Walk Before Me and be Blameless

"Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.'" -Genesis 17.1-2

Thirteen years have passed since Ishmael was born, and at the age of ninety-nine, God appears to Abram again. He declares Himself, as God almighty. He is God, all powerful. There is nothing He cannot do. And reading it just that far, you get the sense that God is about to do something unbelievable. But if we would see the hand of God do incredible things, we must be ready and worthy to watch and receive them.

And so there is an instruction given. Walk before Me, and be blameless. Enoch walked with God, and God took him. Noah was a blameless man, and God rescued him and his family from the flood because of it. And now Abram is commanded to walk before God and be blameless. He is instructed to live his life openly before God, and to live with complete integrity and purity. And as he does this, he will see Almighty God do unimaginable things.

God doesn't do things like this for people who don't live this way. Yes, God is present always, and I believe He works in the lives of people who don't believe in Him in order to open their eyes and hearts to Him. But His greatest works are reserved for the righteous and blameless. Do you want to see what God can really do? Then walk blamelessly before Him.

If we would receive the greatest works, and blessings, from God, we must live in a manner pleasing to Him. It's not that God's love for us increases as we live this way, God loves all of His children the same. But living in a way that pleases God allows us to receive blessings from Him, just as living in obedience to your parents brings their favor.

God is wanting to do unbelievable things in your life, things you can't even imagine. Are you living in a way that allows Him to? Are you walking before Him and being blameless?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Taking Matters into Your Own Hands

"So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him." -Genesis 16.15-16

Genesis 15 gives the account of an incredible moment Abram had with God. God promises him a biological son, and Abram believes God and enters into a right standing relationship with him. Then God seals the covenant with Abram by passing a smoking oven and a flaming torch between the halves of animals. Everything is in place for God to do great things. But we see more time pass, and with it probably some impatience, and maybe even some questioning.

And so Sari, Abram's wife, gives her maid to Abram, and with her, Abram has a son. The only problem is this is not the son of promise. This is the son of a slave, not of a free woman. And countless problems unfold because of this. Such is the case when we take matters into our own hands.

There is no mention of seeking God about this decision in chapter 16. Sari makes a decision, and Abram goes along with it. And today the world is still dealing with the outcome, but we may talk more about his later, so I don't want to get too far into it now.

When God makes a promise, we must never forget it. In the past when God has spoken, Abram built an altar, but it doesn't say anything about that in chapter 15. I doubt Abram forgot what God said, but the more time that passed, he probably began to wonder how and when the promise would be fulfilled. And then one day someone says something, and all of a sudden pieces start to get forced together. And when you force the pieces of a puzzle, it doesn't come out right.

When God makes a promise, we must seek Him about its fulfillment. The moment we begin to take matters into our own hands, trying to fulfill God's promises for Him, we begin to get off track. And the consequences could reach so march farther then we ever imagined. So let's keep our hands off, and let God be God. Let's patiently wait, holding firmly to the promise, and trusting Him to fulfill it in His time, and in His way.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Believe God

"Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." -Genesis 15.6

Abram has been on a journey of faith. He left his home and followed God into the unknown, to a land that God only said, "I will show you." He went to Egypt and passed his wife off as his sister, then came back, separated from his nephew, and then rescued his nephew after he had been captured. And after all of these things God speaks to him in a vision. He promises him a great reward, but then Abram brings up one little problem, he's childless.

God has promised to give the land to his descendants, He's promised to make Abram a great nation, and yet Abram still has no children. And so Abram points out the obvious, saying one of his servants shall be his heir. But then God makes him another promise, perhaps the most specific promise to date. "Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.' And He took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”'And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'" (verses 4-5)

God promises his own son. Abram is old, he was 75 when this journey began. His wife is old too, she was a 65 year old barren woman at the beginning of all of this. But after God makes this promise we see that Abram believed the Lord. He trusted that God would, and could, do what He was promising. He believed that God was telling him the truth. And this brings him into a right standing relationship with God.

What promises has God made? Do you believe Him? What has He spoken to you, that lines up with what you know of Him from Scripture? Do you believe Him? Abram has found God to be trustworthy. He has been on this journey that began with faith, and God has not failed Him, He never does. How have you trusted God in the past? How are you believing God in the present?

If we believe the Lord, it will be reckoned to us as righteousness. It is through faith and trust in God that we are made righteous, so do we trust Him? Do we believe Him? He is always trustworthy. Will we be righteous and believe Him?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Work For it

"Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, "I have made Abram rich."  I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share."  -Genesis 14:22-24

I've debated on writing this section all day.  I have to be careful how I say what I'm about to write.  As I read these verses I kept thinking about how much of my generation is just looking for a handout like this.  So many don't want to work and feel that they are simply entitled to everything.  And on top if that we have a society that allows them to leech off of it.

It drives me crazy.  I'm all for helping people who need help.  I'm all about reaching out to those who cannot do for themselves for one reason or another.  But I am not a supporter of allowing, and empowering laziness.  And as I read this section I see a man who has no intention of taking a handout.

There is no shame in accepting help, something that I need to remind myself of time and again.  But help and handouts are two different things.  But a man works for what he has.  He invests his time and strength, and the reward is so much better because of what he has put into it.  A man doesn't take what he hasn't earned, and doesn't live off of the hard work of others as he sits lazily and gets fat off of their labor.  A man takes pride in the ability, and opportunity, to work hard.  There is something so satisfying about a hard days work.

