What God Had in Mind
You were not meant to have an unsatisfying life of stress, anxiety, overwhelming challenges, or, lack of love. That is not what God had in mind for you. How do we know that? Because God Himself tells us…
In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. Gn. 1:1 AMP
God continued by creating (in sequence) land masses, plants, marine life, birds and land animals (Gn. 1:6 – 25). During that process, Jehovah tells us that everything He generated was good.
What is God doing here? He is creating a universe for you. Then, He began fine-tuning it, to give you an optimum environment. God stabilized the orbit of the earth, making it unusually circular, so the climate would be moderate.
He isolated the earth in a relatively remote part of our galaxy, so that we would not suffer catastrophic harm from comets, asteroids, black holes, etc.
God also tilted the axis of the earth with respect to the sun, so that we would have seasons; and placed the sun and the earth at an optimum distance from each other, so that we would not burn or freeze. He gave us a moon to slow the earth’s rotation, so that we would not suffer from continual hurricane winds. Jehovah also shrouded our planet with the Van Allen Radiation Belt, to shield us from harmful gamma rays.
Our Creator then altered plant and animal life until it suited you perfectly for sustenance.
Why? Because He loves you – even before you took your first breath:
We love, because He first loved us. 1 Jn. 4:19 AMP
Jehovah created you last – not because you were an afterthought, but because you were the crown of God’s creation:
Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth”…male and female He created them. Gn. 1:26, 27. AMP
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]…” Gn. 1:28 AMP
Perfect, peaceful and self-sustaining was this paradise, this Garden of Eden, where God lovingly planted them (Gn. 2:15).
So, who was this ‘Adam?’ He (and Eve) were created in Divine love. He was fashioned as a man who instantly knew that love, and willingly obeyed the Source of it. Adam was meant to be a ‘son of God’ – living in complete harmony with his Creator. In fact, Adam’s sole source of love, intelligence and wisdom was God Himself. Adam saw the world through his Father’s eyes.
Adam was god-like, swimming in the very thoughts of God. He was immortal and possessed the world and all that was in it. God created Eve to be the same. Both were intended to live together, forever, in bliss and in direct communion with Jehovah God.
Adam and Eve were you. It’s what God had in mind…
Goodnight and God bless.
First Step Toward Being Cherished by God
The reality is that God cherishes everyone. However, most of the people living in this world aren’t interested in God’s love, or, they think His love is unavailable – because they believe that they are bad people or have done unforgivable things. Others believe that they must earn love, or worse, that God is an unfair and unloving God.
It isn’t that God does not love and cherish them, it is that they don’t know how to position themselves to receive His love.
Perhaps you might see yourself in one or more of these categories, which leaves you unconnected to Jehovah God. He loves you with an eternal unconditional love. The only time you are not connected to that love is when you build a barrier between your heart and His.
During our journey to being cherished by God, (towards living the highest and best life, which is a life filled with God’s presence and where we are doing His will), we will find out just how we have constructed our opinions and beliefs and how we built our lives around them.
Once we know how we are ‘being’ presently, we can correct our misguided thinking to be in alignment with God’s will, by seeking His help. We can’t do it without Him. God wants to cherish you:
For no one has ever hated his own body, but [instead] he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church… Eph. 5:29 AMP
Christ is the expression of God’s love. He does what His Father does; and if you get a relationship with them, you are a part of the ‘church.’
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rm. 8:38, 39. CSB
So, we can see that we are not only cherished, but that nothing can keep that love from us except ourselves. Our goal is to relate with God and to become His child – which we will achieve by learning to get out of our own way! Only then can we live the life that He has waiting for us.
Now, we have a reachable target, because God is going to get involved, and there is nothing that He cannot achieve with a person who is willing to seek Him out. You must have a relationship with God, (who is the Author of relationship), before you can be successful in earthly relationships.
When we are guided by the word of God, we can’t miss. And so, our first step towards being cherished by God, is to lay down a little foundational work to bolster our faith in those words…
Everyone would want to connect with God if they realized how much He loves them. But as we saw, we must build a relationship first, to be able to do so. Providentially, God made it easy to know Him (He already knows us). God left us a love letter that we know as the Bible.
As we examine God’s word, we will see how our Creator thinks, feels, and know the nature of His plan for us, and how much He loves us. The truth in it is plain to see; after all, it was written for ancient sheepherders. It was written to be understood – authored for us to gain an intimate relationship with Him so that our joy may be complete.
I stand on a preamble that states that the Bible is the inerrant word of God – all 66 of the ‘books’ contained within it. I offer the following proofs:
1. The Bible was written over a 1500-year period, in 3 separate languages, on 3 different continents, by 40 different Holy Spirit-inspired authors from all walks of life. Yet, it displays an incredible thematic continuity without contradiction. In fact, the books within the Bible explain each other. The theme of the Bible covers the beginning of all things and progressively describes their ultimate end.
2. The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls proved that the Old Testament has warded off corruption for thousands of years. Moreover, the Bible has withstood over 2600 years of worldly assault, yet the truth of God persists.
3. The historical accuracy of the Bible has been proven archeologically – supported by a plethora of historical extra-biblical manuscripts, more so than any other book.
4. Biblical scripture is the only holy scripture containing prophetic glimpses of the future that came to pass, e.g. every Old Testament prediction of Christ’s coming and His nature was fulfilled.
5. The word of God connects us to Him, which has inspired people to make the Bible the most translated and best-selling book in history.
6. The word of God transcends that natural ways of humankind – revealing all our spiritual, relational, and moral needs. When applied, we are changed for the better.
7. Many scientific facts are revealed in the scriptures, centuries before their human discovery.
8. While we do not have an original manuscript for the New Testament, there were thousands of letters circulated by the early church fathers, that when assembled, present a 99.9% accuracy with regards to the content of the New Testament.
9. Lastly, the New Testament was canonized in 393 A.D. This was not about creating new content but was an indexing of pre-verified Holy Spirit-inspired writings. Furthermore, the Bible declares itself as complete; and God Himself prohibits altering it.
In order to have the Bible be effective in your life, you must visit it daily:
The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. Josh. 1:8 AMP
In fact, it is an imperative from God:
Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; but happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. Pr. 29:18
Reading the Bible teaches you how to talk to God, brings you closer to Him, and makes for greater efficacy in your prayers.
It is your rock:
“…you know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.” Josh. 23:14 NASB
“…The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 2 Sam. 22:31 NASB
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Is. 40:8 NASB
“Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Mt. 4:4 CSB
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:17 NASB
…as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith]. 1 Thess. 2:13 AMP
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit…and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12 NASB
Yes, God is your rock, found in His word – your strong foundation, where you meet your Creator, who cherishes you…
Goodnight and God bless.
Balancing God Time
There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—
A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; a time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; a time to keep silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Eccl. 3:1 – 8. AMP
With the new year looming imminently around the corner, I thought we might consider the passage of time…
God is omniscient, knowing all things, in all time-frames simultaneously. He is also eternal, outside of time.
Jehovah cannot be measured; He is everywhere, even outside of space.
It has been said that God gave us ‘time’ so that everything wouldn’t happen at once with regards to our human viewpoint and gave us ‘space’ so that everything wouldn’t happen in the same place.
God created time and space the moment that He said, “Let there be light…” Gn. 1:3 NKJV
And He controls it:
“Remember [carefully] the former things [which I did] from ages past; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will do all that pleases Me and fulfills My purpose.” Is. 46:9, 10. AMP
So, time, on the surface, is a good thing. However, while we live on this earth, our flesh is prisoner to its finite quantity:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Jas. 4:13, 14. CSB
The fleetingness of time makes it precious.
Let us consider the moments that have passed. Clearly, from Isaiah above, we are to remember what God did in the past – both to give Him glory and to bolster our faith. However, we can become trapped in our past (which we cannot change), if we allow our focus to wallow in it.
The devil loves it when you do that. Why? Because when you focus on yourself, you are separating yourself from God and hemorrhaging your faith.
Why would you obsess about your past? It always begins in childhood. Some event occurred where you made it mean something that it didn’t – where you take on a belief that either that you are ‘not good enough’ or ‘unlovable.’ This self-judgment lies at the root of every problem that you have. Add to that some of the unconscious parenting that you’ve been subjected to, (variations of the same as what they were put through), as well as being exposed to other troubled kids, and governmental schooling (with many agendas – just like the media), and the damage is done.
Almost everyone believes that they are sullied in some way; and they keep reliving their past in their heads, to prove its veracity:
For as he thinks within himself, so is he. Pr. 23:7 NASB
As a result, you are frozen in time, missing out on the only moments that matter – those that occur in present time. You are the author of your own vexation – filled with anxiety, fear, inappropriate anger, obsession with your self-image, and you lose your ability to effectively communicate. Thus, you have no meaningful relationships.
What a mess! We have to leave the past in the past, and look to God for our healing:
And He will be the security and stability of your times, a treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear (reverence) of the LORD is your treasure. Is. 33:6 AMP
“Because he who blesses himself on the earth will bless himself by the God of truth and faithfulness; and he who swears [an oath] on the earth will swear by the God of truth and faithfulness; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My sight.
Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things [of life] will not be remembered or come to mind.” Is. 65:16, 17. AMP
“For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.” Jer. 31:34 CSB
If God has taken on amnesia with regards to your past, your slate has been wiped clean. Let up on yourself and embrace His forgiveness…
What about the future?
“It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” Acts 1:7 CSB
For man also does not know his time [of death]… Eccl. 9:12 AMP
“…the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Mt. 24:44 CSB
So, we don’t know what will happen in the future, how long we will occupy this earth, or, when Christ will return. Thus, we need too drop obsessing about that as well.
However, we can fill ourselves with a guaranteed hope about God’s future for us:
The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] from this time forth and forever. Ps. 121:7, 8. AMP
…put your hope in the LORD, both now and forever. Ps. 131:3 CSB
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Pt. 1:3 – 6. NASB
And we know that the eternal future is where He wants us:
He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]… Eccl. 3:11 AMP
Okay, God’s got our future handled. We can be at peace when we stay by Him.
What does that leave us with? THE PRESENT MOMENT! That’s the only place where life happens. You can’t experience life in the past because it’s already gone, and you can’t foretell the future because it hasn’t happened yet.
The present is all we’ve got, and we need to be prepared for it, because we are here to use it to advance God’s kingdom:
“And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NASB
God equips us all for our part to play.
In addition, Jehovah tells us how to get the most from our precious present movements:
His ways prosper at all times… Ps. 10:5 NASB
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Ps. 34:1 NASB
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us. Ps. 62:8 NASB
Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart. Lk. 18:1 AMP
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Eph. 6:18 CSB
…for it is written, Be holy because I am holy. If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers. For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers… 1 Pt. 16 – 18. CSB
Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service]… 1 Pt. 5:6 AMP
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.” Jn. 15:16, 17. NASB
So, if we put serving our God first, walking in His ways, keeping in continual prayerful contact, living humbly and loving bountifully, and sharing the Good News, God will give us the best of present moments for our stay here, and an unimaginable eternity to come…
For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Rm. 8:18 NASB
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. Heb. 9;27, 28. NASB
When we can discard the phantom ends of the plank we walk, that is, the past and the future, we can live in an exalted balance within our God time.
Amen.
Goodnight and God bless.