Friday, July 17, 2009

Enjoying God's Creation and Gifts

Lesson Learned this Summer: #3


And God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:10b (ESV)

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. 1 Tim 4:4-5 (ESV)


Creation Is Good. Another important theme in Genesis 1 is that God’s creation is good. Various individual aspects of creation are so designated (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) whereas the whole taken together is called “very good” (v. 31). These statements are intended to show not only that what God has fashioned and made to conform to the rule of law reflects his glory and his very nature (cf. Ps. 19:1–11 [12]; 97:6; Rom. 1:20), but also that the fall of humanity described in Genesis 3 cannot be attributed to any flaw in creation. Clearly Adam and Eve cannot excuse their transgression on the basis of a deficient environment because it is both perfect and provides bountifully for their every need (1:29; 2:8–16, 20–25). Neither can God be faulted, for, despite the fact that the serpent which becomes the agent of temptation in this episode is a creature that God has made (3:1), it is a subordinate creature over which humans are to exercise dominion (1:26–28; 2:19–20). Thus their transgression is a consequence of their failure to fulfill the creation mandate.
- Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. electronic ed. Baker reference library; Logos Library System. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1997, c1996.


Therefore I can enjoy God's creation and gifts, receiving it with thanksgiving.

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Grace and Peace
Ollie
Jul 2009

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Our Great Debt is Forgiven

Lesson Learned this Summer: #2

My Father, as I dwell on the fullness of your forgiveness for me... paid for with the blood of your own Son... given freely to me... all my evil forgotten... give me a fresh deposit of quick forgiveness for others today.

Let forgiveness flow from me, quick and free, so that any offense against me is like a dead leaf fallen in a river - washing away in a moment.

Prayer from"Early Will I Seek You: A 40-Day Journey in the Company of Augustine" (ed. David Hazard).

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Grace and Peace
Ollie
Jul 2009

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A Manifesto to Live by

Lesson Learned this Summer: #1

1. Resolved to follow Scripture Truth wherever it leads me;
2. Resolved to follow Scripture as it gives revelation, but will leave those truths not yet revealed or hidden in God's hands;
3. Resolved to bow to the Sovereignty of God in all things;
4. Resolved to follow God, who I believe is in control and good, even though I am kept wondering about many things; and
5. Resolved to live for the Glory of God in the midst of joy and suffering.


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Grace and Peace,
Ollie
Jul 2009

Friday, July 3, 2009

Earnestly I Seek You

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water....
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I stay close to you; your right hand upholds me. Ps 63:1,6-8 (NIV)


My Father, it's my natural tendency to seek you in the areas of my life where I'm in some distress. But you alone know what aspect of your nature I need to see today.
If it's your corrective hand I need, help me to see it quickly and to respond with joyful obedience.
If it's your compassion, let me perceive how deep and wide your love is, so that I can pour out that love on others, too.
And if your clear-bright purity is what I need to see, let me face it long enough that it cleanses away the sooty darkness that gathers so subtly in me...
- "Early Will I Seek You: A 40-Day Journey in the Company of Augustine" (ed. David Hazard).


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Grace and Peace
Ollie
Jul 2009