Never Content

Vol 3 No 5 THEO'S DEVOS

Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are wearisome,

more than one can say.

The eye never has enough of seeing,

nor the ear its fill of hearing.

I see a restlessness around the world. It just seems like no one can ever get enough of anything. When I see professional athletes making multi millions of dollars and still want more or the leaders of countries wanting things simply for themselves and not for the best of everyone I think of Ecclesiastes. The writer tells us that all things are wearisome. We never get enough. Our eyes see things that we want and cannot be filled. We want what we do not have and oftentimes it brings us to grief as we try to get those things anyway.

Our country is in a financial meltdown and no one seems to know how to fix it. I hear politicians say “Just through money at it.” Of course no one really knows where that money is going and it all seems to find its way into some fat cat's pocket. I rarely, if ever, see some kind of a bail out for the average working man. Oh no, he is the one that is supposed to cash in and solve the problem. Why? Because someone who had way more than he, or she, needs wants more. Business men tell their employees that money is tight while they spend loads of it on themselves and then wonder where the loyalty went.

Our ears, the writer tells us, never gets its fill of hearing. Just another way of saying the same thing with a slight twist. We all look for something new. We want to hear good news but continually hear the same thing over and over again. Nothing seems to change. Out leaders may say the same thing with different words but it amounts to nothing new.

What is the answer to this dilemma? Well if you search through Ecclesiastes carefully you will find the answer. I will encapsulate if for you. If you are not content with what you have you will never be content with what you get because you have developed a characteristic of discontent. 'Therefore once you get what you do not have you now have it and have practiced the art of not being content with what you have so you must keep reaching for more. That is a sure method of disaster.

We may not be able to change the world, only God can do that. But what we can do is change our world. Learning the secret of contentedness is the first step in the right direction. There is nothing wrong with trying harder to improve but when we try to get things our way instead of God's way, we are heading on the path of doom.

May God help you to see the blessing He has given to you and may we all learn to be content there. If God gives us more, thank Him for it. If He doesn't, learn to accept it. You will be happier for it.

Theo

Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You

SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY

Please Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

QUICK QUESTION: The word 'amusement' means 'not to think.' What do you do that helps you to 'not think?'

1. What kinds of things are discussed in these verses?
   
   

2. What does Solomon think about life?
   
   

3. What did Solomon say was new and who did he say will be forgotten?
   
   

4. What did Solomon think about everything he had seen? Done?
   
   

5. Why can school become a drag?
   
   

6. What kind of things do people do that helps them to not have to think?
   
   

7. Do you see anything around you that has meaning?

REFLECTION: What could you do, or change, this week that would help you give more meaning to your life?

FINDING FAVOR

Please pray for a dear friend of ours, Sue Linnus. Her husband just dies as a result of a car crash. He was hit by an apparent drunk driver. He was a special, Christian, guy. He lived in a wonderful log cabin in New Hampshire and was loved by everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.

Vol 2 No 4 THEO'S DEVOS

Genesis 6:6,8 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain...⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Take a moment today and look around. Do you think God is happy with the world we live in. Our country is in a moral/financial mess and it does not appear to be getting any better. Christians and Christianity is undergoing an all out assault. It doesn't even look as though Christians are doing anything about it. We seem to be making very little impact on our society and I can't think that God is overjoyed. In fact it is hard to believe that the world of Noah was any worse. The Internet alone has brought us to an all time low. It is being exploited to debase as many people as it can.

Our verses for today tell us that God loves us in an oblique way. The grief that He is expressing is an expression of that love. We have seen before that John 3:16 is the first time in the Bible that tells us God loves the whole world but Genesis 6:6 gives the same indication. If God did not care about the world He would not have grieved over it.

So the question is does He grieve over us today and, if so, what is He going to do about it? I hate to contemplate that. If you jump ahead in the story of Noah you will see that God has promised not to destroy the world with water. OK that is nice but what about an atom bomb. Jesus will come back before that will happen you say. I believe that is true but when He turned us over to our sinful desires as it says in Romans chapter one He unleashed some serious problems and we are suffering from them. Tragedies are not the punishment of God they are brought on by our own wayward lives. How could there be wars if everyone thought of others more than they thought of themselves. For that matter how could there be any problems between people if we all lived that way. But we don't and horrendous problems result. What is the cause of the financial meltdown on wall street? Greed and the sin of man. How about the problems in Gaza? Same origin. Or what about the suicide rate, or any of a hundred other social diseases? You get the picture.

My point, however, is not to define the essence of the human dilemma. It is to rejoice that it doesn't have to concern us as much as it concerns the world. In the middle of a terribly sinful situation, when

God was going to wipe out virtually all He had created there existed a small light. Noah! He found favor in God's eyes and literally rode over the punishment for sin. He, his family and enough animals and birds to repopulate the planet.

Is our country on the verge of collapse? I would like to think that I am a patriot and do not want that to happen. But if it is, there is little I can do to prevent it. Is there truth to global warming? If there is then everyone in America will not be able to stop it if China, India and other countries don't virtually bankrupt themselves to help out.

