Let The Field Exult, And Everything In It!

This past weekend, Robbie and I spent a delightful day taking family and friend pictures at an arboretum. We were absolutely blown away by God's incredible beauty and creativity! It is crazy to think that this beauty is just a shadow and nothing in comparison to the beauty of His face (Psalm 27:4), that all of creation "...waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19), and that the way He clothes the fields is nothing compared to the beauty in which He clothes His children - in Christ's righteousness (Isaiah 61)! I thought we would share some of the pictures with you; enjoy!

Psalm 96
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

*Not that my pics are that spectacular, but they may be copied and used for personal use. However, please do not use them for any advertising and money-making reasons. Thank you.

Thoughts on Supposed Contradiction of Genesis 1 and 2

One of the awesome blessings of this past year, was having our discipleship resource pastor visit our home group. It was an awesome night where we got to go through questions we had about various passages of scripture. It was not to fill our heads with facts and make things fit our small understanding but to further open our eyes to the character of God and His truths and to be transformed by Him.

We emailed our questions in advance to make good use of our discipleship resource pastor's time and give him an opportunity to prepare. But one question was asked toward the end of the evening that we did not get a chance to look into together very deeply. The question is, knowing that scripture is the inerrant word of God, how do you reconcile Genesis 1 and 2's timelines of the creation of plants, animals, and man? This question is not a vital part of the core theology of Christianity, but God did not create us to turn our heads the other way to questions and pretend that faith is to not think. As our pastor reminds us so often, it is good to think, to question, to wrestle. God sanctifies us through these things. At the end of the day, there will still be mysteries. Not all things are for us to know at present (see 1 Cor. 13:12).

I really enjoyed the time we spent digging into the Word together working through questions, so I decided to work through this one on my own. I am posting my study here in case anyone else has wondered about this or has had someone point these texts out to them as contradicting each other. I figure it's better to share in hopes of building up and encouraging the body than hoarding learnings and risking getting puffed up. Afterall, isn't that what God gave us our personalities, gifts, and abilities for - to glorify Him? Plus, it gives others a chance to review my study and gently point out if there are any flaws. I would love feedback! Please note that the ESV was used for my study as exact wording differs per version, and my study tools were my Bible, Blueletter Bible, and Strong's Concordance. Here goes!

The Issue:

• Genesis 1 can seem to convey that vegetation was created on day three, birds on day five, and beasts of land and man on day six.
• Genesis 2 can seem to convey that man was created before shrubs, small plants, birds, and beasts of land, inferring that he would have to have been created on or before day three.
  

Observations from the text (with the help of Blue Letter Bible and Strong's Concordance):

• Different Hebrew words are used in Genesis 1 than Genesis 2 in regard to plant life. The word 'vegetation' in Genesis 1 is the Hebrew word 'deshe' which means "tender grass, first sprouts of the earth" which is different than grass ripe for mowing and more mature herbage already in seed. 'Bush' in Genesis 2 is the Hebrew word 'siyach' which means "a shoot (as if uttered or put forth), i.e. (generally) shrubbery;--bush, plant, shrub. So Genesis 2:5 could mean that no plant life that was the result of cultivation by man existed before man was formed, though beginning plant life did already exist.
• There is also a distinction in place. Genesis 1 refers to vegetation on the earth 'erets'. I believe this is referring to the earth at large as it is the same word used in Genesis 1:1 where it says that God created the heavens and earth. Genesis 2 specifically states that what does not exist yet are bushes and small plants specifically of the field. The Hebrew word for 'field' is 'sadeh' which is used in the Bible as a cultivated field, home of wild beasts, plain (as opposed to mountain), and land (as opposed to sea). It is possible that this designation of field used in Genesis 2 refers specifically to a cultivated field. I believe this is a possibility due to reading Genesis 2:15 where man is then placed in the garden that God created after man to cultivate it and due to the curse on man and the land found in Genesis 3.
• Genesis 1:26 does specify a timeline with the word, 'then'. So God made man in His image after the creation of the birds of the air and beasts of the field.
• Genesis 2:19 does not specify an exact timeline; it merely states that at some point God had made every beast of the field and birds of the air. It never says that He created them after man, so I would be careful in making that inference. Being a sequential person, I struggled with the word 'So' at the beginning of the verse, but if you're like me, remember that so is not a time indicator it's an indicator of a causal relationship. Meaning that because God deemed that it was not good for man to be alone, He brought all the beasts and birds that He had created at some point in time. 'So' does not indicate time.
• The phrase 'to make' in Genesis 1:26 is from the Hebrew word 'asah' which in its broadest sense and widest application aside from the literal 'to do' or 'to make' can also mean to accomplish, advance, appoint, bestow, etc. Which means it's possible that Genesis 1:26 is not necessarily referring to the creation/formation of man but to the appointing of the image of God in man occurring on that sixth day with man having already been created earlier.

