My Christmas Gift To You

I would like to share a paper my son, Tony Jr, wrote for school. Seven years ago he couldn't read and barely wrote. God has done so much in his life. So many people have loved and prayed and worked with him. Many thanks. Enjoy the beginning fruits of your labor. We choose to walk through life with those in need and it's wonderful to see the growth. This is my present to you for Christmas. Our children are a gift from the Lord. I thank his school so much for enforcing what we believe in his school environment.
I pray for you that next year is a year of prayer being fully developed in your life
and in your family!
Merry Christmas!

“The Lord’s Prayer”

By Tony Crawford, Jr

Jesus described prayer as a connection to Him. In Matthew 5:44 it says that in the hardest times, we need to pray for the strength to make it through. Prayer is a powerful tool that helps us fight the Devil. Prayer also helps to protect us from sin. Prayer helps us to know who we are in Christ and to remember that Christ died for our sins on the cross.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6 that we should not pray for the glory of being seen by others, but that we should pray in secret, knowing that God will reward us in front of everyone. Prayer is not about using a lot of impressive words, but it is the prayer that comes from the heart that impresses God. Prayer is not about telling God something He does not already know. It is telling Him what we believe He will do for us.

God is the primary focus of our prayer. In Matthew 6:8 Jesus tells us to pray to our Father. This shows us that we should think of God as our heavenly Father. This means that God is powerful because He is God and He also loves us as a father and He wants to take care of us.

We should also focus on our needs and the needs of others. It is right that we should focus on our needs because the Bible tells us to do so. It says in Philippians 4:6 that we should take all of our troubles and concerns to God because He cares for us. I Timothy says that we should be thankful to God for everything He has done for us and everything He will do for us.

It is right that we should pray for our needs but it is wrong that we should only pray for our needs. James 5:13 tells us that we should pray for others who are in need. We should pray in faith for those who have needs. We should pray in agreement with other people. We should believe God that He will provide healing, lifting up and forgiveness of others who are in need. We are not just to focus on the needs of others but on how powerful God is and what He is able to do to help people.

What should we ask for when we pray? We should ask for salvation. God rescues us from sin and the Devil. We should ask for forgiveness. When we do wrong things, God forgives us. We should forgive other people also. In Matthew 18:22 Jesus tells us to forgive others, “seventy times seven.” We should pray for wisdom so that we can be full of the knowledge of God. We should pray for peace. Peace is the ability to be calm in the toughest of times. Peace is allowing God to fight our battles. We should pray for guidance. Psalm 119:105 says that we should let God’s word be the light in our darkness. We should ask God to protect us. He promises to be our refuge and our fortress in Psalm 91:2. We should pray for provision. The Bible tells us that God will provide all of our needs. We should pray for prosperity. II Corinthians 9:8 shows us that God wants to give us more than we need. We should pray for healing. We know that Jesus went around healing the sick. God loves people and wants them well.

Why do we pray? God tells us in the Bible that we need to pray. It is our choice to pray. We should pray because we want to be obedient to God, trusting Him that He will do what He says He is going to do. We pray to get what we need. Because we trust in God we pray to Him. We believe that He will do for us what He has promised.

We pray to God because we want to know Him more. When we pray God is able to talk to us. We pray for God’s will to be done in our life. Praying helps us to get the right thoughts, images and imaginations. God is able to give us signs when we pray. Prayer helps us to understand God. Prayer helps us as we study God’s word. Prayer also puts us in a better position for miracles.

We pray because we want to improve ourselves. Prayer allows God to be involved in our life. Prayer releases the gifts of God into our situations, making them better. God is able to fulfill our hopes and dreams when we pray for Him to do so. Prayer gives us peace in our hearts helping us to feel calm and secure, knowing that God is with you. When we pray we are able to make good decisions. We are able to choose right over wrong. Prayer helps us to have better self-control. When we pray we are kind and thoughtful toward other people. Prayer also helps us to be more loving and caring.

Babel, Babel, Babel

Let's continue our study of Genesis and look in chapter 11:1-9. We have seen the creation of earth, the universe, animals, vegetation, man, woman, family and nations. So, what happens when you have a bunch of people together? Sometimes, agreement. The power of agreement is....powerful! We see it here when the people agreed together to build a tower to heaven. The power of agreement is so....powerful...that God actually had to stop them. You would think He might look and smile at the people trying to build this tall tower. But God is alarmed and so much so that He actually changes the languages and the people disperse. Ever think that though you speak the same language as others in you country, sometimes the lack of agreement has a devastating affect? Or, the other way. The agreement has caused miracles to occur? The devil hates it when Christians are in agreement. He does everything he can to disrupt the flow of agreement.There is power in "one-ness". Verse 1 of Genesis11 is the key."The whole earth was one language and one speech". Oh that Christians understood the power of the tongue.If we did, words would be carefully chosen. Encouragement would be on the rise! Agreement would turn seemingly impossible situations around. Matthew 18:19 shines more light on the subject. Jesus is basically saying here that if two of us can agree as touching anything, it will be done. Unfortunately man hasn't changed. Verse 4 of Genesis goes to motive - the people wanted to "make a name for themselves". It's all about "me", "my name", "my accomplishments, "what I want" instead of what God wants. He wants it all about Him. In verse 6, God says if man was not restrained, anything imagined could be done. Think about it. Is it time for you to tap into this power. Want a better job, a better spouse, a successful child? Listen to what you are saying. Find a friend to agree with you in prayer. Be sure you are following God's plan. Be careful of that pesky pride. That pride caused division in Genesis and actually causes division today.

A voice was about to arise here in Genesis. God is about to select a nation for His own and a man to lead it and communicate for Him. You see, there was this promise to Eve. A seed was coming - a voice who calls everyone to come - follow Me. We celebrate His birth this month - know who it is?

The Nations

Chapter 10 of Genesis is the genesis of the world's nations. This is the account of when man began to replenish the earth after the flood. From Noah's line came three sons - we met them in the last post. Japheth's sons went North. From him came the Medes, Greeks, Europeans and Asians. Ham's descendents went to the area which became Arabia, Southern Egypt and North Africa. Their territory became know as Canaan, which would be where the Jews later settled. Shem's descendents settled in Arabia and Middle East. These people would be known as Jews, Assyrians, Syrians and Elamites. I thought this was an interesting FYI chapter. It's all in the Bible. Where and how life began, how nations came about - the Bible is the history of life and tells us the future as well.

Become a student of the Bible. It's truly the Book of Life!

Nakedness

Got your attention, didn't I? Uncomfortable situation. In Genesis 9:20-29, dad (Noah) got drunk and is lying in his tent naked!!! What to do....what to do.... Ah ha! I'll not cover him up and go tell my brothers what I saw! He's naked!!! Bad choice. How does one handle a situation like this? In verse 23, we see how Shem and Japheth, Ham's brothers, take the high road. They turn their backs (literally) on their father, get a blanket and cover him up - without looking. They cover his nakedness. Nakedness is a vulnerable state. There are times when covering another's "nakedness" is the right thing to do. It actually brings blessing. We have all been vulnerable at times - naked. Vulnerable and exposed. We are called to cover and protect, not run and tell like Ham did. No matter how ashamed they were of their father - respect for him won over. Jesus addresses nakedness in His own words, in a way only He can. In Matthew 25, Jesus is discussing the Judgement. He is describing those before the Judgement Seat. There are some prideful "saints" full of themselves and their awesome feats while here on the earth. On the other side are humbled saints, "righteous" Jesus calls them. In verse 36, Jesus says to the righteous, "(I was) naked and you clothed me". "When?", they ask? The prideful are told when He was naked, they didn't cloth Him. "When?", they ask. Jesus' famous response sobers all of us up. In verse 40, He says,"...inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of the, you have done it unto Me."

Nakedness is no laughing matter. Sometimes you are called to cover another's sin.

"Love covers a multitude of sin"

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Jesus always cuts it to the quick.

