GREENE STREET LETTERS: And God Said....

Monday, April 11, 2011

And God Said....

Genesis 1:3
The God said, "let there be light" and there was light.

I can't tell you how many times I have read this passage. Probably a gazillion.
But I always come away with the same thought.
"Why didn't God say...."Light exist" or "I command light to shine"...?
To me it sounds like God gave light the right to exist.
He gave light permission to come forth.

I think maybe that truly is the way we are to perceive this verse.
God has the ultimate authority over every thing.
God gives permission.
Drawing my next breath is because God gave me permission to live.
Typing at this keyboard happens because God gave me the thought and the ability to type.
As I move through my day, God gives me permission to interact and hopefully influence or lead someone to turn their will and live over to His care.

He also gave me the ability to make choices.
I don't always make the best ones. I guess you may be asking, "Does God give me permission to sin?" The answer would be yes. Chuck Swindoll explained it like this, "Everything that happens to me does not come from the hand of God........but everything that happens to me passes through the hand of God."
This means that God gives Satan permission to test and tempt us. All you have to do is look to Scripture to see this. Luke 22:31 - "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat."
Why would Satan be given permission to uncover Peter's heart? Because Jesus wanted Peter to understand what was still in his heart. He wanted Peter to understand that darkness lay within and in that darkness was the ability to deny Jesus. It wasn't until Peter was shown this that true healing and empowerment could come.

Read the Luke 22 passages about the night before Jesus' death and then flip over to Acts and read Chapter 2 and 3. Look at what a difference there is in the Peter found in Luke 22 and the man who stands to deliver the first message after Pentecost. God gives his permission.

Maybe Romans 8:28 will read a little bit different now that we see God really is in control.
"For all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
God's permission holds everything in place.
The planets....
Life here on earth....
The heavenly Kingdom come down because of His will....
God's permission is the ultimate of power and authority.
I celebrate this today!

God on you....
mb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Monday, April 11, 2011

And God Said....

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD