Christmas – Verses of Jesus

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Christmas – Verses of Jesus

Christmas candle 1John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (NIV)

Matthew and Luke have genealogies for Jesus; Matthew 1 is for Joseph and Luke 3: 23 – 38 is for Mary. John 1 is also a type of genealogy as well as a mission statement but it is a verse that could precede even Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 3: 15 speaks of the Seed (singular) of the woman and how there would be enmity between the Seed and the snake. The snake gets a crushed head and the Seed gets a strike at His heel.

Revelations 12:1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (NIV) (The bold words in the verses are my emphasis.)

Christmas is a time of joy for mankind as we celebrate Jesus. The turmoil that some people experience at this festive season has its roots at the beginning of our age but the answer is still the promise that was given to Eve – JESUS.

Verses are from https://www.biblegateway.com

 

The Bible and Science – Cold/Hot

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The Bible and Science – Cold/Hot

To each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Ephesians 4:7(NIV)

Cold or hot are sensations or feelings. I think when we say cold or hot our minds compare things to how we feel in air or water. Most of us will say solid water (ice) is cold (32°F) or hot is steam (gaseous water) at 212°F. The melting point of nitrogen is -345.82 °F and its boiling pointnitrogen is -320.44°F whereas iron melts at 2795.0°F and boils at 4982°F so trying to compare them with water really does not work well. (See Why Cold or Hot)

All too often, in Christianity, we compare people using the terms cold or hot – unfair. Not everyone is nitrogen but we all aren’t iron either; God knows when we are cold, hot, or lukewarm. God made us all different but we are still part of His Body. What He told us to do was love one another.

By the way, nitrogen is 78% of air and an important part of protein and iron is used for all cannon 1sort of building and structural components and is needed in your blood to carry oxygen.

 

 

∞Father, help us to love one another so that everyone will burn brightly for you.

http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/n.html

pic of nitrogen: Cory Doctorow aka gruntzoki on Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/2288526230/

The Bible and Science – Why Cold or Hot

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The Bible and Science – Why Cold or Hot

Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold and hoteither one or the other! (NIV)

I want to look at the idea of cold and hot from the aspect of food/germs. Hot food will actually kill germs while chilling food will not kill germs but at least make them inactive. But the “lukewarm” temperature in verse sixteen is just right for rapid growth of many germs that can harm a person. The temperature extremes of cold or hot will render unwanted organisms “safe.” The lukewarm condition will let all sorts of harmful things grow inside of you.

This is definitely a metaphorical example because the context is “deeds or work” that you are doing in your life. So, your deeds should be wholehearted or not at all but doing them halfheartedly will lead to problems.

∞ Father, may my works be done with a good attitude and directed for Your glory. Amen.

See Convection Currents for more on Cold and Hot

Reference – http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/04/04/176242166/freezing-food-doesnt-kill-e-coli-and-other-germs

Salad Bowl Christianity

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Salad Bowl Christianity

Besides being the reason for men making coffee, Hebrews also has a health food connection that we need but frequently miss. Hebrews has sixteen uses for “let us.”  (The NIV  translation.)salad-clipart-clipart-saladroad-runner-wcgqf5d8

  • 4:1 let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it (entering His rest).
  • 4:11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest (from his own works).
  • 4:14 let us hold firmly to the faith we profess
  • 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence
  • 6:1 let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity
  • 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith
  • 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
  • 10:24 let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
  • 10:25a Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing
  • 10:25b let us encourage one another
  • 12:1a let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us
  • 12:1b let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
  • 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
  • 12:28 let us be thankful, and so worship God
  • 13:13 Let us, then go to Him, outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
  • 13:15 let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise

So from the “rest of God” to offer “a sacrifice of praise” the “let us” of Hebrews covers a healthy Christian life. Eat up and enjoy it.

All of these are from the NIV and I am sure they may be different in other translations. Since I like to give credit where it is due, this was a sermon from R.W. Schambach that I heard many years ago.

salad pic from http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/tossed-salad-clip-art-free-41281227 

The Apple of the Eye

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“The Apple of the Eye” is a term for caring and protecting, it is usually reserved for a loved one but I have heard it used for objects and things. In the Bible it is used four times the first three is ison and the last time it is baba; it actually means “the little man or child of the eye.” The pupil or the dark circle of your eye can reflect the image of someone looking into the eye. We humans do really protect our eyes, it is automatic and that little bump called the cornea is very sensitive. We blink, have tear ducts and cry, shield our eyes from bright lights and things coming at those two little-indented light receptors.Schematic_of_the_human_eye_en

Deuteronomy 32:10 is part of a song Moses shared on the day that the Lord called him to Mt. Nebo to die. In this part of the song, Moses is talking about Jacob/Israel and how God found him and protected him. As the apple of God’s eye, Jacob is compared to a baby eagle that is being taught to fly. God says He will care for him, shield him, and spread His wings and catch Israel when they fall.

Psalm 17:8 – David is asking God to show him His love and answer his prays. David wants to be hidden under the wing of God (protected like the apple of the eye) and protected from mortal enemies.

Proverbs 7:2 – Here “the Father” is telling His son to guard the teachings and commands He has been taught as the “apple of your eye.”  This comes in the middle of a discourse about staying away from adultery and a wayward sexual lifestyle.

Zechariah 2:8 – This chapter is very interesting and may get its own study. Having read several translations and then the comments about verses 6 – 9 it is still a little cloudy as to who is speaking but it seems that the Godhead is referring to itself about the nations who have touched Jerusalem/Judah. The Lord is saying that since they touched the apple of His eye He will cause the downfall of Babylon.

In verse 12 the Lord says He will take Judah as His portion and choose Jerusalem again. This is very much like Deuteronomy 32:9 which was the first use of the apple of the eye. I need to note here that Zechariah and Haggai are written as the construction on the Temple in Jerusalem is about to begin again after being stopped in Ezra 4:24.

Translations read for Zechariah 2 – KJV, NIV, Living Bible, Knox, and Moffatt.

The Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance was also used for definitions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schematic_diagram_of_the_human_eye_en.svg