Genesis 6:1-8
 
Yesterday Pastor Dave explained three different interpretations of who the “sons of God” were, and he concluded that we cannot say dogmatically which, if any, is correct. My small group frequently comes to the same conclusion as we study Revelation and consider alternative, often contradictory, interpretations. Let’s pray for the humility to admit that we cannot understand everything in God’s word. Pray that, whenever we sit down to study God’s word, we would be aware of our own finiteness and accept that there are secret things that belong to the Lord, not us.  (Deuteronomy 29:29)
 
Pastor Dave pointed out that the sons of God (whoever they were) surrendered to the lust of the eye, just as Eve did. She saw the fruit, found it pleasing to the eye, and took it. The sons of God saw the daughters of men, found them attractive, and took them. We too are prone to follow this pattern. Pray for the strength to deny ourselves the things that please our eyes and flesh but that are not of God.
 
God sees sin; I often try not to. I seesaw between seeing the evil in our world, the hearts that are “only evil all the time,” and turning my eyes away from evil, burying my head in the sand as long as I’m safe and comfortable. We can praise God that He sees evil without flinching. He looks evil full in the face.  And we can praise him for His justice, which He applies in His time.
 
Praise God that He is not some impersonal “force.” Like us, He feels emotions. The evil in the world before the Flood grieved His great heart. My sin grieves His heart. Before the Lord, acknowledge that disobeying God is not like breaking a civil law; it is disappointing and hurting a Person who loves you.
 
Calvary Family
 
Please continue to pray for Bob Wickersham, who is home from the hospital and slowly improving as he battles prostate cancer. His wife, Cathy, writes, “God has given both Bob and me faith to trust him no matter what the outcome and an abundance of peace in this trial.”
 
Charlie Tielrooy asks for prayer for a 4-year-old boy, Joshua, who was nannied by his daughter Sarah. Last summer, Joshua was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in one of his kidneys. He underwent surgery as well as chemo and targeted radiation treatment. Recent scans reveal that the cancer has recurred and is now in his lungs. He will have surgery within the next few weeks to remove a portion of his lung and then will receive a stronger form of chemo and radiation to his whole chest. Pray for strength and healing for this little boy. Pray for grace for his parents, both strong Christians, and his two older brothers to face each day’s challenges.
 
Lift up Calvary’s Sunday School teachers as they instruct and love our children. Pray for encouragement to continue their important work and for wisdom, week by week, to speak truth in love. Ask the Lord to bring forward and equip volunteers to fill openings in the Children’s Department as they arise.
 
Lent – forty days of contemplation leading up to Easter – begins on Wednesday. Ask the Lord to help you prepare your heart for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Consider subscribing to adaily Lenten devotional offered by Biola University’s Center for Christianity, Culture, and the Arts.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea