The four words: in the beginning God seem simple, but represent one of the greatest utterances ever spoken. The story of beginning was not an end, but a example of what God was capable of. There is much debate about how the universe was actually made. Whenever it happened; what ever the time frame; God was there. God was at the center of it and the source of it all. What we read in Genesis 2 is not the same as God created in Genesis 1. Something happened from the time of beginning to what we read in our text. Whatever it was, it changed and marred the original creation. This simple fact reassures to us that God does not abandon the broken. He heals the wounded and remakes the hurt. Whatever the cause and however it happened, God did not leave it in that state. He set about to restore a world that was void. God was not content to leave it that way. If God would not leave that chaotic world, He will not abandon us in our chaotic world. No matter the size of our problem, it pales in comparison to the power of His presence. However messed up we may be, when He begins to move, everything changes. Our text says "the Spirit of God moved." When God's spirit begins to move, something is going to change that will bring order, peace, hope and calm. There is no problem that His spirit moving over cannot make better.

The four words: in the beginning God seem simple, but represent one of the greatest utterances ever spoken. The story of beginning was not an end, but a example of what God was capable of. There is much debate about how the universe was actually made. Whenever it happened; what ever the time frame; God was there. God was at the center of it and the source of it all. What we read in Genesis 2 is not the same as God created in Genesis 1. Something happened from the time of beginning to what we read in our text. Whatever it was, it changed and marred the original creation. This simple fact reassures to us that God does not abandon the broken. He heals the wounded and remakes the hurt. Whatever the cause and however it happened, God did not leave it in that state. He set about to restore a world that was void. God was not content to leave it that way. If God would not leave that chaotic world, He will not abandon us in our chaotic world. No matter the size of our problem, it pales in comparison to the power of His presence. However messed up we may be, when He begins to move, everything changes. Our text says "the Spirit of God moved." When God's spirit begins to move, something is going to change that will bring order, peace, hope and calm. There is no problem that His spirit moving over cannot make better.

The Greeks coming to Jesus and their requests to see Him triggered a foreshadowing of what was to come. He begins to feel the burden of the cross. Jesus uses the kernel of corn to illustrate that it is only when we die that we can know the increase that God has for us. John chapter 12 is Gethsemane before Gethsemane. Here was a transition in Jesus' life and ministry. From the Glory of the life He had lived changed to the glory that His death would bring. Transitions in life are not an option. If we are to go from where we are to what God has for us, we will experience trouble. Jesus said that his soul is troubled. The word used for soul is the one used for the spirit or the mind. Transitions are difficult on both the body and the mind. There appear in His words conflict and contradiction. That is what transition does, it brings us to a conflict between our flesh and our spirit. Human nature is to run from trouble; and Jesus' struggle was no different. When in trouble; Jesus prayed. It was a prayer in which He didn't know what to say. In this preview of Calvary, we see a glimpse of a man struggling with the trouble He knew to be ahead. In our text, it is clear that the human side of Jesus was feeling the pressure and pain that was about to come about. It caused anxiety and distress. The trouble produced a distracted state of mind. Trouble has a way of distracting us to the point that we do not know how to function. There are hours in every life when we simply do not know what to do. Our text contains a helpful thought that give us hope. The victory that Jesus won was not automatic, but a decision. He, on multiple occasions, had to battle his flesh. His victory was not guaranteed and was not won until He decided that He would do what He was sent to do. His victory was a result of a decision about how He was going to reply to life. What we do in the hour of our trouble will determine our future. Often problems are so big and so many that we do not even know where to begin dealing with them. What we do in that time will determine our future. If one is not careful, we can miss the real message of our text. Our text reveals His humanity. We can see that He did not know what to say and that He was conflicted about what was to come; but that is not the message. The message is the right response to life's problems, hurts, pain, suffering and betrayal. He said: Now is my soul troubled; what shall I say - Father. The first word out of His mouth was a word of faith. He was at a loss for words, but His question was not Why, but What. He didn’t ask why Him, but what will He say to His trouble. Sometimes that is all we have, that we do not know why, but that God knows. God knows the way that we take. Life and the trouble that come to all who live it cannot be avoided. These troubles have meaning. Their purpose is to awaken something in us. Man’s progress in life has always been at the point of adversity. Life has been hard on some. Life has been demanding. These demands require a response. How will we answer life?

