punish him?? Right? The issue is that God told them what He expected from them, He wanted a sacrifice that required blood. Cain had to find a way to honor that request. He could have gone out and searched for a wild sheep, or He could have traded one for food from his brother, but instead... Cain disregarded Gods requirements. Cain basically ignored Gods request for His life.
Not only do we see cain disregard Gods requests, then we see Cain disregard Gods man... Cain was jealous because of Abels relationship with God, so Cain killed him!!!
God then asks Cain, where is your brother... Let me ask you? Did God know where Abel was?? YES! Duh! But Cain doesnt even think about that... Instead Cain get SARCASTIC WITH GOD!!!! can you believe it?? UNBELIEVABLE!! It is one thing to be sarcastic with your friends, and another thing to be sarcastic to your parents... BUT TO BE SARCASTIC TO GOD???!?! What was He thinking??
Well... Sin makes you STUPID!
and Sin made Cain stupid. God then poured out the consequences of Cains sin upon Him... and what does Cain say? The punishment is too much for me to bear... Can you believe him? He is now whining about the consequences of the sin that he commited...
It would be easy to sit here and judge Cain all day, but if we are honest... we often act JUST LIKE CAIN... here is what I mean... We get mad, and instead of dealing with the situation rationally, and Godly, we blow up! and although we may not literally kill someone, often times we slay them with our words, or with some other actions...
Then when we get caught often times, we respond sarcastically! Who you?? No!!! Well... think about the last time you were sarcastic to your parents? Was it two months ago? was it two minutes ago?
Probably closer to the latter.
Well, I think there is (once again) a lot of good stuff in this chapter if you are willing to take a few minutes and think through it, and allow God to work on your heart about it!
Stay faithful! Don't get washed away in the storm today!
See you tomorrow night! In Church!!
7379
MONDAY, August 18th, 2008
Fay is on the Way!
I know that our town has not had a good history with Hurricanes, but is anybody excited about this storm? I mean if it were a catagory 2 or more, there is definitely reason to be concerned, but I must say: It is so exciting to have such a change in routine, and it is so nice to see the world stop for a few days while everyone comes together to help each other through the storm. And for those of you going back to school today or tomorrow... there is a great chance that you will already get a day out of school!!!
Have a great first day of School!!
One Important Note:
Don't forget, yesterday in Sunday School, I announced that if a devotion is done late (as in a day or more) then you will only get half the credit for it in regards to the reward trip. So a late day will count as .5; it will take to late days to equal 1 regular day. The reason for this is simply that it does not seem completely fair to reward someone who makes up all of the devotions a week late, or every three or four days. Thanks! Stay faithful!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I loved the way that you applied yesterdays Sunday School lesson to the devotion!!
Michael: I think they knew they were naked, there was just nothing wierd or wrong about it. That is what sin does, it takes something that is innocent and makes in shameful!
Gaby: That was funny "Platypus" Ha!
Amy and Tricia: We missed you both yesterday!
Kacey: I think it is funny that you said "God knocked Adam out"
Marvin: Wow! So are you calling women animals?
Kervin: I like your: "Tree of Stupidity"
Mallory: I LOVE your enthusiasm!!!!! I am so glad you are on here faithfully!!!
Josh L: I love your idea about visiting the Garden of Eden... we should go on a trip there next year! :)
Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"
10 And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
16 To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—"
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Wow! There is so much information in this passage! I cannot believe that we are going to cover the entire chapter in one day!!! Bear with me! This is good, take a few minutes and absorb it!
Verses 1-6 explain how the Serpent (Satan), tempted and deceived Eve and Adam. First Satan Questioned what God said. That is the same way the satan works today... Satan knows that if He can get us to question God and His word, then we have lost the sight of the truth.
How do we question God? We question God whenever we think that something happens in our life that is "Horrible". The truth is: God's word tells us that "all things work together for Good to them that love God"... so the question is... will believe God? or will we believe the lies of the devil?
Every sin that we commit is because we fail to believe the truth of Gods word... for example: If we listen to Sinful music, it is because we do not believe in God's Holiness... (seperation from sin) if we are involves in immoral physical contact, it is because we don't believe what God says about purity! Satan wants to deceive us about the truth of Gods word... that is why it is SO IMPORTANT TO READ GOD'S WORD DAILY!!
Next we see the consequences of their sin! What do they do? They run from the presence of God... Like I have never seen that before!! It is unbelieveable how teenagers (and everyone for that matter) run from the truth whenever they are straying from God. I know whenever I was rebelling from God, I could not stand my youth pastor... Now I, the youth pastor, have teenagers that cannot stand me sometimes, because they know that I want them to live Godly. It is ironic. When we are running from God, we also run from anything that reminds us of Him... like our church, our devotions, our pastors, etc...
Adam does not take ownership of His sin, but instead, He blames his sin on Eve and on God... Do you take ownership of your mistakes??
I think verse 14 is so interesting: A snake use to have legs, but whenever Satan used it to deceive Adam and Eve, God cursed it, and said that the snake would travel on its belly for the rest of time... That is why snakes "slither around" instead of just walking.
Verse 15 gives the first prophecy of Christs crucifixion... here is what it says: Christ will "bruise" the head of Satan, and Satan will "bruise" the Heal of Christ... I like to think of it like this... Remember the movie: "The passion of Christ": While Christ is in the Garden a snake comes by Him and He stomps on its head... Christ is victorious over Satan!!!!!!!!!!!!
More Consequences of sin are next: Women will suffer in child birth, because of their sin, and men will have to work, and sweat, and suffer just to bring home food for their family.
And finally another horrible consequence: Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden of Eden. Could you imagine going from the perfect garden into the world??? That would be SO SCARY!!!! I know that Adam and Eve lived the rest of their life regretting that decision in the garden. The consequences of Sin are deadly!!!!!
Stay away from Sin!!!
7315
I know that our town has not had a good history with Hurricanes, but is anybody excited about this storm? I mean if it were a catagory 2 or more, there is definitely reason to be concerned, but I must say: It is so exciting to have such a change in routine, and it is so nice to see the world stop for a few days while everyone comes together to help each other through the storm. And for those of you going back to school today or tomorrow... there is a great chance that you will already get a day out of school!!!
Have a great first day of School!!
One Important Note:
Don't forget, yesterday in Sunday School, I announced that if a devotion is done late (as in a day or more) then you will only get half the credit for it in regards to the reward trip. So a late day will count as .5; it will take to late days to equal 1 regular day. The reason for this is simply that it does not seem completely fair to reward someone who makes up all of the devotions a week late, or every three or four days. Thanks! Stay faithful!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I loved the way that you applied yesterdays Sunday School lesson to the devotion!!
Michael: I think they knew they were naked, there was just nothing wierd or wrong about it. That is what sin does, it takes something that is innocent and makes in shameful!
Gaby: That was funny "Platypus" Ha!
Amy and Tricia: We missed you both yesterday!
Kacey: I think it is funny that you said "God knocked Adam out"
Marvin: Wow! So are you calling women animals?
Kervin: I like your: "Tree of Stupidity"
Mallory: I LOVE your enthusiasm!!!!! I am so glad you are on here faithfully!!!
Josh L: I love your idea about visiting the Garden of Eden... we should go on a trip there next year! :)
Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"
10 And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
16 To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—"
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Wow! There is so much information in this passage! I cannot believe that we are going to cover the entire chapter in one day!!! Bear with me! This is good, take a few minutes and absorb it!
Verses 1-6 explain how the Serpent (Satan), tempted and deceived Eve and Adam. First Satan Questioned what God said. That is the same way the satan works today... Satan knows that if He can get us to question God and His word, then we have lost the sight of the truth.
How do we question God? We question God whenever we think that something happens in our life that is "Horrible". The truth is: God's word tells us that "all things work together for Good to them that love God"... so the question is... will believe God? or will we believe the lies of the devil?
Every sin that we commit is because we fail to believe the truth of Gods word... for example: If we listen to Sinful music, it is because we do not believe in God's Holiness... (seperation from sin) if we are involves in immoral physical contact, it is because we don't believe what God says about purity! Satan wants to deceive us about the truth of Gods word... that is why it is SO IMPORTANT TO READ GOD'S WORD DAILY!!
Next we see the consequences of their sin! What do they do? They run from the presence of God... Like I have never seen that before!! It is unbelieveable how teenagers (and everyone for that matter) run from the truth whenever they are straying from God. I know whenever I was rebelling from God, I could not stand my youth pastor... Now I, the youth pastor, have teenagers that cannot stand me sometimes, because they know that I want them to live Godly. It is ironic. When we are running from God, we also run from anything that reminds us of Him... like our church, our devotions, our pastors, etc...
Adam does not take ownership of His sin, but instead, He blames his sin on Eve and on God... Do you take ownership of your mistakes??
I think verse 14 is so interesting: A snake use to have legs, but whenever Satan used it to deceive Adam and Eve, God cursed it, and said that the snake would travel on its belly for the rest of time... That is why snakes "slither around" instead of just walking.