Take joy in the opportunity you have to work, but don't be to proud as to refuse necessary help when it is offered.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Defend the Defenseless

"When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people." -Genesis 14.14-16

Today gets into a subject that I feel passionately about. Abram's nephew has been taken captive, and so Abram does something about it. He leads his trained men into battle, defeats the enemy, and rescues those who are prisoners. He's a man, his strength is needed, and so he takes action.

I know the gun debate is hot button right now, and will be most of the year. I'll be the first one to say I love the second amendment. When I have a house, my shotgun will be next to my bed so that I can protect my family if someone breaks into my home during the night. I want to get my concealed carry permit so that if I'm in public, say at a mall, and a shooting happens, I have the ability to do something to stop it.

As a husband and father, it is my responsibility to protect my family. God has blessed me with them, and entrusted me with their care and protection. As a man, God has given me strength and courage to protect society. I have the responsibility to do what I can to make the world a safer place. In times of crisis it is my responsibility to act. It is my job to defend the defenseless.

As men, this is our role and responsibility. We have strength to use on behalf of others. Our strength is ours to protect and serve. We don't go looking for a fight, but we're ready when one comes, and we stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. When we have the ability to act, we must.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Build Altars

"The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.' Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord." -Genesis 13.14-18

God speaks, and Abram builds and altar. He marks the spot where God communicated with him and made a promise. He sets a monument up as a marker to what has taken place. What are the altars in your life?

I had a professor in college who built an altar. Every time God did something for his family, they added a stone to it. Maybe that's something you could do. Maybe the altars are places like I've shared, the Chapel, the prayer room, or on a rock ledge over looking the forest.

Where has God spoken to you? Mark the spot, and return to it as needed. May you never forget the promises God has made to you. And may you never lose the spot where the promise was given. Build an altar.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Selfless

"So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.' Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom." -Genesis 13.8-12

Abram and his nephew has grown wealthy. They have great flocks and herds, so great that the land cannot support both of them. Quarrels begin to break out between the herdsmen, and Abram wants to avoid family quarrels. And so he proposes a separation. The land has been promised to him by God, but we see here the selflessness of a man.

He allows Lot to choose. Abram doesn't demand where he could have. He's the elder of the two, Lot is his nephew. This alone gives him seniority in the matter. But on top of that, God has promised the land to Abram, Lot is no where in the picture of the promise. The whole land is Abram's, and yet, we don't see him force his right. Rather he selflessly offers the choice to his nephew.

Humans are naturally and innately selfish, that just the simply truth. We don't have to learn the words "No" or "Mine" they come quite naturally to us when we are children, and they are words we usually never forget. But a real man doesn't demand things go his way.

Marriage has been a great teacher for me in this. When I was single I did what I wanted, went where I wanted, bought what I wanted. Then I got married and all of that changed. Now life is no longer about me, but we. There is another opinion I need to seek. Another person with opinions, passions, and desires that I need to take into account. And as the family grows, it becomes all the more important.

Where are you demanding your way and your rights? What damage is it doing. We'll see shortly the damage it causes Lot and his family. But the way of selflessness leads only to peace and blessings. There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing my wife happy. That is what selflessness accomplishes.

We live one of two ways, selfishly, or selflessly, which way do you choose?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Return

"He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord." -Genesis 13.3-4

After the incident in Egypt Pharaoh sends Abram away. He leaves Egypt and moves back towards the land God has promised him. And finally he comes back to the beginning, to the place where he first pitched his tents. The place where he first built an altar and called on the name of the Lord (Genesis 12.8). He returns to this place, and again calls on the name of the Lord.

Abram goes back to the place where it all began, the place where he first built the altar, and there he seeks the direction of God again. What are the places in your life like that?

When I was in college I had two spots on campus that I would go to and seek God, places where He had spoken to me before, places of significance. One was the Chapel, a large room with gorgeous stained glass windows. I'd go when no one else was there, and I'd find a spot up in the balcony where I could just sit in the darkness, the only light coming through the windows, and be alone with God. I have so many memories of encounters with God in this room, it was natural to seek Him there.

The second was a smaller venue, a little room, maybe 10 x 8, that we used as a prayer room for weeks of constant prayer. I'd spent many hours there reading the Scriptures and crying out to God. He'd spoken to me there and given me guidance. Part of me really misses these places, the "altars" in my life.

Now, to be clear, I don't have to be in either of those places to seek God. I can seek Him anywhere, and every where I encounter Him can be a new "altar". I have a newer one, though it's outside, and inaccessible right now. The only significance to the places is that they are places where God has spoken to me. That is why they built altars, to commemorate God speaking or acting on their behalf.

We need places like this in our lives. Places we can return to and remember what God has spoken to us. Where are your altars? Return to them, and connect with God again. And seek Him where you are now, build new ones.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Self-Preservation

"It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife"; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.'" -Genesis 12.11-13

Here we see one of the classic traits of humanity, that of self-preservation. What is it about life that we cling so desperately to it, even at the expense of others? Here Abram travels to yet another foreign land in order to escape famine in the land God has promised him. But forgetting the promises God has just made him, he fears for his life because his wife was a beautiful woman. And so to save his own skin he asks her to lie, and in that puts her at risk. When we seek to save ourselves, others are put at unnecessary risk.