Genesis tells me that it is possible to find favor in God's sight no matter what is happening around you. Do you want to be that kind of person? I hope so. If you do you have little more to do than to read God's word and take it to heart. Pray to Him and confess your sin(s) to Him. Walk with Him every day and let others know of how wonderful He is. God will not ask you to build an Ark (I am pretty sure of that) but He does ask you to walk like Noah. Don't worry about what the world tells you. Just stay close to the Lord and He will protect you through whatever is to come. In fact if Christians think of each other the way God asks them too we can beat the odds no matter what happens to the world.

And in the middle of all of this confusion He just might send Jesus back to end it all and take us home. I'm ready for that!!! Are you?

May God bless you today in some special way. Please let me know if you have any prayer requests. Just reply to this email and I promise to pray for you.

Theo

Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You

SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY

Please Read: Genesis 6

QUICK QUESTION: What worries you the most about the situation our country is in?

1. Why did God decide to destroy life on earth?
   
   

2. How would you describe Noah?
   
   

3. What did God promise Noah?
   
   

4. How does our world compare to Noah?
   
   

5. How is the covenant God made with Noah important?
   
   

6. What do you think it means to be blameless?

REFLECTION: What are some things you can praise God for in spite of all this turmoil?

Reactions to God

Vol 2 No 3 THEO'S DEVOS

Genesis 4:2b-5 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

How do you know when you are doing God's will, God's way. Someone has said that you can only know that in retrospect and that, for now, you have to do what you believe God wants you to do and know that He will give you course corrections along the way.

Our verses today are very interesting in what they say and what they do not say. We know that both Cain and Abel wanted to please God. There is no indication to suggest that they didn't. We also know that God was looking way down the road when He reacted to the boys offerings. He knew that forgiveness of sin would require a blood sacrifice. God was guiding in this direction from the very beginning. It also appears as though these two brothers did not know, at first, what God wanted or how to go about it. It is interesting to note that they knew they should do something. How they knew I will let to other, more studied than myself. However we see that Abel presented what God was looking for and Cain did not. At that point, Cain wasn't in any trouble with God. He merely had to adjust his thinking and give to God the proper offering.

Think about your life for a minute. Do you do everything, everyday as God wants you to. And even if you do, how do you know? I won't, for a minute, think that you don't want to do God's will, only that it can, sometimes be difficult to discern. And when something you have done goes wrong, how do you react. We are told the Cain wasn't happy with God's reaction and that his, Cain's reaction, took him further away from God. This can happen to us as well. If, however, we understand that all that we do is under the guidance of God and that, even when we make mistakes, God can use them for our growth, it makes life easier to live. Sometimes we can't seem to cope with adverse situations. We can get mad.

When we do, we are really getting mad at God who is sovereign and in control of our lives. One look at the story of Job will tell you that.

Oftentimes, when things go wrong, it is an opportunity for us to do some soul searching and look to see what God is trying to tell us. Had Cain done that, he would have moved into God's favor. When we do it allows God to bless us and turn things around. I know that there is no guarantee that everything will work out the way we plan but I do know that it will work out the way God plans and that should be enough for people of faith..

What happens when we react wrongly to God's leading. To tell you the truth, I have no idea but I do know that the result can be everything from some minor inconvenience to something dire indeed. How bad can things get? Well follow up our verses (you will be doing that in the Bible study that follows if you go that far) we see that Cain went so far as to commit the first murder. Why? Because he reacted poorly to God's leading. He couldn't accept that Able would find favor with God and that he didn't.

Life can spiral out of control and things can go from bad to worse quickly. The only sure way to stop that from happening is to stay close to God. Read His word and fill your mind with His thoughts. In that way you can be sure to get as close to following God and His will as possible.

I am praying that you will do this. I am praying that God will make His will obvious to you and that you will react correctly no matter what happens. If you do, God will guide you and help you avoid some serious pitfalls in life.

May you receive a blessing from God today.

Theo

Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You

SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY

Please Read: 4:1-26

QUICK QUESTION: What do you think is the worst sin a person can commit and why?

1. What sins does this pasasge of scripture tell us were committed?
   
   

2. What do you think was the difference between Abel and Cain's offering?
   
   

3. How did God react to the offerings of these brothers and what did He tell Cain? Why do you think He told him that?
   
   

4. What was Cain's reaction to God?
   
   

5. What was Cain's punishment?

REFLECTION: What should your response be when God seems to indicate that something you have done or some direction in which you are headed is wrong? If there is some indication that God is leading you right now, what can this group do to help?

Man Became

Vol 3 No 2 THEO'S DEVOS

TITLE: Man Became

Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being

The origen of man has been debated and argued about for centuries. It is interesting that God really gives us next to nothing as an explanation concerning our creation. Like the heavens and the earth, God made us but, instead of just speaking a word, He took some of the already created material and designed man. We became a living being. From inanimate meterial God created an animate being. He did this differently than the animals but more than that we really do not know. What we do know, however, makes all the difference in the world.

That we were made of the dust of the ground confirms that we are material beings. We exist in time and space and are, at the very least, animated elements of nature. We came from the ground. We are of the earth. We are a part of nature. But we are much more than that.