The Greeks coming to Jesus and their requests to see Him triggered a foreshadowing of what was to come. He begins to feel the burden of the cross. Jesus uses the kernel of corn to illustrate that it is only when we die that we can know the increase that God has for us. John chapter 12 is Gethsemane before Gethsemane. Here was a transition in Jesus' life and ministry. From the Glory of the life He had lived changed to the glory that His death would bring. Transitions in life are not an option. If we are to go from where we are to what God has for us, we will experience trouble. Jesus said that his soul is troubled. The word used for soul is the one used for the spirit or the mind. Transitions are difficult on both the body and the mind. There appear in His words conflict and contradiction. That is what transition does, it brings us to a conflict between our flesh and our spirit. Human nature is to run from trouble; and Jesus' struggle was no different. When in trouble; Jesus prayed. It was a prayer in which He didn't know what to say. In this preview of Calvary, we see a glimpse of a man struggling with the trouble He knew to be ahead. In our text, it is clear that the human side of Jesus was feeling the pressure and pain that was about to come about. It caused anxiety and distress. The trouble produced a distracted state of mind. Trouble has a way of distracting us to the point that we do not know how to function. There are hours in every life when we simply do not know what to do. Our text contains a helpful thought that give us hope. The victory that Jesus won was not automatic, but a decision. He, on multiple occasions, had to battle his flesh. His victory was not guaranteed and was not won until He decided that He would do what He was sent to do. His victory was a result of a decision about how He was going to reply to life. What we do in the hour of our trouble will determine our future. Often problems are so big and so many that we do not even know where to begin dealing with them. What we do in that time will determine our future. If one is not careful, we can miss the real message of our text. Our text reveals His humanity. We can see that He did not know what to say and that He was conflicted about what was to come; but that is not the message. The message is the right response to life's problems, hurts, pain, suffering and betrayal. He said: Now is my soul troubled; what shall I say - Father. The first word out of His mouth was a word of faith. He was at a loss for words, but His question was not Why, but What. He didn’t ask why Him, but what will He say to His trouble. Sometimes that is all we have, that we do not know why, but that God knows. God knows the way that we take. Life and the trouble that come to all who live it cannot be avoided. These troubles have meaning. Their purpose is to awaken something in us. Man’s progress in life has always been at the point of adversity. Life has been hard on some. Life has been demanding. These demands require a response. How will we answer life?

Our texts are three different accounts of the same scene in Jesus’ life. At this time in His life, Jesus was constantly bombarded with questions and accusations that He was not doing things in the way that religious traditions were done. In that setting, Jesus spoke to them about the new and the old. The point is not that the old is not important, but rather he was saying that there comes a time in life that a new work from God requires a new container in us. How many times has God's work in our life been wasted because we tried to hold it in an old container that was not suitable to receive it? God will fill the vessel that we bring, but if we bring a faulty vessel, that blessing may not last long. We want change in our life, as long as we do not have to change. We want a better house, a better job, a better marriage -- as long as we do not have to do anything for that to come about. Sometimes we limit the work that God can do in us simply because the vessel that we ask Him to put it into. We want God to do a new work, but we want to put it into an old mindset. Many time God blesses us in spite of who we are or where we are. If we are to enjoy the fullness of God's blessings in our life without them spilling out; we need a new mind for that new work that we are wanting God to do. The reason that some people cannot break out of problems or habits is that they cannot get away from the old environment in which they live. There has to be a new mind before we can enjoy the new blessings that God wants to pour into us. If we do not prepare a new vessel, we will continue to spill and waste God's blessings. God will fill what we bring, and the reason that change does not last in our life is because of the vessel, not the giver. When we have a real mind change, we can have a real life change. God can change our life, but it has to start with us. Every one of us wants to be better. We all want to fix what is broken. We are tired of the hurt and pain, but we do not want God to mess with our comfort zone. We are more worried about what we are going to lose than what we will gain. The critical thing is not IF God can do it. The critical thing is if we will LET God do it. If transformation is to happen, it has to start with a rejuvenation in us. We have to get tired of patching things up. Our texts clearly tell us that we do not need patches, we need a new vessel.

