By Paul Cochrane | June 17, 2011
…and the man & his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.*
I remember hiding from my dad once. I was a young child and had been invited over to a friend’s house for the afternoon. While I was there my friend and I did some things we clearly knew were forbidden. What’s more, my friend’s parents discovered our disobedience!
Later that afternoon, Dad came to pick me up. I saw him coming. Having done wrong, and being keenly aware of it, I went and hid under the house.
Meanwhile, my friend’s parents filled Dad in on what I had done. Then he came looking for me and calling for me. I didn’t answer him. I remember watching in silence as he walked around the house several times calling for me-—all I could see were his legs. I didn’t budge or make a peep.
But then I remember seeing his face as he bent down to look for me under the house. Our eyes met, and he called me again. This time I came out.
I remember the feelings–some degree of shame, considerable regret, and a goodly amount of dread over the fast-approaching consequences of my disobedience.
It’s been years since then, but as I reflect back on that occasions here’s what stands out: even though Dad knew I’d been disobedient, he came looking for me. And although I was hiding from him, he still called to me.
Isn’t that a picture of our Heavenly Father? He did not abandon us when we sinned. And although we hid from Him, He pursued us and called us back to Himself.
Pause for a moment and personalize this truth: As severe as the consequences of your sin were, they were no match for His love. He came looking for you.
And though you tried to hide, He did not stop calling for you.
Simply amazing!
Blessings,
*Genesis 3:8
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By Paul Cochrane | June 8, 2011
It only took about 45 words for Satan to seduce the first couple. A question, a statement, and a brief explanation. You would think it would take much more than that to ruin human history.
First, the question: Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?
Eve missed what Satan was insinuating with, Did God really say…? And she corrected Satan’s misstatement (God had not prohibited eating from all the trees!), but failed to grasp what he was doing by distorting God’s words. Think about that for a bit. What seeds was Satan planting in her mind?
Then, the declaration: You will not surely die.
It’s a flat-out denial of the consequences of disobedience. And somehow it sounds so logical. Even though it’s completely opposite of what God has said. Ever had that one played on you before? Take note-you’ll be seeing flat-out denial again!
And finally, the explanation: For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
“You see, Eve, God’s actually holding out on you. You could be experiencing a whole lot more of the good stuff, but God is trying to keep it from you. Tsk, tsk. But let me fill you in on the real deal.”
Be on the alert, friends! Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Don’t be his next victim!
Blessings,
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By Paul Cochrane | May 25, 2011
“…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” (Genesis 2:17)
Some things we were not designed for.
For example:
* We were not made to function with detailed knowledge of the future.
* We were not designed for death–that hideous aberration of God’s magnificent creation.
And, apparently, we were not designed to function with knowledge of good and evil.
A certain innocence and naivety were granted the first couple. Think about what that would’ve been like! Not only would you have no bent toward evil, you would have no real comprehension of it. Were you to hear the word “evil” it would produce something of a blank stare. How wonderful to have that kind of ignorance!
It might be something like when we were young children. Remember? Life was full and complete–all we had to do was play hard, eat, and sleep. We did just fine without being aware of life’s pressures, bills, obligations, and such. (But then, of course, we grew up!)
So the Lord’s original intent was for us to be simple-minded and naive concerning evil. Guess what! That innocence awaits us in the next life in the new order. He’s going to take us back to His original design. “…and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Oh Lord, hasten the day! With the rest of creation we groan under the curse of sin. Come quickly and put everything right! We will gladly release this burdensome knowledge of evil.
Blessings,
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By Paul Cochrane | May 18, 2011
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”
Well, actually, when it came to the creation of the Universe, God just wasn’t necessary. So says Stephen Hawking, famed theoretical physicist, in his new book, Grand Design.
“There is no heaven or afterlife…; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” he writes. “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist…. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.” The Big Bang was a natural event which would have happened without the help or involvement of God, he argues. ”That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions–the single sun, the lucky combination of Earth-sun distance and solar mass–far less remarkable and far less compelling as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed…” he writes.
Thankfully, Hawking has been everywhere and seen everything in the entire universe, and he was there when the Big Bang happened. So it is fitting that he should speak decisively and authoritatively on these matters. Heaven knows we need… (Oops!) Everyone knows we need a clear word on why we’re all here and how it all began.
Hawking’s book is being hailed as ground-breaking. Truth be told, though, his argument is not original. His approach is used by many and it’s really quite simple: eliminate God from the equation, and you have no responsibility to Him. In a nutshell, if there is no Creator God, you owe Him no allegiance. So if you don’t want to answer to God, all you have to do is make sure He doesn’t exist, and… POOF! just like that He disappears! Now you’re free to do as you please.
The Bible talks about Hawking and others like him: “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:20-22)
I think I’ll stick with “In the beginning God…”
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By Paul Cochrane | March 9, 2011
“Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:26
What precipitated this re-direct after 130 years of human history? Was this a revival of some sort? Was there some precipitous event that caused this shift? Was it some kind of large-scale return to the Lord? Did God use the putrid stench of sin to bring this about? (Lamech’s murder and polygamy are the immediately prior context.) Maybe Enosh played some pivotal role in this “calling on the name of the Lord.” Perhaps he was God’s appointee for that hour.
However it came about, these words have lent me fresh boldness in praying for:
My own offspring. That they would ”begin to call on the name of the Lord” with greater fervency, passion, and intensity. That the Lord would be their focus–their only focus. That God would initiate any and every necessary event in their lives to bring about the “then” and cause them to “begin” again at a deeper level than ever before.
Myself. For renewed vigor, determination, and stick-to-it-iveness in “calling upon the name of the Lord.” For deliverance from spiritual mediocrity. For decisive action on God’s part to correct deficiencies, resistance, or rebellion.
Our church family. That we not become comfortable and complacent before Holy God. That we not allow sin to remain unconfessed and unforsaken. That the Spirit of God be not grieved by unwholesome or unedifying speech, or bitterness or slander or malice. That our leaders would be exemplary in righteousness.
Our nation. That God would bring about a “then” in our day. That He would precipitate a “began.” That He would give our nation a sense of their great loss in not having a relationship with the One, True, Sovereign, Redeemer-God. That many would be introduced to “the name of the Lord.” And that, trembling before His holiness, “men would begin to call upon the name of the Lord.” That in God’s mercy and by His limitless grace, He would invite us and turn us again to “call on the name of the Lord.”
Oh that God would orchestrate a movement like this in our time and sphere!
Blessings,
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