Does heaven negate our skills learned here on earth?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away ...

Revelation 21:1b English Standard Version

I've always wondered in the back of my mind if all the skills I'm learning here on earth, all the "growing up" I'm doing, all the learning and training I'm doing will all be useless once I'm in heaven. Ten thousand years from now if I happen to reflect on my earth life, will it mean anything to me? Will my piano playing, my painting, my ability to organize things, my courage in the face of an embarrassing situation, my (still developing) ability to love the unlovable? If these skills are only good for the first 70 years of eternity, what's the point?

I love how in Revelation John/God makes it a point to tell us that we should expect not only a new heaven but a new earth when at the end of all days all things are made new. A new earth ... to me that means that He will remake the earth into what it was supposed to be before the whole Satan/Adam/Eve mess occurred.

Except it's gonna be even better than it was originally designed to be. If sin had never entered the picture, we'd still love God and find our joy in Him, but the full spectrum of His beauty and character would not perhaps be as real to us. No one adores mercy like those who have needed and received it. Someone who has never erred may smile and nod at the concept, but they don't have the same soul-deep appreciation for it.

So maybe our concept of Heaven and the after-life is more similar to earth than we think. It's not playing harps on clouds--I will still practice piano and in that practice continue to enjoy music more and more. We will still grow and learn in the new earth--even Jesus on the old earth had to learn (learn to walk, learn to talk, learn to place the nail just so for the hammer strike, etc.) so there is no sin or negativity in gaining knowledge and wisdom and skills--but without the sin holding us back or marring our joy.

And in that case, the sooner I learn all my skills here, the farther along I'll be when the new earth comes, so that my joy may start at an even higher level when I get there!

Or am I crazy?

Sorry this post was so long. I'm excited.

Other interests vs. my own

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4 New International Version, ©2010

I used to think this verse meant that you shouldn't look to your own interests, but that you should only look out for others. As a teenager I followed this misguided interpretation whole-heartedly, even neglecting my own health, happiness and spiritual training, and in the end it did me in. Everything in life, I'm coming to find, is not black and white--rather it's a balance, a juggling of many sides. It's much harder to see the world in grey, but in the end, much more rewarding, much truer and closer to the heart of God.

God's Zeal

"The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

Isaiah 9:7b ESV

This phrase is not uncommon in Scripture ... I like it. It means that God is enthusiastic about stuff too, that He doesn't just sit on His haunches and occasionally mix the pot of destiny, but He is actively and enthusiastically making all things good.

Isaiah & Mr. Holmes

"And he said, "Go, and say to this people:

"'Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'

Make the heart of this people dull,

and their ears heavy,

and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.""

Isaiah 6:9-10 English Standard Version

This is so true! How many things do I see but do not see, hear but it goes in one ear and out the other. This was actually one of Sherlock Holmes's favorite sayings, "You see, but you do not observe," meaning that merely laying your eyes on something and actually mentally taking in its significance or not the same thing.

May I see and observe, hear and understand, all that God is teaching me.

What a Sob Story

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner." And King David followed the bier.

2 Samuel 3:31 English Standard Version

Whenever someone dies David really, really takes it hard. Here he's mourning Abner, his enemy-turned-maybe-friend. And when Absalom died he nearly lost his mind, then when his child by Bathsheeba didn't make it he lay on his face for a week. Bit of a drama queen, huh?

A Quick Retort Is Over-Rated

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
   but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

Proverbs 15:28 English Standard Version

Having a sharp wit is considered a desirable trait in my social circle. On my good days I have one, on my bad days I just stare vacantly and my mind conjures up ... silence.

But upon reflection, at the end of the day as I lie in bed, if I have any regrets about the words I have spoken it is nine times out of ten for those that I spoke "wittily" and not those that I thought about for a while before voicing.

As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

1 Samuel 24:16 English Standard Version

Each time I read Saul's story, how he rose out of obscurity into God's favor and quickly out of it and into a painful and inglorious decline, I am struck by how God "interferes" with Saul's and David's life in very similar ways and yet how differently that affects them.

With David it is a blessing and keeping him on the stright and narrow, a guide, a refuge, a source of strength.

With Saul it's like he's a fish and God keeps telling him to walk on land. God's interference only seems to drive him further out of control. In the end, unlike David's, Saul's heart is entirely out of sync with God. Saul never truly loved God nor cared for Him.

Come With Me Into the Field

“Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they [David and Jonathan] went there together.

1 Samuel 20:11 New International Version

This phraseology immediately brought to mind Genesis 4:8 wherein the bitter Cain invites his brother Abel into a field not to save his life, but to kill him. The contrast is really striking.

Goliath Ten Stories High?

And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.

1 Samuel 17:4-7 English Standard Version

A cubitis 18inches, and depending on which vrsion of the ancient texts you read Goliath was described as either 4 or 6 cubits high, plus a span (4 inches). So whether he was 6'4" or 9'4" he still wasn't as astronomically large as children's books often depict him.

Either way though, he was tall and strong--his coat of mail alone weighed 125lbs! (A shekel is 2/5oz.) Even his spear head was 15lbs.

Now that's a strong guy. Kudos to David (of God of course)!

Chronology In the Histories

As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”
Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”
The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

1 Samuel 17:55-56 New International Version

This story (David and Goliath) follows the story of Saul's evil spirit and the young man--the same David--who was brought to the court as a harp player to sooth his restlessness.

I've always thought it odd that Saul did not recognize David when he came to the camp--maybe the harp story comes second chronologically?

Either way though you'd think there'd be some recognition on Saul's part. He was half mad, though, so who knows.

Authority, or "I Have a Better Idea"

And Samuel said,
"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
   as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
   and to listen than the fat of rams."

1 Samuel 15:22 English Standard Version

Authority is a tricky issue in our country--we acknowledge its value and importance but resent it when it manifests itself over us. I see this in my place of work, in my family, even among my friends. "How dare [insert name of authority figure here] not consider my idea/ tell me to do that/ hurt my feelings?"

In this story Saul sounds exactly like a modern-day employee: "Yeah I heard what you told me to do but I improved on it with my own idea. Great, huh?"

Authority is authority--you either obey or completely disregard (i.e. treat them as having no authority). There is no in between.

Saul's Ever-Changing Heart

"When he [Saul] turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart."

1 Samuel 10:9a English Standard Version

"...the Spirit of God rushed upon him [Saul], and he prophesied among them."

1 Samuel 10:10b English Standard Version

"And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled."

1 Samuel 11:6 English Standard Version

Much more famous is the passage where God takes His spirit away from Saul. But today in reading the passage about Saul's rise out of obscurity to royalty I was struck anew how deliberatly (and often) God directly intervened in Saul's heart, changing it and molding it to His will and purpose.

I find this both disturbing and strengthening.

Disturbing that God can bring such abrupt, supernatural change in a person's very core at will, and yet that same truth stengthens me in that when God does that to me, it is for my good and His glory. Amen.

Passages That Make Your Eyes Glaze Over

The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south. And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward...

Joshua 15:1-2 English Standard Version

I'm reading through Joshua right now and it's hard for me to read chapter after chapter of place names and borders and seas and hill countries that I cannot visualize in my head.

Does anyone know a good resource (preferably online) of really detailed Biblical maps by era so that as I'm reading these passages I can print them out and draw the boundaries myself?

Otherwise my eyes glaze over and I glean nothing from these portions of Scripture, except perhaps that God is a god of detail and that the Old Testament is not only a spiritual encouargement but an accurate historical record.

When a River Flows Toward the Sky

"...And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap."

Joshua 3:13 English Standard Version

Wow, can you imagine? Can you just visualize that? Imagine a river flowing, flowing and then BOOM it hits and invisible wall and starts pooling up against it, swirling higher and higher.

That must have been an amazing sight. It reminds me of the parting of the Red Sea scene from The Prince of Egpyt. I love God's "flair."

