We were privileged to spend part of Father's Day with some of our children.  Mel, Jenny, David, and MaryEllen came over for a while with the kids.  We had fun planting trees, playing ball and croquet, eating, and opening cards made by grandkids.  We are blessed beyond measure! 

There are many miracles in the Bible but this lesson teaches about 5 specific life miracles.
1. The Miracle of the Creation of Man God created man.- Genesis 1

God made everything from nothing.  God in His infinite power desired to create mankind in His own image.  Long ago, before the earth and all things in it, there was only God.

 On day one, God said, "Let there be light."   Genesis 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

On day two, God made the sky or the heavens.  Genesis 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

On day three, God separated the land from the waters and created flowers, trees, and grass.  Genesis 1:9-13  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

On day four, God made the sun, moon, and stars.  Genesis 1:16-19  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

 On day five, the birds and fish were created.  Genesis 1:20-23  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.     And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

On day six, God made animals.
Genesis 1:24  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ...
Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God made people to be like Him.  He named the man Adam, and Adam named his wife, Eve.  This was a wonderful miracle of life!  God made you and me! He made us to be like Him, to love Him, to honor Him and worship Him and to have fellowship with Him.

Sometimes when people are going to have babies, they are not happy about it. They are not happy about the miracle of life within them.

They think that their way is better than God’s way and because they are not happy they decide to end the baby’s life – we call it abortion.

They need to realize that it is God who made us and not we ourselves, (Psalm 100:3), that He is the maker of all things, that He is the master potter. He fashioned us and formed us in our mother’s womb and He has a perfect plan for all who yield to Him.

God rested on the seventh day.  He saw everything He had made and said that it was good. The seventh day was the day the Jews worshiped. We worship on Sunday or the first day!

Now back to Adam and Eve. God had a perfect plan for them right from the beginning. God made a garden home for the man and woman. It was called the Garden of Eden. He told them they could eat fruit from all the trees in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

The serpent lied to Eve and she ate of the fruit.  She gave some to Adam and he also ate of it.  Adam and Eve were not obedient to God.

As a result they had to leave their beautiful home. They sinned against God and broke that fellowship with Him. God said because of their sin, they would die, be forever separated from Him. They also had to leave their beautiful home and work hard and had many troubles. It is always best to listen to God and do as He says.

All this happened many many years ago. On the sixth day, God Created or made man. He made man so we could fellowship, honor, and serve Him. Life is special to God – so special that He wanted us to fellowship with Him.

Unfortunately, we chose to go our own way and not God’s way. God told Adam if he chose to disobey that would result in death or being separated from God forever.

•     Memory Verse:  Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But God in His mercy loved us so much that He sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be the Savior of the world.
This is another miracle of life, in fact, it is the greatest miracle of life that we read of in the Bible. This is the real reason that we celebrate Christmas.  Life truly is a miracle.   God’s son Jesus was a miracle for He was the sinless son of God born of a virgin. This is how that story goes:

2.  The Miracle of the Birth of Jesus, the Son of God - Matthew 1 and 2 & Luke 2.

Mary, who was a young virgin woman loved God with all her heart, and lived in the town of Nazareth.  She was soon to marry a carpenter named Joseph.  She was visited one day by an angel named Gabriel who told her that she would have a son and that she should name him Jesus. He said the Holy Spirit would be with her and the child would be the Son of God.

Mary and Joseph were married. Then one day they had to travel to Bethlehem to pay their taxes.  It was a long journey.  When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them at the inn. They spent the night in the stable.   That night the baby was born.   They named him Jesus, just as the angel had said. Jesus means Savior. He would be the Savior of the world. Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel which means God with us.

An angel appeared to shepherds who were in the nearby fields.  A great light shone
down on them,

•     Memory Verse:  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-12.

The shepherds left in search of this child.  They found him in the stable. They told everyone about Him!

Luke 2:10-12
Wise men from the east followed a star to Jerusalem in search of Jesus. 
King Herod tried to trick the men, so he could find out where this child was that they were calling "King of the Jews." (He was afraid the child would one day take his throne from him.) The wise men found Jesus in Bethlehem in a house.  They worshiped him and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense (incense) and myrrh.

When Jesus was twelve years old, Mary and Joseph took him with them to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.  On the way home there was such a crowd, they did not know Jesus wasn't with them.  When they went back they found him in the Temple talking to the teachers and the doctors of the law. He told them, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" He meant God’s business, for God was His father. He was fulfilling God’s perfect plan for him. He went back to Nazareth and was obedient to his parents.  Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and men.

