Welcome to Genesis 7! Boy, am I glad to be back in the land of the living after last week. Seems like so much is going on right now for so many people, but God is always good. Always. He has proven that to me in the past seven days in ways I can’t begin to describe. His healing on all levels is amazing. Wow…

Genesis 7:15 (GWT)–A pair of every living, breathing animal came to Noah to go into the ship.

Imagine you’re Noah.  First, your a God-fearing man in a godless world.  Second, you’re an ordinary guy who suddenly hears the voice of God saying, “Hey, it’s never happened before, but water is going to fall from the sky and flood the world.  Build a giant boat that’s nowhere near the ocean.”  (Not trying to be disrespectful there, just to emphasize how insane that must have sounded coming out of the blue.)  Then, just when the weirdness couldn’t get any weirder, here come the animals.  Thousands of them.  Animals you’ve never seen before.  Animals in every color.  Animals that make you think, “How am I going to clean up after that?”  If Noah had any doubts before, surely they were erased when the first two kangaroos hopped up to his door.

But what about the other people?  The ones making fun of Noah and scoffing.  Don’t miss this point, because they sure did.  When those animals showed up, that was a parade no one could overlook, and yet they did.  No one took a step back and said, “Uhm, maybe God is really serious and is about to do what he told Noah He was going to do.  Maybe I should repent.”   They missed all of the signs, and they paid a terrible price.

What about us?  Are we missing the signs?  God’s Word is full of truth and prophecy, some of which has come true, and some of which is coming true before our eyes.  Yet how many of us, how many in the world, are missing that elephant that’s stomping through our living room?  How many of us ignore the ostrich parading down the middle of the highway?  We’d like to think the world will see if enough signs come true, but if they missed the animals in Noah’s day, how much more are they going to ignore the warnings in our day?

So what do we do?  Right now, I confess to feeling a little bit overwhelmed and at a loss.  Know what?  Even as I typed that, God said, “I’m not at a loss, nor am I overwhelmed.”  He knows.  And He’s calling.  It’s up to us to see.

-JB

I am privileged to teach an amazing group of middle schoolers.  If you remember middle school (or junior high school, if you’re my age), then you remember what a crazy time that was.  Trust me, I look at these kids and I remember.  They can go from zero to sixty faster than any high-end sports car.  Their heads can spin 360 degrees in a blink, and the sweetest kid in the world can morph into a monster (and vice versa).  But I love them to pieces.

This year’s group seems to have a unifying theme, and it’s funny how it matches right up with what God’s trying to teach me this year.  Know what it is?  God loves me.  Bigger than I know.  No matter what I do.  These kids crave that knowledge.  They want to know it.  They were introduced to today’s song a few weeks ago, and it’s a staple for them now.  Whenever I ask them if they want to hear music in class, this one comes up.  And I love it too.  Remember who you are.  You are God’s beloved.  You can’t beat that.

Jason Gray – Remind Me Who I Am (Official Music Video) from centricitymusic on GodTube.

-JB

I usually write my Word Wednesdays on Wednesday, because I like them to be “fresh” in the moment.  That works great… until the unexpected happens.  Yeah, I was sick yesterday.  So we’ll have our Wednesday on Thursday if everyone is agreeable. 

Genesis 6:9 (GWT)–This is the account of Noah and his descendants.  Noah had God’s approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time.  He walked with God.

It’s hard to believe, but the people of Noah’s time were even more depraved than people today.  In fact, among the people of the earth, Noah (and likely those in his family) were the only ones who were considered to have integrity.  That’s an appalling thing to think about, isn’t it?  That in the entire world, only one person walked with God?

Makes our walk seem a little bit easier, doesn’t it?  It’s easy to watch the news and lament.  I’ve done it many times, so many times that I’ve essentially quit watching the news.  (I read it elsewhere.  Being uninformed is worse than being angry.)  No matter how bad it is right now, at least we have others to pray with and to be there for us.  I’ve seen it in the most amazing way over the past month or so, the way believers rally around each other in prayer even when they don’t know what they’re praying for exactly.  Who did Noah have to turn to?

Know the other thing?  We can’t complain about the way things are.  You don’t hear Noah complaining.  And he had every reason.  The thing is, we can still take action.  We can still band together against the wrong in the world.  God has us here at this time for a reason.  And trust me, it’s not to gripe about the way things are.  It’s to change them.  Shouldn’t our voices be heard now more than ever?  Noah had no one to stand with him.  We have countless others.  Why do we remain silent?  What would happen if we all spoke truth instead of sitting back and watching it happen?

Okay, so my toes hurt.  I’m talking about me here.  I know I don’t speak out near enough.  It’s time to use our voices more, don’t you think?

-JB

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Know what? We serve an Almighty God. I just needed to say that today. I’ve watched Him move MIGHTILY in the past couple of weeks. We live in the victory of Psalm 18 right now, the victory of a God who loves us and is quick to contend with what contends with us. Oh, yes, He’s awesome. And if you’re walking any sort of fiery path right now, you need to leap over to Psalm 18 and let it grip you right in the faith.

As much as I’d like to go all over Psalm 18, Genesis 5 is where we are today, and it’s no less amazing.

Genesis 5:24 (GWT)–Enoch walked with God; then he was gone because God took him.

Genesis 5:24 (NIV)–Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Genesis 5:24 (AMP)–And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not; for God took him [home with Him].

