Discovering True Intimacy with Our Savior

E3: Genesis 3

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Coffee with Christ
Coffee with Christ
E3: Genesis 3
/

Welcome to Coffee with Christ.  I’m Nikol Jones and you are listening to episode 3. 

If you’re new here, you might want to go back and listen to the Introduction episode.  It will help you get the gist of things so there are no surprises. 

But this is a place where we put normal, ordinary relationship practices to use in our time with God.  Hopefully, it is a time marked on your calendars daily.  If not, you have come to a great place to start making an appointment for visiting with Him each day. 

First you’ll start with a few minutes of silence.  This will help you slow down; settle in, clear the clutter, and breathe. 

You’ll start your time with God by reflecting on what is keeping you up at night.  You’ll tell him all your things and then we’ll read Genesis chapter 3. 

You might be super familiar with Genesis, but it never hurts to start where it all began:  In the Beginning. 

I read from the New Living Translation because it sounds more like everyday English.  This has helped me hear things differently, and I hope it does the same for you.  Part of the reason I’m using a podcast for this is because sometimes it helps to hear things the way they were in the ancient times – when God’s word was brand new. 

These episodes are around 20 minutes and the plan is to post them every work day.  If you need more time on any given section, just hit pause.  Not rushing is what makes this time with Him beautiful. 

I promised in an earlier episodes to let you know when I had some thoughts to share on a specific passage, and today, I do.  I’ll put a link in the show notes in case you’re interested or you can visit coffeewithchrist.org and search for the post called “Doubt.”

OK.  Take a deep breath, release the stresses of the day, and let’s get started by being still. 

What hard thing are you struggling with today? 

What has all of your attention? 

Use these next few minutes to jot them down or say them aloud to God. Ask Him to shift your focus from those things to the things of Heaven 

Yesterday, we read through Genesis chapter 2 and heard a little bit more about the details of God’s creation. 

We heard about the Garden of Eden and the 4 springs that branch out of it,

We heard why and how God created woman. 

And we heard about the boundaries God put in place for the humans he created. 

That boundary was a tree in the Garden.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
They could eat from any tree except that one. 

Chapter 3

The Man and Woman Sin

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man* and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike* your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.*”

17 And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.* 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings* have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

May God bless the reading and hearing of His word. 

As you listened to the fall of man and heard the details of what ensued, does anything came to mind?  Does anything sound familiar? 

Take a minute to share these things with God.    

What did you learn about humans in this passage?  Does anything they did remind you of yourself?  Take a few minutes to confess these things before the One who – not only created Adam and Eve  – but also  created you. 

As you reflect back on Adam & Eve’s journey, what stood out to you about who God is despite their failures? 

Use this time to praise Him for who he was back then and who he continues to be today. 

As you reflect on your life in light of God’s character, how do you think He wants you to respond?  Is there anything that keeps you from responding this way?  Tell God and ask Him to give you the strength to take the next step.  If you don’t know how he wants you to respond, simply ask him and then listen to what He stirs up in your heart.

To ease yourself back into your day, be quiet again.  The world will wait just a few more minutes. 

I hope you enjoyed this third episode of Coffee with Christ.   If you did, please pass it it along to your friends.  I truly believe God’s word changes us.  It changes us verse by verse and chapter by chapter.  If you have some additional time, don’t forget to check out the link to my post on Doubt in the show notes.   

I hope you have a wonderful day and that you will join me tomorrow for the next episode.

Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ge 3). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

E1: Genesis 1

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Coffee with Christ
Coffee with Christ
E1: Genesis 1
/

Welcome to Coffee with Christ.  I’m your host, Nikol Jones.  

My favorite time of the day is early in the morning when I sit down and have coffee with Christ.  Yes.  It sounds cheesy and weird, but it has been a life changing experience for me. I covered my experience with it in the Intro if you want to go back and listen. 

Basically, I started to apply everyday, ordinary relationship tools to my relationship with God, and that meant sitting down and having a cup of coffee and listening. 

I don’t do it every day, but on the best days, I do.  So, I thought it would be interesting to help you do the same. 

Maybe for you it isn’t sitting in your favorite chair and drinking a cup of coffee. 

Maybe you’re driving down the road or getting ready for bed.  Maybe you’re listening on your commute in to work, while you’re cleaning the house, or getting dressed for the day. 

Wherever your are and whatever you are doing, I hope this becomes part of your routine and part of how you come to know God just a little bit better than you did the day before. 

First, we’ll start with a few minutes of silence.  The key word is minutes – not seconds, so, prepare yourself accordingly. 

This will help you slow down and settle in;
to clear the cluttered thoughts from your head;
and to just breathe. 

Then, I’ll ask you some questions to get your conversation with God started. 

After a few more minutes of quiet, I’ll read a passage of scripture.  Since this podcast is just beginning, it makes since for us to start in the beginning of the Bible:  Genesis. 

I love the New Living Translation, so that is what I’ll use.  It is more conversational and uses common English which is helpful.

You can follow along in your Bible, but my hope is that you’ll just listen.  That’s actually how God’s people heard it when it was brand new. 

If you’re not driving or operating heavy machinery, you might want to grab a pen and a notebook to keep track of things that jump out at you.  Listen for words that repeat and reflect on those.  If you need more time to think about something you heard, hit the pause button and take your time. 

At the end, I’ll guide you through some questions to help you ponder the passage more.    

Since this time is for you and God to get to know each other, I won’t share my thoughts or insights with you.  If there is something I want to share, I’ll post it on my blog, coffeewithchrist.org.  If/when that happens, I’ll let you know and put a link in the show notes, so you can access it quickly, but this is YOUR time to listen to God’s Word and to what His Spirit might be stirring inside you. 

I truly believe, God’s Word changes people.  It changes them verse by verse and chapter by chapter.  It is a magnificent and marvelous thing – these ancient words that are written for us and have stood the test of time. 

So, let’s get started by being still. 

 

Tell God what is on your heart today. 
Has he called you to do something? 
Are you struggling with fear? 
What keeps you up at night? 

Use these next few minutes to listen as God brings things to mind.  Jot them down or confess them aloud. 

 

As I read, listen carefully to what God is doing.  What does this teach you about who He is?   

Genesis 1 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Account of Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called the space “sky.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings[b] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

May God bless the reading and hearing of His word. 

Did anything surprise you as we read the story of creation?  Did a phrase jump out at you?  Did you learn something you didn’t know before?

 

What questions do those things stir inside you? Did they stir fear or comfort? Was there anything that brought you hope or peace of mind?  Tell God about those things.

 

Did you hear anything new about God’s character?  What is it?  Have you experienced Him in that way?  Or do you need to experience Him in that way?  Take the next few minutes to thank Him for who He is. 

 

In light of what you learned about who God is, how do you think He wants you to respond?  What is keeping you from responding in that way?  Talk it out with Him. 

 

As you ease back into your day, give yourself a few minutes to be quiet again.  The world will wait just a few more minutes. 

Bring your thoughts to God and who he is; how He works; and how those things might apply to what is on your heart today.

 

I hope you enjoyed this first official episode of Coffee with Christ.   If you did, I hope you’ll pass it along to your friends.  Join me tomorrow for the next episode.