A Wisdom Check

This morning I was reading in James. I really like the verses listed below because they help explain what wisdom for God should feel like and look like.

(NIV)James 3:17-18
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [18] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

I think this a good list of things to compare ourselves against as we seek the Lord's wisdom. Checking our hearts to see if they line up with these characteristics, a wisdom check! :-)

Spreading the Load

(NIV)Numbers 11:16-17
The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. [17] I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

This section, where the Lord spreads Moses anointing, is important as it speaks of impartation and the desire of the Lord to raise up help. I think its helpful to know that even in Moses case the Lord always surrounded him with people to help him, I.e. Aaron, Miriam, Joshua, and seventy elders. We need to see in our lives that the Lord doesn't call us to walk out our lives and calls by ourselves, but rather puts people in our lives to help. This is a good model for life and ministry.

God wants to bring people along side us to spread the load. Let us lay down our independence and welcome the help.

Freedom, Love and Faith

(NIV)Galatians 5:1, 4-6, 13-14
[1] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
[4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
[13] You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

What an awesome section of scripture talking about freedom and love and faith. The three are so closely interwoven. Because of His love for us, Jesus set us free from the requirements of the law. It is by grace through our faith that we appropriate that freedom, and it ultimately bears fruit in our lives as love for others and ourselves. I could sit and think about this for years and not plumb the dept of it all.

There is also a balance to maintain, as a focus on one component without the others leads to wrong thinking and action. Some people focus on freedom and end up only concerned about themselves. Some focus on love of themselves rather than others, again ending in selfishness. Some focus on faith so much that they lose any understanding of the value of relationships. It is critical that we maintain a right attitude of gratitude and love towards the Lord, for what He has accomplished. We must maintain love for ourselves and others. We must walk in faith - depending on the Lord to guide us and help us to understand the real meaning of freedom.

Generous On Every Occasion

(NIV)2 Corinthians 9:6, 10-11
[6] Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
[10] Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

I like these verses as they remind me who actually is the provider. So often I can somehow take some ownership of my provision, when in reality it all comes from Him. The promise of increased righteousness, increased seed, and enrichment in every way is awesome.

As I was reading this I was thinking of the ways in which I am not generous in every occasion. I think I am most ungenerous with my time and attention. So often my reaction when seeing someone in need, or something that will require my time, is that I will walk on by because whatever I am focused on presently seems to me to be more important, but usually I am just being selfish. I don't want to take out of "my time", and waste it.

Lord, I think about Your life and You always made time for each person that came to you. The disciples tried to keep people away so You would not be bothered, but You always stopped and met them - Matt 19:13-14 (little children) and Mark 10:46-52 (Bartimeaus). Lord, help me to take time for Your people, so that I might be generous on every occasion.

Flames, Fire and Furnace

I was reading Obadiah last night, and saw these verses:

(NIV)Obadiah 1:17-18
But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. [18] Jacob will be a fire and Joseph a flame; Esau will be stubble, and they will set him on fire and destroy him. There will be no survivors from Esau.” The Lord has spoken.

There Are multiple commentaries on these verses, most think they have to do with the ability of God's people to destroy their enemies. I think its interesting that He is saying that the people, the tribes will become fire and flame. I like the fire and flame references, as I am reminded of the Holy Spirit, and how when He burns in ones life, they are consumed with Passion for God, and the things of His heart. It also reminds me of another verse:

(NIV)Isaiah 31:9
Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic, ” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

There is definitely a component of the Fire of the Lord that is related to His warfare. The verse from Isaiah is the end of a verse where the Lord is rebuking Israel for choosing to turn to Egypt rather the the Lord, when they were threatened by Assyria. He is speaking about the Assyrians, when He makes the statement about fire and furnace.

The words can be translated light or lamp and cook stove, or fire and furnace, or God's illumination and wrath. If I look at the first combination, it seems to be where God lives, or at least inhabits. The second combination reminds me of purification, which definitely happens if you are in His presence. The third combination seems like its tied to the nature of God, and His characteristics, of wisdom and protector. It is a good reminder to me of the nature of God, who is so much greater than we can comprehend. When He comes we can experience all of these, His presence, His provision, His righteousness and purity, His wisdom and His protection. We might experience them all at the same time, or in seasons.

Lastly, when God chooses a place to dwell, He is jealous over it, and protects it - just like He did with Zion and Jerusalem. The Church is His body, and we are individually His dwelling places. Amen Lord, inhabit us!

Immeasurably More

(NIV)Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

What an incredible statement, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... I can ask for very much and imagine very much, and yet not come close to God's abilities. God chooses to display Hs abilities through us - "according to His power that is at work within us". Our invitation is to allow the Lord's power to work through us to expand our understanding of His abilities, and plans, increasing our capacity to ask and imagine, so that He can continue to be glorified through the Church!

