The Virtual Pew Daily

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 9 and 10. God Loves The Cities and There Are Many Nations Under God

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 9, 10

God Loves the Cities and It's Many Nations Under God

In chapter 9 of Genesis we see the establishment of cities. I have lived in the cities but I have also lived in the country. There is definitely benefits to both, but when doing the work of God, there is so much opportunity in cities. There are those ministries, to people that we see Jesus involved in in the New Testament. For whatever reason, we know that often times people are drawn to the cities. People from all walks and with all kinds of needs. Unfortunately we see unrest in cities as well, we see this especially so as of this devotion, in America, we see riots, discord and rebellion. The one thing we don't see enough of is a turning to God as the answer to the worlds problems.

There is also a concept approached in chapter 10 that I appreciate here. We see that God is the God of all Nations, that in reality, many nations, not just one, is to be under the rule and direction of God. We often think, no matter where we are at in the world that it is all about us no matter what nation we live in, yet we can clearly see through scripture that God loves all people, of all nations. In church this morning I appreciated the comments of the pastor on this subject, while some of us are blessed, and should feel so to be in the nation we are, we must remember, we are only visitors here, our ultimate nation as followers of Jesus is the Kingdom of God, our brothers and sisters are in many nations around the globe, not just the one we live in.

How should we see the needs of our brothers and sisters around the World, how do we contemplate their faith journey and especially so in conjunction with the reality that while we may have brothers and sisters who are citizens of other nations, we are all citizens of the Kingdom of God.

To see Genesis Chapter 9 and 10 Click the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9%2C+10&version=CEV

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We Need Your Help, Covid Has Impacted Our Ministry

This one has been a long time coming, but Covid has impacted the ministries I am a part of. Over the last number of years there has been support that has come in from individuals and churches to the amount of approximately $650 a month. Mary Jane and I supplied the additional $1,400 - $1,500 a month to cover costs. We had it, it was never a problem, so, we did it.

With Covid having such an impact on individuals and churches we are losing that $650 per month income as of this coming month. That means I will have to come up with that amount on a monthly basis. To be blunt, that just isn't possible.

The ministry of The Virtual Pew has been busier than ever, especially with individuals not being able to get out and depending more on online ministries. I have done everything from meeting with people on a regular basis locally, to spending time online with those in need. There have been situations where I have taken my money, purchased groceries, helped pay for motel accommodations and then some for the homeless and others. I want to be careful about the specifics of things getting done and while I have admittedly been busy with music, I have also continued the ministry work of helping whoever I can in a reasonable way. In some situations, it may be marital counseling, in others it may be dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one and in others literally being available to help in other ways be it transportation, or some other way.

I had hopes that with the expansion of ministry recently, along with the music that I would be able to continue to support those ministry needs. It has been very difficult. We lost approximately 1/2 of our donations some months ago, and as of this coming month, will loose all of those donations, I just can't continue on that path.

Will you; can you consider helping on a monthly basis? I may also very likely be looking for another resident in the near future but I will also admit, I don't want to, I'm not planning on running a housing program. Whoever would be considered has to do their part of maintaining the property and following through with things they have committed to do. I certainly don't have, won't take the time to do things that others have as an obligation when they stay here, frankly, if I had my druthers, I would stay totally by myself right, but the extra little bit of money to cover basic costs can help. It also helps if that person is taking their faith commitment seriously and making church and so forth a priority. If the person staying here does their part it can work. I find it easier and less stressful just to live by myself than to have to deal with those types of issues. I'm a firm believer as to a resident, if they can't take the time to be actively involved in church and Bible study, it is best to live someplace else, or, I live by myself.

Anyway, please consider helping, and if possible on a monthly basis, this is a ministry Mary Jane believed in, there have been areas that she would be proud of that have continued since she went to Dance with Jesus.

You can give a tax deductible donation to Mosaic or you can also contribute to The Virtual Pew at paypal at mike@furches.org or via cash app at $MichaelFurches. You can also mail donations to 1249 North Saint Francis, Wichita, KS 67214.

Thank you for considering helping this ministry out.

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Thursday, September 10, 2020

Daily Devotional: Genesis Chapter 7, 8 - God Loves The Animals

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 7, 8
An often unspoken lesson from Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is one of the most debated concepts of the Bible. Did it happen or did it not? There are all kinds of beliefs and serious conversations about these two chapters. Here is a point I will bring out, there are flood stories in virtually every religion. That gives for me, credence that a flood happened. I take the Bible for it's word here, and I realize that is a measure of faith but I also believe there is evidence of the flood. Now I won't debate that in a devotional, but there is a point I want to bring out after this mornings reading.

In today's world it seems as there are so many varying views of faith, unfortunately one of those aligns itself with a focus that seems to be more on politics, which can include varying concepts that may or may not be Biblical, and others that keep a focus on Biblical concepts. There is a concept here that aligns with what is often called The Creation Mandate. That is; God cares about our planet as well as his creation, including the animals.

Think about it, we see clearly here, that God cared enough about the animal kingdom in this passage that he made sure to include two of every species to come onto the ark to maintain the animal kingdom. God also cares about the creatures that roam the earth.

I see how people often treat animals and unfortunately there are far too many that mistreat and abuse the animals on this planet. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a meat eater, I'm so far from a PETA type of thing it is ridiculous. I am saying though, do we have compassion for animals, the way they are treated, the way they are raised. God does. I challenge, that today, think about loving the whole of the planet, including animals in the same way that God did in seeing to it that the animal species survived. In a world where animals are becoming extinct, we should care.

This link takes you to Genesis Chapters 7 and 8

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Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Daily Devotion: Genesis Chapter 5 and 6. Ancestry and Super Heroes

Daily Devotion: Genesis Chapters 5, 6

Ancestry and Super Heroes

In today's reading Chapter 5 starts off with something that many tend to overlook when reading the Bible, genealogy. We do the same thing in life, well at least most of us do until we get older. We tend to not focus on, be concerned about or search out our own history. Thankfully in today's world we are seeing some changes in that due to things like ancestry dot com and DNA research. Prior to my wife's death, early on in her diagnosis with Pancreatic Cancer, I decided to invest in a detailed DNA test and research into our Ancestry.

We learned fascinating things. It was like her 10th great grandmother who was a passenger on the Mayflower, and my 10th great grandfather was the pilot of the Mayflower. The fact that our relatives likely knew each other was a fascinating thing to us. There were other things, like one of Mary Jane's grandfathers, being John Sterling whom Sterling Castle was named after where Mary Queen of Scotts was christened and King Richard the 3rd or 4th being one of my grandfathers and Henry the 8th being a distant relative as well. Ancestry while interesting is a part of defining who we are and where we come from. A fascinating part of Jesus ancestry shows that not only King David was a part of his lineage, but so was Adam and Eve.

While there is a lot who will debate the story of Adam and Eve and the history there, I find it fascinating and them being a part of the listed genealogy of Jesus is meaningful to me on various levels.

Another thing that stuck out to me in today's reading is the Nephilim who were supernatural beings who bred with women on earth, and them being described essentially as "super heroes." Personally I am fascinated and would like to know a lot more about these beings and their offspring as we just don't have that much written about them in the Bible. Anyone knowing of other reliable texts that may tell more about them, I would like to know as this is one of those things that keeps the Bible, for me, far from being a boring read. Of course I like reading The Contemporary English Version when reading because of the easy to understand translation and the way it was translated. That said, wouldn't you like to know more about this species of creature? Is it angels, is it something else and how were they like super heroes?

The rest of Chapter 6 starts to get into the story of Noah. We see how far human kind has progressed, or regressed in the time frame from the point of creation to the point of Noah. We see again, just like we saw earlier, God will only take so much before he acts. He is tired of what humankind has become and even contemplates the total destruction of the earth except for one who was faithful, Noah. How faithful are we in today's world to loving and serving God and others? How many times will God show through scripture that he will only put up with so much? Of course we know some of what is coming next and in the future, but until then, keep enjoying the read and thoughts.

To read these chapters click on the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+5%2C+6&version=CEV

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Monday, September 7, 2020

Daily Deotional, Genesis 3 and 4

Daily Devotional: Genesis 3, 4

Today as I write this it is Labor Day in the United States, a day where those who worked in labor and the unions are recognized for the work and improvements made in this country. It is with this in mind that I do today's devotion on Genesis chapters 3 and 4.

Early on in Genesis 3 we read about sin. There is the sin of Adam and Eve disobeying God, (when in reality they had it so good and only had to follow one directive, to not eat of the fruit of the tree) and then later on the consequences of disobeying God and also the sin of one of their son's in the first of Chapter 4, Cain who murdered his brother Abel.

All of us must accept the fact, and we see it early on here, God has expectations and there are consequences for not doing what God tells us we need to do. God isn't a God who like many parents, warns us over and over again, ultimately in some cases without consequences. When we see children live a life of not facing consequences for their inappropriate actions, we see much of what we see in society today, people who think the world owes them everything, while at the same time, acting like spoiled brats. We need to also understand, what few rules God has are not rules to keep us from the joys of life, but are guidelines that helps us enjoy the goodness of God and the very purpose of our creation, to have relationship with God.

Many think that one of the major punishments from God is the requirement of labor. Some draw that conclusion from part of what we see in regards to the consequences of violating God's one rule. Yet, would that be a punishment if God himself is a worker, after all, he created, worked for 6 days in the creation of the universe prior to taking a day off to reflect on that creation. Labor, work, is not a sin, it is not a punishment. It is something we can, and should take pride in and find joy in. Unfortunately many don't seek out the very things that God would have them do and get stuck in a rut, but that rut, is also a place, that if we search, while doing the things that God desires of us, can be a place to find joy and purpose. It all depends in a way on how we see our work.

In this country, and I challenge, in every country, there are those who work and make life easier for the rest of us, whether on an assembly line making product we use every day or working jobs that while considered blue collar are really works of service for others, things that make life easier for all of us, whether a fireman or police officer serving their communities to keep them safe, or a garbage man or woman keeping our streets clean. Every job in many ways provides a service. Of course there are those jobs that provide a service that is outside of the desire of God for us and that is a whole other devotion, I would say, remember the first part about there are consequences for violating God's directives and instructions.

I like to address things that others don't address when I study Scripture, the end of Chapter 4 is one such area. We read about the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, meeting people, getting married, and the start of the formation of cities. I won't make something up that I don't know, here is my truth, I don't know where those people come from. I'm not going to pretend I do. I will say, in the overall scheme of things, it doesn't change for me who God is, and the basics of what I get out of chapters 3 and 4.

What about you as you study this passage, what else do you get out of it? I'm curious to know.

Here is a direct link to Genesis Chapters 3, and 4 from the CEV Bible.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%2C+4&version=CEV

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Friday, September 4, 2020

Daily Devotional, Genesis 1 - 2

Daily Devotion:

Today I am starting something different, I am starting at Genesis, the first book in the Bible and am going through a few chapters at a time to give my thoughts and point out a particular passage that speaks to me. You are invited to go along with this journey.

Genesis 1, 2

The first thing that jumps out to me in the passage for today is that God is the creator. A lot of people often give credit to Satan for the things he has created but it is clear that in the early parts of Genesis, that it is God who is the creator, of course that does not negate the fact that Satan can pervert and misuse God's creation, but we need to remember, the power of creation belongs to God. The epitome, the best of all of God's creation is humanity, the creation of man and women. Of course when looking at the world today one has to wonder what has happened to us as humans that were created in "the image of God?"

Another thing that sticks out to me, a concept often misunderstood is the concept that God rested on the 7th day. I find it a lack of theological thinking that thinks that the word rest means to take it easy. God didn't need rest, God is God. A more appropriate interpretation of the word rest is to reflect. God reflected on his creation and saw it as good. Later on, on down the road we will go over the 10 commandments of which, one is to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. I think many people take that day as a literal day, I don't think that is the case, of course I could go into a lot of discussion about the difference between "The Lord's Day," and "The Sabbath." I think our Sabbath, our day of rest is a day we take to reflect on what God has done for us and this world. It may be hard at times but a time to reflect and focus on God and His work in our lives and in our world is an important concept we should all observe.

I also think about in this passage the goodness of God and the indication that He clearly shows that even though Adam walked with God, he was still lonely, so he created Him a companion a partner, named Eve. I think here of my own journey of being alone and people often saying things like, "It's okay, God is with you." While they say that, God clearly shows that He recognizes the need of human companionship. He realizes this even though He is God. Yet, so often we often take light the need of human companionship and take light the requests of others for companionship, not necessarily a lover, but, someone to spend time with and be with.

The following is a link to this passage. Tell me, what do you get out of it?

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%2C+2&version=CEV

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Saturday, July 6, 2019

An End Of Life Dream Date With Jeff Lynne's ELO

The link to the article on my other page is as follows: https://mikefurchesreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/an-end-of-life-dream-date-with-jeff.html

Click on the link to check it out, it is well worth it.

Just For You

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