Big Names

Every time I get to a new person to study in Genesis, I am amazed at the situations that God has chosen to illuminate about their lives, starting with the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. They all fell short in some way or another. In the beginning these individuals lived for centuries (before the bloodlines became corrupted with man's shenanigans and shortcuts for healthy living). They had many experiences, stories and victories to draw from. Yet God selects what he reveals about each one so that we can clearly see His love. The story in Genesis is what God did and is doing for man. What man was doing for God never really enters into the discourse. The more a man or woman focuses on the 'me' in their lives, the more screwed up things become. It helps us to change our focus to God.

We need to understand God, he doesn't need to work on understanding us. He already knows us.

Psalm 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

The first Adam was made of the dust of the world. The second Adam helped us gain a more enduring spiritual body. This is our 'treasure in an earthen vessel'.

I Corinthians 15:44-45 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

While I regard the great men and women of the Bible with respect, I am understanding more and more the proper perspective of their lives.  God's perspective!

So often in life we elevate people and are drawn to the great names of the times whom we admire. We often see position, education, personality, and titles first and that influences us.  We elevate people and are effected by their lives. We act differently around certain ones both in positive and negative ways. We turn a deaf ear on those we don't consider important and we sometimes blindly follow those who tell us what we want to hear or don't want to take the time to think it through. There is danger in these ways of thinking.

We get so blessed when we decide to go to God and His Word. The Word and the spirit of God in us helps guide our thoughts to the truly good things. I'm not saying that teachers are not important. Teaching is a means to an end, it is never the end. We are responsible to read, think and apply the Word to our lives. We are the ones to pray and talk to God. Each of us are responsible to the answers to life that are true.

I got up this morning thinking I might listen to a tape or DVD or read a book. Sometimes it is so easy to do that instead of just reading the Word. When I sit down with Genesis or whatever other topic I'm working, it takes thinking, praying and working. As I sat down today, I started thinking about a section in Job and then I saw it's implications in the lives of the men and women portrayed in Genesis and I got very busy and excited. It has been a fun morning!

In Genesis, Abraham  and Sarah and Jacob were given names by God. These names represented their position and education in life. Jesus Christ was given a name above all names by God. Consider his education, his position and his title in this world while he lived.   In the end, we look at all the people in the Bible in light of what God did for and through them.  We have access to God just as they did. When we read about them, they are the means to a rich, valuable and fruitful relationship with God.