Most people who know a little about the Bible at least know that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. Some might even know that he was the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah. Even though we know that he walked and talked, we have no idea where he walked or who he might have walked with or even what he talked about. He walked and talked.

Imagine holding the world record for having more birthdays than anyone else who ever lived but being remembered for nothing else. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived when the earth was full of wickedness. Everywhere he walked, he was surrounded by sin and sinners. But he never mentioned a word about God or God’s grace. In fact, he had nothing to do with God.

Imagine the influence he could have had on the multitudes of individuals whom he must have seen or talked with. Consider what he might have done for God if he had followed in the footsteps of his father. Enoch, Scripture tells us “enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout all of his life – then he suddenly disappeared because God took him!”

Methuselah lived almost three times as long as his father, Enoch. Yet, when he died, he left no legacy of having made a difference for God or for good. In the final analysis, it is not how long we live but whether or not we enjoy a close relationship with God and honor Him.

Prayer: Help each of us, Father, to recognize the importance of living and walking for and with You. May our lives reflect Your love and salvation each day we live. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Genesis 5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.

It was the end of the football season and Ryan received a trophy for rushing for over 1,500 yards - the most in the history of his high school. On the way home his father said, “I’m proud of you, Son. I never won a trophy!”

“Dad,” he asked softly, “did you ever try?”

Some never win anything in life because they never begin anything in life that is worthwhile. They wander aimlessly from one interest to another because they are unwilling to do what is necessary or make the sacrifice to become a winner.

Others do not win anything because they give in to doubts and difficulties. They lack the determination to seek help or advice from others who faced the same problems but refused to give in and persevered until they achieved their goals.

If we want to win, we need to begin where the Bible begins - with God. Moses wrote, “In the beginning God...” When we begin any project or attempt to achieve any goal we can count on God to be with us to guard us and guide us, to uphold us and sustain us.

Before we begin a task or work toward any goal we need to stop and pray earnestly and sincerely asking God to guide us, guard us and give us His wisdom and strength. If we rely on Him in all things for all things, He will lead us from one victory to another.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we know that we can do all things through You and for You, if we remain in You. May we overcome all obstacles in life as we follow You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Whenever pennies were made in ancient Rome, they were always stamped with the image of the emperor on them. It served as a constant reminder to those who used the coins that they were expected to honor him and obey his laws.

In the opening verses of His Word, God said, “Let us make man to be in our image, to be like us.” Moses, quoting God, said that we have the image of our God on us. And the fact that we have the image of God on us proves our unquestionable worth to God.

People frequently talk about self-worth. Often we hear of individuals who have low self-worth. Some people even describe themselves saying, “I’m really not worth very much.” This seems to come from the opinions of others who they think are important – perhaps parents, friends or teachers. That is unfortunate because they seem to struggle to find something significant about themselves that would make them feel worthwhile.

However, it is never about self-worth, it is about God-worth. Whenever we are tempted to think that we have no significance or importance, we need to remind ourselves that we were created in the image of God. And even though that image was lost in the fall, the story does not end there. A few verses later God begins to reveal His plan of redemption which demanded the death of His Son on the cross. We see our true worth to God in Christ’s cross.

Prayer: We admit, Father, that we cannot understand how much You love us. But we accept Your grace and ask that through Christ our Savior, we will see our worth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Genesis 1:26-31 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; (Read more…)

One day the Abbotts were watching the morning news. After observing one tragic event after another, Jon turned to his wife and said, “You know, I could make a better world than this one.”
Turning to him she politely said, “Why don’t you?”

We read in Genesis that God “looked over all that He made, and He saw that it was excellent in every way.” Every small detail that God brought into existence was the way He intended it to be - excellent. From placing light in the sky and fish in the sea; land for farmers to grow crops and people to enjoy; and the sun and moon and stars to govern days and nights and seasons; and fish and birds and animals for man’s enjoyment, use and nourishment - even men and women were created without flaw. It was all perfect.

But then through man - the triumph of His creation - sin entered the world and all that was the way He wanted it to be was ruined. Satan entered His creation and brought destruction and death.

Any goodness in us or in the world is of God. He is the source of light and life, grace and goodness, peace and purity. And it is only as we let God through Christ, Who is Lord, rule and reign in our lives that we can become good and do good for God and reclaim His work.

Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Prayer: Help us, Father, do Your work in Your world as we surrender our lives to Your will. May we make the world better through Your Son, our Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

“How did you happen to hit the other car?” the judge asked sternly.

“Well, Your Honor,” the defendant replied timidly, “it’s actually my wife’s fault. She always tells me how to drive and she happened to fall asleep in the back seat and no one told me where I was supposed to drive.”

