I joined a bible study!

This week I've gotten a bit beyond my level of tolerant anxiety, so I joined a Bible study and I'm going to work on letting God take care of my weaknesses. I had a rough drive back to PA after break and I was highly caffeinated which made the drive nerve wracking so I prayed to God and said: "God, please don't let me die now, I'm too young. I promise I'll put you first in my life, I want you to be my center of attention." So here I am. My anxiety returned and I had to transfer the burden to Jesus to move forward. The biggest challenge for me being a high strung individual is being "ok" with myself when tension and stress get in the way of enjoying life and being productive. At church this weekend, at bible study, and in my daily bread reading with Chris this weekend, the message was constant. After taking the RISC assessment for Bible study I've learned we're all unique, AND we all reflect God. There's nothing wrong with us. God glorifies in our beings. And when we see that we all mirror Jesus Christ, we better understand that we together, a multitude of instruments can truly make a masterpiece. We just have to work together. Here's a few ideas from this weekend I'd like to share:

I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (I Peter 2:5)
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (I Peter 2:11)
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16)
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with him (Romans 8:17)
I am God's workmanship- His handiwork- born anew in Christ to do His work (Ephesians 2:10)


Psalm 139:13-16
 ¹³ For you created my inmost being; 
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
   your works are wonderful, 
   I know that full well. 
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you 
   when I was made in the secret place, 
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; 
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book 
   before one of them came to be.

The Skull Hill- No one is beyond redemption

 Noel Heikkinen's sermon today was awesome. He brought a lot of great things to light regarding anyone's ability to receive redemption, including the Christian who's walked away, the murderer, and the slanderer. In Noel's words: "You don't have to cleanse yourself to come to Him." I think that's one of the greatest messages of all.

If you're any bit like myself or William Cowper, you'd know that following Christ requires a "continuous trust" 

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;

And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;

And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

What my church growing up failed to tell me about William Cowper, is that he wanted to commit suicide. He knew there was nothing "right" about it, and that was the only thing keeping him from settling on the easy way out. We are reminded by the hymns of sadness that he wrote that rejoicing in Christ is the only thing that  can truly give us joy. See more about William Cowper here:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm
Everyone struggles with sin. But Jesus Christ, the perfect son of God went through 6 trials, was found innocent, and was still crucified because the people wanted to kill him for "blaspheming that he was God." Jesus Christ healed men and women on Earth while he was alive, and said "your sins have been forgiven" when he did so. He was able to do this because he WAS the son of God, and would be killed to become our sins on the cross.
Mark 2:7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 

In Matthew 5:44 Jesus says:
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
And as Jesus hung from the cross at Skull Hill being killed innocently,

 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Noel Heikkinen compared our sin to radioactivity, what's in the water in Japan that is causing people to thirst to death. God can't even drink the water containing the sin figuratively speaking, because it is so awful. So, Christ took it on himself bearing the sin of the world without complaint but rather by praying for the persecutor at his death.
As Erwin Lutzer said:

God's searing holiness demands an infinite penalty.

AW Pink wrote:

Sin is always sin in the sight of God, whether we are conscious of it or not

It is beyond ugly to see us justifying sin and making our own way through life. Even as Jesus spoke in Luke 23:34 above, another man being hung on a cross for his own wrongs next to Christ was forgiven due to his belief in Jesus' words. Christ promised a place in Heaven for him (Luke 23:43)
Charles Spurgeon wrote:

The thief was our Lord's last  companion on earth and his first companion at the gates of paradise.

 And lastly, a verse from the old testament before the coming of Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 53:12

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
   and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
   and made intercession for the transgressors.
See rivchurch.com for today's sermon podcast.
artwork at: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=calvary#/d1bz61n

Identity in Labels. Luke 19:1-9

Today at Hope - A - Palooza, Pastor Martin from Trinity taught on Luke 19:1-9 and Identity.

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

 ⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

 ⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

 ⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

 ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

 First of all, tax collectors in their time were evil. Those working for the Romans who were Jews sometimes took extra for themselves on top of the outlandish amount the oppressing government was laying on the Jews. This set of verses therefore, spell out that Jesus associates with  the sinner. Particularly those that are projected as sinners by the people. God makes it known to the public that he seeks out the broken so that he may heal them. In Zacchaeus's time, Jesus was teaching parables in order to teach man how to live and still today Christ Jesus wants to have a relationship with YOU. Martin addressed that God wants to take the labels off of YOU that others have given you and all associations that you could never change, and make you new in Christ. He wants to take those labels on himself and give you the labels of treasure, the gift of love, His love. He wants you to be his so that He can treasure you forever.

Revelation Chapter 5, The Seven Seals, Seven Eyes, Seven horns, and a Severed Lamb

There's two videos I'd like to point out today, the first is a National Geographic special on Revelation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hk9VqP0AH4&feature=fvwrel
The second is Revelation 5 narrated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TqqNSp-7xw&feature=player_embedded#at=115

• In God's right hand there was a scroll, written on both sides and stamped with 7 seals.
• John wept because no one was able to open the scroll

5 “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

• A lamb, appearing slain (representing Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice) stood at the center of the throne with elders and the four creatures from chapter 4. 
• the lamb had 7 horns and eyes representing the lights unto the world (the 7 churches)
• when the lamb took the scroll, those around him fell to their hands and feet. They sang:

9-10 “You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased for God
   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign on the earth.” 

And the four creatures and the elders worshiped.
art found at: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs38/i/2008/321/3/3/Revelation_5_6_by_Nimfalas.jpg

Revelation Chapter 3-The remaining churches

Revelation 3 addresses the 3 other churches to which John wrote letters from Jesus Christ.
To the church is Sardis:

 v. 1 ... you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

•  The people are dead because they aren't living for Christ.
• wake up and repent, for if you don't, Christ will come at you like a thief and you won't know when
• those that walk with me will be dressed in white, and those that turn from their ways to follow me will be dressed in white:

v. 5... I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

To every church John writes something similar to the following: 
v. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This is because Christ forgives those who repent and follow Him.


To the church in Philadelphia:
7-10 These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

To the church of Laodicea:

v 15-18 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

• this set of verses says that the church is doing some things good and some things not good. They aren't recognizing sin as wrong, but chosing their own path to follow. 
• The verses to not refer to literal riches- in terms of clothing- but rather walking in faith and truth, in light and acknowledgment of Christ Jesus
• These verses also don't refer to literal nakedness, but the nakedness Adam and Eve felt when their sins were revealed eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They hid away from God and for the first time felt shame and were punished.

v 19-21 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

• Once again, this set of verses does not talk about literal eating. This talks about taking in the Spirit and living by the "fruit" or spirit that we gain through accepting Jesus Christ as our savior. We must believe, repent, and follow him by accepting Him into our hearts and allowing the Spirit to enter our hearts. Every heart has a door, and many ignore the figurative "knocking."
• Christ was victorious when He gave himself for the sins of the world, a blemish-less lamb, a perfect offering.
• We can be victorious when we live our lives for Christ, giving up our "rights" to worldly happiness in order to please Christ, which will also make us more joyful.

image from: http://www.reallynatural.com/archives/lamb.jpg

Revelation Chapter 1- Christ speaking to John

In order for Christians and non-Christians to understand the importance of living each day on earth for Christ, we must be able to comprehend the "revelation" given to John by Jesus Christ. Using "How to Read the Bible Book by Book" by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart as a reference, I will point out the key verses that touch my heart as important in day to day living through Christ, and expand as best as I can. The first chapter illustrates Christ Jesus and how he appeared before John.

I will paraphrase or quote the chapter below:
v 1,2 Jesus comes to John in order to address the future.
v 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 
v 4-6 A letter from John is sent to seven churches
 ⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
   and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
   and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
            So shall it be! Amen.

 ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 

A voice called out behind John and told him to write down what he saw and heard on a scroll and send it to the 7 churches:
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea

v 12-20

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

   “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Image from:  
http://heavenawaits.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/7-lampstands.jpg

Jesus, the cultural rebel

Often I feel like people think Christianity is conservative, but in Jesus's time he was a rebel. Not a rebel by today's standards of breaking the law, but rebellious in terms of cultural standards. Often in the Bible, Christ does something completely unexpected by the people. This chapter, John 20 shows how Jesus's own mother is so unbelieving in his return that she doesn't even recognize her son immediately after Jesus rose again from death on the third day.

John 20:1-29
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Do bones live?

To be honest, today I just flipped open the Bible and decided to write about what I opened to. I landed in Ezekiel Chapter 17.

Ezekiel 17:1-3
The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then he caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "Oh Lord God, You know."

Further on, the verses lead up to God bringing the bones to life through Ezekiel. Without faith, nothing happens, unless God is specifically trying to prove a point. Today, God doesn't prove himself because Jesus did that for him, and our free will allows us to make mistakes and sometimes not get the punishment we truly deserve.

As I am at Penn State for the next 2 days, these verses touched my heart:

II Corinthians 9:8,10,11
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, While you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

II Corinthians 10:1,3
Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ- who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

II Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Believing lies and reflecting an imperfect standard.

I’m not going to use generalized phrases, but I’m sure others can relate to the feeling of inadequacy. According to dictionary.com, inadequacy is the state of being found insufficient or having defect. Dwelling on inadequacy is not healthy, but believing inadequacy given to you by others is not ok. The only OTHER you should compare yourself to is Jesus Christ… What would Jesus do?

So, what, you may ask, did Jesus do? By coming to earth as the son of God and resisting all temptation of the world he humbled himself to be blamelessly nailed to a cross for mans’ sin. For those who believe in Him, (I emphasize that this is a relationship, not a religion in which a standard mode of action is “par”) but Jesus Christ Himself strengthens us in our weakness and loves our weakness because our reliance on Him brings us closer.

So, am I believing a lie that I'm inadequate? YES. Does Jesus think I'm inadequate? Not now. Since I believe Jesus Christ is my personal savior, God turned away from Jesus on the cross because our sin was put on Him. This allows us to be looked at with love from God even through our imperfections. If you beat yourself up regularly, you are believing a lie.

Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

^{John 3:3-8}
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." "How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:16-21

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Hurting

Sometimes, when my heart stings, I wonder why God lets it be. But even convincing myself that its not from God isn't enough to take the pain away.

Job 23:10
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

In middle school, my mom stopped taking us to church. We all had too much homework to do she'd say, Dad was working overtime, and the attitudes toward my family when we actually showed up seemed of judgment rather than concern. Perhaps that's why I enjoy Riverview now, you can slip right in and not have to talk to anyone because the congregation is large and there's too many services offered for people to get to know you. The penetrating eyes of judgment makes it hard to feel comfortable. This feeling has stayed with me until now. My parents still haven't returned to our old church, and they haven't sought after another. I wish I could say that the impression left on me didn't mark my thoughts, but it has. Why would I tell this story? I have only began to comprehend the necessity of a church family that cares deeply for its members. Correction of other Christians is addressed in the Bible, which is important, but the following verse addresses building on Christ. You cannot build a Church without Christ as the foundation. Fellowship that holds Christians up through correction is important. I also wish honesty wasn't saying my parents turn to CSI instead of God now, and I wonder where the reliance is that they have on Christ.

Cor. 3:10-15 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

It hurts my heart that my dad's sister's family is part of New Tribes, but my dad doesn't attend church except for Christmas with my grandparents. I thought to myself, if I got baptized, or if I left the country with Campus Crusade that maybe being a sacrificial child for Christ would be enough. I ask for prayer for them because I don't have the guts to confront the issue with them myself. And no, I didn't leave the country for missions this summer because I'm in debt and need to make money. My guilty conscious says my motivation for going to Africa was to escape my life. I'm not perfect, and that is why I'm writing this blog. There isn't a such thing as a perfect Christian! Only one that has received the wonderful gift of mercy and grace given by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Why must we work hard?

Why must we work hard isn't really the question. The question is, What are we working hard to accomplish? Does our heart reflect Christ in our lives? Does it change our motivation? I'm quick to laziness, quick to distractions. We all have idols in life that become more important than our purpose. What are my idols, and what is my purpose?

Going through Kay Arthur's book "Lord, Only You Can Change Me," this topic has been broached. The next set of verses I may be where my heart is at, but do my actions reflect this?

Philippians 3:7-10
But whatsoever was to my profit I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

How can you truly be a testament to this? Have you been frustrated with not getting your way? Challenged by disappointment? How have you responded? Have you been denied by Christ? NO. In order to live with the desires of our heart quenched, we must see through the mind and heart of Christ. We must ALSO have faith that he has the best for us in mind. Christ suffered for us, so that we may live in Him and in doing so, turn away from the world's riches to the everlasting riches God offers us through His son Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

God's purpose for us is to make Jesus our priority through life and to share Jesus with others so they may also live with the faith and hope He gives us. We may not see QUICK results in any of our actions.

Hebrews 11:8-12
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Why must we work hard? What are we to do?
Proverbs 27:23-26
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Psalm 90:17
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands.

What happens when we are in God's favor?

Psalm 91:5-7, 9-12
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.