My Conclusions:

• I am not God and do not pretend to know His mind fully - I only know what He has revealed to me and to the extent that He has revealed it to me. So I confess that I don't know with certainty whether man was created on day three or six. Also, I am no Hebrew scholar.
  
• It is clear that these passages can easily (and without stretching anything) be reconciled with each other so that there is no conflict between them whether one thinks creation of man occurred on day three or six. That is the important thing - that scripture is indeed inerrant.
• I personally lean more toward man being created on day six due to the observations from the text I made above. While 'asah' can mean appointing or accomplishing as well as physically making something, I personally think that the word 'made' is used consistently throughout the first chapter of Genesis in terms of physical creation. Granted the case referring to men is differentiated from the rest, because it is in the present tense as 'make' rather than the past tense 'made', I still believe it is in regard to physical creation. But this is just my personal leaning. As it is not vital to the faith to know, I simply conclude that I lean this way in belief but openly admit that I could be wrong in that; however, even if I am wrong, scripture still holds up as inerrant. :)

Hope you all enjoyed the food for thought. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Please make sure that your comments are not divisive or to stir up trouble but are delivered gently in hope and love. I do filter comments.

Fear and Good

At the beginning of October, I found myself gripped by fear. As I struggled with it and wrestled through it, I found that many other women I know share the same struggle in the common forms of fear, anxiety, and worry. God has been exceedingly gracious to me and has been delivering me from the oppression of fear. I wanted to share with others via this blog what God has revealed to me on the subject in the hopes that God will use it in His work to set other captives free. Know that fear may well continue to be a life long battle, but hopefully we will all start to see more and more victory against it and against the father of lies.

In better words than my own, my hope for you is this:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:10-18, emphasis added).


What God's Word has to say about who/what NOT to fear:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evil doers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident" (Psalm 27:1-3).

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

"Now who is here to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled" (1 Peter 3:13-14).

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18).


What God's Word has to say about Who/What to fear:
"It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you - for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God - lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 6:13-15).

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)?

"Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the lord" (Joshua 24:14).

"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psalm 2:11).

"...Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

My conclusions based on these and many other verses:

• These are just a few of the verses I found on the subject, but what surprised me was how many verses there are about Who/What to fear than there are about who/what not to fear. This helped point out a mistake I've been making in combating fear. I so often think about the thing I'm afraid of and pick it apart to tell myself why I shouldn't be afraid of this thing. But all this I do in relation to the thing itself. What I should be thinking upon to combat the fear is Who I should fear. I should focus more on the eternal instead of trying to break down the circumstantial and temporal.
• God gives amazing reasons and promises why we should not fear the things we should not fear: He will not leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6); He is with us, is our God, will strengthen us, will help us, and will uphold us (Isaiah 41:10); He gave us a spirit of power, love, and self control (2 Timothy 1:7); if we suffer for righteousness' sake, we will be blessed (1 Peter 3:13-14); Christ will be honored in our bodies by life or death (Philippians 1:20); the Lord our God is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9).
• God gives us reasons why we should fear/hold in awe/revere Him: He is a jealous God and has the power to destroy us off the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 6:13-15) <- This should stir in us a good fear, not a bad fear - that it is His good pleasure to reconcile us to Himself though we sin; His commandments are for our good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13); "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:9); "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever" (Psalm 111:10)! "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7); "The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm" (Proverbs 19:23) <- This does not mean we won't suffer, it just means that we will see how God turns evil to good and can trust that He works for the good of those who love Him.

Based on these conclusions, here's how God has recently led me to combat fear:

• I ask myself if there's any action/response to the situation that needs to be done. If there is an action that has to be decided upon, I commit to bringing it before the Lord and leaving it as His feet in exchange for a lighter burden as promised in Matthew 11:29-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." If there is no action that has to be decided upon, then I let myself know my worrying does not do any good to spend energy on and that my energy should be redirected. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34).
• I ask myself that even if I could change anything, do I know what is good? God sees the whole picture; He knows what is good. As a kid, I thought candy was totally good, but my parents knew that after a certain point or time it ceased to be good. They could see a bigger picture than I could, and though it seemed cruel or unfair to me sometimes, I trust that they were acting for my good. How much more does a perfect Father work toward our good?! So what do I know for sure IS good? Let's ask the Lord. How would He answer? Well He has answered! "And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17).
• I remind myself of all the times of trials, suffering, and uncertainty where the Lord proved Himself faithful both to those historically in the Bible and to me personally.
  
• So if worrying does me no good and I already know What/Who is good, what do I do with my energy and resources now? How do I go about focusing on things above instead of myself and circumstances? That's when I remind myself of the commands in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Joshua 24:14, and Ecclesiastes 12:13 above. Through them, the Lord directs my steps. It takes enough work and energy and resources to submit to God in those verses that there should be no room left for fear. And more than that even, time spent in this eternal manner tends to stir up genuine love. And perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)!
• Whatever feelings of anxiety, worry, or fear that remain, I confess them and ask God to fight them. I recognize that in the end, only He can turn my heart. So I wait on the Lord. "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).
• Finally, I memorize either exact or generally some of these verses above so I can use them for battle.

This is what God has been teaching me of late. May my journey encourage you in yours!

Additional Resources:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/fear.html

Stirrings

Over the past couple of weeks, the Lord has been stirring up something big in my heart. I'm sure it's been in the works for a long time, but I am only now able to see it. I have so much to post and so little time. I have such a hunger for the things of God. I so desperately long to know Him intimately and deeply - to abide in Him and His will (John 15:4). I long to understand Him - to know Him as my Husband (Hosea 2:16), my Father (James 1:17), my Savior (Isaiah 43:11), my Friend (Psalm 25:14) to the deepest degree. I want to know His commands and to walk in them (2 John 1:6). And all of this is such a precious gift. It's only by the grace of God that I have faith (Ephesians 2:8). I am so simple in mind and so sinful in heart, and yet He chose me before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:3-10). I am moved.

Recently, I have been loving on my precious goddaughter, wrestling with my selfish desire for a child of my own womb for no greater kingdom purpose than my delight, and reading about/getting my heart stirred for the orphans of this world with whom I have common bond. God has been opening my eyes to the richness of how He loves me as His own child - adopted into His family (Ephesians 1:5-6). I long for His holy desires to consume me - for Him to go before me and lead me into the wilderness where I shall know Him (Hosea 2 <- My fave passage of the Bible). I so long for His desires to become my desires. Jesus, make me like you (1 John 3:2 <- look this one up - it's AWESOME)!

Other than loving and being loved by my husband, I don't know that there's anything that stirs my heart for the Lord more than His Word/promises/hope combined into beautiful music. This song in particular resonates in my heart. So I leave you with it in hopes that God frees you a little more through it to joyfully surrender to His might and care (John 8:36):


Own Me - Ginny Owens

Got a stack of books,
So I could learn how to live;
Many are left half-read,
Covered by the cobwebs on my shelf.
And I got a list of laws,
Growing longer everyday;
If I keep pluggin' away,
Maybe one day I'll perfect myself.
Oh, but all of my labor,
Seems to be in vain;
And all of my laws,
Just cause me more pain;
So I fall before You,
In all of my shame;
Ready and willing to be changed-

Chorus:
Own me
Take all that I am,
And heal me
With the blood of the Lamb.
Mold me
With Your gracious hand;
Break me till I'm only Yours-
Own me

Oh, you call me Daughter,
And you take my blame;
And you run to meet me,
When I cry out Your name,
So I fall before You,
In all of my shame.
Lord, I am willing to be changed

Chorus

Tribulation

I'm feeling weighty and sad at the brokenness of the world today - The anniversary of 9/11, my and others' babies who never got a chance to live outside of the womb, a baby boy from our church in excruciating pain whose parents have been told he probably won't make it out of the hospital this time and must make hard decisions while their baby tells them he wants to keep fighting for his life, a family member's pregnant friend whose cancer is spreading who desperately hopes to grow her child to a healthy point so it can live though she will die...

God it hurts. Come quickly, Lord.


2 Corinthians 7-18
⁷But we have this treasure in^T)">(T) jars of clay,^U)">(U) to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are^V)">(V) afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but^W)">(W) not forsaken;^X)">(X) struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰^Y)">(Y) always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,^Z)">(Z) so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So^AA)">(AA) death is at work in us, but life in you.

¹³Since we have^AB)">(AB) the same spirit of faith according to what has been written,^AC)">(AC) "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, ¹⁴knowing that^AD)">(AD) he who raised the Lord Jesus^AE)">(AE) will raise us also with Jesus and^AF)">(AF) bring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵For^AG)">(AG) it is all for your sake, so that as^AH)">(AH) grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving,^AI)">(AI) to the glory of God.

¹⁶So we do not lose heart.^AJ)">(AJ) Though our outer self^c]">[c] is wasting away,^AK)">(AK) our inner self^AL)">(AL) is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For^AM)">(AM) this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸^AN)">(AN) as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.