Remember. Forget. --Gen. 14

"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan." Gen. 14:14

Dwelling in peace and prosperity in the plains of Mamre, Abram hears tell of a terrible battle that was fought and won down in the vale of Shiddim. A survivor staggers into camp with the news--"They took Lot,...who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed" (Gen. 14:12).

And what did this mighty patriarch do?

Remember, Lot had chosen the most beautiful, prosperous, and promising lands for himself. When the whole of it had been promised to Abram and his seed, a selfish young man chose it for himself, with no respect to his uncle, whose kindness and protection had even gotten him to Canaan in the first place.

This could have been the classic example of "You get what you deserve."

Abram remembered.

And in the face of his love for his family, his love for mankind, and his love for his God, he forgot.

Servants were armed, Mamre and his brothers called, and off sallied Abram, leading a band that was small compared to the forces they would face.

They came marching back to Sodom, triumphant in a resplendent victory.

Why? All of this war, this battle, this terror and fear and killing… This risk, this chance; this gamble of his own life…..for a young man and his family, who had shunned the kindness of an elder kinsman, who now dwelt within the very walls of the dark city of Sodom.

Why would Abram risk his own neck for something like that?

He had plenty to remember.

And he chose to forget.

Not only to forget, but to be there when occasion called. When Lot needed him, Abram was there. Even though Lot never asked for it. Lot sent him no message of pleading: "Uncle Abram, come save me!" But Abram went anyway.

The unasked was given the ungrateful.

And the unthinkable was given the unselfish.

The essence of forgiveness is forgetting. And remembering.

Remember. Forget.

Remember the friend, forget the follies.

Remember the doer, forget the deeds.

Remember the love, forget the lies.

Remember the beauty, forget the betrayal.

Abram risked life, wealth; the security of the family he left in the plains of Mamre while he went to battle; he risked everything to rescue someone who he loved, even though that someone had asked for no help, had given him no reason to still love.

He remembered. And forgot. And won.

Lord, teach me to forget...and help me to remember.

Where You Belong--Gen. 13

"And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai." Gen. 13:3

Abram answered the call of God, and after his father's death headed out into the great world, "not knowing whither he went." He let God lead...and ended up in the Promised Land.

Beautiful valleys, rich verdure everywhere: and God promised this to Abram and to his seed forever. Abram journeyed through this land, pitched his tent, and built an altar, on which he offered a morning and evening sacrifice.

A witness to the heathen around him, a light in darkness, a source of hope for all the people who were with him, who had cast their lot in with him, trusting in this God that they knew so little: Abram had a wonderful influence.

And then a famine which caused them to repair to Egypt. No, they didn't abandon the hope God had given them of the Promised Land. They didn't give up on the fact that God had led them there, and that He had promised it to them. But in order to remain alive--and to go through what God needed them to--to Egypt they went.

We know what happened there. Abram lied, Sarah was taken, the Pharoh's household was beset with a terrible plague, and the patriarch was sent from the land of Egypt with his wife restored, greater wealth than when he came, and the reputation of having a God who would fight for him if anyone did him harm.

Ellen White states that God took Abram to Egypt--He led him there--in order to have his faith tested. Good came out of that trial, assuredly: yet it still was a trial. A half-bitter experience. But God led...and the safest place, the happiest place, whether in affliction or in peace, was where God called.

And after that, where to?

Back to Canaan. Back to the Promised Land.

The saying goes, "Sometimes right back where you started from is right where you belong."

Abram went back. Pitched his tent. Repaired the altar. Lived in the Promised Land.

Right back where he was in the beginning.

As a human family, a race of creatures, we started out in Canaan--only it was called Eden then. We were in paradise: perfection in its purest form. The epitome of purity and holiness, true joy. 

We fell. 

And now, we see very little of that perfection that once was anywhere in this world. It still lingers in the works of nature, the word of God, and the workings of the Lord in the lives of men...but there is precious little to be seen in the cruelty and terror we find around us. 

We are in Egypt. 

But get this...

We belong in Canaan.

God doesn't want us to be in Egypt in the sense that He didn't want us to fall, to sin. But He is using that fall, that sin, to bring us closer to the throne of God and to His own heart than ever would've been possible had we remained in Canaan. 

