God is!.....and God DID! Let's expand this second thought a bit and look at what God did throughout the Bible. God made a great plan!

What if we were asked to give an answer to this question: "What is the Bible about?" A good answer is: "The Bible is a record of God's plan for taking care of His people". From the very beginning (Creation) it was God's plan to take care of His people and eventually bring Jesus to save His people. Actually, the plan began even before creation. A friend of mine pointed out to me just the other day the passage in 1 Peter 1:20 which says: "He (Jesus) was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."

So many times people read the Bible in snatches, a story here, a passage there. But the Bible flows with great continuity and has overall meaning. Sometimes we hear someone say, "well, thats your interpretation." There is a time and place for interpretation, but note this: the Bible is understandable without us having to put our own slant on it. It makes sense, it is practical, it will change our lives, it will save.

Note the development of God's plan: God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), He created man and woman (Gen. 2:7,18), He saved Noah and his family from the flood (Gen. 8:1), and God made a special covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 12 He promised Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth will be blessed". This blessing comes to us as shown in the New Testament in Galatians 3:14 "...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

And so goes the development of God's plan through the Old Testament. After Abraham God deals with Isaac, then Jacob and his sons, especially Joseph. Then God directs Moses to be a type of Savior to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. Then there are Judges, and Kings, all bringing us to the time when God's promise to Abraham would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus!

What a great plan God made for us! Come back next week and we will see that the Bible is clear that the only salvation is through Jesus....only through Jesus......no other way.

Our first lesson was "God Is"! That was the most powerful thought in all the Bible. The 2nd most important message is God Did! It is significant that the Bible begins with "In the beginning God created...." We can talk more about creation another time, comparing it with modern theories. But for now let's look at more examples where God Did.



In the case of His people, Israel, (Deuteronomy 4:20), "the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the fiery furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day." Note this excerpt from Joshua 24:6-8: "...I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued...He..brought the sea upon them...Then you dwelt in the wilderness for a long time. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand...." He said it again in a number of places, but one was I Samuel 10:18, "..I brought up Israel out of Egypt.." Note that God Did and He does that for us today. He brings us out of slavery (sin), through the sea and the wilderness, helps us win our battles, and ultimately takes us into the promised land (Heaven). But how do people often respond to His great blessings? Often like Nehemiah says in Nehemiah 9:18, "...they made a molten calf for themselves, and said, 'this is your god that brought you out of Egypt.." The real and only God placed great importance on the fact that He brought His people "out of Egypt." But instead of appreciating it, His people worshipped and gave credit to a homemade calf idol. Sometimes we are just as misguided.



So many examples; this could go on and on. Notice the New Testament. God always had a plan. It unfolded all through the Old Testament. We see that it culminated with Jesus Christ. John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." God Did!.................God Is, and God Did!



That's enough for this week. But tune in next week for more about God's plan for you and me, how it was developed through history and why of all men (and women) we are most privileged.

God said: "I AM"

I woke up recently at 3am with the thought that I needed to do a blog on Bible truth. Just the truth, no opinions, nothing shaded or interpreted, just basic Bible facts. Feel free to comment, but remember that opinions don't count. Here we are seeking the truth.

We should start with the most powerful thought in all the Bible. Of course, all thoughts in the Bible are powerful, but the most powerful thought of all is: GOD IS. In Exodus 3:14 Moses said to God: when I go to the people to lead them and they say "what is His name? what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses "I AM who I am", then "I AM has sent you to them."

This is the meaning of God's name in Hebrew, YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah). It is a form of the verb "to be", or "the present One." Always present! Over and over again God said "I AM the Lord". In Genesis 26:24 to Isaac "I am the God of your father Abraham."

GOD IS! Not God was.......not God will be......GOD IS! It is important to God that we first recognize and acknowledge His Supreme position. In our prayers, in our lives, in our life struggles..........GOD IS!