From Eden to Egypt Day 16

1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.- Genesis 9:1-3 (NIV)

God made a covenant with Noah. He told Noah: Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. He had said earlier that the animals were to be released in order to multiply and fill the earth in chapter 8. He preserved these people to fill the earth from their line. It was to be done through Noah and his sons, multiplying and filling the earth.
God offers us everything. He says so in verses 2 and 3. We are offered all as food to us. Yet, we must not approach this lightly. God has a caveat that is also revealed in this covenant. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. That’s not for you. You have to prepare it a certain way, in a manner that is acceptable by God.

We have to learn the way that God wants us to live. There are reasons that kosher diets and other dietary restrictions work. We see the laws in Leviticus as a good source for understanding healthy biblical eating. Even though all is offered to us, we still need to watch how we eat. Look at diabetes and other preventable diseases and health issues. Those typically come about by what we take into our bodies. God offers us a natural way of eating, not preservatives and additives. Take care to be wise stewards over all that God has offered you, especially your body, mind and spirit. Be mindful of what you take in.

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From Eden to Egypt- Day 16

 ¹ Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. ² The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. ³ Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.- Genesis 9:1-3 (NIV)

God made a covenant with Noah.  He told Noah: Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.  He had said earlier that the animals were to be released in order to multiply and fill the earth in chapter 8.  He preserved these people to fill the earth from their line.  It was to be done through Noah and his sons, multiplying and filling the earth.

God offers us everything.  He says so in verses 2 and 3.  We are offered all as food to us.  Yet, we must not approach this lightly.  God has a caveat that is also revealed in this covenant.  But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.  That’s not for you.  You have to prepare it a certain way, in a manner that is acceptable by God.

We have to learn the way that god wants us to live.  There are reasons that kosher diets and other dietary restrictions work.  We see the laws in Leviticus as a good source for understanding healthy biblical eating.  Even though all is offered to us, we still need to watch how we eat.  Look at diabetes and other preventable diseases and health issues.  Those typically come about by what we take into our bodies.  God offers us a natural way of eating, not preservatives and additives.  Take care to be wise stewards over all that God has offered you, especially your body, mind and spirit.  Be mindful of what you take in.

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When God Calls You to Stand

But Daniel sresolved that he would not tdefile himself with kthe king’s food, or with lthe wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to tdefile himself.- Daniel 1:8 (NLT)

What we learn from the many biblical examples provided to us is that God can distinguish us with a divine destiny.  We don’t have to walk long with the Lord before we feel the spiritual tug on our lives and find ourselves marked for an assignment by Master.  He uses whomever He chooses.

It is so with Daniel as we read this familiar text from the Scriptures.  Circumstances and situations collide and culminate in cornucopia of change, change that is caused by being called out from among the crowd by the Creator.  So we find young Daniel among those marked by a secular king to expand and extend an earthly kingdom but simultaneously handpicked by the spiritual King of kings to exemplify and express a heavenly kingdom.  Daniel was distinguished for a divine destiny, for God indeed had called him to stand. Yes, He hose daniel to stand for truth with integrity and to stand for God amid idolatrous defilement.  God had called on this young man to lead a spiritual stand against impurity.  The fact of the matter is that God has called on many of us stand…in the courtroom, at the school district, in college lecture halls, in community meetings, even at the barbershop and the beauty shop.  God has called on His people to stand…to stand for Him in dark times and to stand on His promises even where you see no provision.

So what happens when God calls you stand?

• He will cause you to stand up

Daniel has a turning point in this text that sets him apart from the other young men. The Word simply says: “Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself.” It’s an internal decision before his external demonstration.  It’s a personal resolution before it is a public result. You see something happened in Daniel’s heart before anything came out of his mouth.  Therefore, when Daniel did speak, God had already stirred something within him before he started something through him.    If God calls you to stand, He will cause you to stand up for Him and to His glory.  If you want to test where somebody’s standing, look and see who’s going to get the glory.  That’ll tell you all you need to know.  We are to stand up but stand up for God and the purpose He has given us, seeking nothing for ourselves.

• …to stand out

After approved and acted on, Daniel and his comrades appeared to stand out from the rest.  Their countenance glowed differently than the others.  The appeared healthier than their counterparts.  God caused them to stand out.   What we take into our bodies has an effect on us, particularly in our appearance.  Take in junk and you start showing signs of how junk is affecting you.

• … to stand above

So in the end we that God will cause you to stand up and He’ll cause you to stand out.  But what’s real impressive about God is that He’ll even cause you to stand above.  Daniel and his friends stood out so much that they stood above the other young men.  In fact when presented before the king they were even standing above those who the king already had in place. like astrologers and magicians.  God uses these young men proved to be a cut above all of those as well.  You see when take a stand for God based upon His calling you, He can cause you to stand above…He can cause you to stand above your circumstances…your situation…your health condition…your socioeconomic status…your education level…your marital status…even when you don’t believe in yourself, you better believe in God…He can cause you to stand above it all.

Amen.

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Beyond the Barriers

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him.
-Nahum 1:7 (NIV)

Consider the challenges before President Obama and his cabinet. From untangling a monetary mess of an economy to restructuring and rewriting some key policies for labor, stem cell research, and other hot-button issues, these national leaders face countless challenges with bipartisanship and those who are bummed-out over bailouts. In comparison, look at today’s spiritual leaders such as T.D. Jakes, Charles Swindoll, and Billy Graham. Imagine what they have to face as they seek to shepherd the flock of God. Take into consideration what weighs heavy upon them as they seek to serve the Lord with gladness.

The prophet Nahum spoke out against the wicked and cruel nation of Assyria. The name Nahum means “comfort,” and it is certainly comforting to read this description of God in times of trouble. Imagine Him as a refuge, a place where you can feel protected and guarded from danger and harm. Not only is He good, but He extends His care to those who trust in Him. Peter was saying something similar when he wrote: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). We are blessed to be in the care of one such as God Himself. Trust Him with your worries. Trust Him with your burdens. Trust in times like these like you’ve never trusted Him before. He’s worthy!

For Your Information:
Recently, I started trying to get back into shape. Yes, I mean physical shape but I was also intrigued on staying balanced spiritually. What do I mean? Oftentimes, we can become out of balance as Christians, even with our intake of the Word. We can get wrapped up in reading Psalms so much that we rarely visit the pages of the Pauline epsitles. Our attention can be on the Gospels without giving any attention to minor prophets. a friend of mine in the ministry made the suggestion of taking on a Bible reading plan such as the One Year Bible to keep such a balance. If we are what we eat, then we must be mindful of maintaining a balanced diet, even with the Word.

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