3.  The Miracle of the Resurrection - Matthew 28

Jesus, God’s sinless Son was born to die for the sins of all mankind. That includes you and me. But God performed another miracle of life because once Jesus shed His blood on the cross and died;

No man could hold him in that grave. On the third day He rose again! A man named Joseph from Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Joseph, a rich man, was a disciple of Jesus. He took the body of Jesus down from the cross. He wrapped it in a linen cloth and put it in his own new tomb, or burying place. Pilate, the ruler, put guards at the tomb because some men were afraid Jesus' disciples would steal his body from the grave and then say that he had been raised from the dead. Early Sunday morning some women went to the tomb. They brought some spices that they had prepared to put on the body of Jesus. There was a great earthquake, and an angel came and rolled back the stone from in front of the tomb. Then the angel sat on the big stone. The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid, Jesus is not here. He has risen, as he said he would. Come and see where he lay." The angel told them to tell this to the disciples. As they were leaving, Jesus met them. He said, "Tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me." They did see him and he ate with them. Two men were going to the village of Emmaus. Jesus started walking along with them and talking to them. Later when they were ready to eat, Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread. Instantly they recognized him. They went to find the Eleven to tell them what had happened. How happy they were! Jesus was alive again! Some people do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Some say he didn't die at all. Don't believe them! Many witnesses saw Him after He died and after He rose from the dead. We have their accounts in the gospels. Don't you think if his body had remained in the tomb his enemies would have told everyone about it? The truth is, His body was not still in the tomb. He was raised from the dead, and because of this, we can have life eternal. The Bible says:

• Memory Verse:  Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

• Memory Verse:  John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

   
    Think of it!   We can have a happy life here if we have trusted Christ as our Savior and an even happier one when this life is over.

• Memory Verse:  Matthew 28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

4. The Miracle of a Second Birth, Being Born Again. -John3 Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews of the group called the Pharisees. He had seen the miracles that Jesus had performed and had heard him teach. He believed that Jesus was truly a teacher sent from God. He wanted to go and talk to him, but he waited until it was nighttime to go. The Bible doesn't say why he went at night, but we do know that the Jewish leaders were angry with Jesus and were looking for a way to destroy him. Maybe Nicodemus was afraid to go to him in public during the day. He told Jesus that surely God was with him, or he would not have been able to do all the wonderful things that Jesus had been doing. Then Jesus began to teach him. He told Nicodemus that if a person wanted to see the kingdom of God, he must be born again. Born again! Nicodemus could just visualize himself becoming a baby again. How could this be? It seemed like an impossible thing for a grown man to be born again! But Jesus was not talking about a physical birth. He was speaking of a spiritual birth. He said that one must be born of water and the Spirit. Just as you can't see the wind that blows, you cannot see the new birth. The person may look the same, but he or she is a changed person inside. You will remember that when the snakes were killing the children of Israel in the wilderness, God told Moses to make a serpent or snake of brass and lift it up on a pole. Everyone who looked at that snake on the pole was healed by God.

You may remember that when the snakes were killing the children of Israel in the wilderness, God told Moses to make a serpent or snake of brass and lift it up on a pole. Everyone who looked at that snake on the pole was healed by God.

    Jesus said that He also must be lifted up, (He would be lifted up on the cross and be crucified for our sins) and that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  You must look to Him, the One on the cross who died for our sins, in order to be saved.

• Memory Verse:  Isaiah 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

   
Then Jesus told Nicodemus the beautiful words,

•     Memory Verse:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." 

Jesus came to save the people of the world, not to condemn them. 

5.  The Miracle of  Life Everlasting. -  John 3:16, John 6:47 &  Romans 6:23,
This is promised to those who do what John 3:16 says, believe in Jesus, the Son of God, who gave His life for you and me. Through Him we have the gift of everlasting life!

•     Memory Verse:  Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Have you accepted His Gift?  You Can!  It is free to all!   And what a miracle to know that we can live forever with Jesus in Heaven!   You can be 100% Sure of Heaven.                                              

Now, just to Summarize, here are the five miracles discussed above.

1.     Creation: God is the author of life. He created you and me in the likeness of God.             
   Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
2.     The birth of Jesus: God Himself came to earth in the form of man as the Son of God,
       
   Matthew 1:23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
3.     The resurrection: He died for our sins, and rose again and is alive forevermore. He will forgive any sin whether it is abortion or stealing, or lying, or anything else.                 
   Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
4.     The New Birth: We can be born again, that is born into the family of God by putting our trust in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross.                                                                   
   John 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
5.     Everlasting life: We are promised a home in heaven if we’ve turned from our sin and put our trust in Jesus. We can celebrate that miracle of life forever!                                         
   John 6:47  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

 Note:  Most of the pictures used in this lesson are not my own.  I have added a link to some of them, but some of them I could not remember where they came from.  If you know and can share that information with me,  I will happily add the link and give credit where it is due.  Thanks so much.