Blaming others for our mistakes is as old as history. It started with Adam and Eve and continues to this day. When God asked Adam about his sin, he immediately blamed Eve. Then, Eve blamed the serpent. Not only did Adam blame Eve, but he even included God in his defense. “It was the woman You gave me that made me do it.” Eve followed by saying, “The serpent tricked me and that’s why I ate it.” Ever since then, “the devil made me do it” is our defense.

God knew the truth then and He knows the truth now. He did not accept their excuses then and He will not accept our excuses now. His Word clearly says, “Each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Whoever excuses himself accuses himself. Whenever we break God’s laws and sin, we must be ready to admit what we have done and confess our sin to God. For “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us!”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, trouble our minds and convict our hearts of our sins. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-19

A man was appearing before a judge because of an automobile accident. “How did you happen to hit the other car?” he asked.

“Your honor, it was my wife’s fault,” he answered. “She fell asleep in the back seat.”’

This was not a new defense. Adam was the first man to blame his wife for his wrongdoing. When God asked him why he was hiding, and why he disobeyed God, he said, “The woman You gave me, brought me the fruit, and I ate it.” When that didn’t work, he said, “The serpent tricked me.”

Things have not changed much, have they? No one wants to be accountable when they have done something wrong. We think that if we can hide something, the guilt will go away. God saw Adam and Eve and He sees you and me. It seems foolish to think that we can hide from God.

God created us to have fellowship with Him. When Adam and Eve realized they had sinned, they hid from Him. When we realize our sins and recognize the holiness of God, it is natural to want to become invisible. Our normal response is fear because we know that we have failed to live up to His standards of righteousness.

We need to admit our sin. By His grace and because of His mercy, His love is forever drawing us to Him and we can restore the relationship with Him that He wanted us to have.

Prayer: Help us, Father, to accept Your grace and mercy through Jesus Christ and may we live forever in a right relationship with You. Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-19

Wherever you went in the Roman Empire, you were reminded of the Roman Emperor. Everywhere you looked you saw his influence and image, his power and prestige. And when a Roman penny was made, the image of the emperor was stamped upon it. Those who used his coins were expected to obey his laws.

We are like those pennies. When God created man He stamped His image in and upon him – within his soul. As a result of that “stamping,” there is within all of us a desire to discover who we are. It is not by accident that there seems to be within every one of us a sense of being lost or the drive to discover or find ones self.

Most people – young or old – do not want to be different. No child wants to stand out. Teenagers all try to look the same. Young adults have a difficult time determining who to identify with and why. Adults want to have the same things as their peers. Each of us has the need to identify with someone or something.

But Christians solve this problem because they can identify with God. We have been created in His image and nothing is like us. Because of the fall, we have been damaged and distorted but not destroyed. If we choose, God can repair the damage and clear up the distortion. Then, one day He will restore us to our original condition. With God, all things are possible through salvation in Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, We accept the promise that You can give us a pure heart, a sound mind, a right spirit and everlasting life with You. Through Christ, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Genesis 1:26-31

Read Genesis 18:19

“My father,” warned a girl in speaking to a boy, “is an engineer. He takes things apart to see why they won’t go.”

“So what?” asked her date, a wolf in church clothing.

“So,” she said, “you better go.”

Thank God for parents who think positive thoughts and teach positive truths; who show their children which way to go and which way not to go; who don’t confuse their children by giving good counsel with bad conduct.

God said of Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord.”

Can God say that of you?

Prayer: Deliver us, Lord from being poor patterns. Defend us from the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. Grant that nothing and no one will lure us from our loyalty to Thee: in Thy name. Amen.

Today's video Seed:

Janitor Murray Spangler had a problem. The dust he stirred up sweeping floors made him cough and sneeze.

He wondered, “Why not eliminate the broom and suck up the dust?”

Spangler turned his problem into a possibility and came up with the vacuum cleaner. An old friend financed it. His name? Hoover.

Handicaps don’t have to hinder you. They can become a help. Obstacles don’t have to obstruct you. They can become an opportunity. Look to the Lord. He’ll make them work together for your good.

He did that for Joseph. He said, “God turned into good what was meant for evil.”

Prayer: We thank Thee, heavenly Father, that Thou dost make all things work together for our good. Teach us to discern Thy will more clearly and to delight in Thy Word more consistently that we might be conquering Christians: through Christ. Amen.

A girl was telling the story of creation. She said, “The Lord made the heavens and the earth. Then He formed a man’s body out of the dust, and breathed into it the breath of life. And Adam became a living person.”

But she added, “The Lord looked at the man and said, ‘I think I can do better if I try again.’ So He made a woman.”

The Lord didn’t make Eve just to prove He could make a better person. But to give Adam a helper suited to his needs.
He didn’t make Eve from Adam’s foot to run over her; his head to rule over her; but his side to rule with him.

Can you think of anything sweeter?

Prayer: May Thy gracious and gentle Spirit, Lord Jesus, possess and permeate us more completely, making our lives fragrant with Thy grace and fruitful in loving others: through Christ, our Lord. Amen.