And yet how many times have we done this as men? In an attempt to save a job, we lie and throw someone else under the bus. In an attempt to save face, we ask someone else to jeopardize their own reputation. We sacrifice morals and values, just to try and save something. We risk more than we have to gain.

Near the end of Kingdom of Heaven Saladin has laid siege to Jerusalem unsuccessfully, and is ready to discuss surrender. The Bishop, Patriarch of Jerusalem, says to Balian, "Convert to Islam... repent later!" He is a coward of a man, who seeks only to preserve his life. Earlier he tries to convince Balian to flee the city with the other nobles, abandoning the people. This is the way of the coward. Self-preservation is a cowardly act.

A man does not seek to save and preserve his own life, as the Bishop, or Abram do. A man chooses as Balian did, to stand in defense of the helpless, no matter the cost to him. He is not afraid of death if it means saving the lives of others. A man puts his own life at risk before the life of anyone else. He takes the risks, and embraces the consequences of his actions and choices.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Promise from God

"The Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him." -Genesis 12.7

Abram left home, and followed God west, until they come to the land of promise. They reach the land of Canaan, and there God says, "This is the place, we're here, but it is not yet time." So Abram builds and altar to mark the spot where God appeared to Him and made the promise.

What promises has God made to you? What things has He laid on your heart that He will accomplish in you and through you? What have you done to mark them?

I've been out of professional ministry for since August 2012, and part of me has wondered if I'll ever get to do it again. I've had times of great doubt and frustration. Part of me has thought about just giving up, and finding something else to do for the next thirty odd years of my life. But part of me just can't let it go.

I still believe God is leading me back into a Church leadership role. I don't know what, when, or where, but I can't escape the prompting and passion of my heart. Again, this is part of my journey into the unknown with God.

As I've struggled with what to do, whether to stay the course, or change directions, I've thought about the "altars" in my life. I've had many people affirm the call on my life, even when I've felt it the least. My Bible has words of wisdom and encouragement written by professors and pastors who have walked with me and guided me. But those words can only take you so far. It comes down to the moments when God has spoken.

What has God spoken to you? What marks the moment? Listen to God, and cling to His promises. Build an altar.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Blessed to be a Blessing

"And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." -Genesis 12.2-3

A few years ago I had a rare opportunity for a protestant minister. I got to deliver a message in a Catholic church. It was part of a community Thanksgiving service, and as the new guy in town, I got the task of speaking. It was a bit of an overwhelming week, but looking back, I'm glad I got to do it, because how many protestants get an opportunity like that?

I used this passage from Genesis. In our world today there is a lot of teaching on what is called the Prosperity Gospel. It's the idea that God blesses us for our comfort and happiness. In a sense, God blesses you for you. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how messed up that point of view is. As clearly see here in Genesis 12, God blesses us so that we can in turn bless others.

God says to Abram, "I will bless you, and in you everyone else will be blessed." Abram isn't blessed for his own comfort and well being, he is blessed so that he can be a blessing. Ultimately this blessing comes in the person of Jesus Christ, who brought salvation for the world. But there is also the call, and the commission, to bless others in any way that we can.

My wife and I have finally gotten to a point in life where we can begin to get on our feet. All part of the journey into the unknown we're on. But as we've gotten to this new position, we started it with a prayer "God, help us to be as generous as we always said we would be."

We've always talked about wanting to help people, but financially we were never in a position to really be able to do much. When you make next to nothing, and from that nothing have to live, and pay off student loans, there isn't much left. To clarify, we did do what we could even then, but now we're at the point where we can do more. And so we want our focus to be, "God help us to bless others with what You have blessed us with."

God doesn't bless us so that we can hoard and stock pile. He blesses us so that we can bless. What has God blessed you with? How can you take that and bless someone else? You have been blessed to be a blessing.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Trust and Follow

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;'... So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him;" -Genesis 12.1, 4a

God says to Abram, "Go, leave all that is familiar and secure, and follow me into the unknown." And Abram does it. Back in Genesis 4 Cain was told to wander. He was sentenced to a life of trust and dependence upon God, and he builds a city instead. But now we see Abram, a man in his mid seventies, being told to pack up and leave everything familiar, and follow a God whom he has never met before. But he does it.

How many of us would go? Abram at least got a heads up that the journey was beginning, sometimes we don't even get that. For almost a year and a half my wife and I have been on a journey into the unknown. Recently we've gotten some insight on how long this journey will last, but we still don't know where we are being led yet. But in the past several months we've learned to trust and follow God.

I think that's really what the beginning of the journey is all about, do you trust God enough to follow Him? I can tell you this much, the ultimate destination is never given to us. I've heard that it's because if we knew at the beginning the full scope of what was in store we wouldn't have the courage to take the first steps. But I think a bigger part of it is that if we knew where we were going, we wouldn't need the same faith and trust to get there.

God says, "Go where I will show you." Not go here to this specific place, but go where I will show you. God is leading us into the unknown. Faith is required with each step, and the journey contains trials we will be ready for when we reach them. But we must be willing to trust and follow, or we'll simply stay at home on the couch, watching others adventure on TV.

