Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - Grace Church Bible Reading Group

Subject: Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Genesis 13:5 - 15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6:1-10
Proverbs 1:29-33

Good morning everyone.  Praying for blessings and God's mercy and grace to all of you.  Today is my first experience as a blogger.  Have mercy!  Even though some of what I have written below may or may not make sense to you - keep in mind that I was one of those people who always used the excuse that I can't really help anybody because I don't know the Bible.  Well - it is 2015 and that excuse does not cut it anymore.  I am jumping in!

I start off with Genesis and I must admit - history and math were not my best subjects.  Yet I did learn that Abram with a good and righteous man.  Rather than quarrel with his nephew Lot - they went in two different directions to avoid quarreling among their herdsmen and to keep the peace.  Even though Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan which seemed like a better piece of land for his people, it was Abram who came to his rescue after defeating Kedolaomer.  Abram took nothing as payment for this defeat as he had made an oath to the Lord.  But even Abram, righteous as he was, doubted that he would gain all of the possessions that the Lord had promised for he was childless.  How can one have so many offspring that are as numerous as stars in the sky or as numerous as each fleck of dust on the earth?  To count these would be impossible.  Yet this was the Lord's covenant with Abram - imagine the Lord telling you not to be afraid for I am your shield, your very great reward.  That in itself would have been the greatest gift the Lord could give anyone.

In Matthew we realize that we are all sinners.  No one is better than the other because the Lord has made the sun to shine on the good and the evil.  We all know only too well that it is easy to greet our friends and coworkers.  But what about the one that gives you a hard time and seems to make your life miserable.  That is the one that the Lord urges us to pray for.  For any wrong done against us, God encourages us to forgive and He forgave us.  Give what we have to others less fortunate.  I know that many of us think that we have unfortunate circumstances in our lives - but if you stop and take a look around - you will be amazed by the many blessings you have been given.  I heard recently that the best way to live a peaceful and joyous life is to write down something you are grateful for each day.  If you stop for one minute - I am sure your list would exceed your expectations.  For after all - it is God giving the blessings.  Don't let that pesky devil discourage your faith or weaken your belief in the Almighty who is the Creator of everything.

After reading Psalm 6:1-10 and Proverbs 1:29-33 I could not help but cry.  I have been know to shed tears when hearing any type of news.  For some reason I feel like it is my purpose to fix everything and everyone in my life.  Hence, the tears when I see that some tasks are way beyond my control.  But then, is this not why we have our Savior???  If I am worn out from groaning all night long and I flood my bed with weeping - does He not hear and see this?  Of course He does!!!   We must learn to give up control to the Only One - because it is His will that will be done.

From Proverbs I pass this comforting advice on to you and to hold in my heart - "but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm".

After writing this, and rereading - I feel there is nothing that I want to change or alter.  I do believe though that Psalms and Proverbs are my favorites.  So many life lessons and instructions to get us to where we need to be and walk in accordance with the will of God.

God Bless you all!

Carol Policastro

The Tower of Babel and the illusion of self sufficiency

Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-27

The story of the Tower of Babel is an interesting one. What was so wrong about building a tower? What was so wrong about the discovery of brick and tar? What was so wrong about the endeavor that God chose to intervene, chose to take away man's ability to work together towards such a great endeavor? And why would God seek to impose such misunderstanding and discord?

I don't think it was the tower, the brick or the tar. I think it was the illusion of self sufficiency it was creating and reinforcing. They may have sought to build the tower with nothing but the best of intentions, but even those intentions fell short when one outcome was, potentially, the rejection of man's dependence upon God and, consequently, his need for obedience to Him.

We see that a lot today. Society demands that we "stop being such a hater". And, in doing so, it demands that we condone all manner of sin, in ourselves and in others. And it points to all that man has built as testament to man's authority. In this context, it really shouldn't surprise me when terrible things happen - war, famine, disease. While excruciating and tragic, they would seem to be yet further manifestations of God's love, and His intervention in such a way as to remind us of our complete dependence upon Him and, consequently, how much better to seek His will and obey.

In this context, what I long thought was a tragic end to a great endeavor, is now a manifestation of God's will thwarting a sinful outcome. May I come to see all His reproach in similar manner.

I needed to read the story many times before I came to understand this story in this light, before I came to recognize God's loving hand, and not his punishment, in this situation. How heartening to see how He reveals Himself as we seek to get to know Him through His word. We've just begun the year long journey of reading through the Bible. If you are reading this, you are already a part of that journey. I pray you will join us throughout the year, and that together we get to know our Lord much better, and come to recognize Him in all circumstances - even the difficult ones.



Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Genesis 13:5 - 15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6:1-10
Proverbs 1:29-33

Good morning everyone.  Praying for blessings and God's mercy and grace to all of you.  Today is my first experience as a blogger.  Have mercy!  Even though some of what I have written below may or may not make sense to you - keep in mind that I was one of those people who always used the excuse that I can't really help anybody because I don't know the Bible.  Well - it is 2015 and that excuse does not cut it anymore.  I am jumping in!

I start off with Genesis and I must admit - history and math were not my best subjects.  Yet I did learn that Abram with a good and righteous man.  Rather than quarrel with his nephew Lot - they went in two different directions to avoid quarreling among their herdsmen and to keep the peace.  Even though Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan which seemed like a better piece of land for his people, it was Abram who came to his rescue after defeating Kedolaomer.  Abram took nothing as payment for this defeat as he had made an oath to the Lord.  But even Abram, righteous as he was, doubted that he would gain all of the possessions that the Lord had promised for he was childless.  How can one have so many offspring that are as numerous as stars in the sky or as numerous as each fleck of dust on the earth?  To count these would be impossible.  Yet this was the Lord's covenant with Abram - imagine the Lord telling you not to be afraid for I am your shield, your very great reward.  That in itself would have been the greatest gift the Lord could give anyone.

In Matthew we realize that we are all sinners.  No one is better than the other because the Lord has made the sun to shine on the good and the evil.  We all know only too well that it is easy to greet our friends and coworkers.  But what about the one that gives you a hard time and seems to make your life miserable.  That is the one that the Lord urges us to pray for.  For any wrong done against us, God encourages us to forgive and He forgave us.  Give what we have to others less fortunate.  I know that many of us think that we have unfortunate circumstances in our lives - but if you stop and take a look around - you will be amazed by the many blessings you have been given.  I heard recently that the best way to live a peaceful and joyous life is to write down something you are grateful for each day.  If you stop for one minute - I am sure your list would exceed your expectations.  For after all - it is God giving the blessings.  Don't let that pesky devil discourage your faith or weaken your belief in the Almighty who is the Creator of everything.

After reading Psalm 6:1-10 and Proverbs 1:29-33 I could not help but cry.  I have been know to shed tears when hearing any type of news.  For some reason I feel like it is my purpose to fix everything and everyone in my life.  Hence, the tears when I see that some tasks are way beyond my control.  But then, is this not why we have our Savior???  If I am worn out from groaning all night long and I flood my bed with weeping - does He not hear and see this?  Of course He does!!!   We must learn to give up control to the Only One - because it is His will that will be done.

From Proverbs I pass this comforting advice on to you and to hold in my heart - "but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm".

After writing this, and rereading - I feel there is nothing that I want to change or alter.  I do believe though that Psalms and Proverbs are my favorites.  So many life lessons and instructions to get us to where we need to be and walk in accordance with the will of God.

God Bless you all!

Carol Policastro

Sunday, January 4, 2015

I never get tired of reading the story of Noah and his family. Ordinary, everyday people with ordinary, everyday flaws. And yet God chose them to be the only eight people to be saved from the otherwise total annihilation of every living thing on the earth. God called Noah a righteous man, blameless, and one who walked with God. How awesome is that?

I don't even have to wonder if I would be capable of doing what Noah did. Unless God directed my every step, there is no way I'd be able to be that obedient. It took many years for the ark to be completed and all the while, Noah's neighbors must have been laughing at him and taunting him and basically just calling him a crazy old man. And yet he continued the work until the ark was completed and all the creatures of the earth were safely inside. How awful it must have been for the eight to hear the cries of the people once they realized that God had shut them out of the ark.

And then cooped up for a year on that boat with all the animals and just the immediate family for company. It's no wonder that one of the first things Noah did when they were able to come out was to plant a vineyard and sample the new wine. Ordinary, everyday people!

We're told of God establishing his covenant with Noah through the rainbow. And of the promise to never again destroy all life by a flood. We learn of the generations that come through Noah's sons and that Noah lived 350 years after the flood. No mention is made of Noah having more children after the flood. I'd like to picture Noah and his wife enjoying their lives and their grandchildren throughout that time. And one day Noah hearing God say to him, "Well done. Good and faithful servant."

Lord, may I be obedient to fulfill your will for my life. Help me to remember that you are always in control and that I can trust you completely. Your way is the only way, no matter what the cost. In Jesus name. Amen



Sent from my iPad

Blog_Saturday, January 3, 2015

Saturday, January 3, 2015 [By Keesha Sullivan]

"I don't like myself," my student sighed. I looked at her and smiled, "Well, I like you." She looked directly into my eyes with intense curiosity. "Why?" she questioned. "You are incredibly smart, creative, and a wonderful student," I answered. I went on to explain with specific examples why I felt the way that I did about her. She couldn't suppress the smile that slowly lit up her tiny face. As I look back on this experience, I wish I could've said so much more. I wish I could've said, "When God created [you], He made [you] in the likeness of [Himself]. He created [all of us] and blessed us…" (Genesis 5:1-2). 

As Pastor Taylor would say, "WOW!" It is amazing to know that God created all of us in His very image. Our King, our Creator, our Provider, created us in His likeness.  As I read Genesis 5 for our reading today, I looked at this passage differently than I had in the past. Genesis 5:1-2 became personal to me during this reading. I believe the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and shed light on Genesis 5:1-2 when I read Genesis 5:3. Genesis 5:3 says, "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth." I know that what I am about to say might sound incredibly simple, but it was incredibly meaningful to me. Adam, and every other dad, has sons and daughters that resemble them in looks, behavior, and even mannerisms. We truly are God's sons and daughters. We too resemble Him in looks, behavior, and even mannerisms. He is our first Father, and He designed us with great and mighty purposes in mind.

We were the only part of God's creation that was made in His image. In fact, even when sin and the enemy tried to break our relationship with God, He sent Jesus to keep us in a right relationship with Him.  Ephesians 1:5-6 says, "In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves." We are children of the Most High God. I know loving parents that love their children in spite of what they do, who they are, and who they will become. They love their children just because they are their children. It dawned on me that God loves us the same way. In spite of what we do, who we are, and who we will become, he loves us. He loves all of His creation. 

We have so many reasons to be grateful to God. "Let [us] praise the name of the Lord, for at His command [we] were created," (Psalm 148:5). My student has a great reason to love and stand in amazement of herself. She was designed in the image of God. This makes her worthy, lovable, and incredibly beautiful. There is nothing that she nor we have to do in order to be amazing. It says in Isaiah 43: 4, "[We] are precious and honored in [God's] sight…"

Lord we thank You for creating us in Your likeness and knitting us together in our mother's womb. We thank You that we have nothing to fear because we belong to You. You are an amazing, loving, kind, Father. We thank You that You created us for Your glory. We also thank You that we can find meaning for our lives through being in a close, intimate relationship with You. Help us to stand in awe of Your creation. We pray all these things in the mighty and wonderful name of Jesus. 

January 2

Genesis 3 January 2, 2015

 

I love reading the first chapters of Genesis. It tells the story of the sacred romance that defines our lives. It has all of the elements of a blockbuster Hollywood movie with a setting, character development, drama, hopelessness and resolution. It starts with paradise, a love connection with Almighty God, a sinister enemy, heartbreaking choices, catastrophic consequences and finally hope. That would earn 4 stars from every movie critic.

Let me point out just two observations in the story line we read today.

1. We see the origin of the "victim mentality" in the words… "The WOMAN that YOU gave me"… wow!!  In these six words Adam blames his wife and God for the choice he made. It shouldn't surprise us that a victim mentality dominates in our culture today. We are just copying what our first father did.

 

2. There is hope here. Every good story needs a resolution, from the darkness, light must arrive. Every grand story has this hopeless situation, the best of human efforts have failed, the police, the Secret Service, that FBI and the armed forces have not been able to stop forces of evil.  Then just at the right moment, when all is about to be lost, then suddenly from among the crowd some shouts, "Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Superman!" Hope is restored; the day is saved.

 

Our hope arrives, just in the nick of time, in Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; HE will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."  Embedded within these ominous words of doom is mankind's only hope – A Seed, a Deliverer, Savior, a Messiah.  Our Superhero is going to receive a wound, but it will not be fatal. It will be a wound of the heel. But make no mistake about it, our hero will deliver a fatal and final blow to our arch enemy. This is the first of the 320 prophecies of our mighty deliverer the Messiah.  

 

At the end of the reading today I was thrilled. The story took my breath away again. If following Christ does not take your breath away something else will. So awaken your soul to the grand story we find ourselves. Get involved in the cosmic drama that is unfolding around us. Don't be a victim in 2015, become a victor through Messiah Jesus.  

 

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, January 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

Genesis 1:1–2:25

Matthew 1:1–2:12

Psalm 1:1–6

Proverbs 1:1–6

 

 

Happy New Year!  May God shower you with His richest blessings in 2015.

 

Launching again into the One-Year Bible, we start again from the beginnings of the Old and New Testaments.  In Genesis 1 and 2, we read about God’s creation of the universe and of man and woman in His image:  each in value and unique in role.  His creation of the universe demonstrates His sovereignty and power, for everything comes to being solely through His word.  Created in His image, man and woman would similarly possess creativity, emotions, and will.  Man and woman would have the capacity for relationships, both with God and others, and responsibilities for caring for the earth, serving as God’s steward and ambassador.  Before Adam and Eve’s first sin, the world offered an exciting, joyful, and purpose-filled life for these first members of the human race.  Yet, sin would bring corruption, confusion, and death to Adam and Eve and their descendants after them.

 

In Matthew 1 and 2, we find Jesus’s coming to earth as a baby.  Later, in Romans 5, Paul would describe Jesus as the “second Adam.”  Likewise, Jesus provided a living example of the “image of God.”  In Colossians 2:9, we read that, “in Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form… ”  From Hebrews 1:3a, we understand that “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

 

Hebrews 2:14–18 elaborates on Jesus’s humanity as crucial for bringing reconciliation between God and man and for strengthening believers in their daily efforts to overcome sin:  “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

 

God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth in order to reverse the corruption, confusion, and death that sin had caused.  By providing Christ as a blameless and perfect sacrifice, He offered a “the way, the truth, and the life” so that those who had received Him might approach God with confidence (John 14:6; John 1:12; Hebrews 4:16)

 

At this New Year, we have further reminder of God’s Incarnation in Jesus Christ and His willingness to walk among us.  This return points back to God’s presence in the Garden – “he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Generis 3:8b) – and His great desire for relationship with us.

 

I encourage you to embrace God’s Word this year as guide, instructor, comforter, and vision piece.  May God give us wisdom through the Holy Spirit to know Him better and to treasure the truth He has revealed and the will that He continues to reveal.

 

 

Lord God, You are worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.  You are the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of every living thing.  We bow before You in humility and seek Your wisdom and direction for 2015.  Help us to drink deeply from Your Word and to commune with You often in prayer.  Draw close to the hurting and broken-hearted, and give us strength and courage to serve as ministers of reconciliation.  Pour out Your Spirit into our hearts and into our community.  Be exalted in all the earth, starting with our backyard.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS