Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

On March 12, 2013

The book of Genesis accounts for the creation of lights in the firmament of the heaven
God created these lights:
– to divide the day from the night and
– to let them be for signs, and for seasons, and
– to shine for days, and years (Genesis 1:14);
– to give light upon the earth (Genesis 1:15).

Jesus said, you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are God’s lights on earth.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are recreated, as lights of God:
– to divide Holiness from the darkness of sin (i.e., be sanctified), and
– to be God’s warning sign to those who are not in Jesus Christ, of God’s impending end times and seasons, and
– to shine forth perpetually (for days and for years), and
– to give the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is hidden in us (2 Corinthians 4:6-7), upon the earth.

Points to ponder:
Are you lights of God for God, sanctified and Holy? If you are, are you warning others of God’s signs and end times (seasons)? We are chosen to give light upon the earth. Hide not your light under the bushel, but let your light so shine before men, that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:15-16).

Genesis 1:14-15 (KJV)
¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
¹⁵And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (KJV)
⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Done, Undone, Redone

On March 11, 2013

In the account of Creation, we see that God separated the waters from the waters (Genesis 1:6-7) resulting in waters above and waters below.
Upon man’s exceeding wickedness, God’s wrath was poured out in the form of a flood, in which the fountains of the great deep (waters from below) were opened up and the windows of heaven were opened (waters from above) (Genesis 7:11), in a sense UNDOING the separation of the waters, that God had DONE in the creation account.
And not forgetting his righteous servant, Noah, God sent a wind to pass over the earth, so that the flood waters could assuage and the fountains of the deep and windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven restrained, so that the water could recede. In other words, God had to REDO the separation and the earth was replenished by only those who were righteous.

So, in the matter of separation (of the waters), God had to DO, UNDO and REDO.

Points to ponder:
In like manner in our spiritual matters of being separate and sanctified (set apart) for the Lord, when God created man, he created him to be a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Man was distinct from the animals and everything else God created for man was created in the image (Holy image) of God (Genesis 1:27). But with man’s fall and exceeding wickedness, God had to pour forth his wrath on himself, as a flood (for the sins of the whole world was laid on Jesus Christ, God’s Only Begotten Son); And when the Holy Spirit of God passes over us, receding the self and sin in us, making us believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior, we are redone in God’s image – recreated as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Are you REDONE in the image of God, conforming no longer to the patterns of this world, but to the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ?

Genesis 1:6-7 (KJV)
⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Genesis 7:11 (KJV)
¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 8:1-2 (KJV)
¹And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
²The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Waters from the Waters

On March 8, 2013

Ever tried separating water from water – impossible isn’t it? However, the Bible records a few accounts of waters being separated from the waters.

You are probably familiar with the parting of the red sea when walls of water stood separated from one another as the Israelites led by God through his servant Moses crossed it to safety, away from the hands of their oppressors, the Egyptians (Exodus 14:21). This is recorded in Exodus 14:21.

Another account of water being separated from water is the account of the parting of the Jordan river, as the Israelites led by God’s servant Joshua, crossed it, to battle against Jericho and inherit the land that God had promised to them. The Jordan river was parted once again when Elijha and Elisha crossed it Jordan river on dry ground once to get to the other side and Elisha crosses it back on dry ground after Elijah is taken in chariots of fire (2 Kings 2:8-14).

Joshua, being the trusted aide and successor of Moses saw the miracle of the red sea being separated and this influenced his faith that God would come through as he did for Moses (Joshua 3:15-17; Joshua 4:23). But what about Moses, where did his faith come from?

With Moses not being there during the time of creation and identified as the most probable author of the first five books of the Bible (Pentatuch) including Genesis, how did he know of the creation account. One theory is that Moses would have heard the account of his forefathers, passed down generations, but Moses’s was raised as a child in the house of the Pharaoh which makes it questionable for him to have heard of his Jewish forefathers. The more scriptural reason by which Moses could have come to know of the creation account and the things he records in the books he wrote is directly from God. The Bible says that God confides with those who fear him (Psalm 25:14) and the Bible states that God spoke with Moses face to face as a man would speak with his friend (Exodus 33:11).

