God Will Provide All That We Need

It is one thing to know that God will provide, it is something else to see it demonstrated. This morning I continue my study on the word “will” and was brought to the passage of “Noah and the Flood” (the title in my ESV Bible). Here is the passage of Noah and his charge from God to be the survivor of the LORD’s destruction of the earth and all that is on it.

“¹³And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth ¹⁴Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.’” – Genesis 6:13-14 (ESV)

God told Noah to build an ark for himself. If Noah is building an ark for himself, that would stand to reason that Noah would survive the destruction. So as I have read and written, God was going to reset and Noah would be the starting point. Noah had found favor with God and he would be spared.

Where this is nice that God tasked Noah with building an ark for his survival, and it does demonstrate God’s provision, it is bigger and more detailed. You see, God provides “all” that we will need. Where there may be times that He gives us the overarching theme of what we are to do and then we are to work it out on our own, God will, when the need is there, provide all the details as He does with Noah here.

“¹⁵This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.” – Genesis 6:15-16 (ESV)

God gives Noah the blueprints to follow in the building of the ark. All of the details are provided and not just the grand plan in this instance. As we go on in the passage, the LORD gives more detail as to what to include in the ark and what purpose it all has. And God guides Noah through the entire process. All the way to when to enter the ark, when the rains would come, and for how long they would be.

I struggle with the plans the LORD has for me in that I am not always sure where to begin, how to proceed, and how things will end. This morning I have been reminded that not being sure is okay. God will provide what I need when I need it and if the details are required, He will provide it all.

What are your thought on God’s provision? Do you expect that you will always have to figure things out? What if you approached God’s provision with the understanding that He will provide all that is needed in each instance?

We May Need a Reset

One of the first things that is done when something is not working as planned is to reset or restart the thing. Whether it is restarting a computer, unplugging and plugging back in the appliance, taking a mulligan on the golf course, or maybe just walking away for a moment to clear the mind. Each of these are ways to reset that may be needed to get things going again. Even God had a moment of needing a reset.

“⁶And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” – Genesis 6:6-7 (ESV)

I know what you might be thinking, as I was thinking the same, did God make a mistake by creating man? NO, He did not as God does not make mistakes. As we have free will, we will continually sin and make mistakes and that makes the LORD sad. In this instance, there was way too much sin in the world and God knew that the only way to rid of it all was to start over. The plan and creation did not change, God was just so sorrowful that resetting was the only way to rid of the sin of the time.

Just like resetting or restarting something in our lives, the LORD would reset things through extreme discipline, wiping out all of man and beast. But, as we read in verses 8 and 9, the LORD would start over with a partner in this world, Noah.

“⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” – Genesis 6:8-9 (ESV)

I guess you could say that Noah was kind of like the Adam of this new time. He was the man starting point with regard to the reset. He was “righteous” and “blameless”. Noah was regarded as a man in the image of God. As you read and know the story of Noah and the Ark, you see that Noah was the guardian of man and beast for the reset. If not found in the Ark, destruction was sure to be had, and you were wiped out.

I see here that with every reset there is a place or something needed to start. God was resetting and found an anchor to get things started. He found Noah. As noted, Noah was righteous. This gives hope for me. I can choose to take righteous action and God can declare me righteous. If there is another time of needed reset, it could be me that is called on to be a part of that reset.

But, for that to be, I have to do my part and follow God wherever He would have me go, and do whatever He would have me do. God gives us a chance to reset our lives through the acceptance of salvation. Jesus died so we do not have to. We are washed clean thanks to His blood shed for my sake. I get to reset with God.

What is your view on resets? Do you see yourself with the opportunity to reset? What if you were to accept the grace and salvation offered and start over with God as your anchor in your reset?

Discipline Is Not the End

Get in trouble and face discipline. And then get in trouble again and face discipline. At some point we learn and stay away from trouble. But see the pattern here, discipline is not the end of it all. This is something that Cain learned from God after killing his brother Abel.

“¹³Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’ ¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, ‘Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.’” – Genesis 4:13-15 (ESV)

Cain was being disciplined for the act of killing His brother and sinning against God. He was sure that this would be the end and he would surely die soon at the hand of God or some other party. Well, I can say that I would likely be thinking the same thing. I know that even now when I sin, I expect the worst and that things may come to an end.

But what do we see from God, mercy. Was God angry with Cain, sure. Was God right in disciplining Cain for the sin, of course. Was God well within Himself to make this the end of Cain, I believe so. But, God did not make this the end, in fact when you look at verse 15, God went forward with ensuring Cain’s protection that he would continue and bear fruit for the LORD.

I see this morning that sin is not the end. When we are repentant, the LORD will show mercy to us, forgive us, and protect us for His good work. So the discipline is there to strengthen us that we would go forward having learned from the instance and do the work of God.

What is your view of discipline? Do you see it as the end of all things? What if you were to recognize it for the learning and growth opportunity that is provides in your walk with Christ?

The LORD Disciplines All

I am again in the passage from Genesis known as “The Fall”. This is the story of the serpent deceiving the woman to eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and feeding Adam. Where there is a lot to the story, I would focus this morning on the discipline God passes to each of those involved.

“¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent,…

‘¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.’”

“¹⁶To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.”

“¹⁷And to Adam he said,

‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

“You shall not eat of it,”

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.’”

— Genesis 3:14a & 15-18 (ESV)

Notice here that all involved in “The Fall” were counted as responsible and were disciplined by God. First, the serpent who started it all was dealt with most harshly. The serpent was separated from man who there was a relationship before. We don’t know the full extent of the relationship, yet there was one as there was with all that were created by God. The positive relationship was removed and the serpent would be forever believed to be evil.

Next there was the woman. She was responsible for being deceived. She made the decision to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She chose to sin and her discipline was to be more conscious of childbirth and continue to be at odds with her husband who would now be counted as the ruler of the household.

And then there is Adam. When reading the story, it appears as though he might be in the clear as he may not have know where the fruit came from. Except, as noted quickly at the end of verse 6, he was with her at the time. Adam was disciplined to work the ground for his food as opposed to having things handed to him by God. He would now be subject to hard labor and know that it was labor whereas before, it was just work done to manage the garden.

Regardless of the scenario, there is discipline to be had by all. Whether the starter of it (the serpent) the receiver (the woman) or the apparent bystander (Adam). God will discipline all. There are consequences to any and everything that goes on. What I have to remember is that where there are consequences, they are there for me learn and grow in the LORD.

What scenarios have you been in where you are one of the three identified? Are you thinking that somehow you are immune from discipline? What if you were to take on that the LORD will discipline all, and that discipline is for our good?

Evil Will Deceive

This seems like a pretty simple concept to grasp, “evil will deceive”, and it is. But read that again and really take it in.

“⁴But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” – Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)

In some respects, did the serpent lie to the woman? The serpent used literal connotations to deceive. The woman was thinking of literal death and death from the life that she knew. The serpent used words to distort meaning, knowing that the woman would be deceived.

There are many other examples of this deception that I thought of this morning. Such as, is it really wrong to drive fast, other than the rules say don’t? What is so wrong about eating a few grapes at the grocery store without buying any, we need to taste them for ripeness, right? What is the big deal with shooting fireworks during a burn ban in the area, you have a water hose right there with you?

All of the above seem as though they might be innocent enough, yet they are being restricted by too many rules and/or regulations. If doing any of them, is anyone really hurt in the moment, are the really that bad? Yes, they are. Not because they will cause harm to anyone in the moment, but because they go against that which we know to be the rules.

When the woman was deceived into eating of the tree of good and evil, she knew the rules and they were not even that restrictive. The rule was two trees being forbidden, all others were acceptable to partake from and encouraged for sustenance. God had give instructions to abstain from these two trees only and that should have been enough. But the serpent was there to get her to do that one thing she was not to do.

This happens in my life all the time. I am deceived into doing the one thing that I am not to do. Whether it is diving into social media for an extended time, waiting to accomplish tasks until it is almost too late, or simply avoiding something with excuses as to why I am not able to do them (like exercising).

There is nothing that I can do to stop the deception that comes from evil. The serpent is going to be there working to separate me from God at every step of the way. But what I can do is know. I can know that the serpent is there. I can know that I will be deceived. I can know that defeating evil is possible. I can know that light overcomes darkness. I can know that when I have the Light of the LORD in me, I will overcome the deception and ultimately evil.

What deception are you experiencing in your life? Are you giving in to that deception? What if you were to recognize that you will be deceived and that there is a way to avoid it, and that way is through the Light of the LORD?

God Will and God Does

“¹⁸Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit fore him.” and “²¹So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.” – Genesis 2:18 & 21-22 (ESV)

I have shifted my study to the word “will” and read this morning in Genesis about the creation. All that God created/creates, He does so because that is what He said/says He will do.

There is deliberateness in His actions. There was a need for man to have a helper and so He made it so. He declared “I will” and then “He made”. He did because He said He would.

Here is the truth of God’s Word. When God says it, we can take it to the bank as it will pay out. I have trust in the truth of God’s Word and as I sit here in the mornings and study His word, I know that what I am looking at is right and true.

What is your belief in God’s Word? Do you trust that what He says, He will do? What if you did, and allowed God to show you the truth in His declarations to do something by doing them?