Like Abraham, we too, will come out from thence richer than when we went in. 

You were created for the Promised Land. For Canaan. For happiness, both on earth and in heaven. You've been promised this land, this happiness, by the God of heaven.

Egypt isn't your home.

God has called you to Egypt to learn something, to do something, to help someone--even if that someone is yourself.

But amid the lesson-learning, the trial-and-error we call life, don't ever forget this one thing…

Canaan is where you belong.

Lord, help me to remember...Canaan is my home.

You are Abraham--Gen. 12

"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from they father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." Gen. 12:1

The builders of Babel were scattered like grass seed in a strong wind. And with each one of their companies went the idolatry and apostasy.

And, albeit sadly, God turned from the greater population of the earth. He left them in their rebellion and sin, and entrusted one with the message, the faith, the hope of a Redeemer to come. One.

Abram.

One in a thousand: a pure, faithful, and godly man in the midst of a family who professed religion and yet worshiped "other gods" as well. Bound to home by ties that were strong, yet not so strong as His connection with heaven.

And when God said, "go," he went.

Just like that. But it wasn't easy.

"It was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no small sacrifice that was required of him. There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his kindred, and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call. 

"He had no question to ask concerning the land of promise--whether the soil was fertile and the climate healthful; whether the country afforded agreeable surroundings and would afford opportunities for amassing wealth. God has spoken, and His servant must obey; the happiest place on earth for him was the place where God would have him to be." (PP 126)

The happiest place on earth. Happiest. It had nothing to do with who was there, what the weather was like, what opportunities there were to be had. All that mattered was that he was where God wanted him.

Ouch. 

How often has my happiness depended on everything but...?

And then... "Many are still tested as was Abraham."

"They do not hear the voice of God speaking directly from the heavens, but He calls them by the teachings of His Word and the events of His providence.

"They may be required to abandon a career that promises wealth and honor, to leave congenial and profitable associations and separate from kindred, to enter upon what appears to be only a path of self-denial, hardship, and sacrifice.

"God has a work for them to do; but a life of ease and the influence of friends and kindred would hinder the development of the very traits essential for its accomplishment. He calls them away from human influences and aid, and leads them to feel the need of His help, and to depend upon Him alone, that He may reveal Himself to them." PP 127

I've been called to a strange country. Different customs, different people, different language. Very little here is familiar. Faces, names, places: all is strange. Foreign. Even scary. Hard, trying; a trial, a struggle.

Why am I here? What do I think I'm doing in the mission field when I have so many faults to overcome?

I am reminded: God does not refine worthless stones.

I'm here because God called. And, by extension, because being home would hinder the development of the very traits God needs to be manifest in me. Being surrounded by a network of friends and family who love me, who care, who want to be there, would get in the way. God wants me to feel His love through that of others--but I have a few things to learn first that can't be learned in that atmosphere.

Suddenly, a lot of things make a whole lot of sense.

But this doesn't just stop with a frightened, tried, struggling missionary learning big lessons in the jungles of Thailand.

This extends to the world.

And, more exactly, to YOU.

"Who is ready at the call of Providence to renounce cherished plans and familiar associations?

"Who will accept new duties and enter untried fields, doing God's work with firm and willing heart, for Christ's sake counting his losses gain?

"He who will do this has the faith of Abraham, and will share in that 'far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,' with which 'the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared.' " PP 127

There you have it.

You are being called. Where? I don't know. When? I don't know that either.

But I know who. You.

And I know why. God needs you.

And He needs to teach you, just like He's been teaching me.

Look in the mirror.

YOU are Abraham.

Lord God, make me Abraham. Give me his faith. And continue to teach me.

What You Build--Gen. 11

"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded." Gen. 11:5

The three sons of Noah had brought forth a generation that was mixed in its loyalty to the Most High. Shem and Japheth's lines both revered and honored Him; but that of Ham, particularly through his son Canaan, cursed God and set their minds against Him who had just recently shown His power to be great through the flood.

Humanity will never learn.

For years, the people of Noah had dwelt in the mountains near the ark, but now, the company of God-fearing men became too hot for the unrepentant and rebellious: and off to the plain of Shinar they went, whisperings and threatenings in their hearts.

We all know what happened. "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Gen. 11:4

The Lord had expressly told them to scatter abroad on the face of the earth. And now they say, "Let's do something, anything, to avoid what the Lord has said."

The result? The tower grew, apostasy grew: so much so that Mrs. White states, "Had this confederacy been permitted, a mighty power would have borne sway to banish righteousness--and with it peace, happiness, and security--from the earth." PP 123

The keepers of righteousness in the hills knew this. "Those that feared the Lord cried unto Him to interpose." (PP 123) They knew what would befall the earth if this scheming people on the plain of Shinar were allowed to accomplish their purposes.

So the Lord "came down to see the city and the tower."

And decided that some should speak Arabic, some Greek, some Hebrew--Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Karen, Thai, Mongolian, Cherokee, German, Swedish, Indian, Tagalog, and a thousand others.

And they were indeed "scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." "Thus the Lord's purpose was accomplished through the very means that men had employed to prevent its fulfillment." PP 120

The builders of Babel never again picked up hammer and chisel to complete their vision of splendor. It remained for years as a testament to man's failed attempt at defying and disbelieving God.

Some day, and that right soon, "the Most High will come down to see what the children of men have builded." "The time of God's investigation is at hand." (PP 124)

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

"If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

That says it pretty plainly. But I'll say it even simpler.

What you build in this life matters. And if you don't build on Jesus, your work won't even be accounted for.

However, you could still lose all your effort; even if you do build on Jesus. It depends on the materials you use. "Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble…" Gold, silver, and precious stones are all worthy and well able to pass through a test of fire. Wood, hay and stubble? I think not.

Soon, very soon, the Lord will come down to see what you have been building all your life.

What will He find when He investigates your workmanship?

Gold, or hay? Silver or stubble?

Lord God, may my building be worthy of passing through the fire.

Make Me Mighty--Gen. 10

 

"He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord." Gen. 10:9

I've always heard that Nimrod was a "bad guy," to use a clichéd term.

Regardless of what he was, this verse says something.

In the middle of a slough of names, this is said of Nimrod, the son of Cush, the son of...well, you get the point. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.

It wasn't the fact that he was a mighty hunter that struck me. Esau was too.

It was that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord.

Mighty. Before the Lord.

And inspiration chooses to point this out right in the middle of a genealogy. Why, I wonder? Well, I guess it's pretty simple.

In the middle of a sea of names--common, ordinary names--is one more common, ordinary name; rendered important because of being mighty before the Lord. 

I, too, am in the middle of a sea of people. Every day of my life, no matter where I am in this old world. Does my name stand out because I am mighty before the Lord?

I'm afraid it hasn't been.

In the end, heavenly beings and redeemed man will review the records. My name will be recorded somewhere, amid other countless millions. Will my name be found within the pages of the Lamb's book of life, standing out in all God's glory because through Him, I was mighty before His face in the earth?

I don't know.

What I do know is that that's what I want.

Nimrod. King, "bad guy," son of Cush--mighty before the Lord.

Bad guy in the end or no, I want that.

Lord, make me mighty before Your face.

Look for the Rainbow--Gen. 9

 

"I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth." Gen. 9:13

The face of the earth is ragged, torn, and changed. A vast wilderness, when compared to the beauty and verdure that once existed there. Rain now would fall on a regular basis--and in His mercy for man, God made a promise.

Had the Lord not given us this promise, we would constantly fear the darkened clouds, the drops of rain. They might mean another flood like the one of old. But God vowed never to destroy the world with water again. And, like a sparkling band, a rainbow arched the darkened heavens.

God promised that every time the clouds gathered in the sky, we would see a rainbow. Today, whenever it rains, not everyone sees a rainbow...but of a certainty, it is there. God promised, after all. His promises never fail.

I look up at dark clouds. Feel drops of water. And truly, I fear that utter destruction cometh.

But no: I must keep faith. I must look for the promise--the blessing. The rainbow.

It's always there, when the clouds overspread the sky. Even when you see it not.

Oh Lord, teach me to look for the rainbow--and believe in it even when I can't see it.

No Afterthought--Gen. 8

Waters raged on the face of the earth for days...and days...and days. Water so high that it rose 15 cubits above the highest mountain peaks. Imagine Everest covered with water--so covered, in fact, that the water is 270 feet deeper than the mountain is tall!

And Noah, his family, and a slough of animals rode the waves in a structure made of wood and pitch, preserved from death only by "angels that excel in strength."

They came to rest in the mountains of Ararat. The raven was sent out--the dove was sent out. She returned twice; the second time bringing a bit of an olive tree branch before disappearing from Noah's care for good. Obviously, the water was abated. But Noah still waited.

He took the covering off the ark. Yes, he could see dry land. But he waited.

And waited.

It was not until God opened the door and bade him come out that Noah ventured onto this new ground. It wasn't a pleasant Eden, like before. No indeed, it was a frightening place. There were dangers there. But it was ground--light, clean air. And Noah's heart swelled with thankfulness.

But get this. Noah had waited all this time in the depths of a dark and probably musty-smelling ark. It was a place of safety for him, of a certain; but he longed for deliverance.

He waited until God opened the door for his deliverance.

And then… "before preparing a house for himself, he built an altar to God." PP 123

Before anything else, Noah gave thanks. He rejoiced in the Lord's goodness, in His mercy and love. And he gave. "His stock of cattle was small, and had been preserved at great expense; yet he cheerfully gave a part to the Lord as an acknowledgement that all was His." PP 123

Some of us know what it's like to be imprisoned in a dark place. Oh, it may be safe--and it may be filled with good things, with ones we love. But there's something more...a deliverance that we're longing for. And it's a deliverance that God wants to give us. But not in our time. In His.

So we wait.

And wait.

Until God opens the door and bids us walk through.

What rejoicing! What thrill and happiness!

I should know. I've been there before.

And at the same time, the first thing that Noah did was visibly and openly express his gratitude to God. He gave back to God part of what he had gained by deliverance in his thankfulness.

That is a testimony. And a reproof. And a reminder.

A testimony because it has taught me something important.

A reproof because I had the opportunity to do that very thing of my own accord...and didn't.

And a reminder that when deliverance comes again--in His time--I'll have something to be doing.

Giving.

It wasn't an afterthought with Noah.

Nor shall it be with me.

Father in heaven, remind me to always be giving thanks; whether in the midst of deliverance or no. Fill my heart with gratitude for what you are going to do, and what You are doing right now. May this joy, this giving, this thankfulness, be no afterthought with me.

Shut In--Gen. 7

 

"And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in." Gen. 7:16

Noah preached for years.

The people mocked for years.

And God's wrath against a wicked and perverse people  accumulated for years.

A few felt the power of the message...at first. But everyone soon gave way to "seducing spirits and doctrines of devils". No need to worry: "all things continue as from the beginning."

Not so.

Voices raised in mock and derision were silenced when the watching world saw the animals enter the ark. But their awe and fear did not last long; for they went back to the same thing again.

One last pleading look, one last entreaty: Noah is beaten back by a tide of angry, jesting voices. He enters the ark with all his house. Still, the door remains open.

No human power could've closed this door. None. And so, "a flash of dazzling light was seen, and a cloud of glory more vivid than the lightning descended from heaven and hovered before the entrance to the ark. The massive door,...was slowly swung to its place by unseen hands." PP 98.2

She continues. "The seal of Heaven was on that door; God had shut it, and God alone could open it. So when Christ shall cease His intercession for guilty men, before His coming in the clouds of heaven, the door will be shut. Then divine grace will no longer restrain the wicked, and Satan will have full control of those who have rejected mercy. They will endeavor to destroy God's people; but as Noah was shut into the ark, so the righteous will be shielded by divine power." PP 98.2

Shut in. By God's power, God's protection, God's mercy and grace.

And all those who had not heeded the warning; those who would not put their sins away, however small, were left outside to bear the terrors of what was to befall the earth.

As the little children's song says, "the rains came down and the floods came up."  Sounds poetic--even cute--coming from the lips of a toddler in Sabbath school, but this was no picnic.

"Upon the eighth day dark clouds overspread the heavens. There followed the muttering of thunder and the flash of lightning. Soon large drops of rain began to fall….

"Darker and darker grew the heavens, and faster came the falling rain. The beasts were roaming about in the wildest terror,…

"Then,...water appeared to come from the clouds in mighty cataracts. Rivers broke away from their boundaries, and overflowed the valleys. Jets of water burst from the earth with indescribable force, throwing massive rocks hundreds of feet into the air, and these, in falling, buried themselves deep in the ground." PP 99.1

What of the watching world?

"The people first beheld the destruction of the works of their own hands. Their splendid buildings and the beautiful gardens and groves where they had placed their idols, were destroyed by lightning from heaven, and the ruins were scattered far and wide." PP 99.2

"As the violence of the storm increased, trees, buildings, rocks, and earth were hurled in every direction. The terror of man and beast was beyond description. Above the roar of the tempest was heard the wailing of a people that had despised the authority of God. Satan himself, who was compelled to remain in the midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence." PP 99.3

That is enough to catch someone's attention. The devil, unable to be killed by anything but God, feared that he would lose his life in the violence of the flood.

"As it was in the days of Noah…"

One day, similar things will come upon the earth. But it won't be destroyed by water. It will be destroyed by fire.

Our only hope?

Being shut in. Like Noah.

Shut in by grace, by love, by mercy…

Lord God, shut me in. And keep me there.

All. And No Less.

 

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart." Gen. 6:5, 6

Every imagination. Only evil. Continually.

That's scary.

No, that's really scary.

Our own righteousness is as filthy rags. Nothing good comes but from God, true. But can you imagine everyone around you sunk into the most terrible kind of depravity imaginable? So much so that God looks down at the earth, crawling with sin and fallen humanity, and wishes He'd never created?

I can't fathom it.

And yet, in the middle of all of this, there is one rock. One unmoved stone. One who still trusts, obeys, and honors the Lord.

Noah.

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." vs. 8

The story of the Flood to come was revealed first to Enoch, the prophet. He passed this one to his children, and to their children, and Noah one day had a visitor from Heaven, telling him what he should do to weather the terrible destruction.

Build an ark. This long, this wide, this tall. Put a window here, a door here. Use gopher wood. God was very precise.

And then came the clincher.

Verse 22: "Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

All. And no less.

In fact, that was the only way that Noah would survive the terrible destruction coming. He had to do exactly as God said, and nothing besides.

There's a similar destruction coming. The earth will be filled with violence and terrible wickedness. "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:37

And the only way to weather through the destruction approaching us today is the same way Noah did.

"Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

All. And no less.

Lord, help me to do all You command. To follow Your words to the letter. And no less.

Enoch in the End--Gen. 5

"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

The antideluvian world grew darker and darker with the stain of sin. Passing generations of faithful men watched the wickedness grow. And Enoch was born.

Enoch's first son was born 65 years after he himself. And what a change it produced in him! Enoch had grown up loving God, keeping His commandments, and believing, by faith, in a Redeemer to come. But once his son came on the scene, such a change.

"After the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the child's love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite, unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his meditations day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt." PP 84.3

Three hundred years passed, while this man of God's "faith waxed the stronger, his love more ardent". He was given visions of the end of time. He saw Christ come, and the state of the world as it would be before the second coming. He walked so close with God that when he came forth from that quiet communion time with God, his face glowed with light from Heaven.

And then, one day, he "was not; for God took him."

Because he walked so close. Because he was so close to heaven. Only one step away, Mrs. White says.

And here's the blessed, yet frightening, thought…

"The godly character of this prophet represents the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be the 'redeemed of the earth' (Rev. 14:3) at the time of Christ's second advent." PP 89

Me.

In order to be one of the redeemed of the earth, who never tastes of death, I need to be like Enoch.

Lord, I am unworthy. All unworthy. And all unable as well.

"My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Father, teach me to walk as close to heaven as did Enoch. And when You return for your children, may I be found to be Enoch in the end.

Abel Unto Death--Gen. 4

Driven from the garden they had loved, at the mercy of a frightening world in which they two were the only human beings, Adam and Eve set up a home. Cain was born, then Abel. Both parents hoped that one was the Deliverer promised by the Lord.

It was not to be.

Verse 4: "And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground."

The boys grew into different occupations--Abel, a shepherd; and Cain, a farmer. All day long, Abel watched over helpless sheep, caring for the sick and tending the lambs: and all day long, Cain worked, sweated, planting seeds, pruning bushes, and harvesting the fruit that came from his labors.

Right off, we see contrast.

There's nothing wrong with being a farmer. But let's take into account Cain's inward disposition as opposed to Abel's.

"Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, differed widely in character. Abel had a spirit of loyalty to God; he saw justice and mercy in the Creator's dealings with the fallen race, and gratefully accepted the hope of redemption. But Cain cherished feelings of rebellion, and murmured against God because of the curse pronounced upon the earth and upon the human race for Adam's sin. He permitted his mind to run in the same channel that led to Satan's fall--indulging the desire for self-exaltation and questioning the divine justice and authority." PP 71.1

Take another look at the boy's occupations. Cain spent his life working for fruit--for the results of his hard labor. He spent his life working for pride. Abel spent his time caring for sheep--for others weaker and more dependent than he. He spent his life working for others.

Mrs. White says that Cain and Abel represent the two classes of men (people) that will be in the world until the end of time (PP 72.5). One class will spend their life for works, for pride, for self--and the others will spend it for others, for the lost, for God.

We all know the story.

Verse 4: "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering."

Cain's offering: rejected. Abel's offering: accepted. Why?

Abel had sacrificed a lamb. Abel showed by his deed that he believed in a Savior.

Cain, by his offering, showed that he felt no need; and indeed, who would be surprised? "Pride feels no need." (FLB 133.2)

And then comes verse 8: "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."

Anger. Fury. Jealousy. Rage so great that it caused the death of innocence, of faithfulness, of honor and purity. A young man's blood--the first murdered follower of Christ--seeps into the ground, and Cain looks rebelliously heavenward and asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

It's a sad story. Cain is driven from his family, and fathers a world full of wicked and perverse people that eventually drive God to flood the earth and start over with Noah and his descendants. Abel? His name is remembered as faithful and true, the first martyr for Christ's sake.

What struck me wasn't Cain's wickedness; although that horrified me.

It was the import of the differences in the boys. One, a servant of the most High; the other, a servant of the prince of darkness.

Abel, in modernity, was a tender shepherd of lost souls. He cared for the weak and the sick; he helped those who needed help; he watched over little children. He laid on the alter of sacrifice the best he had for the sake of showing Christ his fidelity. And then, while trying to reason with his religious but rebellious brother, lost his life. Yet, he gave it up willingly.

I can but say this one thing.

Lord, make me Abel--even unto death.

Wisdom--Gen. 3

Eve strayed.

The serpent preyed.

Adam was afraid.

And the bloom of life began to fade.

All because of verse 6. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

Good for food. Yes, everything that God creates is good.

Pleasant to the eyes. Of course--God only creates the beautiful.

Desired to make one wise. ...What kind of wisdom did Eve want?

She was tempted by the thought of knowing as God did. Knowing what God did.

She and Adam--and consequently, the whole human race--now knows as God. Not all things, as God; not everything as God; but one thing in particular.

We now understand sin. Just like God.

In verse 22, even the Lord said, "Behold, the man is become as one of Us". One of Us. Like the Lord--in that he knew what evil was. Before the fall, man had no concept of this.

You don't have to look very far in our world to get a very good concept of it. So good a concept, that the perfect world out first parents knew is beyond comprehension.

God understands both.

And He loves the one, and hates the other.

Our world is the melting pot, the concentration, of the other.

Why not be rid of it once and for all?

Because God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.

And the world was full of sinners. Some who, God knew (ultimate wisdom), could be saved, if…

Yes, if.

If He created a bridge between the gap. A link from Heaven to earth, bound by ties that are never to be broken.

A Man. But more than a man. God Himself. But more than God.

A Saviour.

Jesus.

Why did He come to earth? Why endure what He did?

