As I worked out today I thoughts about my arms, my chest, and my legs. I thought about how I needed to use them if I wanted to keep them strong. I also pondered the fact that I need to do more than just use them, I needed to exercise them. The difference between those two is the purpose for which they are done. I use my muscles to live, I exercise them to remain alive. The same is true of our spiritual muscularity. We use it to live, but exercise it to stay alive. Love, Hope, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self Control are what we call the “fruit of the Spirit.” (Gal 5:22) These are not fruit that we produce, but fruit that the Holy Spirit produces through us as we exercise our spirituality and godliness. We are to Love to even our enemies (Matt 5:44), be patient in our Hope (Romans 5:5), practice Peace with each other (Mark 9:50), be Patient with each other (Eph 4:2), be Kind to each other (Eph 4:32), do Good to all men (Gal 6:10), be Faithful unto death (Rev 2:10), and be strong in Self Control (Pro 25:28). But here us is the key; as our muscles let us live by staying strong, and give us life by growing stronger, so too do our Spiritual muscles behave the same way. Consider 2 Pet 1:4-8, 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s exercise our faith.
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Genesis 1:1 says th“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” There are many that deny this fact by talking about other “scientific” solutions as to how the world came to be. On one hand Conservative Christians believe that God spoke the earth into existence. At the other end of the spectrum some say that there was a giant interstellar explosion, called the “big bang.” What is the truth? Is it either of these or something else. Genesis states that God created everything in six days beginning with the heavens and the earth on day one. If we agree on that, doesn’t either option work, or can both work? Could God have spoken the earth into existence (Psalm 33:8-9) using a “big bang?” There are things that we don't know because as God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Someday we will understand how God did it, but regardless of your stance, we can all find commonality in the fact that no matter how He did it, “In the beginning God…” |
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