Lord You desire so much more for us than we can imagine, and yet most of us settle for less than mediocracy. Help us to break out of our limited expectations and unbelief and start believing You for immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine. We want to see You glorified in the church!

Lord, expand our understanding! Help us to see how wide, deep, long and high Your love for us truly is!

Entering God's Rest (3)

I am reading from Hebrews:

(NIV)Hebrews 3:7-14
So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. [10] That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” [12] See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. [13] But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. [14] We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

(NIV)Hebrews 4:7-11
God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” [8] For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. [9] There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; [10] for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. [11] Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

I was reading the book Supernatural Anointing by Julia Loren and she had an interview with Heidi Baker, talking about how she has learned to lean back into the Father, and rest in His embrace when ministering. She used to work, work, work, but found that in the Father she could literally rest. She could lean back and go low and slow and just do what she sees the Father doing. The Father does the work, and in that place of intimacy she is able lean back and let Him.

I find the passages from Hebrews interesting in that they talk about entering God's rest, and specifically Heb 4:10, "... for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,..." This verse speaks of resting from our works, because we have entered into God's rest. I was rereading some of my entries in my journal about this passage and God's rest, and in large part He was speaking about stepping into their inheritance, see the fulfillment of God's promise and plan in their lives.

The word that grabbed my attention was 'today', and I believe this is the key point of the author of the letter to the Hebrews, is that this is a present word. Today can be today, literally. It is the day for believing that which the Lord has said; it is the day to remember what the Lord has done; it is the day to step into our inheritance; it is the day to enter into God's rest and possess that which He desires us to possess. The work required on our part is faith! Faith in Him comes from knowing Him, understanding Him, believing His words and embracing our relationship with Him. Faith isn't something we work up, but it too comes from rest. Resting in Him. Once we step into that place, our work is over. We don't have to strive, or work like a servant, but rather rest as a son or daughter in our Father's embrace.

No Situation is Hopeless

(NIV)Exodus 14:1-4, 15-16, 19, 21-22
Then the Lord said to Moses, [2] “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. [3] Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ [4] And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

[15] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. [16] Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

[19] Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

[21] Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, [22] and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

This morning I was praying and was reminded of this situation that the Israelites found themselves in after leaving Eygpt. The Lord had them camp against the sea, so that the Egyptians would think they were trapped, and decide to attack. From the Israelites perspective they were trapped in a hopeless situation, but God had other plans, it was a perfect trap for the prideful Egyptians.

I thought about how many of us find ourselves in seemingly impossible circumstances, feeling trapped with no means of escape. I felt like the Lord wanted to remind us of the fact that with Him there is always a way to be rescued. He will intervene, and He will rescue us if we put our hope in Him and follow His directions. He is faithful to save His people!

I felt like we needed to know there is no hopeless situation that God can't step into and rescue us? out of! Amen Lord!

Help In Any Situation

I am reading in Romans:

(NIV)Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

I am so grateful for this promise Lord, and I claim this truth for me. I know Your Spirit lives within me, so I ask that you would pour Your life into my mortal body, bringing healing and health, peace and fruitfulness.

When one grasps the reality of this verse, that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us, then we must know that change is possible in every circumstamce, no matter how difficult or troubling. He has the power to raise one from the dead, He certainly has the power to deal with any situation less serious than death.

I find this verse full of hope and life. Sometimes I can't see past the situation and despair because of my limited perspective, but God is able to deliver from death, so He is able to deliver me from anything else as well.

Thank You Lord for Your Word and the hope it inspires.

Giving Thanks Opens The Door

This morning I was feeling a bit disconnected from the Lord. I felt led to read on thanksgiving.

(NIV)1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? [17] Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

I had heard this phrase before, but it hadn't really struck me as it does this morning. The early church called the cup of wine, symbolizing Jesus' blood, the cup of thanksgiving. The NASB translates it the cup of blessing, which appears closer to the Greek. The Greek word is Eulogia, pronounced: yoo-log-ee'-ah

Definition
1. praise, laudation, panegyric: of Christ or God
2. fine discourse, polished language
3. an invocation of blessing, benediction
4. consecration
5. a (concrete) blessing, benefit

So in reality, its both outgoing and incoming. Outgoing praise, thanks and celebration for what has been accomplished. It is also blessing and continual benefit from God to those who participate. What an awesome deal, as we praise God and give thanks for what He has done, we in turn receive continued blessing.