Our texts are three different accounts of the same scene in Jesus’ life. At this time in His life, Jesus was constantly bombarded with questions and accusations that He was not doing things in the way that religious traditions were done. In that setting, Jesus spoke to them about the new and the old. The point is not that the old is not important, but rather he was saying that there comes a time in life that a new work from God requires a new container in us. How many times has God's work in our life been wasted because we tried to hold it in an old container that was not suitable to receive it? God will fill the vessel that we bring, but if we bring a faulty vessel, that blessing may not last long. We want change in our life, as long as we do not have to change. We want a better house, a better job, a better marriage -- as long as we do not have to do anything for that to come about. Sometimes we limit the work that God can do in us simply because the vessel that we ask Him to put it into. We want God to do a new work, but we want to put it into an old mindset. Many time God blesses us in spite of who we are or where we are. If we are to enjoy the fullness of God's blessings in our life without them spilling out; we need a new mind for that new work that we are wanting God to do. The reason that some people cannot break out of problems or habits is that they cannot get away from the old environment in which they live. There has to be a new mind before we can enjoy the new blessings that God wants to pour into us. If we do not prepare a new vessel, we will continue to spill and waste God's blessings. God will fill what we bring, and the reason that change does not last in our life is because of the vessel, not the giver. When we have a real mind change, we can have a real life change. God can change our life, but it has to start with us. Every one of us wants to be better. We all want to fix what is broken. We are tired of the hurt and pain, but we do not want God to mess with our comfort zone. We are more worried about what we are going to lose than what we will gain. The critical thing is not IF God can do it. The critical thing is if we will LET God do it. If transformation is to happen, it has to start with a rejuvenation in us. We have to get tired of patching things up. Our texts clearly tell us that we do not need patches, we need a new vessel.

There is so much about life that we are hard pressed to understand. There are answers that we so desperately desire to have, but God chooses not so share with us. We are called to live life with a certain amount of mystery. Faith is so importanat in the life of one who possesses it. Faith is more than an emotion; it is a spirit and attitude that we adopt in life. Paul said that he was confident that the good work that was started in him would be completed. Faith can and will make a difference in the outcome of life. If there is anythign that we need to work on strengthening, it is faith. Faith is not a quantity that if we have enough will produce result; a small amount is sufficient. It is an attitude and confidence and assurance that God knows where we are and that He knows what is going in our life. Faith's purpose is not to explain life, but to help us overcome the struggles in it. Faith is not something that God gave us to get something, it is something the He gave us to overcome something. Faith is an assurance that if God sent us; He will see us to where He wants us to go. Faith is not some crystal ball that allows us to see the future; it is the belief that no matter what the future holds, God's hand will be on it. It is the knowledge that there is purpose in the trials and issues in life and that somewhere in it, God is going to work it for our good. The difference between men is not the measure of their adversity, but how they respond to that adversity. The apostle Paul had enjoyed open doors all of his life. The door to the gentiles was opened, the door to Asia was opened; the door to Europe was opened. However in our text, that part of Pauls life was over. The only doors around him were closed and he found himself in a prison cell. He came to understand that the "problem" that he was facing was actually his salvation.

Paul identified three opportunities in his problem. Paul's problem had brought him opportunity to do what he would have not been able to do any other way. Being in prison put him in position to meet people that he would have never been able to preach too. The second thing Paul noted was that he had been given a ministry to others. His imprisonment had served as encouragement to others. He was giving strength to those on the outside. Paul was physically bound, and he gave encouragement to those who were spiritually bound. Others saw Paul's faith and were encouraged to go on. Finally, Paul realized that the quality of life that he found for himself in his bondage. He found salvation in his bondage; not his spiritual salvation, but his salvation as a man. The difficult of his situation had allowed Paul to grow as a man; a preacher and a Christian. We will all experience trials in life. The measure of a man is not his problems, but how he handles those problems. Problems can define or defeat us. It just might be, that the our problem might be our salvation.

There is so much about life that we are hard pressed to understand. There are answers that we so desperately desire to have, but God chooses not so share with us. We are called to live life with a certain amount of mystery. Faith is so importanat in the life of one who possesses it. Faith is more than an emotion; it is a spirit and attitude that we adopt in life. Paul said that he was confident that the good work that was started in him would be completed. Faith can and will make a difference in the outcome of life. If there is anythign that we need to work on strengthening, it is faith. Faith is not a quantity that if we have enough will produce result; a small amount is sufficient. It is an attitude and confidence and assurance that God knows where we are and that He knows what is going in our life. Faith's purpose is not to explain life, but to help us overcome the struggles in it. Faith is not something that God gave us to get something, it is something the He gave us to overcome something. Faith is an assurance that if God sent us; He will see us to where He wants us to go. Faith is not some crystal ball that allows us to see the future; it is the belief that no matter what the future holds, God's hand will be on it. It is the knowledge that there is purpose in the trials and issues in life and that somewhere in it, God is going to work it for our good. The difference between men is not the measure of their adversity, but how they respond to that adversity. The apostle Paul had enjoyed open doors all of his life. The door to the gentiles was opened, the door to Asia was opened; the door to Europe was opened. However in our text, that part of Pauls life was over. The only doors around him were closed and he found himself in a prison cell. He came to understand that the "problem" that he was facing was actually his salvation.

