Isn’t it funny when you overhear a conversation? Whether you’re supposed to hear it or they wanted you to hear it or they didn’t care if you heard it… It’s like being on the train and any conversation you have you have to realize other people hear… maybe we should talk about forgiveness more than griping, just a thought…

Well, the phrase I heard was: “I don’t know them from Adam.” Hmmm…. Agreed. We don’t know most people, or how they got from Adam or much about them. True. But in overhearing that statement, whether the person wanted me to hear it or not, they obviously didn’t know me from Adam either and how I would interpret any conversation from them. And for me, I write, I process, I read a room, I interpret. (And often we need to forgive even before we hear.)

One can say “l don’t know you from Adam”, but I’d have to respond with saying: “But you do know Adam, RIGHT?” … YEAH, If you knew Adam, you would know attributes of each person. It’s humans being broken, people having confusion, sometimes having moments of preservation sometimes warranted, sometimes greed, and people who hide their insecurities and wrongs. Knowing Adam means that we should know that people can be influenced by evil influences and lose track of how much God loves them. And you would feel God’s pain at the lack of peace. Surely we know God is Peace and He wants to be known.

If you knew Adam, you would also know that he would know the brokenness in families and culture, especially with Adam being father to Cain and Abel, one family filled with jealousy and seemingly got to the breaking point. Adam would see one rule follower and one who didn’t obey or didn’t understand the sacrifices necessary. One would likely feel compassion for the complications Adam lived with, especially banished from the garden of provisions, now having to toil harder.

That’s how we can look at people. And know without knowing. 

That’s how we can have compassion, sometimes tough love, and sometimes just walking away. Forgiveness is key.

And how about that second Adam? Do you know the second Adam? Not the replacement model but the Restoration Role? We know the second Adam as Jesus. Recovery, Restoration, Really Ready, Real, Righteous, Redeemer. REACHING TEACHING LOVING. Jesus came to do all these things and He also came SO we would know Him and His servanthood, and know the path TO the Father is through Him. Jesus came and God wanted Him to be known as the Savior, the Sacrifice, and gift of the Spirit of God into each of us from before the world was formed. 

We do know Adam and THANK GOD, we DO know Jesus. It’s important to know people are people. We have to be careful and at the same time, WE HAVE TO LOVE. We have to often steer clear and we have to sacrifice and walk into situations. Serving the Lord means sticky situations with humans like Adam, but clean consciousness of working with them in Living Water washed hopes.

At any rate, make sure we introduce the Jesus we know to the Adam’s we know…  INCLUDING OURSELVES. Because certainly we do know Adam and have met him endless times. AND Prayerfully we do know Jesus and how to apply Jesus to a situation. Remember, Jesus already saved, God already won, so we are finishing out our time on earth here, picking up His process to peace, until Jesus comes again.

Amen and Peace 

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Isaiah knew these folks of darkness, all from the separation doing of the devil: ch8:20-22

Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”

Isaiah knew of the HOPE: ch9:6-7

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called:

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.