I could go through every translation of the Bible with this verse, and I did it for a reason.  The point is, Enoch walked so closely with God that it’s implied that, one day, he took one more step and found himself in the presence of God Himself, done.  It isn’t said as in other places that Enoch “went to be with his fathers” or “went to sleep” or even the less poetic “died.”  One day, he simply ceased to be.  Now, am I saying he didn’t die?  I have no idea.  I wasn’t there.  It’s implied he simply translated straight into God’s presence, but ultimately, isn’t that what a believer’s death is?  Transition from here to the Almighty?

Either way, whether Enoch died physically or not, how amazing is that little one-line testimony?  How incredible was his relationship with God that God made certain his name was in the word as one who walked closely with Him and then got to go and be with Him?  Oh, that God could say the same of me!

What would it be like to walk that closely with God?  It gives me chills to think of being shoulder to shoulder with Him.  I wish the English language had better words, because describing what I’m thinking right now is next to impossible.  Let me point this out, though… Enoch makes me believe that it is possible to really, truly communion with God right here on earth.  That there is more than what I have.  And Enoch makes me want that “more.”  After all, he was only a man.  He was no better or worse than me or you.  He simply made a choice to walk with God.

It makes me think of Moses, who actually saw God.  (Now there’s another good-cold-chill kind of story right there!)  Moses, who was so deep in God’s glory that he had to cover his face so people could look at him.  To have God seen all over my face!

I want that!  I want it so badly!  It’s like I’ve heard Beth Moore say, I want Him to take one more scale off of my eyes every day so I can see Him better today than yesterday!  I want to make that choice, like Enoch, to walk with God.  Scary?  Yes.  But the rewards, the communion…  Can it get any better than that?

-JB

Aren’t there some days when it’s just good to know that God loves you?  Sometimes, in the hustle and craziness of life, it’s easy to dash into prayer time and dash out again without really looking for God’s face.  “Here’s my stuff, God.  Thanks for listening.  You have a good day now, okay?”

It’s good to slow down, though.  To shut our mouths, rest our heads in His lap, and let Him run His hand over our hair.  Oh, it’s in those times when I feel God’s love the most, when I lay my head down and let Him love me.  I don’t say anything, I just get into His presence and let Him talk to me.  Sometimes He says nothing.  He’s just there.  In a way, those are the best times, the ones that bring tears to my eyes because there’s no agenda, it’s just me and my Abba, being together. He likes to do that to me at the beach.  We stand together, staring out over the water.  There’s no dazzling insight, no amazing bolt from the blue, just us, hanging out.  I just know there is a crystal sea in heaven simply so we can stand there together.  That is what I look forward to the most!

The God whose words spoke everything into existence likes to sit still with me.  Do we realize how incredible that is?  If you’ve got a minute, sit with Him now and let Chris Tomlin’s “Unfailing Love” get you into that moment with God:

-JB

Welcome back to Wednesday!  This week is a “skeleton week” when it comes to blog posts.  Every once in a while, a blogger needs a break, but I can’t skip a Wednesday! 

Genesis 4:9 (GWT)–The Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”  “I don’t know,” he answered.  “Am I supposed to take care of my brother?”

Well, the answer to that would be… yes.  The first thing I thought when I read this was not about murder.  It was, “Yes, we are supposed to take care of our brothers (sisters).”

I struggle with asking for help.  Don’t we all sometimes?  We want to be the caretakers and the helpers and the ones lifting others up.  But God didn’t mean for all of us to be strong all of the time.  Sometimes, we have to bow our heads and say, “I need help.”  To not do so is to cause us harm.  Shoot, let’s just say it… To not ask for help is downright prideful.  It’s saying, “I can do this on my own.”  Well, sometimes you can’t, and that’s why God created fellowship and prayer.  That’s why so many other verses in the Bible tell us to pray for one another.  We’re not meant to go it on our own.  We’re meant to ask for help.

God is amazing like that.  He makes sure to place people into our lives who are there exactly when they need us to be.  I’ve experienced that many times over.  It took me a long time to learn to ask for help though.  But I’m glad He taught me.

-JB

Genesis 3.  It’s one of the most pivotal chapters in the Bible.  I’ve heard many people blame Adam and Eve (or simply Eve) for the state of man but, the fact is, Satan wouldn’t have given up if Eve had said no that day.  As the population of earth grew, someone, somewhere would have one day given in to the temptation.  It just so happened to be the first of us.  God took a big risk creating us with free will, didn’t he?

Genesis 3:15 (GWT)–I will make you and the woman hostile toward each other.  I will make your descendants and her descendant hostile toward each other.  He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.

And just like that, in the instant after sin, there is Jesus.  Oh, Satan.  You may bruise Him, but He will crush you.  God didn’t take a minute to count to ten.  He didn’t rant and rave, then come back all calmed down and ready to give grace.  In verse 13, he asks Eve, “What have you done?” and in verse 15, he redeems her.  That fast.  How can we possible look at God and picture Him as a mean, nasty judge waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us?  It’s clear right here:  He is grace and mercy and love.  Look no further.

But if you need more proof?  Six verses later, in 3:21, He’s taking care of the very children He just cursed.  Did He lay down punishment, then storm away?  No.

Genesis 3:21 (GWT)–The Lord God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them.

Abba God.  Still hands on.  Still active.  Still taking care of His children in spite of the fact that they just ruined everything and set into motion the plan that would ultimately lead to His Son’s suffering.  Do you see it?  Not only did He provide, He dressed them Himself.  It’s almost tender.

That’s my God.  Just.  Powerful.  Almighty.  Demanding respect and obedience.  Yet graceful.  Forgiving. Loving. Tender.

Don’t miss it.  He loves you that much.

-JB