Anybody else get absolutely hammered by the evil one yesterday? Tough day. We sorted through the mail that came while we were gone and received a letter from the insurance company denying the appeal for the IVIG treatments. That combined with physical fatigue and just not feeling good provided satan with the opportunity to attack with a good dose of despair and discouragement. But it is into that darkness that God’s Word brings light and drives the darkness away. Praise God for the Bible which is a lamp and a light. In its presence, darkness has to flee.
Here’s the reading for today: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9.
The theme for today is the catastrophic consequences of sin. The reading begins with Adam and Eve living in paradise and in such communion with God that they walk with Him in the Garden in the cool of the day.
By the time the reading is over, they are overcome with shame, separated from God, kicked out of the Garden (an act of God’s grace, by the way), experiencing strife in their marriage, and pain in childbirth. Work would be a drudgery and filled with difficulty. And to top it off, their older son murders the younger. In case we haven’t figured it out yet, sin is devastating.
Yet, we treat it so casually. We don’t hate it the way God hates it. Our culture desensitizes us to what sin even is. In our incessant need to be entertained, we cozy up to it through our TVs, music, and reading material. We forget that God is holy, holy, holy and calls His children to be holy because He is holy. May we raise the standard of holiness in our lives. And when we do sin, rather than lower the standard to make it more attainable, let us cry out to God for the forgiveness that He so generously gives and ask for His power to make us what He desires us to be.
How is the Holy Spirit bringing conviction into your life today and calling you to repent? How is God calling you to raise the standard of holiness in your life?
Thanks for being among the many who are journeying with us. May God give you a fresh vision of holiness today.
(Sorry for the click on ads. I think I’m going to have to get the WordPress upgrade to get rid of them.)
Like the Apostle Paul, I want more than anything to know Christ (Phil. 3:10). I do not want to simply know about Him. I want to know Him-- personally, intimately, and experientially. It is not enough for me to hear about Him. I want to see Him with my own eyes.
With My Own Eyes 
susan molina
January 2, 2012 at 9:39 am
I also see jealousy as the underlying sin. Bitter envy is so destructive and counter to becoming holy, yet i see it in my own life. I have to recognize that the evil one uses my weakness and God wants me to turn my despair into something that would glorify Him…and an opportunity for me to grow closer to Him. “Resist sin and the devil will flee.”
Mary Smith
January 2, 2012 at 6:46 pm
When I have a good day like Christmas Eve working a litle in the yard, baking cakes for the shelter and help serve, and spending the last day of the year with a the party at Troy and Arlene. I was totally blessed by HIs strength and endurance he gave me with no pain.
The next day, I was hammered with pain in my foot almost all day. But I went to church anyway, nothing ( Romans 8:35-38) comes between God and me and his Family, nothing separates us from the love of God. Zac’s message was the soothing balm that calmed the intensity of the pain. It was still there but Jesus was too.
Jesus loves you and me. He’ll get us through this, because he is stonger, mightier, and more soverighn than any insuranse co .
Valerie Bullock
January 2, 2012 at 11:53 pm
The constant earthly roadblocks to your healing are so frustrating and ridiculous in my mind, but I remember you saying there is a plan and God is growing you. Your acceptance and attitude through your pain are a testament to your love and faith in our Father. I do claim this as a year for healing, and I hope it comes quickly.
I am enjoying the study, and the way it’s laid out. I believe He is calling me to be a better, stronger example for my family. I want to “measure up”/step up and make a difference in their growth as citizens and followers of Christ.
I think, as you were saying, we’ve/I’ve become too lax and accepting of sin. Not the “big stuff”, but it’s ALL big stuff in His eyes. I pray this journey will help me see through the eyes of the Lord that I may become more convicted.