Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
“Forever” | Psalm 119
18:51 | 12-30-2021
We’ve been looking through the imaginative paintings of God’s life-creating power in Genesis 1-3 as we read Psalm 119. (To understand more what makes Psalm 119 so unique in the Bible, read the show notes from the Dec 21 episode.) Imagine eating the fruit from the Tree of Life. What might it have tasted like? What would you feel like afterward? Genesis 2-3 tells us that its fruit was the ultimate superfood – the life-giving nutrient of “forever”! After Adam and Eve rejected the commandment of God, God banished them from Eden. One big reason was so that they could not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their state of brokenness and dysfunction. It was a mercy killing of sorts so that God could bring resurrection through the Offspring of promise in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A15&version=NIV (Genesis 3:15). Genesis 3:22 NIV And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:24 NIV After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. The Tree of Life promises in Revelation. Revelation 2:7 NIV Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 22:2 NIV On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:14 NIV “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:19 NIV And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. God’s word is the most tangible thing we have that’s a kind of Tree of Life. Imagine eating from the Tree of Life as you read and meditate on God’s word. Psalm 119 ESV 89 Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. 111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. 152 Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever. 160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Abundance. Genesis 2:9-10 NIV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden. Speaking of the wisdom of God’s word (the word for “wisdom” in Hebrew is femine in gender). Proverbs 3:13–20 NIV 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. 19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. God’s word (commandments, promises, etc) are eternal because they are entwined into the very fabric of the universe. Repeated throughout all of...
Help Me Treasure Your Word! | Psalm 119
25:48 | 12-28-2021
We’ve been looking through the imaginative paintings of God’s life-creating power in Genesis 1-3 as we read Psalm 119. (To understand more what makes Psalm 119 so unique in the Bible, read the show notes from the Dec 21 episode.) What’s your attitude toward the Bible? Not your beliefs, but your feelings about the Bible’s place in your life? If you’re like me, it’s kind of mixed. My good self thinks of it as water to my dry and parched soul. But often my more hardened-hearted self would rather read or watch something else instead. But once I start reading it something happens. My heart softens and it’s like a breath of God’s fresh air breathed into my soul. Sometimes that happens more than other times, but a little happens each time. That’s because God’s Spirit living within me is using the breath of God’s word to bring spiritual oxygen back into my spiritual blood stream. What I’ve just done there is imagine a picture that describes a deeper, more mysterious reality. And that’s what Psalm 119 does repeatedly regarding our need for God’s word. And that’s what Genesis 1-3 does as well. Imagery and Imagination are essential if you’re going to desire God and want to live by his promises and his word. God created us as powerfully imaginative beings, and it’s why the word of God is filled with compelling imagery and imagination. One of the most repeated images in Psalm 119 focuses us on the true delight of God’s word to our true self re-created in Christ and indwelt by God’s Spirit. For me, it just helps to remind myself why I really do delight in God’s word. It cuts through all the fog that gets me to ignore God’s word and even dread reading or hearing it. I think that’s the frontline of spiritual warfare in our lives. It is in mine. And why the repeated images and meditations in Psalm 119 on the value and treasure and delight of God’s word is so helpful for us to imagine. Let’s do that together in this episode. Psalm 119 ESV 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. 72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. 77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 127 Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. 143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. 174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Jesus says… Matthew 13:44–46 NIV “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. 72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. 127 Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. 162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. Psalm 19:7–13 NIV 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter...
Enlarge My Heart! | Psalm 119
28:28 | 12-23-2021
We’ve been looking through the imaginative, word-brushed paintings of God’s life-creating power in Genesis 1-3 as we read Psalm 119. (To understand more what makes Psalm 119 so unique in the Bible, read the show notes from the Dec 21 episode.) Genesis 3 is a powerful picture of the resulting dysfunctions in every human heart after the man and woman (Adam and Eve) chose to transgress God’s one commandment. Genesis 3 poetically paints the human story of how, now driven by insecurities and distrust, we hide from God behind all the trees and cover ourselves and our shame from one another while seeking to manipulate others for our selfish desires. But https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A15&version=NIV (Genesis 3:15) also foreshadows that God will ultimately destroy the Serpent and our resulting dysfunction through the death and resurrection and victory of the male human offspring of the woman. We’re in the middle of that story right now, between Jesus’s death and resurrection and ascension, while we await his kingdom coming to bring a new, resurrected body and soul to his people, and to renew and restore all creation. And in the middle of this already/not-yet reality, God is progressively renewing and transforming his people through his Spirit (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%203%3A18&version=NIV (2 Cor 3:18)). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204%3A6&version=NIV (2 Corinthians 4:6) uses the poetic imagery of https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201%3A1-2%3A3&version=NIV (Genesis 1:2-3) as a picture of what God’s Spirit must do in the heart of every follower of Christ. Several Old Testament prophecies tell of this heart transformation that will come. Like almost all Old Testament prophecies, these promises are already but not yet, just as Christ’s coming is already but not yet. Partially now in the hearts of all followers of Christ through his Spirit, but not fully until Christ brings bodily resurrection when he brings his kingdom of heaven back to earth. Jeremiah 31:33 NIV “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Ezekiel 11:19–20 NIV I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 36:26–28 NIV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. One of the important themes throughout Psalm 119 is our need for God to open our eyes, enlarge our heart, and give us understanding – all by the Spirit’s life-transforming power in his word. Unless and until God does that, God’s word (the gospel/the Bible) will always seem boring and irrelevant to what matters to us most. (Show notes in the previous couple episodes shows how the Bible teaches that the work of God’s Spirit is inseparably linked to the work of God’s word – the Bible). What is the chicken and the egg here? Does God respond to our prayer for his Spirit’s transformation of our heart, or do we care enough to pray for God to transform our heart as a result of his Spirit’s work of transformation? The answer is Yes. We respond to him as his Spirit works in our heart, but as his Spirit works in our heart we must respond to him and ask him to continue to open our eyes and heart to him. And this is where the prayers and meditations of Psalm 119 are helpful to us. Psalm 119
Give Me a More Powerful Imagination! | Psalm 119
33:22 | 12-21-2021
We’ve been looking through the frames of the word-brushed paintings of God’s life-creating power in Genesis 1-3 as we read Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the entire Bible, and every verse is a mediation or prayer about our need for the power of God’s word. So the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible is about the Bible. But it’s not just information. It’s art. It’s arranged as an acrostic poem where each of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet has 8 stanzas (verses), and each stanza begins with that Hebrew letter. It looks quite artistic when you look at the actual Hebrew text. Imagery and Imagination are essential if you’re going to desire God and want to live by his promises and his word. Advertisements appeal to your imagination because they know that imagination is more powerful than information in creating our desires. That’s why ads are heavy on image and usually absent of information. Almost all advertisements have this basic message: “Imagine having this or doing this or being this!” God created us as powerfully imaginative beings, and it’s why the word of God is filled with compelling imagery and imagination. One of the most repeated prayers throughout Psalm 119 is for God to “give me life” through the life-creating power of his word. And the ancient imagery from Genesis 1-2 provides a compelling, imagination-filled meditation on how God’s word gives us life by his Spirit. Genesis 1:1–3 NIV 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 2:7 NIV Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. But in this episode, we will bring alongside our Genesis imagery another Spirit-brushed painting of God’s life-creating word in Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel 37:1–14 NIV 1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will...
Give Me Life! | Psalm 119
24:55 | 12-16-2021
We’ve been looking through the frames of the word-brushed paintings of God’s life-creating power in Genesis 1-3 as we read Psalm 119. One of the most repeated prayers throughout Psalm 119 is for God to “give me life according to your word” (Ps 119:25). The powerful imagery from Genesis 1-2 provides a compelling, imagination-filled meditation on how God’s word gives us life. (See the show notes to the previous episode for more on what’s so unique about Psalm 119.) Psalm 119 ESV 25 My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. 40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life! 50 This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. 88 In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth. 93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. 107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! 149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! 156 Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules. 159 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love. Genesis 1:1–3 NIV 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 2:7 NIV Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:9–10 NIV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden. Jesus said… John 6:63 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. The New Testament says… 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed… The apostle John riffs on Genesis 1:1-3 with these words about Jesus… John 1:1–5 NIV 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Psalm 36:7–9 ESV 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Spirit of God Word of God Identified Together—Jn 6:63; Eph 6:17 Eph 6:17 (NIV) “Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (what the Spirit uses in this conflict) John 6:63 (NIV) “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” …Both are the same thing. Causes Us to be Born Again—Jn 3:5-8; Titus 3:5-6 John 3:5-8 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is 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...
Why a 176 Verses on God’s Word? | Psalm 119
24:34 | 12-14-2021
Psalm 119 is the longest of the biblical psalms and the longest chapter in the entire Bible. And it is about one thing: God’s word. It’s artistic construction begins with being arranged as a Hebrew acrostic poem in the order of the Hebrew alphabet, with each Hebrew letter having 8 stanzas beginning with that Hebrew letter. Each verse is something about God’s word, using 8 additional synonyms for God’s word: law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, promises, commandments, rules, and of course, word (in the ESV). It is significant that the longest psalm and longest chapter in the Bible is about the Bible. We’re going to devote a few episodes to see how the powerful imagery from Genesis 1-3 provides a compelling, imagination-filled meditation on Psalm 119’s meditation on God’s word. Genesis 1:2–3 NIV Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 2:7 NIV Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:9–10 NIV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden. Jesus said… John 6:63 ESV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. The New Testament says… 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed… Psalm 119:1–2 ESV 1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. Psalm 1:1–3 NIV 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalm 119:18 ESV Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Spirit of God Word of God Identified Together—Jn 6:63; Eph 6:17 Eph 6:17 (NIV) “Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (what the Spirit uses in this conflict) John 6:63 (NIV) “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” …Both are the same thing. Causes Us to be Born Again—Jn 3:5-8; Titus 3:5-6 John 3:5-8 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is 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.” Identified Together—Jn 6:63; Eph 6:17 Eph 6:17 (NIV) “Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” John 6:63 (NIV) “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Causes Us to be Born Again—Jam 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23 James 1:18 (NIV) “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” 1 Peter 1:23 (NIV) “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Well, which IS it? Unless both are the same! Saves Us—2 Cor 3:6 Sanctifies Us—Rom 15:15-16; 1 Peter...
Why Your Most Important Relationships Are the Most Painful | Genesis 3
37:22 | 12-09-2021
The first pages of Genesis are filled with powerful word imagery. Written more than 3,000 years ago, Genesis remains ahead of our time in its picture of the deepest realities in your life. And Genesis 3 explains why your most valued and important relationships are also your most painful ones. Genesis 2:8–9 NIV 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:15–17 NIV 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:25 NIV Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 3:1 NIV Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:7 NIV Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:14–19 NIV 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Romans 8:19–24 NIV 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. 1 John 3:8 NIV The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. Hebrews 2:14–15 NIV 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Jesus promises in… Revelation 2:7 NIV11 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. All the earth will become an “Eden” when Christ returns… Revelation 22:1–3 NIV11 …The river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, [was] flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, …yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of...
Why Your Life is Like Living in Exile | Genesis 3
35:40 | 12-07-2021
The first pages of Genesis are filled with powerful word imagery. Written more than 3,000 years ago, Genesis remains ahead of our time in its picture of the deepest realities in your life. And Genesis 3 explains why you are constantly feeling out of place in this world. No matter how much good happens in your life, there’s always the sense that more is still missing. In this episode, we talk about the strange ending to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis 3:22–24 NIV 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Other verses talked about... Genesis 2:9 NIV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Genesis 2:16–17 NIV And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:25 NIV Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 3:1 NIV Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:7 NIV Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Why You’re Constantly Hiding Yourself | Genesis 3
32:28 | 12-02-2021
The first pages of Genesis are filled with powerful word imagery. Written more than 3,000 years ago, Genesis remains ahead of our time in its picture of the deepest realities in your life. And Genesis 3 explains so much about why you are constantly feeling the need to hide yourself. Hide yourself from others, from God, and even from yourself. But are you really safe to be vulnerable? Let’s talk about it in this episode. Genesis 2:9 NIV The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Genesis 2:16–17 NIV And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:25 NIV Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 3:1 NIV Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:7 NIV Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. But Genesis 2:18 NIV The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Genesis 3:8 NIV Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:9–10 NIV But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
Power Imagery God Gives to Imagine Him | Genesis 2
30:34 | 11-30-2021
Too often western culture is reductionistic in our “truth” about reality. And Christians are too influenced by this materialistic reductionism so that it limits our ability to live by the power of our imagination. Are you reducing your faith to just information? But God’s word gives you imagination because imagination is far more powerful than mere information to speak life into your desires. Genesis 2 speaks life into our desires by giving us two powerful images to imagine God and imagine all that he is for us in Jesus. Genesis 2:7–10 NIV Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. Genesis 2:15 NIV The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Jesus promises in… Revelation 2:7 NIV11 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. All the earth will become an “Eden” when Christ returns… Revelation 22:1–3 NIV11 …The river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, [was] flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, …yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. John 7:37–39 NIV On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.