I don't want to watch others live, I want to live myself. Recently God has begun to give me some more directions, but it wasn't until I decided to trust Him that He could begin to lead me where we're going. I'm on a journey with God into the unknown. It isn't easy, and it isn't always happy, but I'm excited to see where the road leads.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

To God Alone be the Glory

"They said, 'Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city." -Genesis 11.4-8

Man is always looking for comfort, consistency, and control. And here in Genesis 11 we see an attempt for all three. A city is built so they can stay together, and a tower is built so they can be glorified for their work. They know if they accomplish something big, it won't go unnoticed. They want to advance their kingdom, and attain their glory. But this isn't why we are here.

I have a pastor friend, the wise Sage with many well lived winters I've mentioned before, who has helped me see something. He planted a church that grew to over 2,000 people. They have planted other churches, and sent missions teams around the world. But one thing I've always admired about him is his humility. In the early 2000's they were finally able to build their own building, and they put their corner stone in the center of the entry way. Every weekend as worshipers enter they read the words "To God alone be the Glory".

This is why we are here. This is to be our focus. This must happen. God's Kingdom is the only establishment that will never fall. God is so holy that He must be glorified. And anything that takes the focus away from that will fail. It may be immediate, or it may take decades, but everything not done to build the Kingdom and glorify the King of kings, will not last.

What is your focus? Whose kingdom are you advancing? Whose name are you glorifying? If it is God's, your work will be established. If not, you will be scattered, and your work an incomplete pile of stones.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Mighty Before the Lord

"Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.'" -Genesis 10.8-9

We don't know much about Nimrod. We only see the name in scripture in two other places. But here in these two verses we see some things that hopefully can be said of each of us.

One we see that Nimrod was "a mighty one on the earth." He was strong and powerful. He wasn't normal or average, but exceptional. He stood out, and people knew who he was. When people spoke of him it was with honor and respect. They knew he was mighty, and spoke of him using that word.

But we see something else, he wasn't just mighty, but he lived with a fear and reverence toward God. He lived before the Lord, and people saw this, and spoke of it as well. Nimrod wasn't just physically impressive, but spiritually as well. People respected his power, but also his love of God. It wasn't something he hid out of shame, but allowed others to see it.

Men, we have been made in the image of God, and given strong, mighty hearts. We are powerful, and we are dangerous, made for battle and leadership. And if we use our power for good, we will be respected, loved, and spoken well of. But there is more to life than getting recognition for ourselves. We live to give glory to God.

When people spoke of Nimrod, they spoke of the God he served. He didn't bring shame to the name of God, but honor. He lived as a man before God, and displayed the powerful masculine heart of God. When people saw Nimrod, no one thought God was a weak sissy. And Nimrod showed that weak sissies aren't the only ones who live passionately for God.

You don't have to be a hunter to be mighty. You can be mighty in anything that you do. You don't have to be a rugged outdoors man, to truly be a man. If you live to serve and always strive to better the lives of others, you will be spoken well of. But it is crucial that you live not for your own glory, if you do, you miss the point. Our lives our given to us so that we might give glory to God. Everything we do is to point others to Him.

So may we be mighty men before the Lord in all that we do. May we live to glorify Him, and better the lives of all we meet.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Finish Well

"Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent." -Genesis 9.20-21

I read Genesis 9 this morning, and I've been thinking about this most of the day. And I'm still not 100% where we're going with this yet, so let's see where we end up.

I can actually relate to Noah pretty well with this first part. The man is stuck on a boat for months with nothing to look at outside but water. He had been on land for 600 years, and suddenly it's gone. The family homestead was buried under who knows how much water. And finally when he's back on dry ground, he begins to farm and plants a vineyard. I can imagine how he felt, and how excited he was. I just want a piece of ground to begin working and planting.

I love gardening, getting to enjoy the fruit of your labor. And so I can imagine he took to it with haste and excitement. And there was nothing wrong with it. God created man and place him in a garden to tend and care for it. We've lost the garden, but in many ways we try to recreate what we lost. And I imagine Noah had a nice set up. But then things get a little out of control. He makes wine, nothing wrong there, but then he drinks a little too much and gets plastered, now we have a problem.

In his drunken state, Noah loses control. He uncovers himself in his tent, and his son sees him, which ends up bringing a curse upon him. And this is the last thing we are told about Noah. He got drunk and fell asleep in his tent naked. We have here a lesson we'll see time and again as we journey through the Bible, finish well. The story begins with a righteous and blameless man of great faith. He obeys God, even with the craziest commands. It says that he walked with God, but the last thing we hear about him is this.

And we are told at the end of the chapter, "Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood." (verse 28) We aren't told that he walked with God, but that he lived. Again, we don't know the rest of the details of those 350 years, this is all we get about his life after the flood, but I doubt this is the final thing Noah would have wanted us to know about him.

What about you? What is the last thing you want people to know about you? How do you want to finish and be remembered? Every time I think of Noah, yeah I think about the righteous man who built an ark and was saved, but I think of the drunk, naked guy too. How do you want to finish?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Thank God

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar." -Genesis 8.20

Noah gets off the ark, what would your reaction be? Kissing the ground? Shouting for joy? Getting started on a new place to live? A man who walks with God doesn't forget his priority.

The first thing the Bible tells us Noah does is built an altar to the Lord. He doesn't construct a temporary shelter for the night, but he builds an altar to offer sacrifices to God. The first thing Noah does is thank and praise God for delivering them from the flood, and bringing them out of the ark.