I am reminded of Psalm 100:

(NIV)Psalm 100:1-5
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. [2] Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. [3] Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. [5] For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Specifically, verse four states that we enter into His gates and courts through thanksgiving and praise, in other words we enter into His presence, where we experience His love, goodness and faithfulness. In His presence we are blessed and touched and changed. So, in a very real sense, this is the same experience we have when we share the bread and wine, we are thanking Him for the incredible blessing we have received; we are in His presence, literally; we receive continued blessing from Him.

Lord, we desire to be in Your presense, and we claim the promise of Psalm 100:4 that we can open the door with thanksgiving and enter into Your presence with praise.

A Beautiful Day

Its going to be a glorious day in KC. I m reminded of Psalm 96:

(NIV)Psalm 96:11-12
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. [12] Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

As I look around at the trees and earth during autumn, it always seems that there is joy all around with the beautiful color, and the golden grain, etc. It is a good day to give thanks to the Lord, letting our joy join in with creation. Lord, Your creation is simply astounding!

Bringing Good News

This morning I am reading out Isaiah:

(NIV)Isaiah 52:5-12
“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord. “For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock, ” declares the Lord. “And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed. [6] Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I.” [7] How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” [8] Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. [9] Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. [11] Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house. [12] But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

verse 7, is a great verse, talking about the one who brings good news, who proclaim peace, good tidings and salvation. Those four things have got to be the most welcomed messages. Where there hasn't been anything good for so long, suddenly good news. Where the has been conflict and was, the message of peace, where there has been only bad tidings, the message of a change in the tide. Finally for those who are trapped, who are captured, who have no hope for rescue, suddenly the news that they will be saved. This is in deed a great message of hope, that God will move, the He will intervene, and He will comfort His people (us)!

If you are in need of good news, look to God! He is the source of all good things, including news.

Mysteries Revealed

(NIV)1 Corinthians 2:6-10
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. [7] No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. [8] None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [9] However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”---the things God has prepared for those who love him--- [10] these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

I really like this verse from Paul. In keeping with yesterday's theme of the secrets or mystery of the Kingdom, Paul is explaining how one of them was the salvation of the world, Jews and Gentiles. Up until Peter's experience with the Centurian's household, and his earlier vision, no one had figured out that salvation also included the gentiles. Scripture is quite clear in the old testament, about the fact that there will be an expansion of God's blessing over the whole world, but I think that the Jewish people didn't understand that meant they would be grafted in and equal members in the Kingdom with them.

Apparently the enemy and those in power really didn't understand the whole deal either. The translated phrase 'rulers of this age' could be better translated rulers, authorities and princes in power during this period of time within the universe. This does not just mean civil authorities, but can also encompasses the spiritual realm as well. So expanding that, the local Jewish authorities didn't understand it, the regional Roman authoirites didn't understand it, and the spirits in authority over the region didn't understand it either, if any had fully grasped the full truth of what God was really doing they would have done anything they could to stop its fulfillment. That appears to be what Paul is saying, not so much that they didn't recognize that Jesus was the Lord of Glory, but that if this amazing plan of God was realized it would bring about the destruction, or defeat of that which kept them in power. Pastor Bill Johnson says that if satan would have figured out what God was going to accomplish through the crucifiction, he would have killed anyone that was tying to crucify Jesus.

Finally, I like the way the verse 9 ends - the things God has prepared for those who love Him. This phrase has a promise of continual revelation and new things being revealed from the heart of God, because of His love for us. God is the creator, and continues to create, even now, and apparently He is finished with His surprises. Amen, Lord, bring it on!

Secrets of the Kingdom and Bearing Much Fruit

I was reading from Mark 4 this morning, which starts with the parble of the sower and the seed. These two verses caught my eye.

(NIV)Mark 4:10-11
"When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. [11] He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables..."

Interesting that Jesus compares speaking in parables to receiving the secret of the Kingdom. The KJV says it this way, which is apparently closer to the original Greek.

(KJV)Mark 4:11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

The Greek word translated secret or mystery is the word Musterion from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth)

Transliterated Word : Musterion pronounced: moos-tay'-ree-on

Definition
1. hidden thing, secret, mystery a. generally mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals b. a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding c. a hidden purpose or counsel 1. secret will 1c d. of men 1c e. of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly
2. in rabbinic writings, it denotes the mystic or hidden sense a. of an OT saying b. of an image or form seen in a vision c. of a dream

So Jesus is saying to the Apostles and others, that the secret or mystery of the Kingdom, which they have received is related to the revelation and understanding they receive through their relationship with Him, and their listening to Him speak. As clear as it is to us now, we don't fully grasp the way this story would have caused the people to wonder about the meaning. The apostles and others around Jesus don't understand either, but because they have a relationship with Him, they are able ask Him and receive understanding. Taking it one step further, it seems to me that the clear secret of the Kingdom is relationship with Jesus.