Paul identified three opportunities in his problem. Paul's problem had brought him opportunity to do what he would have not been able to do any other way. Being in prison put him in position to meet people that he would have never been able to preach too. The second thing Paul noted was that he had been given a ministry to others. His imprisonment had served as encouragement to others. He was giving strength to those on the outside. Paul was physically bound, and he gave encouragement to those who were spiritually bound. Others saw Paul's faith and were encouraged to go on. Finally, Paul realized that the quality of life that he found for himself in his bondage. He found salvation in his bondage; not his spiritual salvation, but his salvation as a man. The difficult of his situation had allowed Paul to grow as a man; a preacher and a Christian. We will all experience trials in life. The measure of a man is not his problems, but how he handles those problems. Problems can define or defeat us. It just might be, that the our problem might be our salvation.

The word selah appears 74 times in the Hebrew scripture. It is one of the most interesting terms in the bible. Most often it comes at the end of a verse. There are three exceptions, one if which occurs in our text, where it appears in the middle of a line. It comes out of the musical world. It implies several things. most importantly it implies an end of some part of the music or chorus. It's root word means to rest or pause. When it occurs in scripture, it indicates that the reader should pause and consider what was just read. In life we need these pauses in order to wait for a moment to get back in time with the tempo. At times it is good to stop an consider where we are, and where we are going. Some bible scholars believe that Selah was added and does not belong in the translated text. Bro. Hughes explains that there are times when we need to pause and ponder and give time to pull in the reigns of life. Everyone needs time to stop and get their bearings. We can accurately say that Selah is a sign to which we we need to pay attention. God designed life with some signals and signs. If we will pay attention to these signals, we will be better off. Missing signals will lead to trouble. Selah is a signal to stop, prepare and get our senses about us to be ready for God can speak to us and can do greater things in our life. When we encounter selah in our life, Bro. Hughes tells us that it can mean one of three things. When selah shows up, it indicates at lease a change in tempo. Sometimes we need to adjust the pace of life. Sometimes selah indicates a change in tone or pitch. We need a change in the attitude of our life. A pause can change our attitude and get our spirit right. Finally selah means that we need to change the key. Many problems in life are because we keep beating the same drum or singing the same chorus. Sometimes in life we need to sing a new song. The word selah may seem insignificant, but we will do well to pay attention to this little word and understand the significance of the insignificant.

The word selah appears 74 times in the Hebrew scripture. It is one of the most interesting terms in the bible. Most often it comes at the end of a verse. There are three exceptions, one if which occurs in our text, where it appears in the middle of a line. It comes out of the musical world. It implies several things. most importantly it implies an end of some part of the music or chorus. It's root word means to rest or pause. When it occurs in scripture, it indicates that the reader should pause and consider what was just read. In life we need these pauses in order to wait for a moment to get back in time with the tempo. At times it is good to stop an consider where we are, and where we are going. Some bible scholars believe that Selah was added and does not belong in the translated text. Bro. Hughes explains that there are times when we need to pause and ponder and give time to pull in the reigns of life. Everyone needs time to stop and get their bearings. We can accurately say that Selah is a sign to which we we need to pay attention. God designed life with some signals and signs. If we will pay attention to these signals, we will be better off. Missing signals will lead to trouble. Selah is a signal to stop, prepare and get our senses about us to be ready for God can speak to us and can do greater things in our life. When we encounter selah in our life, Bro. Hughes tells us that it can mean one of three things. When selah shows up, it indicates at lease a change in tempo. Sometimes we need to adjust the pace of life. Sometimes selah indicates a change in tone or pitch. We need a change in the attitude of our life. A pause can change our attitude and get our spirit right. Finally selah means that we need to change the key. Many problems in life are because we keep beating the same drum or singing the same chorus. Sometimes in life we need to sing a new song. The word selah may seem insignificant, but we will do well to pay attention to this little word and understand the significance of the insignificant.