God did not say, of any other crature, that He breathed into them the breath of life. Our animation came as a result of God's breath along with natural elements. We were created in His image. We were given a spirit that would inhabit this mortal body. A spirit that will never die. We are immortal in that regard. When we cast off this body our spirit will live on. The only question is: where will that existence be. With God or without Him.

Now God could have just made us all clones. We could all look alike, act alike, think alike and be rather hard to tell apart. But our verse tells us that when we were created we became living souls. Our souls are what differentiates us one from another. We are all uniquely designed. We look different. Think differently. Act diferently. I believe that even our spirits are distinquishable one from another as are our physical bodies. We have two different parts. We are physical and spiritual. The soul is the differentiating aspect of these two parts.

This also makes us completely different from all the other animals. They have physiacl bodies and they are different in appearance as well as personality but there is no indication in scripture that they have a spirit. Only man has this spiritual dimension and that is how he can relate to God. When we were first craated our spirits were alive and vibrant. We could talk to God. We had a deep, close relationship with Him. We walked with Him in the garden of Eden. All was well in the world. It is impossible to understand what that rich relationship was like. To be able to commune with God on a spiritual leve, nothing coming between us. The creation was perfect. That would not last long.

Our experience today feels almost as though there were no God. Even as Christians we cannot understand the relationship that Adam had with Him. The world is far from perfect. One small deed interrupted everything. However, in the deepest reaches of our beinjg, we know that He is there. There is hope for the future. Our spirits have an eternal destiny. For now I ask you to contumplate the truth that there is more to us than you can see. Rejoice in the fact that what was lost does not have to be lost forever.

We will think about how all this came about and we will examine what God did to corect the awful consequence of Adam's sin. Until then may God bless you and bring the light of understanding to your mind as we journey together this new year.

Theo

Please read Genesis 2:4-3:24

QUICK QUESTION: Confession time: Share with the group one time when you did something wrong. Did you get away with it? How did you feel? How do you feel now?

1. What major things happened is the verses for this study?
   
   

2. How was man created? (2:4-7)
   
   

3. What did God tell man not to do? Why do you suppose He gave that command?
   
   

4. How did God create woman? Does that suggest anything concerning his relationship with her?
   
   

5. Discuss the fall of man. What happened?
   
   

6. What was the consequences for the man's sin?
   
   

7. Why did God make man leave the garden?
   
   

8. Why do you suppose we are attracted to things God has forbidden?

REFLECTION: What does this suggest to you about obeying the commands of God? Why do you think God gives us the commands He does?

The Beginning

Vol 3 No 1 THEO'S DEVOS 010109

Genesis 1:3-5 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Here we are at the edge of a new year. I hope it is an excellent one for you. This is the third year for Theo's Devos and we are adding something new. At the end of each devo there will be a short Bible study that can be used by individuals or in a small group. Any feedback would be welcome. Let's get into our devo for this week.

I can't speak for you but my day always starts in the morning. Somedays earlier than others but always in the morning. The Bible reverses that. The biblical 'day' starts in the evening. And the days spoken of in Genesis bring up interesting questions. How long was that day? 24 hours? An age? And how long ago were these 'days?' I will leave these questions for another time. For now I am concerned with another thought altogether.

The Bible communicates to us on several levels at the same time. While it is telling us a story about something that happened, quite often it is also telling us something about life without which we would never have had a clue. Our case today is exactly to this point.

We, all of us, started out our life in darkness not light. We were lost in our sins and had no idea where we were headed. The Bible tells that we were lost and needed the light of God's Word in order to find our way. When we accept Jesus as our savior and Lord, God pours the light of understanding into our lives and brings understanding about God and life.

When you read scripture it is a good idea to first ask the question: What is this section saying? After you have concluded what the verses say, look to see if there might be anything you can learn from them. This application of scripture allows for concepts that may not be obvious at first. It may take some serious reflection in order to discover what God is saying to you. In fact an application may even dawn on you days or even weeks later. It is important, however, that you allow God to speak to you through His Word. Someone has said that when you close the Bible you shut the mouth of God. Expect Him to reveal important truths to you as you read and study.

In the Bible study that follows you will have an opportunity to look into several verses from the first book of the Bible. Try reading them in several different versions and pray that you will see them in a new light even if you have read them many times before. May God bless you as you begin this new year. Happy New Year to you and yours.

Theo

Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You

SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY

Please Read: Genesis 1:1-2:3

QUICK QUESTION: What theories about the beginning of life have you heard? Discuss them for about 5 minutes.

EXPLORE THE TEXT

1. What shape was the earth in at the beginning of creation? (1:1-2)
   
   

2. Look at the first six days and discover what was created on each day? (1:3-26)
   
   

3. How was man created? (1:26-27)
   
   

4. What did God tell this first couple? (1:28)
   
   

5. How did God feel about His creation on that last day? (1:31)
   
   

6. What did God do then? (2:1-3)

REFLECTION: What do these verses tell you about your worth and what does that imply about how we should treat each other?