Finally the parable is explained by Jesus, and the key points are that in the Kingdom we are to listen and hear, accept the word and change (repent - change the way we think), and bear fruit because of it. In other words, hear and obey.

Hearing means that we need to be open to His Word, which He is clearly making available all around. He says the seed is sown to every type of soil. He is not going to make His Word only available to the 'good' soil, but to everyone.

Obedience is clearly one of the fruits of a right relationship with Him. He is the Lord, and our obedience to His Word is one of the ways we show we are relating to Him as our Lord. Because of His love for us, our obedience allows us to fulfill the destiny for which we were created. This fulfillment, and understanding our purpose are keys benefits to our own intrnal well-being. Obedience also has the benefit of bearing fruit, or in this case grain or food, for others as well as ourselves. As Jesus said - 30, 60, even 100 times what was sown.

As I was reading this, I wondered how many kernels of wheat are on a standard wheat stalk - the answer is 50. So Jesus example is talking about real abundance, producing in cases twice what would be normal. Its interesting to note that the earlier a winter wheat seed germinates, the more likely it is to produce more heads of grain. Winter wheat can produce up to 5 heads of 22 kernels. In this case, its because the one seed, produces one plant, which then spawns additional plants, called tillers, each which can grow a head of wheat. In some cases one kernel of wheat can produce 700 kernels of wheat during the next harvest, so there levels of fruitfulness beyond what Jesus described. One should note that these are likely related to the advances in the science of genetics. Regardless, it is good to get a perspective of the plans of the Lord for our lives of obedience, that we would bear fruit abundantly. Also, this fruitfulness is just considering one season of planting, and if multiplied by several seasons this could result in crazy amounts of fruitfulness - two seasons of one kernel producing 700 kernels would equal 490,000 kernels. 3 seasons would equal 343,000,000 kernels.

Lord, help us to be fruitful in our lives.

A New Heart and Spirit

This morning I have been meditating on my inability to follow the ways of the Lord. I am so often unable or unwilling to do those things that I know I should be doing. As i was thinking about this and praying, the Lord reminded me of a couple of passages.

(NIV)Jeremiah 31:31, 33
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [33] “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Lord, thank You for this promise. I pray that You will write Your law on my heart, and put it in my mind.

(NIV)Ezekiel 36:24-30
“ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. [28] Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. [29] I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. [30] I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.

Yes, Lord, I ask for this new heart and a new spirit in me! That I might follow You completely. That You would put Your Spirit in me and move on me to help me walk out Your perfect will for me! I want to glorify Your name with my life!

Fresh Revelation

This morning I was reading out of Proverbs:

(NIV)Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

We must have continued revelation in our lives, for without the active word of God in our lives, we do lose our sense of its applicability. It becomes like an old book, of old rules that don't apply to us.

We must continually feed on the Word, daily seeking the Lord's revelation. Paul writes in His letter to Timothy: (NIV)1 Timothy 4:13 "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." On the other side of this command to Timothy would be the role of most of us people, namely to be listening to the Word, reading it daily, listening to teachers and preachers, pursuing God's revelation for our lives.

Amen Lord! May we never tire of pursuing Your fresh revelation.

The World And All That Is In It...

(NIV)Psalm 50:10-15
...for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. [11] I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. [12] If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. [13] Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? [14] “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, [15] and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

I just love the last half of verse 12 - ..."for the world is mine, and all that is in it!" There is such assurance in that statement. Everything in this world is His. As co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), His adopted children who cry "Abba, Father" (Rom 8:15), we have access to this great treasure. This is not for our enjoyment and use only, but to bring Him glory.

In Genesis, God's original plan for man and woman is outlined in the first chapter: (NIV)Genesis 1:27-28
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ”

There is in this statement, an authority and rule over everything on the earth given to man. When man fell, he transferred that authority and rule over to the enemy. When Jesus came and died on the cross and was resurrected, authority over everything was restored to Him (Eph 1:20-22) Now through Him, we are being restored to the role God originally gave man. This is only accomplished through Jesus and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, as Paul clearly writes in Romans. The restoration to right order is part of the culmination of God's purpose for the earth.

(NIV)Romans 8:19-21
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. [20] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

I know I don't grasp the reality of this all, but it certainly grabs my attention and imagination. What would this earth be like if it was freed from its bondage to decay, and brought into freedom and glory? The first thing that enters my mind is the garden of Eden. Wow!

Lord, let us walk in Thanksgiving and in proper relationship with You, experiencing the fullness of all You desire to give us, for Your glory! We pray that rather than using and abusing creation for our own purposes, we step into our proper role as Your sons and daughters, through Christ. Help us to start in the place of thanksgiving, and deeper relationship with You.