December 5, 2010

 Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 

 Life....A New Beginning? 

Genesis

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness.  And the spirit of God was hovering over its surface.  Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  And God saw that it was good.  Then he separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light "day" and the darkness "night."  Together these made up one day.

And God said, "Let ther be space between the waters, to separate water from water."  And so it was.  God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below.  And God called the space "sky."  This happened on the second day.

And God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear."  And so it was.  God named the dry ground "land" and the water "seas."  And God saw that it was good.  Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant.  And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit.  The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came."  And so it was.  The land filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind.  And God saw that it was good.  This all happened on the third day.

And God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night.  They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years.  Let their light shine down upon the earth."  And so it was.  For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth.  The greater one, the sun presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night.  He also made the stars.  God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.  And God saw that it was good.  This all happened on the fourth day.

And God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life.  Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind."  So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird.  And God saw that it was good.  Then God blessed them, saying, "Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans.  Let the birds increase and fill the earth."  That all happened on the fifth day.

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal--livestock, small animals, and wildlife."  And so it was.  God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind.  And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make people in our image to be like ourselves.  They will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals and small animals.

So God created people in his own image;God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.  Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animlas."  And God said, "Look!  I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.  And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was.  Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.  This all happened on the sixth day.   

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.  On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work.  And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. 

This is the account of the creation of the heavens and earth.

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Thoughts.....

Greetings!  I just deleted all the study I typed last week and it reminds me of a childhood joke.  It goes something like this:  I say, "Knock knock."  And you say, "Who's there?"  I say, "Banana."  You say, "Banana who?  And I say, "Banana" again.  And you say, "Banana who?"  And I say, "Orange".  Then you say, "Orange who?!"  And I say, "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"  I am guessing you are really grateful...thankful that the study for thanks and it's derivatives is over.  Just to be over all the typing is great for me.  Studying each of the scriptures and doing the task was daunting, but what a blessing!  At least I hope you were as blessed as I was.  If you haven't had time to count your blessings, those people and things in your life for which you might be thankful, please consider going into the archives for review and to be blessed by what you learn about yourself and others around you.  

Today and throughout this month, I will go back to the regular format of sorts, providing scripture and expounding upon it.  I thought we could look at life in its different forms.  You'll see the pattern develop as we go on.  This week I am starting at the beginning....this is not a Julie Andrews 'Sound of Music' moment.  This is the real thing.

So, in looking at the scriptures in Genesis you might say, "Ya, well, I know all this."  Do you?  What else do you know?  Do you know what you have done FOR HIM in the last few minutes?  The last day?  This last week?  Have you done anything...for HIM?  Are you grateful for all he has done for you?  Gulp?  Okay, then, let's get started.

Note in verse 2, it says the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. He hovers still today.  Look around you.  Look within you. 

How is your life impacted by the following:  the earth, the heavens, light, darkness, water, sky, ground, seas?  What about grasses and seed-bearing plants and trees that grow fruit?  Seasons, days, years?  The sun and the moon?  Stars?  Fish and other water life?  Birds?  Animals, livestock, small animals and wildlife?  People...male and female?  Don't just gloss over what I've written.  Take a minute to look at each word and consider who you would be and how you would function without the above. 

Would you exist without God?  Where would you live, if there were no earth?  Would you live at all?  Would you have a life?  What role do the heavens play?  Could you live in an area, or maybe you already do, where it is dark part of the year all day long and light the rest of the year?  I could not live that way....applause to those who can.  I enjoy sleeping in the dark and waking in the light.  I am not very functional, if I have to get up before the sun.

What about water?  How much does water impact your life?  It's in everything.  How would you be clean?  I enjoy walking the earth and living on it....enjoying all God has to offer for scenery....a rich blue sky.  I'm not much for seas.  The bathtub is deep enough for me...and I am not a fish eater.  Grasses....grains....love them.  Stand back...don't get in the way....if I am fixing homemade buckwheat pancakes....a seed bearing plant.  Sure wish Quaker Oats still made Aunt Jemima Buckwheat Pancake Mix.  If everyone reading this would call and make a fuss...maybe they would bring them back...hang on...let me give you that number...1-800-407-2247.  Thanks!  Where would the world be if some of the 'greats' were cancelled?  Oatmeal, baked beans, Kelloggs Bran Flakes, Kashi 0 gram cereal, corn, rice, tomatoes, grapes....the list goes on.  Band together...bring back Buckwheat pancakes!

How would you live if you didn't have seasons?  Farmers need seasons.  We need farmers.  If we didn't have days, would we just work forever?  How would we age if we didn't have years.....would we?  Love the brilliance of the sun...the life it gives, and the peace in the darkness of the moon.  Have you ever wished upon a star or kissed a loved one under them? 

Have you had pets?  I could not have lived, nor would I ever want to, without the love from the children, most call pets, that God has given me.  Watched a bird fly...an eagle soar?  Enjoyed watching the deer and the antelope play?  Glad for a mother and a father?  Brothers and sisters?  Male and female?               

Do you feel blessed?  Verse 28.  Are you a vegetarian?  God ordained it.  Verse 1:29.  Are you excellent in every way?  1:31. Got me on this one.  I may have been made excellent, but I do not live an excellent life for him.  There are so many ways, so many days that I am not doing all I can for God.  I can do so much better.  Can you? 

Is the seventh day blessed and holy for you?  Whatever you count as the seventh day?  HE rested from his work of creation on the 7th day.  Verses 2: 2-3.   Do you rest, or do you worship and thank God for all he has given you and done for you on the 7th day? 

Maybe it's time to consider your life.  It could be the beginning to a new one with him.  Today, think about what your life has been like.  Then think about what you would like it to be like....what HE would like it to be like.  Is it one and the same?  Do you dream?  Do you build foundations under your dreams?  What is important to you?  How do you measure success?  Is it through God's eyes or worldly achievements?  Can you measure the love from your heart?  Do you give?  Give to God this season.  Call upon his name to learn how you can best serve him.  Ask him into your life today, if you have not.  Surely you can find him worthy based on the above scriptures, if nothing else.  He so wants you to have an excellent life.  Not just in what you receive, but in what you give....back.  To show your gratitude....to him....for all he has done for you.  The world is round.  He loves you so.....receive him today.   Life....a new beginning....is yours, if you just start the journey.     

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Let Us Pray

God, I am astounded at all you accomplished in 7 days.  And how glad I am that you are you.  I am so grateful to  you for all you have done for me and given me.  I want to have a new life and I want you to be the head of it and design it for me.  Oh, you already have designed it?  Well then, I guess I better read your new testament, your word, on how to live my life.  I need to find out more about you and Jesus, the Savior of the world, your son.  I know that the Old Testament in the Bible is history and foundation to show me why the New Testament...Jesus' coming...is so very important.  This year, right now, is the time.  You've brought this to my attention and to ignore you would be foolish.  So I am going to dedicate this month to learning more about you and the reason for the season....Jesus.  I thank you, God, for giving me and my loved ones life.  I thank you, Jesus, for giving me and my loved ones the opportunity to have life everlasting.  Please show me how I can live this new life with you and what it can mean to you, me, and those around me.  I am humbled.  Considering everything above, and what I've learned this last month, shows me how much and how deeply grateful I am or should be to you.  Raise me and my loved ones up on eagles wings....hold us in the palm of your hand.  And don't ever let us go.  I love you....they love you.  Embrace us.  Carry us.  And see us all home, Lord God....see us all home.   Amen.        

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More love.... 

  Benediction...Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'.

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation. 

It is not how we worship, but that we worship!   

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If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regulary to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:19-20 NLT

 to

 "Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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  Our Current Cause

It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member of, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart. 

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and God's....and may God richly bless you!   

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Trinity Missions

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Church of the Holy Spirit

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If you have any questions, we can be reached at:

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As we grow, you will have options for allocating your gifts.

In the meantime, we hope you will trust us to direct them to where the need is the greatest.

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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