365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 302

Today is the first official day of Fall. We all have our favorites and mine has always been the Fall. I think because it is more of a drastic change than the Spring is.  Spring doesn't seems to come all at once. First you see the daffodils, than the tulips than some trees start to bud and the grasses start to change from yellow to green. But the Fall is much more dramatic and sudden. That first colder weather pattern that moves through tells all the trees and grasses your time is about done. You wake up the next day and suddenly your whole world has changed. The temperature is a nice mild 50 degrees, the trees are changing colors and the mountain has its first bit of snow on it. I think we can feel that way everyday with Christ Jesus in our hearts. Everyday we are made new. We can ask the Lord for forgiveness for our sins of the previous day and be washed clean of them. Thank you Lord for this gift of a new day, a new beginning everyday. We so need it! If you are living in a place without hope, than its time to look to the one who gives us hope everyday like a mountain with fresh snow.

Ephesians 4:22-24 To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 282

I started a new book yesterday by John MacArthur called Twelve Extraordinary Women which is about 12 women in the bible. Can you guess who the first chapter is on? Well, of course, its the mother of all living, Eve. I can't tell you how invaluable this chapter on Eve has been. I have read the story of the fall into sin too many times to count but never thought of some of the things this chapter has explained. I know I have heard it said before about the prophecy of Jesus going back all the way to the beginning but I have not until now really looked at it. The curse on humankind in Gensis 3:14-19 comes in three parts: to the serpent, to Eve and finally to Adam. The part that I am focusing on is about the serpent. We all know that the serpent is Satan but I found out in this chapter that this is actually revealed in the book of Revelation. We all know the serpent is cursed to live on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. I always thought well yeah but hadn't considered that perhaps before the curse that maybe serpents had legs or in someway were not reduced to slithering in the dirt. The next part of the curse on the serpent is that part that is referred to as Protevangelium which literally means "the first gospel". And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. The word "enmity" was throwing me off. What does that word mean? I think I had an idea of it in my head but couldn't put it into other words so I have looked it up and found several definitions or synonyms: ill-will, hatred, bad blood, animosity and opposition are a few. "Enmity" is changed later in the verse to be as a person saying "he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." The "enmity" is our savior, Jesus Christ. He will crush Satan but not without Satan striking his heel first by his death on the cross. I am a word person and like to put in words that make more sense to me. Those first few just didn't fit my idea of Jesus but the word "opposition" made the most sense. Let's replace "enmity" with "opposition": And I will put opposition between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. That makes the most sense to me in terms enmity being personified as our saviour however, the other words make sense in that animosity and bad blood is between us and Satan. This really shows me how complex the word of the bible is. God had to put a whole lot into one fairly small book so it makes sense that the use of personification and all kinds of literary devices are used. God has meant for us to be studying his Word so we can work out the complexity and see really the simplicity. One last thing in this chapter about Eve really made me feel good. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve right there but in his love, grace and mercy for us he still allowed Eve to have children and still kept her as the companion of man and most importantly he gave her and all of us hope right from the fall that He already had a plan in place to save us. What an amazing God we have!
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.