Break From Your Life

Posted on September 14, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 2: 2-3 - And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Your Discipleship Minute

Busy, busy, busy. We are always so busy working, playing or just going about the business of our daily lives. But through the creation of the heavens and the earth, God sets a precedent for us to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

God did not rest on the seventh day because He was tired out from the creative work of the past six days. In His rest, He stopped to enjoy His creation and the glory he received from it. Likewise, we need to set aside one day to stop, enjoy God’s creation all around us and to worship Him and give Him the glory.

Action Point

Take one day each week and devote it to God. Fast from something distracting on that day (such as TV, computers or social media) and use the time instead to study the Bible, pray and worship God.

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It’s All Good

Posted on September 13, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 1: 31 -  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Your Discipleship Minute

It’s easy to look out of the window to see abandoned buildings, streets full of potholes, cans of garbage and all sorts of damaged and diseased parts of our world.

But that is what we have done to the world.

When God first created the earth, He saw everything that He had made and pronounced it very good. So, what made the difference between God’s “very good” and what we see today?

Sin.

Sinful men spoiled the earth with hatred, violence, spilled blood from wars, and prideful and lofty ambitions that take precedence over relationships and people.

But soon, God will exercise His creative power once more and this world will be destroyed and remade in the image of its former glory.

2 Peter 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Action Point

Are you ready for that day?  Would you be ready if Jesus returned this very hour?  Take some time to consider confessing and repenting of your sins and failings and asking God for His great power to enable you to live a victorious life.

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Restored to the Image of God

Posted on September 12, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 1: 26 -  Then God said, ”Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Your Discipleship Minute

Do you know what it means to be made in the image of God?  It is about reflecting the majesty of God’s creation back upon Him to glorify our creator.

And do you want to know the amazing part?  God created us in His image, knowing that we would take the precious gift of free will and choice and choose to disobey Him in the Garden.  He knew that we would continue to choose sin down through the many generations of mankind.  But He also had a plan for restoring us in His image.

That plan was to become human Himself, born of a woman in Bethlehem in a lowly manger.

We could not restore ourselves to our former glory, so Jesus restored us by becoming one of us and defeating sin and death for us.

Action Point

If you have trusted Christ as your savior, you have been restored to the former glory of mankind. Even though the outside doesn’t show it, inside we have been made new.

When Jesus returns, the glory of Jesus Christ inside of us will burst forth and we will be changed in an instant, made to be like Him, who was found to be like us.  Praise God!

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According To Its Own Kind

Posted on September 1, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 1: 11-12 - 11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.

Your Discipleship Minute

Have you ever seen an apple tree with bananas growing on it?  No?  Of course not.  Because God created every plant and tree to reproduce based on the genetic code He implanted in every created thing, i.e. each according to their kind.

And that’s one of the fundamental problems with the theory of evolution (you remember that it is only a theory, right?).

There aren’t any fruits or vegetables that are the “middlemen” between ancient fruits and modern fruits.

Sure, mankind has learned to manipulate genetics and cross-breed plants, fruits and vegetables, but that does not mean there has been any evolution of individual species that can be proven.

Action Point

Take the time today to read the creation account in Genesis and search for the small details that often get missed in a casual reading.  Praise God that He alone has the creative power!

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Be Separated

Posted on August 30, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 1: 6-9 - 6And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Your Discipleship Minute

Right from the beginning of creation, God teaches us the principle of separation.

Why is separation important? Because it teaches us the difference between holy and unholy, honorable and dishonorable, perfect and sinful. In the tabernacle of God, there was a heavy veil separating the outside of the holy place from the Holy of Holies.

In our lives, we need to learn to separate ourselves from the sinful things that draw us away from God. We don’t do that by the law or our own morality or good deeds. We can only do that by drawing closer to Christ.

Action Point

Draw closer to Christ and separate yourself from the sins of this world. Allow the Holy Spirit to conform you to the image of Christ.

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The Light of the World

Posted on August 29, 2011 by DiscipleRob

Bible Verse

Genesis 1: 2-5 – 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Your Discipleship Minute

We look out at the majesty of the universe and the stars in the heavens and we are awed by its infinite beauty, but often we do not appreciate the beauty of our own home, the earth. Before there were stars and galaxies and constellations in the sky, there was the earth, empty of dry land but filled with water, sitting motionless in space. The Spirit of God was “hovering” over the face of the deep. The Hebrew word that translates as “hovering” implies to be “affected with movement.” Literally, the Spirit of God “moved” the earth, possibly beginning its spinning on its axis.

God then created the light. He had no need to “create” darkness, as darkness is always simply the absence of light. By creating the earth as a round spinning planet, the light was effectively separated from the darkness. The light was then called “day” and the darkness was called “night.”

Action Point

Let us read the creation account with fresh eyes that see the awesome wonder and power of God. Give thanks to God for His mighty hand that created our world and be assured that He is as powerful today as He was when He created all that we can see.

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