“Abel…brought…fat portions.”

            Abel brought his best offering to God. This biblical example of love and devotion is recorded in the pages of the Bible for us to follow. Have you experienced the joy of giving your absolute best to the Lord?

                Our God is good, and when God blesses us (which happens every day), He does it “according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). In the same manner, God expects the best from us…and nothing less.

                What do you have? Do you have money? Give it to God and he will multiply it and bless you. Do you have time? Give it to the Lord. The week has seven days and one hundred and sixty-eight hours. A mere 10 percent of your time is seventeen hours that you can devote to God’s service. Are you willing to give more time to God? And what about giving your love to God? If we do not love God every second of our lives, we are not giving our best; we are sinning.

                “And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering…”

                How precious it is to know that the Creator of the Universe is pleased with my life. There is nothing better for us to do than to please our heavenly Father with our words and deeds.

                Beautiful are the words: “this is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” This is the purpose of the Christian life, to worship God with nothing but our best and to always please Him. Is God pleased with your life today; right now?

                What have you done for the Lord lately?

                A. G.

             “…or you shall die…You will not die”

            Two voices, one from God, the other one from the devil (through the serpent, of course). Two voices, one speaks truth; the other spreads lies, seeks destruction, and brings curse and tragedy.

            To which voice are you listening?

            Is it to the one that speaks to your flesh and deceives you? Or perhaps you are listening to the voice that brings life, salvation, and consolation to your soul. This is God’s voice.

            “They heard the sound (voice) of the Lord God…”

            The voice of God calls us. With love God seeks to bring us out from our “hiding places.” Adam and Eve hid also from God. Why? They hid from God simply because they had sinned by following the advice of the wrong voice, forgetting God’s clear command.

            “Where are you?”

            God is asking today. What have you done with your life? Some will answer with excuses, some will not even reply, but some, a few, will listen to God’s voice and will answer with repentance, love and renewed commitment.

            Do not hide from God; just listen and reply.

            A. G.

                We are in the midst of a global pandemic known as “Coronavirus” or Covid-19. This is a real and dangerous virus, responsible for many deaths in the world so far. I hope and pray that this deadly virus suffers a sudden death today.

                And what is a “pandemic” anyway? Allow me a brief Greek lesson to explain it.

                “Demic” comes from the Greek word “Demos” (people). Democracy=rule by the people.

                “Endemic” means something that is native to a certain group of people.

                “Epidemic” means something that comes on or over (EPI) the people (such as a virus).

                “Pandemic” means something that comes to all (PAN) the people.

                The Covid-19 is certainly a pandemic because it has spread to ALL parts of the world. This virus started in Wuhan, China and it still running laps around the world. I am praying really hard that this virus is in its final stages.

                There is another pandemic that is affecting the world today. No, it’s not another virus or flu. This is a spiritual pandemic that is even deadlier than Covid-19. Some say that the Coronavirus pandemic is on its third wave, but this other pandemic brings a fresh wave of destruction every day.

                I call it the “Panicdemic.” I believe I have coined this term because I have not seen it anywhere else. A Panicdemic is a pandemic of panic. It is a global wave of fear that has engulfed our world. It is an unreasonable and unwarranted terror that has paralyzed most countries.

                Recently, however, I have seen positive signs that this Panicdemic is subsiding. I see more cars on the streets, more people in the stores and more businesses and schools re-opening. It seems that many people are shaking off the chains of panic and fear and attempting to resume their “normal” lives.

                I pray that this optimism grows more and more every day, because a Panicdemic can bring more devastation and chaos than all pandemics put together. Pills and vaccines can save us from pandemics, but only faith in Christ will save us from all the Panicdemic attacks.

                I pray that the church of Jesus Christ rises up today and shows the world that we do not fear pandemics or succumb under the pressure to bow down to any Panicdemic. We, who are free in Christ, will not become slaves of fear and panic.

                Let us remember the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7,

                “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

                I don’t know about you, but I simply refuse to live in fear. I will wash my hands (like I did before) and I will respect your decision to wear masks, but I won’t stop living, haunted by the possibility of death. I am saved, I am free and I am fearless because Christ lives in me.

                A. G.     11/1/2020

                So God blessed…

                Someone has said that “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” I believe this is true. God did not only create everything, but God made it good and blessed it. A special blessing was bestowed upon the “Sabbath,” or as we know it today, on the “Lord’s day.”

                This means specifically that a special blessing is waiting for us every time we meet in our congregations to worship the Lord. A clear biblical example is the apostle Thomas (John 20:19-29), who lost the blessing of seeing the resurrected Christ.

                Then the Lord formed… and breathed…

            Life is another blessing that comes from God. Without this blessing or “Breath of Life,” we would be nothing but dust or mud. This means simply that our lives depend on God. He gave it to us and can surely take it away.

                This breath of life represents the spiritual side of humankind (soul and spirit). We are different from every other creature in this sense. This breath also typifies the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, imparting new life, eternal life to us even when we were dead in “trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

                And the Lord planted a garden in Eden…

            Eden was the first paradise. Everything there was beautiful, harmonious, peaceful and delicious. What a blessing it must have been to live in this perfect place. God, in infinite wisdom, created a place for his prized creation. This paradise is not lost, however, as Jesus promised it to the thief (Luke 23:43) and to those who believe in Him.

                Are you waiting for the day when we will enter into God’s eternal and glorious heavenly paradise?

                I know I am

             Genesis 1

             In the beginning…

            All of us had a beginning, a physical beginning when we were born from our earthly parents. Some of us had yet another beginning, a spiritual awakening or rebirth from God, the day we believed in the Lord Jesus as our only Savior.

            Our lives were a “formless void” and the darkness of sin covered our hearts, making communication with God impossible. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit was there preparing the way for the coming of the Prince of Peace into our disorganized and meaningless lives.

            Then God said, ‘let there be light’…

            Then, when everything seemed to lead to chaos and despair, Jesus appeared bringing hope; just as morning sunlight brings forth a renewed confidence that darkness will not prevail. A world without light is as a heart without Jesus.

            Then God said…

            How immensely powerful is God’s Word. The world was created by the Word; we are born again when we believe what the Word teaches about Jesus; and the Word of God is our “daily bread” that sustains our spiritual selves. Finally, the blessed Word of God is filled with God’s promises including the return of Jesus.

            And God saw it was good…

            Everything God did is good. All God is doing is good, and anything God will ever do is good and for our good.

            Thank you, Lord.

            A. G.