When Even Evil Can't Win

For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Deuteronomy 23:4-5 New International Version

The beauty and tenderness of God's affection really struck me in this passage. God took what was evil and not only protected His children from it but turned it into good, simply because He loves them.

How beautiful.

Explanantions not owed, but granted

“No, do not be afraid of those nations [who currently occupy the land God is giving you], for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.

Deuteronomy 7:21-22 New Living Translation

I love how the Bible goes straight from describing God as "great" and "awesome" to explaining His thinking behind His actions: "otherwise the wild animals would multiply." What a priviledge that the mighty God honors us with explanations that we are not owed! It just goes to show how much He values His relationship with us, how much He cares for us and His equals in that we bear His image. Amazing.

Hee-Haw She Said Something

Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you."

Numbers 22:28-29 English Standard Version

What striks me most about this story isn't so much that the donkey talked back to Balaam (after all I am a Narnia and Brian Jaques child) but that Balaam talked back to her!

I mean seriously wouldn't you at least do a double-take before threatening death on your transportation?

And then they were counted

These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house. So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— all those listed were 603,550.

Numbers 1:44-46 English Standard Version

So if you figured that nearly all of them were married, as was typical in that culture, you're looking at 1.2 million Israelites. Then if each family typically had 5-20 children, you're looking at possibly 11 million Israelites just a year or two after they escaped Egypt. Whoa.

Your Desires Are Safe With Me

Trust in the Lord and do good.
   Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
   Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
   and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
   and wait patiently for him to act.

Psalm 37:3-7a New Living Translation

I grew up believing (whether by being taught or my own misinterpretation is irrelevant) that desires are inherently bad, that you should concentrate on doing your duty and if you're lucky, learn to enjoy it.

So I often tried to hide my desires from God, since there's no point in getting excited about something you have no hope of obtaining.

But as my knowledge and understanding of God grew, I've realized that He created desire--and specific desires--within us, that these desires are good if directed along the stright and narrow.

Since then my main struggle in this area has been to trust that God will fulfill those desires, to realize that my heart and her desires are safe with Him. Now that's a beautiful thought.

Excuses, white lies and the truth

And Aaron said, "Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, 'Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' So I said to them, 'Let any who have gold take it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

Exodus 32:22-24 English Standard Version

I always feel a little pang of guilt when I read Aaron's hedging response to Moses' furious accusation. Aaron stutters out his story laced with excuses and white lies.

I know I do this a lot. I don't usually tell an outright lie but I do leave out important information or spin the story in a light that reflects well on me, regardless of whether or not I should look good.

Aaron wasn't fooling anyone, but he thought he was. And I'm not fooling anyone either.

The Sheer Joy of Creating Something

I was there when he established the heavens,
    when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
I was there when he set the clouds above,
    when he established springs deep in the earth.
I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
    so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
    I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
    rejoicing always in his presence.
And how happy I was with the world he created;
    how I rejoiced with the human family!

Proverbs 8:27-31 New Living Translation

As a I read this poem my heart raced--I felt like I was there, up among the clouds, in the oceans, thrilling over each new beauty that God was speaking into existence, realizing it's infinite wisdom and overwhelming beauty second by incredible second.

Oh how I wish I had been Wisdom and could have seen all this firsthand!

Mandatory Risks

So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 25:28-29 English Standard Version

I know that the word "talent" here refers technically to coins, not abilities, but I think that funnily enough that is what the coins are representing: the gifts that God has given us in this life, be they abilities, possessions, statuses, relationships, events in our lives.

God has given everything to us in order for us to use them, not for us to sit on them or pretend we don't have them.

It's been difficult for me to figure out what purpose my talents have, especially the ones that combine my greatest fears, such as singing (enjoyed talent) in front of an audience (greatest fear).

It's not by chance that I can do what I can do. But how and why to do them? Now there's the rub.

Fairness and Generosity

But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.

Matthew 20:13-14 English Standard Version

I know that not all characteristics have a gene that directly correlates, but if the fairness gene is ever discovered, I bet you I will have a double set. I love to feel fairly treated, to divide as evenly as possible, to make sure that all protocols are adhered to. So when I encounter stories like this, my first instinct is to side with the it's not fair crowd.

"I don't get compensated enough for the work I do."

"My generosity is not returned by this person or that person."

"I always get the grunt work in this situation."

Blah. Blah. Blah.

But the gentle admonition of the employer catches me by surprise every time. Maybe always thinking fair is too narrow minded, missing the point. It's not always about give and take. We are commanded to give all we've got because we can take all we need from Him.

Siblings: Can't live with them, can't live without them

Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way."

Genesis 45:24 English Standard Version

Never noticed Joseph's parting quip before, haha. Here he's just been reunited with his brothers and and he can't resist a bit of friendly, elbow-in-the-ribs teasing. I wonder what his tone was when he said it.

It's little details like this that make the Bible just as fascinating a read the seventh time through as it was the first time through. Love it.

Memorizing the Pslams

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

  I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:1-2 English Standard Version

At one point I was trying to memorize all the Psalms. I got up to Psalm 6 and then kinda lost heart, and I quit.

Ever since that failure I've been thnkng about tryng again. I did find that the easiest Psalms to memorize by far were the ones that I knew as songs, and so at one point I tried to compose a tune for each Psalm I was memorizing. But my musical composition skills are poor, and my progress tedious and laborious and uninspired.

Maybe if I took familiar, beloved tunes instead? That might work.

Redefining "to live"

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:39 English Standard Version

When I find myself feeling down, when I sift through my thoughts I often find my mind to be focusing on things of little eternal consequence. And then when I shift my mind toward things that are actually important to me, my spirits revive. I have to continually redefine what it is "to live."

Time Warp

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Genesis 29:20 English Standard Version

I have to pause every so often while reading the Bible to make sure that I haven't entered a time warp. Especially in the narrative portions of the Word, a story will be going along at a certain pace and then boom, seven years will pass in a sentence and I don't always notice until the next paragraph, when I'm suddenly confused.

In the story of how Jacob obtains his wives Rachel and her sister Leah, it's very much like that. Each day gets several paragraphs, but as soon as Jacob begins to work for Rachel, suddenly a sentence is seven years, beautifully matching up to how Jacob's heart must have perceived time--his episode of stealing his father's blessing and earning his brother's hatred and running away from home must have dragged and weighed heavily on him, hence the Bible's pages on that. But then he meets his girl, and seven years go by while he dreams of her. Very beautiful.

"And they laughed at Him."

And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

Matthew 9:23-24 English Standard Version

There are few things that get my goat more than when people laugh at me, especially when they think I or what I am doing is stupid. Their ridicule severely discourages me; it causes me to question everything about who I am and what I am doing, since I am a people-pleaser at heart.

But I take courage from this verse, and they laughed at him. Obviously Jesus was doing nothing stupid, but they couldn't see that. They had no trust in God's ability to take even the saddest of ocassions and turn them to good. Often I question God when a situation goes ill. Why, God, why? And my question is more an accusation than anything else. So I guess sometimes I am the laugher, too.

Maybe instead of letting others' laughter get to me, I should take care to follow God no matter how stupid His guidance seems, and then to take full confidence in that guidance. And if they laugh at me, to remember this verse and its comfort.

"Share" Is Not Just For Facebook

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

Paslam 1:9 New Living Translation

Internal praise and thankfulness is pretty easy--when I get through a situation by the skin of my teeth I automatically think a "Thank YOU, Jesus!!!" heavenward.

But I'm not nearly as good at external praise. It's not so much that I am reluctant it's that it doesn't even occur to me to tell someone, "Listen to this situation God just got me through!"

I'm going to make a more conscientious effort to do both from now on.

Blessings Ripple

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Genesis 19:29 English Standard Version

The story of Lot's rescue from Sodom is a story of rescue by association. Lots had not particularly endeared himself to God, yet for Abram's sake God rescued him. And Lot's wife and daughters were even less close to God, yet for Abram's sake through Lot they also were rescued. And even the daughters' fiances were offered safety through Lot through Abram.

