Page 3 - Good News January 2006 paper

Ps. 139:7 - “Where can I go from Your PRESENCE of God.
Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Deut. 4:36-37 - “Out of heaven He let you
PRESENCE?” The closer two persons are hear His voice, that He might instruct you;
in any relationship, the more they on earth He showed you His great fire, and
experience each other's PRESENCE. you heard His words out of the midst of the
During the Korean War in the early 50s the fire. “And because He loved your fathers,
Chinese Communists made use of a therefore He chose their descendants after
technique called “Brainwashing” in their them; and He brought you out of Egypt with
prison-camps. They isolated the POWs His PRESENCE, with His mighty power .”
and sought to remove everything from Ps. 22:6 - “You have made him exceedingly
which the POWs could draw support. The glad with Your PRESENCE.”
result was that 3 000 battle-hardened Ps. 31:20 - “You shall hide them in the
soldiers lay down on their beds, pulled the secret place of Your PRESENCE from the
blankets over their heads and died. There plots of man; You shall keep them secretly
was no known cause for their deaths, in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”
except that they "lost the will to live". We Ps. 100:2 - “Serve the Lord with gladness;
were made to be dependent on one come before His PRESENCE with singing.”
another. Isaiah 63:9 - “In all their affliction He was
In Ex. 33:13-14, Moses said: “Now there- afflicted, and the Angel of His PRESENCE
fore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your saved them; in His love and in His pity He
sight, show me now Your way, that I may redeemed them; and He bore them and
know You and that I may find grace in Your carried them all the days of old.”
sight. And consider that this nation is Your Jude 24-25 - “Now to Him who is able to
people.” And He said, “My PRESENCE will keep you from stumbling, and to present
go with you, and I will give you rest.” you faultless before the PRESENCE of His
Ps. 51:11 - “Do not cast me away from Your glory with exceeding joy, to God our
PRESENCE and do not take Your Holy Saviour, Who alone is wise, be glory and
Spirit away from me.” majesty, dominion and power, both now
As you daily read your Bible and pray, you and forever. Amen.”
will be revitalized by the refreshing SPONSORED BY TG TRADERS

BEGIN... in God’s image, saved by grace, used by God in
Start... the world); the tragedy and consequences of sin
Commence... (the fall, separation from God, judgment); and
Open... the promise and assurance of salvation
There’s some- (covenant, forgiveness, promised Messiah).
thing refresh-
ing and opti- Read Genesis and be encouraged. There is
mistic about hope! No matter how dark the world situation
these words, whether they seems, God has a plan! No matter how
refer to the dawn of a new day, insignificant or useless you feel, God loves you
a new year, a new decade, a and wants to use you in His plan. No matter how
new century, a new millen- sinful and separated from God you are, His
nium, the birth of a child, the salvation is available. Read Genesis... and
prelude of a symphony, or the hope!
first kilometres of a family
vacation. “Come, let’s talk this over! says the Lord; no
Free of problems and full of matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take
promise, beginnings stir hope it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen
and imaginative visions of the snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson,
future. I can make you white as wool!”
Genesis means “beginnings” (Isaiah 1:18 Life Application Bible).
or “origin”, and it unfolds the
record of the beginning of the “But to as many as did receive and welcome
world, of human history, of Him, He gave the authority [power, privilege,
family, of civilization, of salva- right] to become the children of God, that is, to
tion. It is the story of God’s those who believe in [adhere to, trust in, and rely
purpose and plan for His on] His Name.”
creation. (John 1:12 The Amplified Bible).
As the book of beginnings,
Genesis sets the stage for the “But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be
entire Bible. It reveals the depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us
Person and Nature of God from every wrong. [And it is perfectly proper for
(Creator, Sustainer, Judge, God to do this for us because Christ died to
Redeemer); the value and wash away our sins].”
dignity of human beings (made (1 Joh. 1:9 Life Application Bible).