Genesis 5

...Another example of a Toledoth; that is family tree/generations...
I love this section, because it brings out the heavy hitters in regards to how long people once lived... For example; Adam lived to be 930! If I were Adam and then was now... well, I'd have a lot of birthday cards and I would have to have the fire department to come over - just in case - in regards to my birthday cake! *smile*

Among all these people who lived into their late 800's and 900's, two individuals stick out to me... 1) Enoch - He lived to be 365, he did not die but rather "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. " (verse 24)
In only a few instances in the Bible, did someone not die, but rather they were taken away by God... I don't know what to make of it, but I find it to be interesting that some people walked close enough to God and they didn't die, because God called them home without death being the way...
2) Methuselah - I like Methuselah because he was the oldest person who ever lived - "Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died." (verse 27) - So you have someone who never died, but was taken away by God and someone who lived to be 969...wowie!

Not only were people living longer, but they were becoming parents at a later age... this kind of creeps me out (in today's context), a 500 year old having kids? (This being Noah) gross! or at least in today's context...

I could present some sound reasons into why they lived so long, which are probably true, yet I rather say this... God is an amazing God; He allows things to have a time of existance, but then it is taken away... I don't need to live to be 900 or so, I just am thankful for the time he has given me... *smile*

[n][v]

Matthew 4

Jesus is someone who while as a fully man AND fully God, never had much alone time- alone with his Father time... Jesus was called by the spirit to go on a retreat/fast of sorts, *insert dramatic music* Satan took this moment to try to tempt Jesus into submitting to him, instead of God. The most common way in which Satan throws the gauntlet into Jesus' way is by saying 'do this' (part 1) and then backing it up with Bible verses! I won't call it clever, but it is a reminder that even Satan knows what the Bible says, in the same way, people can speak about the Bible on end, but only possess head knowledge instead of heart knowledge... It is quite the process of shifting the head to the heart.

Jesus also throws back Bible verses in Satan's face... I imagine Satan sneering and wondering Why didn't I think of that one? When all is said and done, Jesus is aided by angels... This is the event that occured before he started his ministry.

Jesus goes out to make disciples, He doesn't go for the popular, He doesn't go for the rich, He settles for the ordinary; smelly fisherman... In all cases, God calls the ordinary to do the extraordinary.
With the disciples, Jesus makes his way around the people; Teaching them, preaching the good news and healing... He didn't come to them to teach/preach the 'do's and don't's' of being a follower... He came in and reached them at ground level.

In the same way, we should make our lifestyle our ministry and our ministry our lifestyle... So people may never pick up a Bible and read it and understand it, but for those people, we should be a "living Bible". That is, Live out what we know as followers of Christ, and let that be the Bible that they read and understand.


Going on by God's strength alone,

Genesis 4

Genesis 4...In which 1/4th of the entire human race gets murdered!
Cain is a man of the ground, he works with his hands and grows vegetables... Abel is a shepherd, who tends to his flock... Both are valued jobs, but when it comes to giving God what is his, Abel gives the best of the best, Cain gives God his second best- This displeases God, because God wants our best, God deserves our best!

Realizing that God has not accepted the secondhandedness of Cain's labour, He gets angry at his brother Abel... God makes it clear to Cain what he should have done, as mentioned in verses 6 & 7 - "Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Cain hears what God has to say, but sin has already seeped in and poisoned him...

Cain lures his brother away and then...he kills him! When God meets up with Cain again, God asks him where his brother is... Cain covers it up and states that he is not responsible for what his brother does or where his brother is... Yet God knows all and tells him of it and God curses him and informs him he will no longer be able to be successful...He is now a marked man.
Cain questions God if this means that people will try to kill him, God says that a heavier penalty will take place if Cain is killed... So even though he is a marked man, God will give him security from those who would normally try to kill him.

Cain is blessed...but not directly; his decendents go on to become instrument makers and metal lurgists... All the while Adam and Eve are having more kids, and as the chapter ends it is made clear that "At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD."

I think this is suggesting that life is finally getting harder: Life was hard due to the sins of Adam and Eve, but now murder (of another human) has added to what a human can do...Because of sin.
That is what disturbs me a lot in regards to sin (among other things), the things we say we wouldn't do, we possess the capability to do so... Murder, Anarchy, Self-Immolation, etc.
Thankfully...Thankfully God provided a way out!

Going on by God's strength alone,

Matthew 3

The old meets the new... John and Jesus, The Prophet and the Son of God... John prepared the way for the Messiah; He told people that the Messiah was coming and he was also the one who announced that he was here. John was the one who passed on the baton to Jesus (metaphorically) in which ALL THE PROPHECIES IN REGARDS TO JESUS' COMING WERE CARRIED OUT TO FRUITION.

John is the cousin of Jesus, he is the one who leaped in his mother's womb when Mary came to stay with Elizabeth for a while. John is the one who baptizes Jesus as well... Yet during the baptism of water, Jesus gets baptized by the spirit and God announces why and who Jesus is: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
I think this last part is necessary on God's part... Affirmation from GOD the Father to GOD the Son, to announce to those who were there, the reasons why his son was there... Jesus was deemed heretical however, because who makes the claim of being GOD and lives? *mindset of some people in the New Testament*
Jesus was acknowledged by his Father... Affirmation is a very powerful gift.

Going on by God's strength alone,

Genesis 3

"...Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made" (Genesis 3:1) - Yes...the chapter in which sin enters the scene... In their realization in regards to what they did, they realized they were naked; not necessarily in regards to being without clothes, but they were vulnerable- to each other and to themselves... I find this part of Genesis 3:8 to be full of awe; "God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day" - God...walking! By this, he was present in the flesh with Adam and Eve, he walked with them, he talked to them... He was present and accounted for!
God proceeds to go looking for Adam and Eve and he calls out "where are you?" (verse 8) - They (Adam and Eve) try to hide... but regardless of where you hide, God knows where you are and so...they are found out by God. As they admit to eating from from the forbidden food tree they pass the buck...a lot! It was the woman's fault, it was the serpent's fault, etc.

Because of what they did, God tells them of what will happen; simply put...life is made worse because of sin. "In Adam's fall, we sinned all" - The sin of Adam and Eve is genetic; it has been passed on to every generation and no one is exempt! Thankfully, God provided a way out, by way of Jesus...*smile*

Going on by God's strength alone,