When you do good works and live uprightly and humble before God, you bring blessing not only upon yourself but upon your loved ones. It's like blessing ripples throughout your social circle.

Fifteen years and many worlds apart

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 16:15-16 English Standard Version

So since Abraham was about 100 when Isaac was born, Ishmael was almost 15 by then. I'd never realized that before. I wonder why God promised Abraham billions of descendants 15 years before making it a reality--on the surface it would have seemed kinder/less confusing to either tell him this when he was young and newly married so that he and Sarah didn't panic when she couldn't get pregnant, or to tell him say, a week before she conceived or something.

Of course, God has a million unseen reasons on why He does anything, but I am awfully curious on this seemingly arbitrary timing.

Appearances: An Accurate Cliche

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east.

Genesis 13:10-11b English Standard Version

When Abram's nephew was instructed to choose a piece of land to own, that's exactly what he did--he chose the best land. In his eagerness he forgot to factor in more important things, like the context of the land--his neighbors, for example. Yes, the land was amazingly lush, but his neighbors were sexed-obsessed creeps. He forgot to check into that before he settled down and raised a family.

I've never bought land, but I feel like I've had a case of Lot-itus in many areas of my life, including making friendships. A person upon first acquaintance is often much more polite, level-headed and likable than he ever is at any other point in his life, except perhaps at his work place. But once you get to know a person, those appearances can take a radical turn. This radical turn is not a bad thing--you want to get to know better every person with whom you are aspiring friendship. But a close friend is never distantly polite.

In my experience I tend to always take people at face value, assuming that they are as open and natural with me upon first acquaintance as if they are my closest friend already. And as I get to know them better, I resent how they "change" on me, when in fact they aren't changing at all--I'm merely getting to see them truer and truer to their real form.

Once I realized this, I wised up and quit resenting my new friends. Instead, now that I better understand the ritual of the transformation from polite acquaintance to close friend, I am now much happier.

An unusual lesson to learn from Lot, I suppose, but there you have it.

Even God's punishments can be beautiful

And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech." So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

Genesis 11:6-8 English Standard Version

God punished man for his cockiness by striking at the essence of man's brilliance--cognitive thought. Our extreme skill at communication with each other is key to our dominion of this planet and of our future. So to disrupt that definitely gets our attention!

But even in this seeming blow to humankind, God is merciful--He gave us the ability to learn each others' languages so that this communication can be restored.

He also made all the languages and dialects beautiful. There are countless individuals who devote their life to studying language and speech and love what they do. It's a fascinating subject, and we will never run out of new things to discover in this area!

I wonder if we'll have different languages in heaven, too.

Noah's raven

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

Genesis 8:6-8 English Standard Version

I wonder why Noah sent out a raven first, and not the dove. Or if something the raven did made him change his mind and pick the dove. The poor dove now gets all the glory in this story. Maybe I should paint a painting of Noah with a raven and give that poor bird his due!

When God Spared the Whale and the Octopus

And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.

Genesis 7:21-23  English Standard Version

I've read the story of Noah at least ten times inmy life, probably more, but this evening a thought occurred to me---isn't it odd that God points out that every human died, and every land creature died, but says nothing about the sea creatures? I wonder why the land animals were swept away with the wicked, but the sea creatures were spared. It's not like cows sin but sharks don't.

Mysterious prophet

And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Matthew 2:23 English Standard Version

I've never read a Bible translation, footnote or commentary that has been able to place this quote. Maybe it's because everyone is assuming the quote would be from the Old Testament prophetic books, when in fact Matthew was just quoting another old text that is now lost to us. I'm really curious.

And God said, "Let there be."

And God said, "Let there be."

Genesis 1 (throughout) English Standard Version

I love how God organzied His creative days. First He creates the settings and then He fills them.

*Day One He makes lightness and darkness, and Day Four He fills them with the sun, moon and stars.
*Day Two He separates the waters from the sky, and Day Five He makes all the creatures of the water and sky.
*Day Three He makes the dry land appear, and Day Six He makes the creatures of the land, including man.

It encourages me that even God Himself takes care in how He does things.