Verse 15 gives the first prophecy of Christs crucifixion... here is what it says: Christ will "bruise" the head of Satan, and Satan will "bruise" the Heal of Christ... I like to think of it like this... Remember the movie: "The passion of Christ": While Christ is in the Garden a snake comes by Him and He stomps on its head... Christ is victorious over Satan!!!!!!!!!!!!
More Consequences of sin are next: Women will suffer in child birth, because of their sin, and men will have to work, and sweat, and suffer just to bring home food for their family.
And finally another horrible consequence: Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden of Eden. Could you imagine going from the perfect garden into the world??? That would be SO SCARY!!!! I know that Adam and Eve lived the rest of their life regretting that decision in the garden. The consequences of Sin are deadly!!!!!
Stay away from Sin!!!
7315
SUNDAY, August 17th, 2008
Hey Everyone! Great Job Yesterday! This morning at 9:15 we will have Sunday School in the teen room (kind of like we do EVERY WEEK). Make sure you are there to take part in a great morning, and a great LORDS day!
Don't forget to stay faithful!!
Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
I hope that you take the time to truly absorb, and understand each of these chapters that we look at in Genesis. There is so much truth in them, it is exciting!
What a great chapter, The first topic that we see mentioned is that God created the heavens ad the earth for six days and then as Lucy mentioned yesterday: We see that God rested. It is really interesting how much of an emphasis God puts on rest. I use to be under the impression the rest was a waste of valuable time, but even God rested. Did God rest because He was tired? Did God rest so that He could get restrengthened? No! God rested as an example for us! God wanted to show us that we need rest and we must set aside time to rest. Our culture today has taught us that Saturday and Sunday are days to Party!! To go out in the boat, to go to the beach, to go to Disney World :) but the truth is, God gives us six days to do things like that but the seventh, Sunday is the Day of Rest, and it is a day that we are supposed to rest in the Lord and be refreshed for the upcoming week. It is not commanded, but it is important enough that God made an example for us to follow! Interesting Huh!
Then we see that God tells us about Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. What an incredible place that would be! The great part is that the Garden of Eden is NOTHING compared to Heaven where we will spend Eternity if we have accepted Christ!
We see God create Eve, out of the rib bone of Adam... I think it is neat that God put Adam to sleep... we do the same thing today when we do surgery. God used the first anesthesia.
I love verse 24... Man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto His wife. God loves us so much, that He gives us a helpmate to enjoy this life with. God created Marriage so that man would not be lonely and so that we would see a GREAT example of How Christ loves the church.
Besides: think about how smelly and messy a college guys dorm room is... The entire world would be smelly and moldy with dirty socks EVERYWHERE, if it werent for God creating women to keep us in line :)
I think our God is so great, He knows exactly what we need, and He creates it for us!
7239
Don't forget to stay faithful!!
Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
18 And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
I hope that you take the time to truly absorb, and understand each of these chapters that we look at in Genesis. There is so much truth in them, it is exciting!
What a great chapter, The first topic that we see mentioned is that God created the heavens ad the earth for six days and then as Lucy mentioned yesterday: We see that God rested. It is really interesting how much of an emphasis God puts on rest. I use to be under the impression the rest was a waste of valuable time, but even God rested. Did God rest because He was tired? Did God rest so that He could get restrengthened? No! God rested as an example for us! God wanted to show us that we need rest and we must set aside time to rest. Our culture today has taught us that Saturday and Sunday are days to Party!! To go out in the boat, to go to the beach, to go to Disney World :) but the truth is, God gives us six days to do things like that but the seventh, Sunday is the Day of Rest, and it is a day that we are supposed to rest in the Lord and be refreshed for the upcoming week. It is not commanded, but it is important enough that God made an example for us to follow! Interesting Huh!
Then we see that God tells us about Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. What an incredible place that would be! The great part is that the Garden of Eden is NOTHING compared to Heaven where we will spend Eternity if we have accepted Christ!
We see God create Eve, out of the rib bone of Adam... I think it is neat that God put Adam to sleep... we do the same thing today when we do surgery. God used the first anesthesia.
I love verse 24... Man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto His wife. God loves us so much, that He gives us a helpmate to enjoy this life with. God created Marriage so that man would not be lonely and so that we would see a GREAT example of How Christ loves the church.
Besides: think about how smelly and messy a college guys dorm room is... The entire world would be smelly and moldy with dirty socks EVERYWHERE, if it werent for God creating women to keep us in line :)
I think our God is so great, He knows exactly what we need, and He creates it for us!
7239
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