Rich with Creation

I know I haven't posted on here in a VERY long time.  But, I believe it is time to start writing my journey in devotions again.  I don't care if anyone really reads these, this is more for my benefit than anyone else's though I hope you are blessed by hearing my take-away from the Scriptures so much that it inspires your own Spirit within you to grow closer to Christ.

Genesis 1

The beginning.  I'm sure you've seen a million devotions about this chapter.  But, if you get down to the actual Hebrew, most words aren't even in the Hebrew.  I studied this chapter in great detail when I went through my Hebrew classes but when you add in faith, it makes it so rich.

First, we have to consider the word "created."  We see creation with such 21st century eyes...Most of us only consider artists to be creators.  Or we even think about those that make "apps" for our smart phones.  But, we don't see past that.  When we think about how God created us, think about this definition stemming from the Hebrew...

     Created - to shape, to form, to fashion, (in the way only God can), of new conditions or circumstances, of something new, of MIRACLES, to cut down, to cut out, to be fat.

Yes, that last one is part of the definition.  But, I want you to pick out the one that means the most to you.  What would your life be like even just to grasp that God created your body just the way it is?  But, He also created the life within you...

Life - soul, self, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, activity of the will, activity of the character, activity of desire, emotion, and passion.

The life within you is where your drive is...but if it's not focused on God who created you of something new, then we can get sucked into what the world says our passion and success should be.  Not only that, in verse 28, it talks about the Lord blessing His creation, aka US!

Blessed, to bless, to kneel, to be adored.

If you've ever taken such delight in something you've created or worked hard on, think about that time and how you felt.  You probably treasured that item or experience.  You poured yourself into it and now it's time to enjoy it.  God adores us more than you will ever know.  He takes such delight in us, not only in the way we look, but also the soul within us...although, we've fallen away.  He still wants that relationship with us as our Creator.  God has entrusted us with the creation of everything else (all the animals and trees), but He still takes ownership over us.  He doesn't force us to love Him, as He is a gentleman.  He won't take what we won't give Him...but He desires it.  He adores us...He blesses us with His adoration and love.

In verse 28, the word "Fruitful" is used.  Fruitful means to bear fruit, branch off.  We can't be fruitful unless we make our home in Him. (See John 15.)  When we truly see how God sees us, we can't help but to learn more.

I encourage you, plead for you, to make yourself available to God.  He wants to give you the experience of a lifetime and such abundance that the world will not understand.  God is the God of the impossible.  Expect Him to do things you can't even imagine because He isn't of this world...and neither are we, for we belong to Him.  He answers your prayers. He has heard your cry.  And He will move when you let Him.  But know that He is God and we are His.  He takes delight in us and wants that relationship with us because He created us in resemblance to Him.

Today, remember to whom you belong!  God is a God of light, life, and love.  Go on this journey.  Don't look back...just keep going, one step at a time.  You won't regret it!  Let this be your passion and will!

The Beauty of the Morning

*When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” - Mark 16:1-3 (NIV)

I love mornings.  I always have.  I love mornings, like this one, where I can wake up at my own will to see the sunrise coming in my apartment window...even though my window faces north.  Haha.  I love waking up and being able to ease my way into my day.  I can do my devotion time if I want to.  I can make a good breakfast, waffles and sausage.  Mmmm.  I can write or read.  And when I'm ready to begin my work day, I can shower and get ready leisurely.  I don't like my mornings to be rushed.  

I can just imagine the women headed to the tomb.  By this point in time, they've had all the Sabbath day to try and rest with what happened to Jesus the night before.  But I can imagine their thoughts.  Thoughts of how the body will smell.  Thoughts of what spices and oils to grab on the way out the door.  Thoughts of how they will even get the tomb open!  They wake up and they already have a million things on their mind about their day.  Their morning is rushed, and before their day really even gets going, it turns out that Jesus has risen.  There is no body to be oiled.  There is no worries about the tomb stone being too big to roll back.  Jesus turns their crazy, hectic "Monday" morning into a beautiful one (that is, after they momentarily freak out about where the body went...).    

I wonder how many of us wake up already stressed about the day.  I know I'm guilty of this often.  However, each day is a gift from God.  Each day is one to be remembered.  Each day, God provides what we need.  Sure, there might be a few surprises that cause momentary freak outs...but there is beauty in the morning.  There is beauty in seeing the sunrise in all its splendor.  There is beauty in each day.  It might not be as obvious as a tombstone rolled back...but it is certainly there.  

Enjoy today for what it is...A gift from God. 

Storm Screams

“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” – Psalm 107: 28-30 (NIV)

One evening, I was driving home from a friend’s house. It had been raining most of the day, but I was not too worried about the drive home. All of a sudden, there was cloud to ground lightening that surrounded my sight. I was beginning to get nervous. I still had 45 minutes to go before I would arrive safely at home. It began to rain hard. Before long, my windshield wipers could hardly keep up. I could barely see the lines on the road. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Quarter-sized hail began to fall and nearly scared me to death with the first one hitting my car sounding like a gun-shot. It seemed to never end. Cars began to pull over on the side of the highway. I was scared and I rarely get scared about driving in the rain. Driving in hail was another thing. I was nearly in tears and made up my mind that if it didn’t stop hailing in thirty seconds, that I would pull into a gas station until it calmed now.

About 25 seconds into my count, a cloud off to the side began to let in a shimmer of sunlight and the hailing stopped. I was so relieved. By this time, I was in tears. I was fully finished with dealing with the hail. I had been talking to God along the way, but by the mess with the hail, they were more like screams. I wanted to be done with all of the mess. But just when I thought I had complete relief…

The hail began yet again! The sun didn’t shine. The wipers, once more, could hardly work fast enough. It hailed longer this time. I was annoyed that it was going on again, yet I was a little calmer this time. I knew that God was watching my back and that I would arrive home…just at a little slower of a pace than what I would generally do it in. I wanted it to quick. And painless. And, by golly, I wanted to stop crying! By the time I arrived home, it had stopped raining. Along the horizon, there was a line of blue. It wasn’t big, but it certainly was a break from the gray sky that darkened with the night approaching.

My drive home is much of what our Christian walk is like. There are storms, and sometimes, we have hail. Parents get divorced. School gets stressful beyond compare. Friends betray us. A spouse leaves. Someone we love goes onto another life. Family decides to move. Illnesses are announced. Cancer or chronic illnesses are detected. All of these things rock our boat. They bring hail on our lives. It breaks us down. We strive to get through each moment, trying to rely that God has a plan to get us out of it. But, instead of screaming for God to pull us out, perhaps we should scream for God to bring us closer to Him so that we can feel His embrace in the storm.

God is always with us. And He is that shimmer of light when it seems like everything is going wrong. It may be off to the side, and you may have to look a little for it, but it will be there. It may be that line of blue on the horizon when the skies are gray. But He is there and He will pull you through anything you encounter. God doesn’t want bad things to happen, but He can work through everything. Scream out to Him and He will be there in the midst of the storm with you!

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© Copyright 2011, Samantha Fomera

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The Renovating Surgery

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV) – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Let me start by telling you how much I utterly ADORE car accidents! NOT! Monday, I was in a car accident. We’ll make the story brief…the lady in front of me had on her brakes and I didn’t notice! Thus, I rear-ended this nice looking Honda. Now, I’ve never been a fan of Honda, but the lady seemed very distraught that I had accidentally (Hint: That’s why it’s called an accident!) broken one of her brake lights. The accident was definitely my fault. There is absolutely NO ONE I can blame for it. Obviously, I can’t blame the pretty looking trees or the vehicle that was definitely tailgating in my rearview mirror. (I’m surprised he didn’t rear end me!) Long story made short…My car is looking quite sad right now. My bumper is kinda hangin’ off and I have to CLIMB into the driver’s seat from another door.

One thing I love about this Scripture from Ezekiel 36 is that this cleansing that happens when we begin to follow God is shown clearly as a process. I can ASSURE you that the moment you ask for forgiveness that you’ve been forgiven by God. But, the process of chipping away the sin in one’s life takes more than just a couple words. It’s the climbing over the other seats phase.

Surgeries don’t generally last a minute and a half…patients’ loved ones spend hours waiting in a room that’s intense as ever waiting to hear news from the doctor. Surgeries take time. (I say this as I make plans to spend all day at a hospital with a dear friend when she has surgery…lol.) God is talking about a heart surgery. A surgery that will turn our hearts of stone into a living heart full of the Spirit. It isn’t an overnight surgery either.

Somehow I wish I could truly say “I’m sorry” and those words magically fix both vehicles as well as any repercussions of the accident. While I may be forgiven by the lady whose car I hit, I still have to deal with climbing over seats in order to drive my damaged car…like we sometimes drive our sin-filled lives. Until I take my car into the shop to get repairs done, it will still be damaged and cause me heartache every day as I remember my mistake and let it impair me. Let’s not wait too long to take our heart to God and let Him fix it and turn it into something so much better than what you have to offer. Beware, the surgery isn’t an overnight surgery, but it’s totally worth it!

Forgiven on the spot…Renovating surgery – forever. Won’t you begin the procedure today?

Engaged to be Married?

Revelation 21:2 (NIV) –

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

I remember picking up my so-called “engaged” brother from school one day. He was getting married to a girl in his pre-school class. Apparently, they were in love and were getting married “someday, like tomorrow.” My first question to him was “Do you know her?” His response was, “Her name is Emily and she’s really pretty.” Thus, he wanted to marry her.

You probably agree that it’s ridiculous to go into a marriage only knowing the person’s name and looks, however we do the same thing in our relationship with God. In today’s reading, Christians are described as God’s bride. Yet sometimes, we do not treat God like we would our future bride. This journey to read the New Testament in 90 days has been one step toward learning more about Jesus, but there is so much more to know! Think of the things one would do to prepare to marry someone. Often it includes spending every moment possible with that person. Part of loving someone is learning everything you possibly can about that person. It is getting to know that person inside and out. If we will be God’s bride, we should get to know Him. By getting to know Him, we are able to grow in our love for Him which is the ultimate goal in this life…To love God with all that we are! We shouldn’t marry God with only knowing His name!

With the end of NT90, how can you continue to grow in your relationship with Him? What can you do to “know” Him more?

A New Diet

Have you ever gone on a diet? Most people have at least attempted to diet. I am one of those people. Recently, I decided that I needed to cut back on my carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are certainly not bad for one to eat, but I found that I needed to watch what I ate in order to obtain the goal in mind.

The author of Hebrews reminds me of my adventures with dieting when he wrote: “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:18-19, NIV). I am sure that the author was not referring to my non-dieting days when he says the “former regulation.” However before the dieting days of the people of Jesus’ time, the people were at their worst. They did not have a real, personal relationship with God. Yet, Jesus provided a way for people to meet their goal by showing them how to draw near to God.

By a change in my habits, I was able to work at my goal and feel hopeful for the future. This Scripture is not referring to the Old Testament being bad, just set aside the rules and regulations which were made complete in Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus exemplified the way to draw near to God.

What might you need to set aside for a while to introduce a better hope and draw near to God like Jesus did?