1.   Often when I am in a "wilderness"  I am unsatisfied.  In reality I am hungry for the bread of Life. 
2.   Jesus never leaves me and always has compassion on me.   He will never send me away hungry although I can                  choose to go away hungry.
3.   Perhaps some of these people did go away physically hungry thinking there would be nothing to eat if they stayed.  I       can be assured that there is always something to eat (spiritual food) if I am willing to stay in the presence of Jesus.
4.   Even as a follower of Jesus, I often question, how can I be satisfied in the wilderness?  (And his disciples answered       him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?)
5.   Jesus never asked anyone if they wanted to be satisfied with bread, but instead immediately took the bread that was       available and gave thanks first of all for it.
6.   Do I remember to give thanks first of all for the bread of life that is so readily available to me on a daily basis and           then ask God to bless it to my soul?
7.  There were seven loaves in this passage.  This is the number of completion.  We are complete in Him.  He alone gives       full satisfaction.
8.   He commanded the people to sit down and those that obeyed were filled;  not only were they filled, but they was           some left over.
9.   The Bread of Life is never depleted.  We may be full for a while, but when hunger hits again we can go back for               more.
10.  Jesus can feed as many who are willing to come to Him.  He is not willing that any should perish.  It is His desire to        fill everyone with the bread of life,  but the choice is mine as to whether or not I want that filling.
11.  Saved or Unsaved - A person can find fulness in Christ or go away hungry
12.  How often Jesus beckons me to come, sit down, be filled, be satisfied, but instead I choose to go away hungry.
13.  Going away hungry often makes me irritable and grouchy,  or faint and tired and will affect those around me.
14.  Being filled gives joy and strength beyond measure and also will affect those around me. 

Can I wait and not be patient?  I think so.  How often have I anxiously waited - pacing, worrying, wondering, conniving.  I need to ask the Lord to help my waiting to be patient and to help me remember that tribulation worketh pateince.

• Psalms 40:2-4  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

                If it were not for God Saving me I would still be in the horrible pit of muck and mire!  But instead:

Pray about Everything
Brian Nelson came on the radio one morning with "Take A Minute". He was talking about prayer. (Oh, how important to pray about everything! How important to pray for our children and our grandchildren!) Someone asked him are we bothering God if we pray over every little thing? She goes so far as to even pray over which can of tuna fish to buy. Although, Mr. Nelson said he probably would not go that far, he did say no, we are not bothering God. He went away thinking tuna fish? But a few weeks later, he heard on the news that someone had died from botulism. Where did it come from? It came from rotten cans of tuna fish! What a testimony to God's grace in protecting us in so many ways that we never give thought to. So yes, let us pray about everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 Giveaway is now over.   Winner is Debby C.  Congratulations!  

Recently I posted 9 Characteristics of a Christian's music.  Basically, these characteristics are my own philosophy of music.  My son-in-law and daughter, David and MaryEllen have recently put out a CD that is based on this philosophy; it is Christ honoring music and is meant to glorify Him.  Now that they have completed their first CD titled "Over in Glory",  they are trying to sell it in order to break even and to hopefully save a few extra dollars toward the next one.  If you are interested in buying the CD you can go here and listen to some samples and place your order here also.  Right now the CD is on sale, reg. $15, now $12.   But why not enter for a chance to win one/   Use the form below and enter the giveaway for your chance to win this Christ honoring CD.   MaryEllen runs the blog Imperfect Homemaker; She did not ask me to do this giveaway.  It is entirely my own idea. 

• Mark 4:34-41  But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Many time God may teach us lessons and then it is time ot move on to "pass over unto the other side."  As we are passing over, it is very possible that storms may arise in our lives

•  Jesus is always with us, but He may appear to be asleep.  We must remember that Jesus never sleeps:  Psalms 121:3-4  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
• Jesus may just be waiting for us to come to Him and ask Him to protect us from the storm, or to take us through the storm or to still the storm.
• Jesus is the Master of winds and waves;  He is the Master of storms in our lives.  He can calm the storm and He can calm our hearts in the storm's midst.
• Faith in Him can and will dispel the fear of the Storm.
• Seeing His Mastery can cause us to put our fear in the right place, that is we should fear (reverence, stand in awe of Him who is the creator, the Holy One, the Almighty God, yet He cares for me!  Yes, He cares for me!  1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Summary:
    Storms in our lives may seem to rage, but God can still them and give peace and a great calm.  Eventually the storm will pass entirely and He will bring us safely to the other side.  Each storm will cause us to realize that is is He who is in control and our faith and trust will dispel our fears and must be in Him alone.

LINKING WITH WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY

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