Just Some Thoughts

“Be holy because I am holy.” Leviticus 19:2 Ungodliness means the failure to conform to God's nature.

God created us in His image. His “predestination” for us is to be conformed to Him – be like Him – holy!! The only way to do this is to accept His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:4
When we sin, in any form, we defame God's very character and nature. It is like the verse in Proverbs

“A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, 22:1(NIV)

We carry His name and reputation with us wherever we go, just as we carry our physical parents names and reputations with us. If we are known liars as little children, our parents are blamed for it. If we are born again believers and remain liars, our heavenly Father is blamed. If He really exists, then why are they such liars?

Adam and Eve....They trusted a fallen creature's logic rather than their Creators goodness.

Logic...so many things seem logical in this world and so we follow the path of logic all the time simply to find out that it isn't always the correct answer and a LOT of the time drives us right in to a more difficult position than we were in when we began.

Not that logic is a bad thing. Logic is concerned with the principles of correct reasoning.

The above definition is one I really liked. The reason being that it uses the terminology of correct reasoning. Correct reasoning only comes from God. This is why He tells us

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

If we want to use logic to get through a problem, we need to go before God and reason with Him to find correct logic. Prayer is vital!!

Satan was defeated in the past as God proclaimed his head would be crushed (Genesis 3:15), through the ministry of Christ and His apostles (Luke 10:17-20), in Christ's death and resurrection (Col. 2:15), in the present through those who walk in faith believing (Phil. 4:13) and in the future (Rev. 20:7). He always has been, is and will be defeated through Jesus!! Victory has always been ours for the trusting. I almost wrote “for the asking” but it is accomplished whether we ask or not.

“To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." Gen 3:16 (NIV) To say that this infers there would have been pain in childbirth anyway seems right and good to me. Pain is not evil. It is there as a warning. We need to know that a child is being born to protect both mother and child. It is the greatly increased part that is difficult. Quite possibly the original pain would have been nothing more than like menstrual cramps which, though bothersome, are quite bearable.

We have a tendency to look at work as a curse. In reality, work is a blessing. Our bodies were created to work. Working gives us the exercise we need to build muscle, build immunities, strengthen bones, and build character. When we do not work we become lazy, weak, unhealthy, and self-centered. Instead of pushing our thoughts outward towards what needs to be accomplished for everyone's good, we begin to look only inward to what “I” want and need. We dwell on why our needs are not being met, blame it on others and God, never taking time to stop and realize that we are the problem. Yes, work is good for us. The sense of accomplishment, energy, and the ability to truly rest afterward are great blessings indeed. The curse was the complications that go along with the work that try to prevent us from accomplishing our goals. Interruptions are our weeds in society today. Simply cleaning one room of a house becomes a major chore when the phone rings incessantly, children cry out your name over and over again, the doorbell rings, favors get asked, etc. These are all things we need to attend to as well, but they interfere with that simple chore of cleaning that one room. What should take a matter of mere minutes can become an all day event, especially if we clean it just to have it messed up again 15 minutes later. Every mother has experienced this. Should we take it out on the children and yell at them that they are messing us up, driving us crazy or all the other terms we use? No! This only causes us to draw inward to self-centerdness and laziness again. We should accept the fact that there are going to be weeds and it is our own fault. Take responsibility for the fact that weeds exist due to the fall and our own sin and go on with life, praising God that He is our Deliverer and will one day makes things right again. 
"If we come to see the purpose of the universe as God's long-term glory rather than our short-term happiness, then we will undergo a critical paradigm shift in tackling the problem of evil and suffering. This applies in every area of our lives." (Randy Alcorn)