Day 7
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. ~Genesis 2:1-3
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The Rest of the Story
-Summary by Julia Dell Otterness
God created a beautiful world with all good things. He is the Master Artist of all creation, everything! He created thousands of flowers with different colors, petals and smells; fruits with different shapes and tastes; living creatures that swim in the sea and fly in the air. We could go on and on for hours and days thinking of all the amazing things He made including human beings! And human beings are His favorite!
God made a beautiful garden for the first humans, Adam & Eve, and they enjoyed a wonderful perfect relationship with God and with each other. As the story goes, and it's a true story, God only had one rule. There was a tree called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and that was the only tree God told Adam & Eve not to eat from. They would die if they ate from it. Why would God put this tree in the garden? Well, He gave Adam & Eve, the first humans, a choice to obey or not to obey Him; to believe or not to believe God.
There was a serpent, the devil, who basically told Eve that God was wrong and that it would be good to eat the fruit because then she would be enlightened and know what God knew. Eve believed the serpent instead of God and Adam believed Eve and they both ate from the tree, disobeying God, their Creator. This was the first sin on the earth, the first time humans disobeyed God, the first evil act of people. That is when the earth started aging and humans began living in dying bodies. God gave humans a choice and we chose sin. Ever since then every person is born into sin and disobedience, into a body that will one day die and a nature that cannot on it's own obey God.
God, however, did not change, He was, is and forever will be perfect and good. He is so perfect and good that He cannot even be near or look on sin, disobedience and evil. Therefore, this separates humans from God.
...But God loves people! He has a great, amazing, unending love for people. He didn't and doesn't want to be separated from his favorite creation and He always had a plan!
God made a beautiful garden for the first humans, Adam & Eve, and they enjoyed a wonderful perfect relationship with God and with each other. As the story goes, and it's a true story, God only had one rule. There was a tree called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and that was the only tree God told Adam & Eve not to eat from. They would die if they ate from it. Why would God put this tree in the garden? Well, He gave Adam & Eve, the first humans, a choice to obey or not to obey Him; to believe or not to believe God.
There was a serpent, the devil, who basically told Eve that God was wrong and that it would be good to eat the fruit because then she would be enlightened and know what God knew. Eve believed the serpent instead of God and Adam believed Eve and they both ate from the tree, disobeying God, their Creator. This was the first sin on the earth, the first time humans disobeyed God, the first evil act of people. That is when the earth started aging and humans began living in dying bodies. God gave humans a choice and we chose sin. Ever since then every person is born into sin and disobedience, into a body that will one day die and a nature that cannot on it's own obey God.
God, however, did not change, He was, is and forever will be perfect and good. He is so perfect and good that He cannot even be near or look on sin, disobedience and evil. Therefore, this separates humans from God.
...But God loves people! He has a great, amazing, unending love for people. He didn't and doesn't want to be separated from his favorite creation and He always had a plan!
God's Plan!
If you want to know more about God's plan and how it is possible for you to know God then please continue reading this next section which can also be found at DavidJeremiah.org.
God Loves You!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b)
Walking Down the "Romans Road" to Salvation . . . .
Lord Jesus, I'm like everyone else - I can't make it through life on my own. I'm imperfect. I'm prone to sin. I have come to realize that there's nothing in the world I can do to make myself acceptable to You. But I know that You have loved me so much that You were willing to submit to the cross and die on my behalf. That's a grace so amazing I cannot understand it; I can only accept it. And I do. I accept Your free gift, and I know that from this moment on, I am saved. I am a child of God. And I give the rest of my life to serving You and experiencing the joy that only You can offer. Fill me now, dear Lord, and raise me to walk in the newness of life. I thank You and praise You! Amen.
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life-changing experiences. Growing in knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your Christian walk with God is essential for your spiritual growth.
Here are some ways that you can grow as a Christian:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
God has a wonderful plan for your life!
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10b)
Walking Down the "Romans Road" to Salvation . . . .
- Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) - The Penalty for our sin is death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) - The penalty for our sin was paid by Jesus Christ!
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) - If we repent of our sin, then confess and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be saved from our sins!
For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9,10)
Lord Jesus, I'm like everyone else - I can't make it through life on my own. I'm imperfect. I'm prone to sin. I have come to realize that there's nothing in the world I can do to make myself acceptable to You. But I know that You have loved me so much that You were willing to submit to the cross and die on my behalf. That's a grace so amazing I cannot understand it; I can only accept it. And I do. I accept Your free gift, and I know that from this moment on, I am saved. I am a child of God. And I give the rest of my life to serving You and experiencing the joy that only You can offer. Fill me now, dear Lord, and raise me to walk in the newness of life. I thank You and praise You! Amen.
Now that you are a "new creation" in Jesus Christ, the road ahead will be full of life-changing experiences. Growing in knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your Christian walk with God is essential for your spiritual growth.
Here are some ways that you can grow as a Christian:
- Be baptized.
Baptism identifies you with Christ.
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:35-40) - Study the Bible.
The Bible will guide you through life and answer life's questions.
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) - Share your faith with others.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:8)
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8) - Be part of a local church.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16) - Fellowship with other Christians.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24, 25) - God desires to meet your needs! Make prayer a part of your daily life.
So He said to them, “When you pray, say: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Luke 11:2-4)