Don't Occupying God's Position!

Bible readings for the day: Genesis 10-11

Human hubris that want to make a tower that reached to the heavens peak (11:4) reflects an arrogant attitude, it is also resistance to the commandment of God to men to fill the earth (1:28).

Sin often happens because people do not realize that his creation is lesser than God. Satan's temptation of Eve (3:1-5), the temptation to eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, is the temptation to equate degrees with God.

Many of the sins and problems that originated from the attitude of God wants to occupy the position. For example, someone who kills another accidentally had established himself as one who has the authority to take the rights of other people's lives, and the authority to take someone's life right is the authority of God. Similarly, a revenge himself has taken the rights possessed by God to judge and punish (cf. Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30)

One form of resistance to the authority of God is the attitude of complaining or protesting the existence of self. When we protested why we are born in poor condition or in a state of disability, we inadvertently assume that we ourselves have the right to be rich or have the right to be born in perfect condition, so we are not directly blame the God who formed us from the womb since our mother (Psalm 139:13). If we accept the authority of God over us, we will have peace.

Luke 1:51
"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts"

The Punishment Will Come

Bible readings for the day: Genesis 6-7

At the time of Noah's flood happened at the time of the unexpected by the people at that time reminded that God's punishment for human sinfulness will occur at the time set by God (compare with Matthew 24:37-44).

There are many things that can make people ignore the coming of God's wrath in the days to come. First, the punishment will come that will happen at the same time to all people in the days to come. Currently, we have not seen the reality of the punishment because the punishment has never happened. Second, the number of predictions that proved wrong makes many people doubt whether the punishment was really there. Third, sin is so attractive that many people feel affection for leaving innocent lives, even though they realize that sin always has consequences. Fourth, the devil is always trying in various ways to make us forget that the advent of punishment, among others, by making us become so busy that do not have time to think.

Our attitude toward sin and the salvation offered in Jesus Christ will determine whether our future will face eternal punishment or otherwise, we receive eternal blessings. If we choose to live in sin and we reject the salvation in Jesus Christ, the punishment would be a horrible moment. If we are willing to forsake sin and to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, when the punishment will be replaced with comfort and eternal blessings to be given to the children of God.

2 Peter 3:9
"God does not neglect keeping his promise, even if some people regard it as negligence, but He is patient with you, because he is not willing that anyone perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Life Must be Accountable

Bible readings for the day: Genesis 1

Teaching the Bible that God is the Creator of heaven and earth and all its contents, including humans, with the consequence that one day every human life must be held accountable before God.

No one who saw the creation of world events, so the necessary faith to believe that the whole universe, including humans, were created by God. Instead, it takes greater faith to believe that humans are the result of evolutionary process completely natural. Belief in creation is based on the revelation of God in His Word, while evolution is a hypothesis (basic assumptions) that the truth remains to be seen. All the "evidence" that underlie the evolutionary hypothesis is a supposition which is still questionable truth. For example, the order in the universe is considered to underlie the evolutionary hypothesis is reasonable according to the spectacles of creation, namely that sense if God created the universe on a regular basis. Assumption that the age of the earth millions or billions of years based on the belief that the earth was not created by God, but are formed through a process of evolution

If evolution is true, God the Creator of the universe was only imaginary and not really there, so people do not need to be responsible to anyone. If creation is true, we must account for our lives. We must evaluate ourselves by asking, "Is my life is in conformity with the purpose God created me?" If we believe that God is the Creator of the universe, can not we can trust the hypothesis of evolution!

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Obedience Brings Victory of Faith

Bible readings today: Exodus 14:15-31

Obedience to God's leadership does not always lead to a smooth life but to live a victorious faith.

On entering the New Year, generally we are in a state of regret for past, as well as concerns over its future. That state of Moses when he led the Israels out of Egypt recorded in Exodus 14. After more than 430 years the Israels lived as slaves in Egypt, God raised Moses to lead them into a new phase. However, after leaving Egypt, they arrived at a dead end: in front of the sea and behind the army of Pharaoh. Advanced means of suicide, retreat means giving yourself massacred by swords and arrows of the mighty Egyptian army. The situation was made Moses facing 2.5 million people who think with the mindset of 'regret the past' and 'fears future' (14:11-12). Why did Moses and the Israels that led to a situation full of struggles like this? Is it because Moses did not obey? Of course not! That devotion to the Lord who brought them in a situation like that.

Devout life does not necessarily free us from the problems of life. However, after reading the Bible today we finished reading, it is clear that the end of the obedience of Moses is a victory of extraordinary faith. The people of Israel not only freed from the threat of enemy soldiers, but their inclusion feels His power is magical. Therefore, no need to regret the days that had passed on years ago and did not have to worry about the days in this new year. Commit to life with full adherence to the leadership saith the Lord. Use reflections book echoes this stage V as a guide reading the Bible every day.

Isaiah 56 : 1
This is what the LORD says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.

Genesis at a Glance

Genesis is a book that is very important! Without the book of Genesis, we are not going to understand how the heavens and the earth and all its contents can be formed. Without the book of Genesis, we can not understand the true concept of the family. Without the book of Genesis, we can not understand why there is sin and suffering in this world. Without the book of Genesis, we will not be there to understand why so many languages in the world. Without the book of Genesis, we will not be able to understand the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still going on until now.

Although this book is a book of "Genesis", does not mean that this book only deals with the occurrence of events (creation of) the heavens the earth and everything in it, because it only discussed the creation of events in the first 2 chapters of Genesis. English titles for the book of Genesis, the genesis, comes from the Greek geneseos used to translate the Hebrew word in the Bible tôledôt into the Greek Old Testament. Tôledôt word that means "source" or "origin". In the Indonesian Bibles, the word translated as "history". (2:4; 6:9), "offspring" (10:1, 32; 11:10, 27; 25:12; 36:1,9), "list of descendants" (5:1), "birth order" (25:13), and "history of descendants" (25:19; 37:2). According to tradition, the word is the title of tôledôt parts of Genesis. There are also experts who think the old covenant that it refers to tôledôt owner's name written records whose records are used as reference by the author of the book of Genesis.

From the historical point of view, the book of Genesis can be divided into two major parts, namely the history of mankind as a whole, ranging from the creation event to event formed the languages of human causes spread to every corner of the earth (chapters 1-11), and the early history of the Israel starting with Abraham summoned to leave the family and headed to the Land of Canaan until the emigration of the Israelites into Egypt in order to stay alive in the famine (chapters 12-50). In the first part, an important figure covered are Adam and Eve and Noah. In the second part, discussed the important figure is Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, who is the ancestral fathers of Israel.