Sunday Wisdom: The Gospel According to Genesis - Chapter 2 - God's Plan for Marriage

Genesis 2:18 - Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'

Problem:  Man was alone and that was NOT good. 

In Hebrew, the word for alone means substantial deficiency. God found that man was substantially deficient without a partner.

Genesis 2:20 - So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

God gives a task to man to name his creations. God assigned the task to man to show his God-given authority and role as a caretaker for God's other creatures. God created male and female for every species except humans at this point, but he saw the problem.  Why did he wait?  Did he want man to notice the problem so he would appreciate the answer? 

The Provision:  God created the woman.  He wanted a more special connection between man and woman so he connected them by making her out of him.  All other creatures had been made just by God speaking, and man was made out of the dust of the ground with life breathed into him directly by God so that he had the breathe of God in Him. When God gave man a helper, he made her out of a part of the man's body so they would be forever linked together.  God describes himself as our helper so being a helper is a higher calling. God is our constant help in times of trouble. 

Genesis 2:24 - Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

The Pattern:  God established marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman to be joined together as one. What God joins together, let no man put asunder are generally the words in most Christian vows of marriage.   

Matthew 19:4 - Jesus replies to the Pharisees, saying: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female.’”

Jesus answers about marriage and divorce by referring to Genesis definition of marriage.  Marriage is meant to be permanent. Thus, the words "until death we do part" in marriage vows.

Paul also describes marriage by the Genesis definition.  

Ephesians 5:25-33 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.   “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Sunday Wisdom: The Gospel According to Genesis - Chapter 2 - A Day of Rest

Genesis 2:1-3 - Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

God creates a pattern of rest for our flourishing. Rest so you can delight in what you have been given.  Why did God rest?  Did He need it?  Was He tired?  No, He never gets tired and He never stops.  He finished and completed His work of creation. He stopped to look back and delight in His work. He blessed and made the 7th day holy because we need this day to stop and remember our blessings.  Humans tend to forget their many blessings when they are wrapped up in their daily toils and cares. 

God gives complete rest in Christ! 

John 19:30 - When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus finished the works of salvation and reconciliation with God for us on the cross. 

Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus gives us rest for our souls.  He does the work for us so we can rest in Him.  We don't earn it, we just receive it. Sabbath is a Person.  We find rest not in doing something or not doing something.  We rest in remembering and knowing Jesus. 

Colossians 2:16-17 -  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Sabbath is not meant to be a legalistic ritual to follow like the Pharisees. 

Resting is trusting.  Trusting in the power and grace of an all-knowing God and His forgiveness and salvation. The truth is GOD IS GOD and in charge, and we are NOT!  

God promises a place where rest will never end. The Sabbath day does not have an ending like the other days that have a morning and an evening (beginning and ending).  He doesn't say this about the 7th day in Genesis because our rest “day” is forever because it is God. 

Revelation 21:1-4 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We will have eternal rest in heaven with the Lord.  Rest from mourning, death, pain, or tears. 

Genesis 2:8-9 - And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Humans were made to work and cultivate God's garden.  We were made to work!  Work came before the curse.  It is NOT a punishment.  It gives us purpose.  We are meant to cultivate and guard what God places under our care, serving in His presence, according to His word. If we don't cultivate and guard, bad things enter the garden.  Like weeds and the snake that entered to tempt and bring destruction.  

God rested. He rested before He put man to work. We work and rest like God did in creation.  It is part of being image bearers of God. 

“Idol hands are the devil's workshop.” - Old Proverb 

or

Proverbs 16:27 - A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Genesis 2:15-17 - The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

What is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? The forbidden fruit is the selfish pursuit of knowing everything God knows and being our own gods.  When we know evil, we know death. 

The Curse - Now our “work” is seen as “bad.”  We hate it and speak of it as toil and burden.  Work is no longer seen as God intended.  If we toil aimlessly for our own pursuits of wealth and power and the temporary things of the world, our work loses its Godly purpose.  We feel empty and purposeless and see increased unhappiness and dissatisfaction with our lives.

Sunday Wisdom: The Gospel According to Genesis - Chapter 1

This sermon series has been so enlightening as it shows that Genesis is more than a history. It's importance as a message of the beginning and source origin of the world goes far beyond that creation narrative and reveals its true purpose as a foreshadowing and testament to the promised savior of the world.

The attributed Author of the book is Moses. He lived thousands years after many of the events he tells about, but his words were the inspired words of God. We know Moses spoke and received the messages of God for his people through the burning bush and on Mount Horeb.

The book of Genesis can be broken into two parts:

Chapters 1-11 - Primeval history 

Chapters 12 - 50 - Patriarchal history 

Genesis 1:1 - Who God is

Why do we need to study Genesis?

It establishes the right perspective about God.

It shows God's sovereign wisdom. 

God is the Creator. Only God creates out of nothing orderly.  He brought order NOT chaos.  He knew infinitely everything that was needed to sustain life. 

It shows God's Amazing Grace. We are only here by God's grace.  He created with grace. He punished with grace (Adam and Eve, Cain, the flood, etc.).

It shows God's Forever Faithfulness.

It shows us that nothing can derail His purpose. 

He keeps His promises! 

He comforts us with His presence.

It fuels our worship of God.

Revelation 4:11 ESV

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 5:9 ESV [9] And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..."

The World tells us the creation of the world was a big accident (Big Bang Theory).  If you live like you came out of an accidental random event, you will live like you are an accident without purpose or intention.  We were created by intentional design, and we should live with intention and design to fulfill our purpose.  Science shows that nothing about creation is random chaos.  It has a perfect balance.  Only when that balance gets disturbed do things get chaotic and out of balance. Sin brings chaos! 

Genesis 1:1-25 - God's Creation…everything from nothing. God created by the power of His Word.  God is a speaking God. 

Hebrews 11:3 - Creation by the Word

John 1:1-4 - The Word is God and was with God.  Jesus is the Word.  He was the beginning.  Jesus is the Living Word. 

God created with Order.  Order from chaos. 

God is NOT a God of confusion but of peace. 

Evolution can't answer:

What is the origin of life? Where did the first matter or particle come from?  What is the origin of species?  How did the different species come about if not specifically created to be different? 

The importance of the meaning of a day in creation: At the very beginning, God shows us that he cares for us each and every day and will provide.  Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We pray each and every day for God's provision.  We don't need to pray ahead to store up for the future because God will still be there in the future to provide.  He is yesterday, today and forever unchanged!  

Genesis 1:26-31

Man - Created in the Image of God

What we believe about the Image of God affects our view of all the issues of today.

God created mankind to be like Him…but NOT to be Him.  We cannot be our own gods.  We are not creators.  We are supposed to be image bearers reflecting the greatness of our creator.  We display who God is and are beacons of hope to the world of who God is. God has characteristics that we can never attain…omniscience, eternity, perfection.  God does transmit His characteristics of love, grace, and the rest of the fruits of the spirit. God wants to communicate who He is through us. 

Living as an image bearer reflects who God says we are.  It changes the way we view others.  Our value is vertical not horizontal.  We should look to God above for our identity and not place our identity in the horizontal things of the world.  

Humans are created differently from the rest of creation.  He breathed life into us instead of just speaking us into existence.  He did it to show us a personal relationship with Him.  Breathing into someone is as close as it gets. 

God created mankind to be male and female.  He created us to be in relationship with one another because He is a God of relationship.  

God created mankind to be servant-rulers over the earth.  He gave us the job of being good stewards of His creation.  We have limited authority over the earth and will never have total dominion over the universe because that is God's domain. 

God gave us everything we could ever need to live in abundance and plenty.  And yet, if even one thing is denied to humanity, he will seek to have that one thing.  Our natural desire to not be denied and to have everything is the root of sin.  We let our selfish desires control us.  

Sermon Notes - Delight in Him

Psalm 37:23-24 

[23] The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

[24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

God orders/establishes the steps of the faithful when we find delight in God's way. 

Living Faith means we delight in being Biblically Obedient, Unashamed Ambassadors, Intentional Disciple-makers, and Sacrificial Servants.

We have to submit to all-knowing God's plan. 

God allows falls, but it doesn't mean you are finished. Humans will fail, make mistakes, and fall. As Christians, we are faith secured. Remember Job. 

God upholds his children. He will hold us up when we stumble. 

Psalm 119 - Longest chapter in the Bible and filled with all the ways we delight in God. 

How do we delight in God?

Verses 1-8 - To walk in the Word of God. 

Blessed = Completely satisfied and ultimately fulfilled by being Biblically Obedient.

Verses 9-10 - Guard our way with the Word. Feelings will misguide you. God's Word will always be the same and will never fail or misguide you. 

Verses 11-14 - Store up the Word so that we won't fall into the temptation of sin. 

Verses 15-16 - Meditate (Think Deeply, Focus, and Occupy your attention) on the Word.  

Verses 25-48

Ask God to help you behold (understand) the Word.

Ask God to bend your heart towards the Word - to change the desires of your heart away from your selfish desires.

Turn your eyes from worthless things to the Word. 

We take comfort from the old and ancient Word that has seen people through their hardest times.

Praise Him from the Word.

Look to the Word. Do not forget His commandments and that He is the Shepherd who will never leave us even when we go astray. 

Delight in Being Disciplemakers 

The Great Commission - Jesus's final call to go and be disciples of men. 

Matthew 28:16-20 - Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Some of the disciples doubted when they saw Jesus again after the resurrection. They hesitated. They were scared of the prospect of continuing the ministry without Jesus and also that it may cost them their lives as it did Jesus. And many would be martyred for their faith. Their hesitancy wasn't unfounded. Our duty to serve won't be safe and easy and carefree. We have cause to be hesitant, but in faith, we will find delight in serving and following Jesus. It is our ultimate purpose we were created to fulfill. That fulfillment brings contentment and delight and joy. 

How do we become disciples who confidently and intentionally make disciples? 

Submit to the authority that sends us. 

Commit to the mission that directs us by going. We aren't meant to sit passively in our comfortable homes and churches. God has always called his believers and followers to spread his message. He first called the descendants of Abraham, but when the Jewish leaders didn't want to spread the message outside their nation, he called followers who would do so. We are all sent by Jesus. The question is only where and how.  

Teach the Word that shapes us.  Teach and guard all that Jesus commanded us. 

Rely on the presence that sustains us. Jesus says he will be with us always to the very end of the age. It is a promise of a parent promising to always be there for you and supportive of you. Unfortunately as mortal parents, we can't really make such a promise. Our lives are not infinite, but God/Jesus is infinite. He can make that promise! Jesus gives us his presence! He is our greatest present! 🎁 

2025 Review

 

January

We start off the year celebrating some very special birthdays after the New Year.  First, we celebrated daddy turning 47.  Wow, where do the years go?  We have celebrated 24 birthdays together and spent more of life together than apart.  A week later, we celebrated our princess Maggie turning 6 with some special cupcakes at home with her favorite Gabby's Dollhouse characters. Later in the month, she had a larger party with her school friends at a local jump park.  We also got to experience a little bit of snow again.  It doesn't take much to make us happy! 

February

For Valentine's, Maggie and Daddy enjoyed her school's special Daddy Daughter dance.  She was such a beautiful belle at her ball.  Mommy and Daddy also got to have another get-away in Nashville where Daddy attended a conference at the National Wild Turkey Federation convention.  It is held at the beautiful Opryland Resort, and we always enjoy exploring Downtown Nashville.  It is such a fun city! 

March

In March, we started celebrating two more special birthdays.  First, we celebrated our very special Mattox turning the big 10.  How has a decade passed since that wonderful day when we finally held our rainbow baby in our arms?  He has brought so much love and joy to our household...and a whole lot of laughter!  Boy, is he funny!  We also celebrated our oldest officially reaching adulthood.  Wow, how is our first baby a full grown man?  What an amazing journey it has all been! 

April

We enjoyed some traveling as we finished some college touring with Evan to see his dad's alma mater in Raleigh, NC.  While they did an official tour of campus, the younger kids and I explored mom's alma mater and the amazing North Carolina Museum of Natural History.  After a couple of days in Raleigh, we made the drive to the coast to re-visit one of our favorite places on Earth...the NC Outer Banks.  These beaches really are magical!  From multiple beautiful lighthouses and sandy white beaches full of natural wonders and even exotic wildlife, it is a national treasure.  We ended the month celebrating our beautiful Brody's 14th birthday.  This kid is always so appreciative of everything and is so fun to share experiences with.  We have enjoyed some very special trips with him this past year and look forward to many more adventures in his bright future. 

May

We took our traditional Spring family pictures together while we were at the Outer Banks.  May was also a very busy month celebrating our first baby's high school graduation, our last baby's kindergarten graduation, and a special Mother's Day together.  I know these days of having all my babies together under one roof are growing shorter. 

June

In June, we enjoyed finishing up celebrating graduations, celebrated father's day, and Evan took off on a special senior trip with his friends to Miami before he would begin his journey at the U.S. Naval Academy.  We also celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary and our beautiful angel Mattie's 12th birthday.  With the passing of time, we will never forget all that our beautiful angel gave to our family.  She was one of our precious miracles! 

July

After dropping off Evan at the U.S. Naval Academy and watching him taking his oath to serve his country, we all tearfully headed home for the long wait until we would see him again.  We did enjoy a few precious days with him in Annapolis before leaving.  We made the best of the rest of our summer with celebrations for Independence Day and lots of pool time.  

August

In August, we finished up summer with a quick trip to Edisto Island beach which we had not visited before.  We wanted a less crowded beach experience.  Despite the weather being a little cloudy and even a little rainy, it was a nice little beach town. Then, the kids started back to school with Maggie going into 1st grade, Grayson starting 3rd grade, Mattox beginning 4th grade, and Brody starting his first year of high school. 

September

In September, we all got to be together again for Mommy's birthday weekend in Myrtle Beach.  Yep, the kids still love it! 

October

This month was full of lots of fall and spooky fun as the kids dressed up for school events and went on fall field trips to pumpkin patches and farms.  

November

November is just always a month to celebrate what we are thankful for, and of course, family is high on that list.  We celebrated Thanksgiving together as tradition in our home.  Earlier in the summer, we had also had a big family reunion with Eddie's family as it had been a while since we had all been together.  Almost the entire family was there with 21 of 24 great-grandchildren attending and all but one grandchild.  

December

We ended the year celebrating our sweet little Christmas blessing Grayson's 9th birthday and enjoyed an entire month of fun and festive Christmas memories. 

September 2025

 The rest of September looked like this...

Happy fries and happy girls

Big 3rd graders working hard in school

Cute girls in sparkly cowgirl boots

Saluting her flag

And dreaming of riding a horse

Big boys who dream of riding in the rodeo

Looking like mama

A sweet little cowboy

With his little sister pretending to be his horse...haha!

Dance classes

Maybe a glimpse of our future Friday nights on the football field.  

Grayson's first year of flag football.  Go Chiefs!

Right now, his favorite position is hiker.  He did it better than the other kids who couldn't seem to figure out how to throw between their legs and get the ball into the quarterback's hands. 

Team huddles

Go Chiefs!

Realizing that Grayson is about the tallest kid in his league. 

Daddy is so proud of his little football star. 

But he is Maggie's favorite. 

Girl date to see the new Gabby's Dollhouse movie with our cat ears on.  "A pinch on the left and a pinch on the right...grab Pandy's hand and hold on tight."

Maggie loved this little date with her girl pals. 

Snacks and cozy blankets were a must. 

Mommy had to rush home to make it to the big concert.  Her favorite Christian singer was finishing his Speechless tour in our little town. 

All of this man's music is just amazing.  He has a true God-given talent and a story to tell!

Me and my handsome date

Yes, I often have to go and clean up Maggie's dollhouse after Grayson comes in with his hostile takeovers. There is no telling what characters you might find in there. Haha!

Sherry's 45th Birthday

Well, I do like to celebrate kind of big these days as these trips around the sun seem to get shorter and faster.  We celebrated over several days from our Myrtle Beach vacation and then back at home.  

First, we celebrated with some special edition Harry Potter doughnuts.

Miss Maggie chose the Gryffindor doughnut although she may be my little Slytherin girl. 

Mattox chose the Hufflepuff. 

Mommy got the special sorting hat doughnut.  

The video reveals my House, but it was not accurate.  It was Hufflepuff, but I am either a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin.  I don't like people well enough to be a Hufflepuff.  Haha! 

Grayson is definitely my little Ravenclaw. 

Brody is actually probably our Gryffindor.  He is very brave. 

Eating the Gryffindor because no one else seemed to want to eat it.  The kids don't actually like really sweet doughnuts and prefer just the regular glazed. 

I enjoyed a nice dinner and dessert while on vacation. 

Evan also enjoyed the dessert. 

Miss Maggie just enjoyed her balloon from an artist outside the restaurant.  

Back at home, we enjoyed some yummy ice cream treats.  Sonic is always a favorite. 

And Eddie took me on a date to see the newest Conjuring movie because I am a big fan of these scary movies.  I probably just have a thing for the actor, Patrick Wilson.  Ha! 

A yummy chocolate cake speaks my love language. 

And some beautiful roses from the hubby. 

It has been a year filled with so many wonderful moments with my babies!