Know God - Jumping in...

The pastor of a church we have visited a few times and where the kids go to AWANA, created a 30 day bible challenge called "Know God" . The first day coincided with the first day of my Chronological Bible reading.  Funny how that worked.

He breaks the days down into sections.
1. What does God say?
2. What does God say TO US?

Day 1 - Genesis 1-3

1. What does God say...
...to create "Let there ....be whatever I want there to be...."
...his response to His creation "And it was...Good..."

BUT

2. What did He say to us?
His response to creating human was not just good but
VERY GOOD 
Have you ever seen a photo of painting and thought that is good. Then you see one and you go "Wow! That is very good!" and you just want to look at it and soak it in and remember it for always and you wish you had a small smidge of the talent that the creator of the painting had in his little finger?? We are that to God. And HE created us!

yet...we don't realize it. I all too often don't realize it.

Pastor asks, What keeps you from seeing yourself as very good? Low self esteem contributes to this.  -me, body image, loss of dreams, past mistakes,

Then he asks, How might the enormity of creation help keep your pride in check? It is easy to also be prideful. Aren't we all guilty of both? Often at the same time?

God still thinks we are VERY GOOD!!! Despite ourselves. One day we will believe Him. Right?

Then God said something is NOT good - we have all heard it, "It is not good for man to be alone." Sometimes alone time is good and needed.. But we shouldn't be isolated.

Pastor asks us to think about people who we know who are lonely and in need of friendship...list them...then befriend them. Being so new to our current area, I am lonely. My friends are scattered across the nation and around the world. There are times in a suburb of a large southern city is just as lonely as teaching on a ranch in Montana, 30 miles from the nearest paved road.

Then chapter 3. Accompanied by the forboding music that old movies are so great for. On the screen, everything looks great, but trouble is pending....

God says, "Where are you????" (Pastor writes, "Do you hear his heart? He longs for intimacy but with the relationship shattered [through sin], his heart is broken.")

God asks us, "Where are you?" He knows. But do we? He needs us to know where we are so we can find Him.

Some questions from pastor:
1. Where have you been? lately? in your relationship with God?
Honesty here - parched and dry. wandering aimlessly. malnourished.

2. Where would you like to be at the end of the study?
back in with a group to help grow and keep accountability. grounded. fed. nourished.

You? You can access the commentary here