Impatient Decision

Passage: Genesis 16:1-4, 15-16.

Points
1. Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no child and had an Egyptian servant, Hagar.
2. Sarai told Abram to have relations with her servant Hagar, because she said God had prevented her from having children.
3. After Hagar had a child, Ismael, Sarai looked at her with contempt.

Personalize
God had made a promise to Abram that he would be the father of a great nation. Now after 10 years the promise has not been fulfilled and Sarai was barren. In an attempt to force the issue, Sarai chose to give Abram her servant Hagar to have a relationship. This encounter would be a decision that Sarai and Abram would regret. Ten years were too long to wait for the promise so Sarai took matters into her own hands.

How often do we become impatient in waiting for the better things God has promised and instead we launch out on our own to make something happen and to “force God’s hand”? Like Sarai we make our plans to take hold of the promise but we find ourselves in a greater mess. God has promised us the better things in life but we often become impatient and settle for the lesser things.

Prayer
Lord give us the strength to hold on to the promises You have given us. Reveal Your plans and may we not become impatient and pursue the lesser things.

Promise Living

Passage: Genesis 12:1-5.

Points
1. Abraham was told to leave his family’s region and country and go to a land the Lord would show him.
2. The Lord told him: “I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”.
3. Abraham was seventy-five years old and did as the Lord asked. He took Sarai, Lot, and all their possessions with them.

Personalize:
From all nations and people, Abram was chosen to be the father of a new people who would be blessed so they could be a blessing to others. Abram’s linage would also begin the redemptive line that would ultimately lead to Jesus Christ. Literally all of the earth would be blessed through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

Abram, at the age of seventy five begins a journey from the familiar land of Haran. It was the land of his father, the land of his childhood, and the place he had gained wealth and a family. God has instructed him to leave all that he had known and to go to a foreign land that the Lord would show him. I have always been amazed at the faith it took for Abram to get up and leave all that was familiar and to move out to an unknown territory at the young age of seventy five based on a promise.

The redemptive story begins with the faithfulness of Abram. In Hebrews 11: 8-10 we read: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God”. Abram (Abraham) places his faith not in a tangible city but on the promise of a city to come. He solely ventured out and lived in tents because of God’s promise of a coming city. He had no offspring at this time and he and his wife were beyond child bearing age, yet he believed what God said.

In Romans we read: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Our faith is not based on our abilities or our circumstances but our faith is solely based in the word of God. God says it, we believe it. Often we hesitate to move forward because the conditions are not favorable or our abilities are limited. Abram demonstrates a faith that is ready to move in spite of life situations or circumstances. The power of faith is found in the person who is totally yielded to the call of Christ in his or her life and lives according to His promises.

Prayer
Lord may we be found faithful when we have received the call to follow you. We place our faith in Your word and promises. We set out to new opportunities as we follow Your lead.

Scattered to Glorify

Passage: Genesis 11:1-9

Points
1. The whole earth had one language and they settled in the land of Shinar.
2. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
3. The Lord saw their intentions thus He gave them a variety of languages and dispersed them throughout the earth, thus the city was known as Babel.

Personalize
After the flood God began to rebuild the nations with the descendants of Noah. In Genesis 9:1, God instructed mankind, through Noah, to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” And again in 9:7 he told them to “Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” God’s message was clear: scatter and multiply. The people of Shinar were focused on the opposite. They planned to prevent the immigration of their people so they gathered in order to make a name for themselves. They had no interest in moving throughout the earth and making a name for God.

In Opening Up Genesis, Kurt Strassner writes.

“Here also is a reminder that God knows and cares for the nations and peoples of this earth by name; a foreshadowing of God’s promise to one day gather people from every tongue, tribe, people, and nation into his kingdom through Jesus. He spread them out so that he might bring them back in. That is what Acts 17:26–27 says: “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God.”

The gospel message is not to be kept to ourselves so we will “make a name for ourselves”. The gospel is the good news for all people and nations. Like those in Shinar, we love to gather for self preservation and glorification. It is comfortable among people “like us”. Our focus is not on taking the gospel to all nations but on enjoying the benefits of the gospel for ourselves and our own. Abraham would later be called to be “a blessing to the world” and not just to his own. Our goal is to bring glory to God among the nations. Let us step out and scatter, not gather.

