Preventing Immortality

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 3:22 – 4:10

22 Then the LORD God said, “See, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, to prevent him reaching out his hand and taking also of the tree of life and eat, and living 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 cherubs and a flaming sword that turned each way to prevent access to the tree of life.

4:1 Now Adam was intimate with Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”

2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,

4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,

5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?

7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Cain called for Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel 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 watcher?”

10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

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Preventing Immortality

Abel died at Cain’s hand because he was not immortal. His parents had decided to transgress God’s command in the garden, so the LORD had to take away from them and their children access to the tree of life. Our heavenly father wants us to live with him forever, but not in our present, broken, rebellious state. So, he has blocked access to eternal life through the tree of life. Now, only through the sacrificial death of Christ is eternal life possible. Abel’s offering from his flock was a symbol of this second chance.

LORD, thank you for the second chance at life you have offered humanity, through your Son, the Lamb.

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Greatness

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 2:1-6

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of king Herod, see, great men from the east came to Jerusalem,

2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to show respect to him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was supposed to be born.

5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for that is how it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘ And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least significant among the leaders of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'”

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Greatness

The word magi denotes greatness. These men were of the high priestly caste of the Magian religion of Persia. They came to Jerusalem because they had seen a star that indicated to them the beginning of a new reign. This was the first time Herod learned of it, and he immediately went into defensive mode. All Herod saw was another opponent to put down. What disturbed Herod was that this opponent would have religious tradition on his side.

Jerusalem was disturbed because Herod was one of these people that tended to resort to violence to solve his problems, and had few qualms about who he had killed. It was said of Herod that it was better to be his pig than his son. Herod was a great man, and he intended to stay on the throne, that made him a dangerous man.

God of greatness, protect us from those who think they are great, and want to protect themselves by hurting others.

Posted in dependence upon God, protection | Tagged | 1 Comment

He is in this

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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These stories show the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the believers and in the communities they are reaching with the gospel.  But the Spirit who unifies our hearts in Christ does not bring unity to those places.  There is controversy, agitation, trouble, violence, discord, and disappointment.  Many are the challenges of those who dare do the work of spreading the word.  Please do not be discouraged when you struggle to be an authentic Christian.  It will happen, because that struggle is precisely the environment that serves as a backdrop for the Holy Spirit’s work.

LORD, help us to keep proclaiming your word in the midst of the struggle, because you are in this.

Posted in church, dependence upon God, evangelism, faithfulness, Holy Spirit | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hardship

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 3:9-21

9 But the LORD God called to Adam 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, so I hid myself.”

11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I instructed you not to eat?”

12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave to me fruit from 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 snake deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The LORD God said to the snake, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall crawl, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

15 I will put hatred between you and the woman, and between your children and her children; he shall harm your head, and you shall harm his heel.”

16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your hardship in childbearing; in hardship 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,’ the ground is cursed because of you; in hardship 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.

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Hardship

The term referring to the consequence of listening to the wrong words, both for Adam and Eve, is often rendered “pain.” I have chosen to translate it as hardship, because it has that connotation, as well as sorrow. Eden was designed as a place of pleasure and peace. Now humanity will live in the opposite. Peace will come to humanity again, only after our Savior comes, and takes on the hardship, sorrow and pain for us.

Just God, restore to us the joy we lost when our ancestors decided to listen to the wrong words.

Posted in Adam, Eve, suffering | Tagged | 1 Comment

God with us

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 1:22-25

22 All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had predicted through the prophet:

23 “See, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which translates as ‘God with us’).

24 When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had instructed him: he took Mary as his wife,

25 but did not have intimacy with her until after she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

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God with us

When the Son of God came and lived among us, it was a special time for this planet. It was a special time of fulfillment. So many of the predictions and hints in the Old Testament came true during those few short years.

It was a time of grace. We did not deserve for God to grace us with his presence, but we never do. We especially did not deserve for him to come as one of us. He decided to become one of us, so that he could do for us what we had never been able to do for ourselves. He had the cross in mind, even as he lay in the cradle.

It was a time of submission. The Son of God from heaven submitted to his father and mother on earth. He submitted to his role in life, to the status he was born into. He was so much more than he seemed to be, but that was alright.

It was a time of joy. Some of those most sensitive to what the Holy Spirit was doing experienced that joy, including this blessed couple. They heard the voice of joy. They bounced joy on their knees. They woke up to the sound of joy every morning. God’s eternal joy was breaking through time.

God of grace, submission and joy, we long to be reunited with you for the first time. Come, Lord Jesus. Be with us again.

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What we want

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 2:21 – 3:8

21 Then the LORD God threw down this Adam into a deep sleep, and while he slept took one of his ribs and shut up its place with flesh.

22 And he made into a woman the rib that the LORD God had taken from this Adam and brought her to this Adam.

23 Then this Adam said, “This finally is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called a woman, because she was taken out of a man.”

24 Because of this a man will leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his woman, and they will become as one flesh.

25 And the man and his woman were both naked and were not ashamed.

3:1 Now the snake was more clever than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the snake, “We are allowed to 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 middle of the garden, and you shall not touch it, or you will die.'”

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “dying, you shall not 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 pleasant to look at, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her man 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 skirts.

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 woman hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

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What we want

Adam’s desire was to have a woman at his side. Eve’s desire was to have the wisdom the snake tempted her with. Adam wanted the same thing, so ate the forbidden fruit as well. God gave us what we want. He has a plan to undo the consequences of that choice – among them, self-covering and the hiding from him.

Loving God, forgive us for wanting the wrong things. Teach us to enjoy your paradise.

Posted in Adam, Eve, plan of God | Tagged , | 1 Comment

what has happened to her

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 1:17-21

17 Now all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18 and the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When Mary, his mother had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit.

19 And her husband Joseph, being a honorable man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

20 But as he thought about these things, see, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what has happened to her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

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what has happened to her

What happened to Mary seemed like the worst possible fate. She had been found to be pregnant out of wedlock. It looked like Joseph, to do the right thing, would have to abandon her. But the angel told him not to. The angel said that this pregnancy was in God’s plan.

Mother, are you considering what might be the right thing to do, in your situation?

Father, are you thinking the best choice is to abandon this woman and child? What if it is not the right thing? What if God wants to do something really special with the life that you fathered?

God of love and second chances, give us the wisdom to see your hope springing out of our happenings. Give us the faithfulness that follows your plan, when it is not our plan.

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Having it all

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 2:8-20

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow up every tree that is nice to look at and good to eat. The tree of life was in the middle of this garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was also there.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.

11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.

13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.

14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,

17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it – dying, you shall die.”

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

19 And out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living soul, that was its name.

20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a partner fit for him. _________________________________________

Having it all

The LORD created a paradise in which Adam had the potential for obedience and greatness, but also for failure and death. It was not the future paradise that awaits those whose victory is won by Christ. It was a world with potential for life, but also the threat of mortality and eventual death. It is important that we have this story, because we need to know that we can have it all, and still fail. Having it all is not the right objective in life.

Divine Redeemer, come to us and bring us the salvation that we need. Without you, having it all is meaningless.

Posted in Adam, money, mortality, obedience | Tagged | 1 Comment

reasoning together

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Acts 15:1-35

The Jerusalem council convened for the purpose of dealing with an issue that had to be settled.  As the gospel spread by the believers into Gentile territory and among the Gentiles, there were bound to be questions as to how Jewish one had to become to accept Christ. Three authorities convened and reasoned together: the apostles, the elders, and representatives of the whole church.  Their answer was that it was not necessary to become Jewish, but it would be a good idea to abstain from some things that Jews considered especially defiling if you intended to fellowship with them, or win them to Christ.  This decision was helpful because it clarified the gospel essentials, and it also established a strategy for spreading it in Gentile lands.

LORD, give us the wisdom to reason together, allowing the Holy Spirit to help us make our message clear, and reach as many with that message as possible.

Posted in church, conflict, Holy Spirit, wisdom | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ground Worker

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 1:27 – 2:7

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

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Bear fruit and become many and fill the land and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over everything alive that moves on the land.”

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every plant producing seed that is on the face of all the land, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

30 And to every beast of the land and to every bird of the sky and to everything that creeps on the land, everything that has a living soul in it, I have given all flora for food.” And it became that way.

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and see, it was very good. And after evening was over and morning came, the sixth day was completed.

2:1 So the sky and the land were finished, and all the army of them.

2 Then on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it special, because on it God ceased from all his work that he had done by creating.

4 This is the story of the sky and the land when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the land and the sky.

5 Before any bush of the field was in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up- because the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no person to work the ground,

6 and a mist was regularly ascending from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-

7 then the LORD God formed the first man from dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and that man became a living soul. _________________________________________

Ground Worker

The LORD wanted a designer like him, who could invest in the land, and make it fruitful and productive. He wanted someone capable of loving his creation as he does. So, he made Adam from the Adamah – the ground — out of the same stuff he made the universe from. Then, he added the breath of life into Adam’s body. Human life comes from the creator, and it is intended to be used for his purposes.

Divine Creator, help us to love this planet as you do. Give us wisdom to invest ourselves in ways that make the world fruitful, and show its glory.

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