MONTHLY ARCHIVES: January 2015

A Caring Creator

Posted by Karah

DSC_2783Pause

Set aside anything that could distract you from focusing on God. Turn off the TV, your phone, and deal with anything that is weighing on your mind in prayer before you begin.

“God also said, ‘Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you.” —Genesis 1:29

 

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.” —Genesis 2:18

Read through Genesis 1:26–2:25 carefully. As you read, look for the ways God showed His love and provision to humanity. Underline the instances you find and jot down any insights or notes. How do these examples help you to understand that God values humanity?

Consider these questions:

Look at your notes and the things you underlined in your Bible. What do these instances teach you about God’s attitude toward humanity?

Consider Genesis 1:28. Why is it important that God gave Adam a job and a sense of purpose? Explain.

Reread Genesis 1:29-30. How do these verses show God’s provision for Adam and Eve? Why is it important that you understand God provides for His children?

Read God’s command in Genesis 2:15-17. How does God providing a boundary help you to see His love and affection for humanity? Explain.

The Point

From the beginning of His story, God has never been distant or uncaring toward His people. God values us, loves us, and cares for us.

Respond

Think back over your life. Where do you see examples of God’s love? Of His provision? Of ways He has met your needs? Thank God for how He has worked in your life, giving you direction, providing for you, and loving you.

God sets boundaries in our lives because He knows what is best for us. Are there boundaries He has set that you’re trying to ignore? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any ways you’re living in opposition to God today. Confess and turn away from them today.

For further study of God’s provision and love for you, read Matthew 6:31-32; Luke 12:24; and Philippians 4:19.

Behind the Story

Genesis 2:4 includes the first use of God’s personal name, denoted as Lord, in English. The Hebrew spelling is transliterated as YHWH. The Jews considered the name to be so sacred that they would not allow themselves to say it. Its actual pronunciation is unknown, but suggestions include Yahweh and Jehovah.


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In His Image

Posted by Karah

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Pause

Read through Genesis 1–2 again today. Praise God for the creativity you see in His creation and thank Him for creating you.

What are some things that people think set them apart from the crowd?

 

Circle all that apply.

Income                                             Hard work/effort

Intelligence                                       Passion for something

Skills                                                 Family

Popularity                                          Appearance

Relationships                                     Power

“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” —Genesis 2:7

Now, read Genesis 1:26-27 again. As you read, think about who or what is being set apart from the rest of creation in these verses. Consider these questions:

Of all the things that God created, only humans are made in His image. How does that set us apart from other created things?

What does that fact teach you about the kind of relationship God wants to have with us—even from the very beginning?

Read Genesis 2:4-7,18-22 in your Bible.

What examples of the set-apart, intimate relationship God wants to have with His children do you see in these verses? Explain.

Why is it important that we recognize that from the very beginning we were made to know God personally and be in fellowship with Him?

The Point

God, the Author and Main Character of Scripture, created us to be in relationship with Him.

Respond

Meditate on this thought: God created humanity in His image even though He knew—even in the very act of creation—that He would have to redeem us.

God wants to have a personal relationship with you and provided the way through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Place your faith in Him.

As Christians, God is continuing to conform us to His image, the likeness He has shown us in Jesus (Rom. 8:29). How can you see God at work in your life? If you don’t see God conforming you into His likeness, ask the Holy Spirit to give you spiritual eyes to see God at work or reveal any sin that is disrupting your relationship with Him.

Behind the Story

The creation of humanity is the pinnacle of God’s creative work. This is shown in that it was His final creative act, along with the personal nature of the way He created man and woman. In addition, of all God’s creation, only humans are said to be made in His image.


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Three-In-One

Posted by Karah

DSC_3468Pause

Focus your mind on God and who He is. Listen or sing your favorite worship song to Him as an act of worship. Try “The Earth s Yours” by Gungor (Beautiful Things, 2010).

Read through Genesis 1:1-27 in your Bible, then focus on verses 26-27.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.” —Genesis 1:26-27

Ask yourself:

What do these verses reveal to you about the main character of Scripture? Explain.

Focus on verses 2, 26, and 27. How do these verses suggest the Trinity? Why is that important?

Now, read Colossians 1:15-20 in your Bible.

What was Jesus’ role in creation? Explain.
Why is it important to recognize that the God who created the world and set redemption into motion is a three-in-one God?

The Point

The Author of the story is our threefold God. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all active in creation—and redemption.

Respond

It’s easy to think that Jesus and the Holy Spirit didn’t enter the story until much later, but it is our threefold God—Father, Son, and Spirit—who set the world into motion, beginning with creation.

Praise God in all three Persons for their involvement in creation and the story of redemption.

Think about your personal story of redemption. Thank each Person of the Trinity for their role in bringing you into a relationship with the Father through the Son, empowered by the Spirit.

For further study, read John 1:1-13.

Behind the Story

The original audience of Genesis 1-2 would not have recognized Genesis 1:26-27
as  a reference to the Trinity, since that concept wasn’t fully revealed until later in redemptive history. While theologians caution that we cannot derive the entire doctrine of the Trinity from one use of a plural pronoun, we can derive that there is plurality within the Godhead. This passage is the first of four Old Testament passages where the plural is found in divine dialogue. Genesis 3:22, 11:7, and Isaiah 6:8 are the others.

 

GODHEAD (n.) =Word used to refer to the three Persons of the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit


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Construction Update

Posted by Karah

IMG_2836The Dining Hall is really coming along. The walls on the lowest level are going up quickly. The Dining Hall will be so big and so convenient for all of the many activities and skills to be held there. Also, the barn, SALT cabin, horseback cabin, and old kitchen boy cabin have been taken down.

Meanwhile, our first Cherokee cabin has been built on the Ridge, and the rest will be popping up very quickly!

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Future Cherokee 42


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