I have been pondering Gen. 8:21 ever since I read it the other day: "...every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood." Does that mean we never have a pure heart or a pure motive? And then I think about Abraham, of whom it was said in both James and Galatians that he believed and it was "reckoned to him as righteousness." Satan has been working on me with the Genesis verse saying..."See, you're evil. You aren't worthy." Thoughts???
I think that a lot of the message of the NT is that it's ok to feel clean and perfect again. I've seen lots of ugliness in children that is simply masked in older people who don't show what's really going on inside their head.
Joyce - i believe this is why God sent Jesus, b/c He knows we are incapable of being pure by ourselves & also He wants us to recognize the fact that we need Him. there are so many days that i feel so unworthy when i compare myself to 'good' people, but i have to keep mentally reminding myself that's why i believe in Jesus & to not give up! on the other hand it's heart-breaking to think of little children as evil, and i believe most aren't. but there are some that learn bad behavior from the beginning, or have a tendency for doing wrong. that's what is so totally amazing tho - God loves all of us! (i don't know how b/c i don't love evil people) He can look past all the evilness & love us unconditionally & shower us w/ mercy & HIs grace. that's truly a powerful feeling!
some thoughts on noah & the ark - how did they survive when the waters were 20' above the highest mountain? think about all the physical elements they must have dealt with - high altitude & lack of oxygen, below freezing temps, perhaps the waters turned to ice... Perhaps the mts were not as high as the ones we are familiar with. I know God took care of them w/ His special care, but it's interesting to think about.
Dennis and I were also talking about these ideas today. There are lots of questions about how God pulled this off, but I start off by thinking about that it all had to be miraculous. I was telling Dennis that I sometimes wonder if it wasn't a more localized flood leaving the other continents like North and South America alone. I just think about this for the sheer numbers of species that exist today. I like that you are thinking about this tied in with your mountain climbing experience :)
Any thoughts on Gen. 9:5-7 where it says that God will demand an accounting from animals as well as man?
ReplyDeleteI have been pondering Gen. 8:21 ever since I read it the other day: "...every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood." Does that mean we never have a pure heart or a pure motive? And then I think about Abraham, of whom it was said in both James and Galatians that he believed and it was "reckoned to him as righteousness." Satan has been working on me with the Genesis verse saying..."See, you're evil. You aren't worthy." Thoughts???
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of the message of the NT is that it's ok to feel clean and perfect again. I've seen lots of ugliness in children that is simply masked in older people who don't show what's really going on inside their head.
ReplyDeleteJoyce - i believe this is why God sent Jesus, b/c He knows we are incapable of being pure by ourselves & also He wants us to recognize the fact that we need Him. there are so many days that i feel so unworthy when i compare myself to 'good' people, but i have to keep mentally reminding myself that's why i believe in Jesus & to not give up!
ReplyDeleteon the other hand it's heart-breaking to think of little children as evil, and i believe most aren't. but there are some that learn bad behavior from the beginning, or have a tendency for doing wrong.
that's what is so totally amazing tho - God loves all of us! (i don't know how b/c i don't love evil people) He can look past all the evilness & love us unconditionally & shower us w/ mercy & HIs grace. that's truly a powerful feeling!
some thoughts on noah & the ark - how did they survive when the waters were 20' above the highest mountain? think about all the physical elements they must have dealt with - high altitude & lack of oxygen, below freezing temps, perhaps the waters turned to ice... Perhaps the mts were not as high as the ones we are familiar with. I know God took care of them w/ His special care, but it's interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteDennis and I were also talking about these ideas today. There are lots of questions about how God pulled this off, but I start off by thinking about that it all had to be miraculous. I was telling Dennis that I sometimes wonder if it wasn't a more localized flood leaving the other continents like North and South America alone. I just think about this for the sheer numbers of species that exist today. I like that you are thinking about this tied in with your mountain climbing experience :)
ReplyDelete