Genesis 1:6 records that God in his creation account separated the waters from the waters and made the firmament (sky) between the waters. Moses spoke with the God who made the impossible possible and so when he had the Egyptians gaining on him and God’s people from the back and the red sea in the front, he must have known that the God is the same, yesterday, today and forever and nothing is impossible with him – including separating water from water. As he stretched forth his hands over his problem (sea), the miracle of waters being separated from water happens and the Israelites pass through to safety.

Points to ponder:
When you think that the problems of your life surround you like a flood, you can trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, that he can separate your problems and make you pass through your problems. Are you his friend and do you fear him, for he confides with those who fear him and speaks with his friends, face to face. Nothing is impossible with God.

Exodus 14:21 (KJV)
²¹And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Joshua 3:15-17 (KJV)
¹⁵And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
¹⁶That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
¹⁷And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

Joshua 4:23-24 (KJV)
²³For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
²⁴That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.

Genesis 1:6 (KJV)
⁶And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
⁷And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

My beloved

On March 6, 2013

My beloved

An obedient daughter, a wonderful mother, and a loving wife
would be an understatement to describe my beloved, my love, my life
A woman of faith expressed in action,
is how I choose to describe my beloved to whom I am married to in union.

A decade plus one year ago, to be made one flesh, we vowed,
leaving earthly ties and cleaving to a heavenly relationship, we bowed,
before God our maker, the first braid in our threefold cord
who strengthens us, to tide over trying times, our staff and our rod.

Like the denying Peter, not once, not twice, but thrice, have I broken her heart,
only to find out, that each time, she forgave me and accepted me, in full, not in part,
just as The Savior did, from whose Love, nothing can bid us depart,
and emulating that Sacrificial Love, unmerited favor and mercy to me, does she perpetually impart.

Two wonderful children has God loaned us to cherish.
My beloved teaches them to grow in his knowledge, lest they perish.
Her tutelage, “Always be focused, humble and caring, loving God and loving your neighbor”,
expressing her words in action, does she arduously labor.

As she celebrates her arrival on earth
bringing to all around her, joy, happiness and mirth
My prayer for her is that God grants her, her heart’s desire
and makes her shine even brighter, refining her in his fire

A woman of faith expressed in action,
is how I choose to describe my beloved to whom I am married to in union.
I promise to love her, as I have been loved
For in my beloved, I see the fingerprints of God’s Beloved.

Proverbs 5:18 (KJV)
¹⁸Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Ephesians 5:21-33 (KJV)
²¹Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
²²Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
²⁴Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
²⁶That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
²⁷That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
²⁸So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
²⁹For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
³⁰For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
³¹For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
³²This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
³³Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Genesis 0:0 – In the Beginning

On March 5, 2013

The first three verses in the Bible speak about the Trinity of God and Genesis 1:1 starts out as, “In the beginning God …” Now should there be a verse preceding that, what would that be? A youth in our Church once asked me, “Where did God come from?” This is actually a question that many scholars have sought to answer. And amidst my God given wisdom and finite human understanding, all I can do is to turn to the Bible to find the answer. Psalm 90:2 states that before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world was formed i.e., before creation (as expressed in Genesis 1), from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” In other words, the God of the Bible IS (not was, not will be), He simply IS. He is The I AM.

Points to ponder:
To ask “Where did God come from?” is like asking “Who is the Bachelor’s wife?” Just as someone who is a Bachelor, implies that he does not have a wife, so also to be God, implies that he does not have a beginning (nor an end). Man-made idols who are worshipped as gods have a beginning at the hands of man, unlike the God of the Bible who simply IS.

Jesus, God’s in human form was born amidst men. It was his birth but not his beginning, when he was born into the world he created, for he always IS. In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1-2). Jesus is the Word of God, becoming flesh to dwell amongst men.
In the beginning, God …
In the beginning, was the Word …
In the beginning, God was the Word and the Word was God.
From everlasting to everlasting, Jesus is God.

Jesus wants to be born in your life. Believe in him to be born again. The God of the Bible IS. Are you HIS? If not, believe in Jesus and receive him to be accepted into, and to belong to God’s family.