To rescue us from the wisdom we have acquired. To erase the chalk on our chalkboards. To make us perfect--truly like God in every sense that He possibly can.

But get this…

That likeness to God that we gained when we fell… Will never go away. That is, understanding evil.

And because we understand it, it will NEVER raise its ugly head again.

We fell because of a desire to gain wisdom.

And yet, we are saved through wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

And, in the end, we will be preserved from a second fall...by wisdom.

Lord, help me to seek true wisdom in my life. May I seek to know You, whom to know is life eternal. Give me the courage and strength to strive and struggle for the wisdom that You long to give me. And may, in the end, Your wisdom--Your Spirit--be found in me, and preserve me whole and entire, fully acceptable unto You. In Jesus' name… Amen.

Eden Complete--Gen. 2

Gen. 2:18-- "And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."

God filled the earth with beauty, unsurpassed in splendor. Fish, birds, animals, flowers, trees, rivers, lakes, mountains--everything that could please the eye and satisfy the needs of man; with the exception of one thing.

A companion. Someone to love, someone be loved. A friend.

But wait! "He (Adam) was placed, as God's representative, over the lower orders of being (the animals). They cannot understand or acknowledge the sovereignty of God, yet they were made capable of loving and serving man." --PP 39.1

So, even without a companion, Adam was not devoid of love. The animals were created to love Adam, to help him in his day-to-day work, to keep him company, as it were.

And still, the Lord said, "It is not good that man should be alone."

Why?

"Man was not made to dwell in solitude; he was to be a social being. Without companionship the beautiful scenes and delightful employments of Eden would have failed to yield perfect happiness. Even communion with angels could not have satisfied his desire for sympathy and companionship. There was none of the same nature to love and to be loved." --PP 40.1

Even communion with angels. Even the beauty around him. Even the whole of God's creations, lovely and fulfilling as they were, could not take the place of another creature that was just like him, that could sympathize with him and bear the burden of work with him, and be his friend.

That's a pretty strong argument for marriage, if you ask me.

Because, really, Eden was the epitome of beauty and peace. Sinless "heaven on earth."

And Eden failed to fully satisfy the first man, made in the image of God, and perfectly supplied with everything to sustain life.

So God created Eve. 

Eve was what made Eden complete.

By God's grace, and should He see fit, someday, I will be Eve.

Father in Heaven, please prepare me to be Eve. Give me her graces, her spirit of meekness; the gentleness that befits a Christian young lady. Bless me with the beauty of character and the Christlikeness that will fit me to be a true companion, a godly helper, of whomever you have waiting for me. May I truly be what makes "Eden" complete--and in Your time, Your way, and Your Spirit, may I be worthy of making Eden complete.

Creation is Freedom--Gen. 1

 I decided that there is no time like the present: I'm going to read through the entire Bible. So I read Genesis 1.

I've read the chapter so many times. Heard the story so many times. I honestly wondered what I could gain from the story of creation. I asked God what He wanted me to learn, and as I read, the thought came pretty clear to me.

Creation--namely, re-creation--is freedom.

Creation is freedom.

I've been in the process of being freed. God has been tearing down my prisons. And I want that freedom. But I need to submit to the creation process before it can ultimately be completed.

1: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…"

In the beginning, God created me.

2: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters…"

My spiritual life, my walk with God, had no form, and was void of any lasting or visual results. Darkness hung over my heart, my life. And yet, the Spirit of God was still moving upon my heart.

3: "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…"

God said, and it was so. God gave me light, from an undefined source. Just light.

11: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb-yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed was in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."

God bid me to start bearing fruit. To start giving evidence of the work He is doing in me.

27: "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them…"

God wants to turn me into the express image of Himself.

31: "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

God wants to be able to present His final creation, that is, me, to the world someday, and say, "Behold, she is very good." 

Once that work is completed in me, I will be free. "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." 

Creation is freedom. RE-creation is freedom.

Lord God, continue to create me. Continue to mold and shape me. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." May Your creation--Your creative powers--be the thing that finally crumbles my chains and cracks my fetters, and splits this prison in two for good. Help me to remember, when You are working and I am tired of waiting, that creation is freedom: and that if I am willing, creation will free me in the end.