God of Covenant

Genesis Chapter 9. It's interesting to me that God makes covenants. A covenant is like a contract. Why would God feel a need to make a contract with us? He's God. We are His creation. He reaches to us with a covenant and He asks us to sign. It's like the Mercedes Benz CEO reaching out to you with a car contract promising you the car paid for. The CEO wanting you to take the contract. He would actually search you out hoping you will take the car. Free and clear. Here in Genesis, It looks like this contract is a contract that binds God a little. He just destroyed the human race save Noah and his family. He flooded the earth. It was a sure way to completely clear away all He had created. He couldn't completely destroy everyone, though, because He had made a covenant with Adam and Eve in the garden. He promised a "seed" that would come and reestablish the relationship between God and man. God doesn't break covenants. In this covenant He restrains Himself. In verse 11, He states the terms. He will never flood the earth again. In verses 12 - 16, we see that He places a rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself - not to us! You thought that rainbow you saw was a "hello" from God. Nope. It's a "these people are in bad shape and I really should start again, but I made a covenant and can't". It's His sticky note reminder He has on His big computer in the sky. "Can't destroy them today". So you have another day. I'm glad I have another day to do it right. Like anyone else, I need the promise of a new day. Notice a couple of interesting things in this chapter. Meat is introduced as okay for man to eat. The Bible says in the last days, people will be forbidden to eat meat. God, here in Genesis, establishes meat as permissible. Notice God's take on murder, or shedding of blood in verse 6. He sees each human as made in His image - so don't touch. Isn't that interesting? He approaches murder from a very personal perspective. Later in the Bible He establishes capital punishment for murder. He is the judge of a human's life, not us. His covenant is with the animals, too. We see this in verse 12. In verse 2 He places the protection and management of all animals in man's hand. It's the beginning of a fresh start! I know things will be peachy from here! After all, God has given us everything we need to survive this beautiful planet and this wonderful gift of life He has given each of us. No worries! We are good to go!

Big Giants, But A Bigger God

Genesis 6:1-4 is a bit of a guess as far as I can tell. I'll take a stab at it. The "sons of God"here are the controversy. Some believe them to be fallen angels. These angels fell when Lucifer fell from heaven after his rebellion against God. One third of the angels fell with him (Revelation 12:4,9). Some believe they took human wives and produced giants. Another interpretation is that these were ungodly people probably birthed from the sin on the earth - Cain's relatives. The word "Giants" here is the Hebrew word nephilim meaning "violent" or "causing to fall". The root word here suggests "monsters" and "wonder". However they came, archeologists have unearthed giants skeletons up to 12- 15 feet. I personally don't believe angels can reproduce. They are spirit beings. They are not human. Can man be influenced by them? Yes. these fallen angels or "demons" are quite active in the Bible and in the earth today. Psychics tap into them. They are not to be played with. Whatever the case, God was not pleased with how things were going. It was time to wipe the slate. It has to be bad for God to decide to start again. He would do the wiping away one time only with a flood. It was a great flood. Read Genesis 6- 9. Read with a fresh sense of awe at the incredible power of God. This flood caused more destruction than anything we will ever see here on earth. He is not to be reckoned with. We think of God as such the loving Father that he is. But occasionally, it's good to see Him in his power. You have a big God who, when he says He will fight your battles (giant as they seem), He's not saying some long fight He has to take on. No, no, no. This is God we are talking about here. I'm guessing His wrath on your giants doesn't take a second (in time as we know it). "The battle is the Lord's". In the midst of the flood, there remained a place of protection and peace for the single servant, his precious family and God's beautiful animals. I can see the ark taking off on the waters. A few planks of wood carried these refugees in safety. The promised seed was preserved. Promises are carried through obedience. What a great example we have in Noah. Remember saints, Jesus will come soon and His return is compared with this moment in time Matthew 24:37, "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Tell someone about Jesus today. Bring them in the boat with you. Maranatha (come Lord Jesus)!

People

Hi. Back again. Lost my hard drive, but saved most all of my information. It's not easy working from someone else's computer! I must be in my "prayer room", with the lavender fragrance coming from the plug in the wall and at my green desk. In the process of discussing people here in Genesis, I am reminded that we are faced with the best and worst of people every day. Life is full of both. Honestly, I have my own moments of best and worst - how about you? I'm happy to report that in the many years I have lived, I have been privileged to know some pretty great people. I have come to appreciate their kindness. It is a dying art - kindness. When experienced, whether given or received - it fills one's tank with good warm fuzzes. It reminds us that we are not in this life alone. Yes, God is with us and He graces us with others to fill the gaps and heal the wounds. Thanks to those who have shown kindness to me and my family over the years. You have a chapter in the book of our lives. I'll be back in Genesis next week.