Prayer
Scatter us among the nations so You will be made known and glorified in all the earth.

Sign of a Promise

Passage: Genesis 9:8-17

Points
1. God made a covenant with Noah, his sons and all living creatures not to flood the earth again.
2. The Lord set a bow in the clouds to signify his covenant.
3. When the bow is seen in the clouds it will be a reminder of the covenant or agreement between God and all of creation.

Personalize

In the ESV commentary it reads:

“A covenant formally binds two parties together in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the commitment.”

. These commitments are often visualized in signs.

Signs are a way of sealing the covenant made between God and man. Every time the sign is seen it will be a reminder of the agreement and commitment between the two parties. Signs are outward and physical expressions of an inward commitment. Covenant signs have been seen in different areas of scripture.

In Genesis the rainbow became a sign between God, Noah, and creation. It revealed God’s commitment to never flood the earth again (Genesis 9:17). The next covenant we see is with Abraham. God makes a commitment to make Abraham a great nation and circumcision becomes the sign of his commitment (Genesis 17:11). When calling Moses, God gave a sign of his presence. Pharaoh would know Moses was from God because God’s power would be made evident (Exodus 3:12). These and other signs were given to reveal God’s commitment to his people.

As children of God we too have been given signs of our new life in Christ. We don’t believe because of the signs but we are reminded of what we have been promised and given through Jesus Christ. In the book of John 20:30-31 we read:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”.

The power of Christ revealed His character and purpose. Other signs revealed from the life of Christ are the 1) cross, the sign of forgiveness and 2) the empty tomb, the sign of victory and life. We rest in the confidence of His promises and the deliverance we have received through Christ as revealed in the signs of our faith.

Prayer
Lord we rejoice in the promises You have set before us. As we look to the cross and the empty tomb we are reminded of how much you love us and how much we have been forgiven.

Force to Break Free

Passage: Genesis 6:5-22

1. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great and every intention of his heart was continually evil.
2. The Lord was grieved by the sinful condition of mankind so He decided to destroy all of creation, but Noah found favor in God’s eyes.
3. God instructed that he would form a covenant between Noah and himself and Noah would build an ark of refuge. Noah did all God commanded him.

Personalize
The condition of man did not improve after the fall of Adam and Eve. The condition only worsened. When left to human endeavors the natural tendency is to spiral down. Gravity only pulls one way and that is downward. The effects of sin on humanity is separation from God and his righteousness. This downward spiral can not be changed until there is a break from the orbit of sinful tendencies. God is the only one who can break this cycle.

“In physics, escape velocity is the speed at which the kinetic energy plus the gravitational potential energy of an object is zero.[nb 1] It is the speed needed to “break free” from a gravitational field without further propulsion” (Wikipedia)

The evil tendency of man reached it’s lowest point and God was sorry he created mankind. God’s mercy kicked in and would propel humanity from its “downward spiral orbit”. It was the force that would make it possible for mankind to “break free” from it’s destructive path. The mercy of God was revealed when he made a covenant with Noah. The covenant provided all of creation a second chance to “break free” and to be rescued.

Prayer
Lord we thank you for Your grace and mercy. As revealed in the ark and completed in the cross, You have made a way for us to “break free”. In the cross we cling.

A Selfish Offering

Passage: Genesis 4:1-16

1. Abel cared for the flock and brought to the Lord a better offering, the first born of the flock.
2. Cain was a farmer and brought from the fruit of the ground.
3. Because God regarded Abel’s offering above Cain’s offering, Cain became angry and killed Abel. Cain was then cursed from the ground and it would not yield a harvest for him.

Personalize
The thought comes to mind, “Does God consider cattlemen over farmers and meat over vegetables?”. This is the wrong question. The question should be, “What was the condition of their heart and their motives?”. The answer is found in the heart condition of the one giving the offering. Abel revealed his full commitment to the Lord by giving Him the first born of the flock. The first was the ultimate gift and the sign of full ownership. The Lord owned it all and Abel gave the first to the Lord. On the other hand Cain reveals his heart condition and motive for his giving by how he responds to the Lord.

Cain becomes angry that Abel’s offering was considered above his own. This anger surfaced and led to the murder of his brother Abel. The anger reveals the motive behind his gift. It was not to glorify or honor the Lord. His gift was given to exalt himself and to receive personal honor and recognition. His offering was selfishly given which is revealed in his uncontrollable anger. Cain’s action led to the worst consequence. The ground that he tilled and planted would no longer yield to him. The one thing he trusted to give him value was now cursed.

In a recent blog, Seth Godin writes:

“More often than not, the selfish person is insecure, fearful and filled with doubt. The selfishness springs from his belief that this is his only good idea, his last dollar, his one and only chance to avoid failure. “I need this, not you,” he says, because he truly believes he’s got nothing else going on, no other chance, no hope.
The irony, of course, is that selflessness (not selfishness, its opposite) is precisely the posture that leads to more success. The person with the confidence to support others and to share is repaid by getting more in return than his selfish counterpart.”

Link: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/02/the-sad-irony-of-selfishness.html

Prayer
Lord may our motives of service be one of service and love for you and others. May we not seek personal gain in our offerings but may we honor and glorify you.

Sin of Passivity

Passage: Genesis 3:1-7

Point
1. The craftiness of the serpent was demonstrated in his distortion of God’s command.
2. The woman saw that the fruit was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and it would make her wise so she ate the fruit.
3. The man stood by in silence while he watched the woman be tempted and eat of the fruit God commanded not to eat.

Personalize
Recently I have been part of our weekly Men’s Fraternity gathering. It has given me new insights into the nature and condition of men. This past week we studied about the fall of man. What is made clear is that the real sin was the passivity of Adam. Adam was given the command by God. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”. (Genesis 2:16-17). He was entrusted with the responsibility to obey this command and to instruct Eve as well on what God desired.

Adam had transferred God’s word to Eve and she was well aware of God’s command and the consequences. While being tempted Adam stood by and watched. He watched while the serpent slimed his way in closer to Eve. He listened on while the serpent distorted God’s word and command. Adam spoke no warning and took no action to prevent Eve from disobeying God. The real sin in Genesis was the passivity of Adam. He was given the charge to protect and provide but he stood idly by while the servant persuaded Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Some would call this the sin of omission. He knew what he should do but he did nothing.

We are all guilty of the sin of passivity. In scripture we read: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17). Adam knew Eve was in danger but he did nothing. In the same way we sit idly by in our homes, community and nation and do nothing to sound the warning or to protect those God has given us the responsibility to protect. The image of a father is one who comes home, sits in his easy chair and disengages from others around him. The passivity of man is a common place. The man, the father sits idly by while his wife struggles to keep it together, his children loose their moral footing and his community follows a path of ungodly wisdom. God has called men to protect and to provide. This will only take place when men step up and get involved in the lives of their families,friends, and others.

Prayer
Lord may we not be found sitting by and living a life of passivity. Through Your Holy Spirit, empower us to get involved and to make a difference in our families and in the lives of others.

A Relational Image

Passage: Genesis 1:1-31

Point
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth which was formless and void.
2. God created: light, water, land, vegetation, stars, fish of sea, birds of the air, and living creatures. All the creatures were created after their own kind.
3. God uniquely created man: male and female after His own image. Man was told to “be fruitful and multiply” and to have dominion over the created world and creatures.

Personalize
I am going to begin looking at the key events of scripture in my devotional blog. It is my desire to look again at the redemptive plan of God to bring men and women back to Himself and to reveal God’s purposes. It is a redemptive story that stretches over thousands of years and many are impacted by God’s movement in history.

Genesis opens up with “in the beginning” (Bereshith, Hebrew title of the book). It points out that God is the creator and sustainer of all things we see and experience on earth. He alone is attributed with the creation of all things. The Genesis account reveals that God has placed order in creation from the light, plants, living creatures and to man himself. In this order we see a hierarchical structure of creation with man given responsibility over all of creation.

Unlike all the other creatures, man is the only one of God’s creation created after His own image. All the other creatures were created “after their own kind”. They did not evolve from another kind but came from their own kind. Creatures produced off spring in their own likeness. Men and women are the only ones who came from God’s image.

The image of God in us is the ability to relate. God, Himself is a relational God. We know God as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew name for God in Genesis is “Elohim”, which is plural. We read: “let us” make man in our own image. Our ability to relate to creation, humanity, and God comes from the image of God planted in us. We relate to God as our creator, sustainer, and Lord. We relate to humanity as equal and companion. We relate to all other living things as an overseer and caretaker. It is all about a relationship solely given to men and women by God. When we are at our best our relationships are meaningful and fulfilling.

Prayer
Lord, our Creator, it is great to know we are uniquely and “wonderfully made”. May we live up to the image you have entrusted to us as we place you above all else and provide care and direction to the world around us. May we be found faithful to the relational image you have given us.

Boast in Christ Alone

Passage: Galatians 6:11-18

Points
1. Some wanted to look good to others and in the flesh by demanding circumcision, so they would not be persecuted for Christ’s sake.
2. Those who demanded circumcision did not keep the law but they were able to boast in those they persuaded to accept the practice of circumcision.
3. Paul reveals that he chooses to boast in nothing but the cross of Christ because neither circumcision nor non-circumcision count for anything compared to the new creation through Christ.

Personalize
Paul closes Galatians with the same theme he began his letter. The gospel is good news because of the cross of Christ alone. The demand to accept the practice of circumcision would not make a difference in the life of an individual but only the cross of Christ would transform individuals into new creations.

The system of Paul’s day was guided by the demands of the law. Circumcision was the physical and tangible evidence that there was a change in the person. The individuals who accepted this practice and demanded others to do the same did not keep the other parts of the law. They boasted in more circumcised converts but did not live what they preached. There demands were not backed up by their own commitments.

It is easy to focus our church and religious efforts on outward signs and evidences. In the Baptist circle we call it the three B’s: buildings, baptisms, and budgets. Like the law demanders of Paul’s day, we boast in the tangible results of our ministry. If we possess a beautiful building, people are going into the baptistry and our giving is up we feel great. We begin to boast in these rather than the cross of Christ. Our focus must remain on Christ and His redemptive work and not the physical signs of his transforming power.

Prayer
Lord give us eyes to see what is most important. May we not boast in the results but may we only boast in the cross of Christ and His redemptive work. Transform our agendas and efforts to conform to yours and may we point others to you and the difference the gospel will make in their lives. We choose to boast in Christ alone!

Sow = Reap

Passage: Galatians 6:6-10

Points:
1. Whatever you sow, you will reap. If you sow the flesh you will reap corruption. If you sow the Spirit, you will reap eternal life.
2. Do not grow weary in doing good because in due season you will reap, if you do not give up.
3. Every opportunity you have you should do good to everyone, especially those in the faith.

Personalize:

There is a natural and spiritual order to life. What we sow we will reap. This is true in agriculture, business, relationships, and in our spiritual lives. If you sow a corn seed you will not get a bean plant, you will end up with a corn plant and harvest. What we sow in life we will reap in this life and the life to come. As many would say: “what goes around comes around”.

“Our present time is seed-time: in the other world there will be a great harvest; and, as the husbandman reaps in the harvest according as he sows in the seedness, so we shall reap then as we sow now. (Matthew Henry Commentary)”

Another principle is you will always get more than you sowed. One seed will result in a plant that will yield many other seeds. It is amazing that when you plant one small seed it will result in a plant that will produce many other seeds. When we sow good things more good will come in return. If we sow seeds of evil it will multiply and the consequences will multiply. When we sow seeds of the flesh we will reap corruption that affects us, our family, and others around us. “Sin will take us further than we want to go and hold us longer than we want to stay.”

We have an opportunity to sow good seeds into the lives of others. We can sow seeds of encouragement, care, insights, wisdom, and concern. Paul instructs us “not to grow weary in well doing because in due season we will reap a harvest”. It is easy to become cynical in today’s environment, but in the midst of a negative and careless society we can sow seeds of goodness to others around us. If we persevere, it is promised we will reap a good harvest, if we do not give up.

Prayer
Lord give us a vision of the harvest so we will not give up on sowing good seeds into the lives of others.