How often do we over look this? If we wait for God to speak, and move when He says go, how easy is it to forget to thank Him? Recently I've caught myself almost forgetting to do this. I've started to get caught up in all the excitement that I've almost forgotten to say thank you to the one who made it happen. May we never forget.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Wait for God to Speak

"Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.' So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him." -Genesis 8.15-18

It rained, it flooded. Noah and his family had a floating zoo. And slowly the water begin to subside. The ark comes to rest on Ararat, and Noah begins to send out birds to see if they can leave the ark. Finally, a dove returns with an olive branch, and the next time doesn't come back at all. And then God speaks. He tells Noah to leave the ark, and that is when Noah leaves.

It must have been hard waiting. I've seen a live production of this story, as well as movies, and in every one of them you see panic. Noah and his sons are worried that they will run out of food for the animals, and even talk about having to kill some of them so that they don't starve. But part of me wonders if that happened. But once they hit dry ground again, I'm sure they were anxious to get out. They've been on this boat for close to a year. They've been with a bunch of animals in a floating barn, and it probably smelled like one. They lived in pretty close quarters so I'm sure at times they got on each other's nerves. But even once they got the sign that there was dry land and plant life on the earth, they waited for God to speak.

How often do we do that? How often do we allow God to dictate the timing? How often do we get an idea, and run with it, before we seek God's input? What if we waited? What would happen if in everything we did, we waited for God to give the ok?

Noah walked with God before the flood, before the crisis, and because of that it made trusting Him that much easier during it. And I believe because of that, he was able to wait on God's timing. Before we act, let's wait for God to say go.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Because of the father

"Then the Lord said to Noah, 'Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.'" -Genesis 7.1

Here we get to look at something interesting that I hadn't thought about until college. We are told that Noah found favor in the eyes of God (Genesis 6.8) And here we are told that Noah alone is righteous before God. We aren't told that his sons were righteous men. The word "alone" used here is the same word used in Genesis 2.18, when God said it is not good for the man to be alone. It shows that he is the only one, that he is completely by himself. And we have the same word used here about Noah's righteousness.

So if his sons aren't righteous men, why does God save them from the flood? My immediate thought is because of their righteous father. As we work through the Bible we'll see over and over the mercy of God upon the righteous, and how it affects others as well. The righteousness of the father, saved the lives of his sons.

Now I have to clarify this, a father's relationship with God will not get his children into heaven. Everyone stands alone on judgment day unless Christ is standing with you. No matter how close of a relationship you have with God, your relationship will not save your children from Hell. You must teach them to love and fear God.

But I believe that God protects the children of a righteous man, because their father is righteous. The Bible tells us that the prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5.16). Again, this doesn't mean that nothing bad will ever happen to your children just because you walk with God and pray for them. They still have free will, as do others, and God allows free will to unfold. But to an extent, I believe God protects the children of a righteous man when he covers them in prayer.

Noah's sons may have loved and served God, but based on the language, I kind of doubt they did before the flood. But yet they are saved from destruction because of their father. God's mercy abounds to the righteous, and it may just save your child's life at some point. Your righteous life affects more than just you, as does the lack of righteousness. Will you choose to be righteous?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Unquestioned Obedience

"Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did." -Genesis 6.22

God said to Noah, "Build an ark, fill it with animals and food, take your family in, because it's going to rain. I'm sending a flood." And it's important to keep in mind that it hadn't rained yet (Genesis 2.5). Think about the faith it took Noah. Build an ark, fill it, it's going to rain. But Noah does it exactly as God commands.

Noah was already different from everyone else. He's righteous and blameless, he walks with God. And because of that, he is able to have a trust and obedience to God that most people can't even imagine. He spends decades working on the ark, gathering food, and collecting animals, because God said a flood is coming. Building the ark was an act of worship. Worship is a trusting, obedient response to the word of God. Noah trusted and obeyed God, and therefore, Noah worshiped.

What is God asking you to do? What "ark" has He asked you to build? How crazy does it sound? What is your response to God? Have you tried to negotiate, and talk your way out of it, hoping to change God's mind? Or have you done according to all that God has commanded? Are you trusting and obeying? Are you worshiping?

To be righteous and blameless, to walk with God, we must worship. In order to worship, we must trust and obey the word of God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Righteous and Blameless

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." -Genesis 6.8-9

Ten generations have passed since the fall and sin and wickedness has grown. It is so bad that God is sorry that He made man. At one point the crown of creation, man made in the image of God, but now they have become so wicked, every intent of their hears being evil, that God is grieved that He made them. He decides to blot them out, and destroy the world. All but one.

We find Noah, who has found favor in the eyes of the Lord, because he was a righteous man, who was blameless, and again we see the phrase, "walked with God." And Noah is going to spared from the wrath that is coming.

Noah was righteous. He had a right standing relationship with God. There was nothing separating him from God. They had intimacy and fellowship together because Noah lived in a way that pleased God and submitted to His sovereign holiness. Noah was also blameless. He was guiltless and innocent. No one could pin anything on his integrity or honor. His character was without blemish among all the men of the world. And both of these are possible because he walked with God.

Are righteous and blameless words that can be used to describe you? Righteousness is simply being forgiven of sin and living in new life from God. If you have received the forgiveness of God and are striving to live like Christ than you are righteous. This one has to come first. You cannot be blameless if you are not righteous. What is said of your character?

I have a friend, a young man who has become like a brother to me, who has felt God calling him into something very big. I've been able to be one of several people to affirm this calling on his life, and I'm very excited to see how God works all of this out. And I'm very excited for the future if all of this unfolds. But this week we had the chance to talk for the first time in months, and I gave him counsel as he prepares for the future.

I told him to live in a way where nothing negative can be said about him. To live so purely, and with so much integrity that nothing can be pinned on him. It is the guidance to be blameless. And both of these are only possible if we walk with God.

We cannot be righteous without God. We live in a fallen world corrupted by sin, so we cannot have a right standing relationship with God if we don't walk with Him. We cannot be blameless and innocent without God cleansing us and giving us new life, and the strength to live like Christ.

Would you be righteous? Walk with God. Would you be blameless? Walk with God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Walk with God

"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." -Genesis 5.24

Genesis 5 is one of those lists of genealogy many people probably skim (if they don't skip it entirely). We have so and so, who lived this many years, and became the father of so and so. Then they lived this long and had other children, and all the days of their life was this many, and then they died. And then we come to Enoch.

"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."

Here we are told the Enoch walked with God. Not that he lived, but walked with God. What if our lives were described like that, not that we lived, but that we walked with God? What if we enjoyed such fellowship, and such intimacy with the Father, that the only way describe our lives was that we walked with God? What would a life like that look like?

We see that it doesn't tell us that Enoch died, but that God took him. God brought Enoch into His presence. His life was unique, the end of it was no different. He no longer walked on earth, but now in the very presence of God. His earthly relationship with God became his heavenly relationship with God. Intimate became more intimate, personal became more personal.

Would we be like Enoch? Would we walk with God?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Call upon the Lord

"Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD." -Genesis 4.26b

If you do the math found in Genesis 5.3-6 we get 235 years from the creation of man to the birth of Enosh, the son of Seth. And we are told that at his birth, men began to call upon the name of the LORD. I don't think we can say that people didn't call on the name of God before this. Clearly we have Cain and Abel presenting offerings to God earlier in Genesis 4, but something happened here that made it worth declaring, "Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD."

We can only guess, but maybe here at this point man began to be very intentional about seeking God. Maybe they had finally started to realize what happened when they didn't, and so they begin to trust and seek Him intentionally. Oh that such a statement would be made of us.

For too long our society has tried to remove God, but at the same time when it's convenient for us we want Him around. Laws are passed to limit what can be said and displayed. We change our wording so as not to offend anyone. But when it comes time to run for office politicians end speeches with "God bless America". Or in times of national tragedy the President turns to the Bible for words to comfort the nation. This attitude isn't good enough for God. What marriage lasts when the husband says, "Honey, you're my wife only when it benefits me."?

God is not satisfied with being called upon only when it's convenient, or as a last resort. He must be first. We must make a change. Let it be said of us that men began to call upon the name of the LORD. Let us intentionally, and fervently call upon God. Let us seek Him first in everything. Let us turn to Him primarily when we need advice and counsel. May we seek God, and glorify God above all else. And when we need Him, He will be there.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Desire for Control

"When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.'... Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden" -Genesis 4.12, 16

God rejects Cain's offering and warns him to master sin. Something happens and Cain ends up killing his brother Abel. Abel's blood cries out to God (interesting thoughts here, maybe another time). God punishes Cain. Cain disobeys. Genesis 4.

After the offerings Cain and Abel are in the field, and Abel is killed, we don't have any details besides these. God asks him where he is and Cain says he doesn't know. And then God hands out punishment. The ground will not produce a harvest for Cain any more, he is to be a wanderer on the earth. He isn't to settle in one place, but to keep moving, a Nomad. Maybe this command was for him to become a keeper of flocks, like Abel had been, and the constant reminder of his brother and his actions are too great for him to bear. But whatever it is, God's command is for Cain to keep moving, to live on the road. Cain is afraid for his life. Living exposed in the world with no house or walls to protect him would be scary. But God promises His protection.

We see here an opportunity to live in complete trust of God. With this command his very existence is dependent upon God. But we see a trait common to so many men, the desire for control and comfort. Instead of wandering in the promise and protection of God, Cain departs from the presence of God and settles in Nod. Then on top of this, he builds a city. Restless wanderers don't settle, and since they don't settle, they don't build cities. But this is exactly what we see Cain do.

I wonder what Cain gave up by disobeying God? He is known infamously all over the world as the first murderer. The only other times we see him mentioned in the Bible are Hebrews 11, 1 John 3, and Jude 1, and they all speak of the murder of Abel. How could God have redeemed Him had he obeyed? What great things could God have done in his life, even after he sinned, that he forfeited by leaving the presence of God and building a city?

How does our desire for control pull us away from God? When we seek to control our lives we show no trust in God's provision. We seek the counsel of man, and lean on our own understandings, without giving God a thought. We are called to live as wanderers, completely dependent upon God, but too many times we choose control and comfort over trust and obedience. What blessings have we forfeited? What miracles have we been unable to witness? What great things have we not gotten to be a part of?

Shortly we'll see another man, called to wander. He obeyed, and through him all the peoples of the earth have been blessed. Oh that we would choose to wander like he did.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Offering Rejected

"Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.'" -Genesis 4.6-7

I've been thinking about this story for the past few days, and I'll be honest, I've started to wonder about it. Why was Cain's offering rejected? I've always heard it explained that Cain knew it was supposed to be an animal offering, but did he? Later in scripture we see that grain offerings are accepted by God. And so why is this one rejected?