Psalm 90:2 (KJV)
²Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

John 1:1-3 (KJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²The same was in the beginning with God.
³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The first three verses in the Bible

On March 4, 2013

The first three verses in the Bible (Genesis 1:1-13) read as follows:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The first verse speaks of God, the Father, the Creator – the first person of the Trinity.
The second verse speaks of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Trinity.
The third verse does not explicitly speak of God, the Son, Jesus Christ, but speaks of light that was spoken of God to shine on the darkness (verse 2). Colossians 1:15 refers to Jesus as the firstborn of all creation. While the English transliteration of the word firstborn can be misleading, implying a birth and thus a finite beginning, the Greek word used was prototokos meaning first to beget (protos = first and tikto = to beget), also implying first in time or first in priority. Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God, the firstbegotten of all creation. The Bible refers to Jesus, as the light that has been seen by the people sitting in darkness (Matthew 4:16) and Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). Using these references, I feel convinced that the light mentioned in the third verse is speaking of Jesus Christ, God, the Son – the second person of the Trinity.

In other words, the first three verses in the Bible is about the One True God in Three Persons.

Points to ponder:
Are you still in darkness or have you believed in Jesus Christ (God, the Son), so that he, the light of the world, has shined on your life driving away the darkness of sin and death. When we believe in Christ Jesus, the Spirit of God (God, the Holy Spirit) is poured out on us to seal you until redemption, to God’s praise and glory, as he has promised (Ephesians 1:12-14) and this Holy Spirit of God that is given is a Spirit of Adoption, by whom, we can address God (God, the Father) as Abba, Father (Romans 8:15). From Creation to Salvation and eventual glory of God, it is all about the Trinity of God, starting with the first three verses in the Bible. Are you in darkness or are you in the light?

Genesis 1:1-3 (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
²And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

John 8:12 (KJV)
¹²Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV)
¹²That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Romans 8:14-16 (KJV)
¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Colossians 1:15 (KJV)
¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
¹⁹For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
²⁰And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
²¹And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
²²In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Be Still :: Who are you?

On March 1, 2013

The Bible teaches us to Be still and know that Who God is (Psalm 46:10), but did you know that the Bible also counsels us to Be still and know, who we are. (Psalm 4:4). We are asked to commune with our own heart and be still. In other words, we need to Be still and introspect.

We need to be still and introspect that we are standing (on our knees) in awe of God for his glory outshines all other things that glitter.
We need to be still and introspect to make sure that we have no unconfessed sin in our lives that displeases God.

Points to ponder:
When we are still, we can ponder in our hearts and introspect as to who we are (in Christ Jesus). Those who have believed in him, can be still and recognize that as the:
– Accepted of God, we can be still and know that we don’t need to be captive to any loneliness that binds us.
– Beloved of God, we can be still and know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and so we don’t need to conform to the ephemeral things of the world that define short-lived beauty.
– Child of God, we can be still and know that as our Father, God is our provider, our protection, our pillar, our preserver, and all powerful to meet all of our needs according to his riches in glory.

Do you know who you are? Be still and commune with your own heart; Be still and introspect.

Psalm 4:4 (KJV)
⁴Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

Be Still :: Who is With You?

On February 28, 2013

When Jesus was being arrested, one of his disciples, attempted to come to his defense and with his sword, cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus at this time questioned, “Do you not think that I can now pray to God the Father, and He would presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). The book of Joshua and Revelation affirms that Jesus Christ is the captain of the armies (host) of the Lord (Joshua 5:14; Revelation 19:14).

One of my favorite songs is Chris Tomlin’s song, “Whom shall I fear? (God of angel armies)” that is based on the above mentioned scripture. God begins to tell us through the Psalmist “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) but then continues to affirm his constant presence and protection by telling us “The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:11).

Points to ponder:
To be still is to recognize the fact that God is not only a God of control but one who is with us, along with his host of angel armies. Jesus said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will be with you, even unto the end of the world.” (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 28:20). The captain of the armies of the Lord is with us and so we have nothing or no one to fear. When Joshua encountered Jesus, the captain of the armies of the Lord, he immediately fell down and worshiped him. What is our response? Are we being still and worshipping the God of angel armies, who is with us, always?

Psalm 46:10-11 (KJV)
¹⁰Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
¹¹The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Be Still :: Who is in Control?

On February 27, 2013