FEARING GOD, NOT MAN

Genesis 22:10-12

Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” He then replied, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.”

Personal Challenge

It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to put Him above all else in our lives. This is what it means to fear God. This does not mean that we cower before Him because we are afraid of Him. God is love. He is merciful and graceful towards us. We love and respect Him and are willing to do anything for Him. We cannot, however, both follow Him and follow, almost to the point of worship, people of this world who contradict God’s love, mercy, and grace. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

HE BELIEVED GOD

Genesis 15:6

And Abram believed God, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Personal Challenge

A core component of a follower of Christ is belief. We must believe in our God even though we have not seen Him or heard His voice. Just as we recognize that the wind is blowing by the rustling of leaves and the movement of the trees, we believe in a living and loving God because of what we see happening in our lives that can only be from Him. This is faith. This is what God uses to account as righteousness in our lives. Glory be to God!

WHAT DOES GOD COMMAND?

Genesis 6:22

Thus Noah did according to all the Lord God commanded him, so he did.

Personal Challenge

We are living in an age where prominent people proclaim to be Christians and yet they do everything they can that opposes the commands of Jesus. Rounding up people because of their color or accent is not Christian. Killing innocent (until proven guilty) fishermen in the ocean is not Christian. Covering up for pedophiles and taking money as bribes is not Christian. Treating women as less than you is not Christian. Christian is loving our neighbor, taking in the foreigner amongst us, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving of our weath to the needy and the poor. Noah got it right. When God told him to do something that made no sense, he did it with no hesitation and no questions. This is what God wants from His followers. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy!

MALE AND FEMALE

Genesis 5:2-3

He made them male and female, and blessed them; and the day He made them He called his name Adam. Now Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son according to his form and image, and named him Seth.

Encouraging Words

We, male and female, were created in God’s image and immediately blessed by Him. We are equal in God’s sight. Dominionism, complimentarianism, and any other doctrine that elevates a male above a female is a heresy. God’s intention is that all people, regardless of sex or color or nationality are equal in His sight. This is why Christian nationality is also a heresy. If we are followers of Christ then our citizenship, our nationality, is not of any nation or kingdom of this earth. Glory be to God alone!

GOD HAS GIVEN

Genesis 4:25

Again Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Seth, saying, “God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

Encouraging Words

Life is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and many surprises and challenges. God is always there with us, whether we see Him or not. Those times that we do not see Him are so often because our eyes and hearts are focused on the things of this world. The more that we strive to remain close to God, the more we can see His hand at work in our lives. In this continuing story of Adam, Eve, and their sons Cain and Abel, we see God blessing them with a new son to replace Abel who was killed by Cain. It is through this new line that Jesus is someday born. It is the birth of Seth that we see an image of the resurrection of Christ after His death. As we follow Christ and put our trust in Him, we find God’s plans for us. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

THE STATE OF OUR HEART

Genesis 4:7

“Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him.”

Personal Challenge

As I was growing up, I always thought Cain got the raw end of the deal with his offering to God. It was not until I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy that I got the rest of the story. The early church fathers showed in the Scriptures that the problem with Cain’s offering was not in the content but the intent. His heart was not no the spirit of giving a gift to God. It was given begrudgingly, and therefore not acceptable to God. God cares more about the state of our hearts than He does about the content of our offering. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

CHOICES

Genesis 3:11-13

Thus He said, “Who said you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” Then Adam said, “The woman You gave me, gave me of the tree, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Personal Challenge

Is it no wonder that our first instinct, when we are caught doing something that we shouldn’t be doing, is to blame our actions, our choices, on someone or something else? This is what both Adam and Eve did with the first sin of mankind. God knows, as well as we do, that we are solely responsible for our choices. We cannot blame another. This is the beginning of repentance. Admitting, and owning, our indiscretion leads to our forgiveness and healing. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercyl Lord have mercy!

HIDING FROM GOD

Genesis 3:8-10

Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves within the tree in the middle of the garden from the presence of the Lord God. So the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” He replied, “I heard Your voice as You were walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Encouraging Words

This part of the story of Adam and Eve’s response to their sin gives us a glimmer into the nature of God. God is love! Not only does He love us, but He is pure love. Everything He does comes from love. This truth flies in the face of the teachings that God is judgmental. His love always overides everything that the world can throws at us. Back to this story. God knew where Adam and Eve were. He knew what they had done. He still called out to them, giving them a chance to respond, repent, and have their relationship with God restored. He does the same for us. We do not need to hide from Him… ever! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

OPENED EYES

Genesis 3:7

Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Personal Challenge

What happened to Adam and Eve happens to all of us sooner or later. God created Adam and Eve perfectly and even gave them the ability to choose for themselves. He gave them free will. He then told Adam that they had access to everything in the Garden of Eden except one tree. The were not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was it, the only restriction. Yet, they chose to eat the fruit of that tree and their eyes were opened. They were ashamed and hid from God who walked with them in the garden and talked to them regularly. This same thing happens to all the rest of us. We are told that there are things in this world that are not good for us. Sometimes we listen, often times we ignore the advice and check out the fruit. Our eyes are opened and it is not a good sight. Shame sets in and we hide from God. We are blessed that God still loves us so much that He provides a way out of the shame and back into His light. That way is Jesus. Thanks be to God!