Verses 3b-4a tell us that "Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions." There is the added clarification that Abel's offering was from the first, that it was given to God first, before anything was taken for himself. It doesn't tell us that with Cain, and so it could be that Cain gave God his leftovers, making sure his needs were taken care of first and then given some of what was left to God.

Whatever the reason, God rejected it, and then we wee these words, "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?" This implies that Cain did have some knowledge of what was a suitable offering to God, and since his offering is rejected, he clearly didn't bring it. God says "Why are you upset? You know what to do, and yet you aren't doing it."

And then we see this warning, "And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you". Sin is there, encouraging us to do what is not right. It leads us to believe that anything is good enough to give to God, it's the thought that counts after all. It leans us to do what is easy, not what is right. It desires us, and it is never satisfied, so we must master it or we will be consumed. We must master the tendency for ease.

I found a new quote to add to the left side, its fitting for this passage, "Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Speak the truth, always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath." (Kingdom of Heaven) Speak the truth, do no wrong, master sin.

Today, let us give our best to God. Let us give Him the first of our time and energy. May we wake up and praise Him before anything else. And as we do this, we will have our countenance lifted, we will master sin, we will be pleasing to God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Dust to Dust

"By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." -Genesis 3.19

During college I had the opportunity to intern with an awesome youth pastor, he's one of the men I respect most in this world. As the new year began to approach he started talking about doing a service on Ash Wednesday, using ashes. I had never been a part of anything like this before, but as I had taken a class on Church History I began to understand the significance of the liturgical year.

Yes, I know it's January, but this is where the Bible has us today. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter. In that time people give something up, a fast, in order to prepare themselves to focus more fully on God, in preparation for the celebration of Easter. That year was my junior year, and prior to youth group that night a friend and I went to an Ash Wednesday service at noon that day, just checking it out. We went forward to have ashes placed on our foreheads, and as the priest made a cross with them he said these words, "Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust."

The meaning is incredible. As you enter into this time of sacrifice to prepare to celebrate the resurrection, go into with the reminder that you are dust. Humility is the key here. What are we really? In Genesis 2, we see that God forms man from the dust of the earth, and gives him life by breathing into him the breath of life. Man is dust, and one day, when he is no longer able to say the name of God, to dust he will return.

As we go through life let us keep this fact in mind. How insignificant are we really? Dust is something we sweep up and throw out, and that is what we are made of. Apart from God, all we are good for is being thrown out. But in this we also see the incredible love of God. He cared enough to form man from dust and give him life. And then, after man brought a curse on all of creation, God still loved him enough to redeem him. And man has the audacity to blame God for anything?

As we go through our lives let us remember who we are. Let us live with humility, knowing that one day, no matter the wealth or success we accumulated, we shall return to dust. So let us take the time we have and make the most of it. As William Wallace said, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives." Let us live our lives fully alive, to the glory of God. Dust to dust, with a lot of glorification in between, which leads to eternal glorification of the Father.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Passing the Blame

"The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.'" -Genesis 3.12

Adam messed up. He failed to act, and failed to play the man. And now it's time to face the consequences. First he hides from God, and then when God asks him a direct question he throws his wife under the bus. "Did you eat?" "She made me do it!" Since the beginning men have found themselves in the position of inaction. And shortly there after, we find ourselves in the situation of not owning up to our mistakes.

Why? Is it an attempt to try and preserve some sort of tainted sense of our own innocence? Is it out of embarrassment because we know we messed up? Are we trying to have ourselves overlooked in the judgment? Yes. A man who has failed doesn't want everyone else to find out about it. That's actually one of the biggest fears of all men, to be found out as a fraud. And so they do whatever they can to avoid that, and protect a false image.

Guys, part of being a man is owning up to our mistakes and failures. A man doesn't let his wife take the blame for his failures. Remember, Adam was right there watching everything unfold, and he did nothing. And now to make it worse, he blames the woman. When we fail at protecting and leading, we can't blame others for not following. You can't follow where no one will lead you.

And we also have to make sure that we don't blame God. Look at that verse again. "The woman whom You gave to be with me," so now this is partly God's fault. How often do we do this? I know I have blamed God for how things have turned out. The past year has involved a lot of that. But really, who am I to blame God? What right do I have to point the finger at Him and say "This is Your fault!" No matter how slight or indirect the jab might be, it's still there, and it does nothing for our growth or honor.

Men, let's own up. We're not perfect, and we're not going to be. And trying to make it seem like we are only makes things worse. Owning a mistake does more for our integrity than lying and covering one up ever will.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Failure to Act

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." -Genesis 3.6

And now we come to root of the problem. Up until this moment everything was perfect. Up until this moment everything functioned exactly as it was supposed to. Every relationship existed in perfect harmony. It was paradise. And a man screwed it all up.

For a long time I blamed woman for bringing sin into the world, and then I read Genesis 3.6 again, and noticed two words that changed everything, "with her". Adam was right there watching the whole thing happen. He heard everything the serpent said. He listened as the woman (she isn't named Eve until the end of chapter 3), misquoted God's command. And he just stands there silently letting it all happen. He doesn't speak up. He doesn't lead her away from the tree. He lets her fend for herself, pick some fruit, eat it, and then he follows her lead. Adam failed to play the man. He failed to lead his wife. He allowed her to take the position of leadership, and all of creation is cursed with sin because of it.

