Maybe I’m biased because I work for Lightbearers, but I thought yesterday was a great start to the Institute. It was awfully encouraging to see everybody there early in the morning, and the time went by quickly as we dove in to Genesis. The main thing I walked away with (and something I never really keyed on before in that section of Scripture) was the glimmer of hope that the Lord always maintains for His people. The hint of mercy amidst judgment. In my mind, the most astounding moment of mercy showed up in Genesis 3 amidst the judgment that the Lord pronounced on Adam and Eve and the serpent. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed” –Genesis 3:15a As Kevin described, what mercy it is that God made Satan our enemy! The Lord is holy and perfect and can have no part of evil. Therefore, if we were allied with Satan, He would have no part with us. And through Adam and Eve, we had chosen to make an alliance with Satan, to follow his leadership. But God, in his great mercy, said, “No! Satan will be your enemy!” And it is because we are enemies that we still have hope of redemption. “He shall crush you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”—Genesis 3:15b See you next Wednesday, Andrew |