How often have we been guilty of the sin of silence and actionlessness? How many times have we watched injustice or dishonesty seize a foothold, while we slid into the shadows? How many times have we held our tongues when someone's character is assassinated in our presence? How much harm have we allowed because we have failed to act?

Men, this is a tendency that has been around since the first one of us walked the earth, and we've all inherited it. But we have to break the cycle. It's easy to do what he did. It's easy to hold keep still and silent. But it takes a man, a warrior, to act. It takes a man to silence the snake, and lead others into truth. Silence brings death, but action leads to life, and that is what men of God fight for.

Let us work to break the sin of inaction. Let us take a stand, digging in our heals, and refusing to let the enemy advance another step. Let us silence gossip. Let us stand up for the oppressed. Let us fight for truth.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Made for Relationships

"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" -Genesis 2.18

I love words, and over time my favorite word changes. Most recently my favorite word was "recluse". I'm an introverted individual, I can handle people and crowds in small amounts or infrequently, but afterwards I need solitary time to recoup. And if I'm honest, part of me really loves the idea of getting a piece of ground in the middle of the wilderness and starting a homestead, away from just about everyone else. My wife would be coming of course, and I'd do my best to try and get a couple of my closest guy friends to come along and homestead with me.

The introvert in me loves the idea, but knowing that at least two of my closest guy friends would never go homesteading makes me reconsider. And then there is this verse from Genesis, "It is not good for the man to be alone". When God said this Adam was the only man on earth. He alone bears the full image of God. And while he has the companionship of every animal, including man's best friend, it wasn't enough. God, who exists in community and relationship, made us to live that way as well.

And so God makes the man fall into a deep sleep, and removes the female characteristics of God from Adam, and forms a woman. The man is joined to his wife and they become one. The relationship of a man and woman in marriage shows the full heart of God with both the masculine and feminine natures of God's image. But as any married man knows, you need relationships outside of your marriage.

I love my wife more than anyone else in the world, but there are times when I just need to be around other guys. We weren't made to do this alone; we were made for masculine fellowship. No man was meant to be a permanent recluse. Yes, there are times we need to be alone and focus on our most crucial relationship, man with his Creator, but we aren't meant to stay solitary. God Himself said, "It is not good for the man to be alone", and since God makes good things, He makes a woman, and in the woman comes offspring, others to have relationships with.

We were made for relationships, don't ignore them, don't neglect them. Embrace them, invest in them.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Breath of Life

"Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." -Genesis 2.7

The more I think about this, the more it amazes me. God forms man from the dust of the ground, and then breathes into him the breath of life. Then, and only then, does man become a living being. I'm not the first one to share this thought, but the name of God is the sound of our breathing. Our lives depend on us being able to praise God, and speak His name.

The ancient Rabbis believed that the name of God was unspeakable because it was literally the sound of breathing. Every breath we take declares the name of our creator. For a baby to start to live, it must begin to say the name of God, and when we can no longer say the name of God we die. God is the source of life, and apart from Him life cannot exist.

Every breath we take declares the name of God, whether we know it or not. Whether we believe it or not. Whether we live like it or not. Every breath we take is fully dependent upon God. And every breath whispers His name. Man has a unique privilege, we were formed by God in His own image, and the Bible only tells us that God breathed the breath of life into man. We are to mirror Him, and proclaim Him, to all of creation. What does your life show?

Every breath declares God, but does your life mirror Him? Does your life reflect and glorify the one who gave it to you?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Authority and Goodness

"Then God said... and it was so... and God saw that it was good."

Over and over in Genesis 1 we see these phrases. Something isn't right, God sees it, fixes it, and makes it good. This is how God works. He brings chaos to order, death to life, darkness to light. Everything He touches is made better, and it is made good. God does nothing half way, and man is made in the image of God.

We have been placed over creation to care for it, God has given us authority over the world He has made. It has been given to us to hold in trust and present to Him one day, and I don't think we've done a very good job. We've made a mess of things, and screwed a lot up. We've taken order and brought it to chaos. We've taken what was good, and corrupted it.

As men, God has given us authority so that we can work to improve and make things better. We need to see what is wrong, and work to fix it, so that it can be good. We need to bring light to the darkness.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

In the image of God

"Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them." -Genesis 1.26-27

Here's where it all begins, with God in the beginning. God who is all powerful, perfectly holy, makes man in His own image. Man was created intentionally, and for a purpose. We aren't an accident put here to struggle through life looking for meaning. We were purposely made.

We were put on earth to rule over it, not in tyrannical domination, but in working to continue to make it better. This is how God works. Every day of creation He adds to the wonder of the previous day. It begins with nothing but formless chaos, and ends with a universe full of wonders we can't imagine, and a planet full of life and beauty. Life and beauty man was placed here to watch over and protect.

We have been entrusted with a great responsibility, and an incredible privilege. And in the beginning it was perfect. God made us, we knew it, and we lived with purpose. Today, so much attacks us, so much demands out attention, it's easy to get distracted and forget. But this is where it all begins, this is the first message we see. God created man in His own image, to watch over His creation.

You, are not an accident, you are not a mistake. God made you in His image. You are not a waste of space. You have a purpose.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor