Category Archives: Genesis

Practice…Power and purpose

Posted on February 11, 2018 | Leave a comment

Genesis 1 Cliff Notes – God spoke and…
1. Light was purposely separated from dark.
2. Sky was purposely separated from water
3. Water was purposely separated from land
4. Vegetation and fruit grew with the purpose of producing seed.
5. Stars and Planets purposely lit the skies
6. Life purposely appeared in water and on earth
7. We purposely became his reflection

That’s power! My cliff notes make it clear God did not waste HIS words. When he spoke it was both purposeful and creative! We are God’s reflection and we are the singular part of his creation that has been given the given the ability to speak. Our words are a gift from him. Words have power…and purpose. Author Gary Chapman wrote this; “There are two ways to speak the truth: as bullets or as seeds. Use the truth as a bullet, and you will kill relationships. Plant the truth as a seed, and it will take root and grow, influencing the person in whose heart it was planted.” [p164 of Love as a Way of Life].

“…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34b.

It’s very easy to shoot your mouth off and believe it just accidentally slipped out isn’t it?  I’m absolutely certain I’m not the only one who’s had to repent of that. Here’s what I’ve come to believe; that’s not an accident at all,   It’s God not wasting OUR words or our heart!   His Word still has the Power of his purpose to change an empty heart into an abundant one filled with the missing pieces needed to be his reflection.  That’s something to talk about!

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Posted in Genesis, Matthew, Practice

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The Days After Freedom

Posted on July 5, 2017 | Leave a comment

So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. (Gen. 37:23–25 NKJV)

“His eyes were wide with fear. His voice was hoarse from screaming. It wasn’t that his brothers didn’t hear him.”

I post on Sundays and then on Wednesdays and by early Tuesday morning, July 4, 2017, I was still looking for some fresh Biblical take on “freedom.” I’d been stumped by my “idea” until I read that quote from You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado. Joseph’s story became a real story of freedom for me.

When I read that quote I could imagine how Joseph felt lying there in that pit with not a clue that he might one day look at this as his day of freedom. The freedom from that pit began with his brother’s betrayal and led to him being enslaved, trapped and imprisoned. It was those days after freedom that God used to really free Joseph. They taught him that freedom is more than “being freed.” Freedom is focus on being “free” despite circumstances.

The Biblical record of those days after freedom has given us the benefit of hindsight of that truth. Joseph was 17 when his brothers freed him from the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites who sold him to Potiphar who put him in prison. He was in his 30s when he was freed from prison by Pharaoh and set “over all the land of Egypt.”

All those years later Joseph spoke these words of true freedom to those same brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen. Joseph was 110 when he died, a truly free man.

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Posted in Genesis, Wednesday

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Happy New Year – The First Day

Posted on January 1, 2017 | Leave a comment

Genesis 1:1 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. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

This first day of 2017 reminded me of that long-ago first day in Genesis when out of “the empty darkness” God created the dependable cycle of days and nights we still live by.

The first light of this first day is dependable evidence of the bottom line of what God created so long ago; an essential difference between yesterday and today.  That cycle held the promise of brand new days that could separate what was from what could be.

“In the beginning God…said…“Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good…and there was morning—the first day.”…the first day of a year of brand new days, 2017.

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Posted in Genesis, Sunday

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Likeness

Posted on November 30, 2016 | Leave a comment

branchribbons
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26

“Let us…our image, in our likeness;” are phrases of the reality of Christ’s presence, not just at our Christmas or Advent celebrations but at the beginning of all life. He was there when the stage was set for mankind: water, light, sky, vegetation, stars, living creatures…and finally…Adam. He saw firsthand what a new creation looked like and it was good.

It was a perfect preparation for that future day when he would open his eyes in a very different place, a cradle, and a new beginning. Even though people might not recognize him, he would still see the likeness of their creator in them and in that image they bore the possibility of a new beginning…and it was good.

Those images we see of that divine baby during Advent remind us we are image bearers of our creator but that likeness always starts with a new beginning. While our eyes are focused on him, he sees that likeness in us and that is good!

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Posted in Advent, Genesis, Wednesday

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Seeds of Forever

Posted on January 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

Genesis 19:15With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” 16When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

My Thoughts:
This brings to mind, “once saved, always saved.” Right now Lot seems like the most stupid of men doesn’t he? What makes him hesitate? Is it the need to act immediately without time to reason and prepare or maybe some kind of disbelief; in the message, in the timing, in God? Any one of those options lead to the same conclusion. He’s not Godless but doesn’t seem all that Godly either! Lot is unsure of who he’s to follow, himself or God.

However God is not unsure about Lot. It’s hard to fathom why, but God has committed himself to Lot and He will not hesitate to act to save him and his family. And therein lie the Seeds of Forever. We think we have chosen God but remember he first loved us. We think we have committed ourselves fully but our choices are limited by “the truth we now have.”

Here’s the good news. God’s heart and your salvation are not limited by “the truth YOU now have.” When your heart spoke those words of commitment, God chose to accept the Christ in you…and your words, without reservation. He’s sure about that. His intention is for your forever even if you hesitate and he has to grasp your hand and lead you to safety.

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Posted in Daily Faith, Genesis, Sunday

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Divine Reading

Posted on January 13, 2016 | Leave a comment

It was just a few years ago that I first heard of Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”). It’s not a theological analysis of biblical passages but choosing to read and ponder your personal relationship with God through his Living Word.

Genesis 2:15 “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.”

God took a risk when He gave Adam the possibility of choosing not to obey rather than physically preventing him from eating. Think about the trust involved in giving that freedom to Adam…and to us!  That’s prime Divine Reading [and pondering].

For God to be willing to risk letting his creation make a wrong choice seems like the ultimate submission on his part. The omnipotent God staking His reputation on “our” choices because “He first loved…” is pretty amazing when you think of it.  He did have a plan but sometimes I just wish he’d done it the other way.

Lord, give me this day the courage to make you proud.

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Posted in Divine Reading, Genesis, Prayer, Wednesday

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Limitless Then…

Posted on January 3, 2016 | Leave a comment

Back in Genesis God tells Abram in Chapter 17 “Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!…”

The definition of a covenant is “a solemn, and binding agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.”  Maybe a covenant is not a static, one-step, New Year’s resolution kind of thing but more like a cycle renewed each year?  That concept makes sense to me.

That first step across the line from unbeliever to believer is only one step, but a momentous one, all  based on the awareness of “if’s.”    That’s when the cycle of “then’s” begins.   It’s the beginning of God’s personal covenant with you: his promise he will move the “if’s” to “then’s.”
If…God, Then awareness…
If…awareness, Then the Holy Spirit…
If the Holy Spirit…Then truth…
If truth…Then grace…
If grace…Then forgiveness…
If forgiveness…Then mercy…
If mercy…Then love – 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us…
If love…continuous renewal and Limitless Then…

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Posted in 1 John, Blessing, Genesis, New Year, The Real You

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All About Light 12/5/15

Posted on December 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

vertical light stringGenesis 1:3
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness…14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,

Matthew 2:9
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was…they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

I John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, [cleanses] purifies us from all sin.”

God saw right from the beginning in Genesis that light made our world as different as night and day and he filled the night with lights.  If you’ve ever stood outside looking up at the stars in the clear night sky you see the wisdom of what God was thinking.  Those stars have attracted our attention and marked many days and years.

That’s got to be why He used one of them to mark a sacred time that would make our world as different as night and day for a second time…the birth of Jesus.  Light has been a part of Christmas right from that long-ago time as that special star led the wise men to the cradle.  I think God is still using light to catch our attention this Advent.

Lights are a beautiful addition to Christmas. They fill public spaces and our homes.  Our first impulse, at this time of year, when darkness comes early and stays late is to plug in the Christmas lights first thing in the  evening and again in the morning.  It’s our attempt to replace that darkness and fill our space with beauty. That desire could be one way God uses our Christmas lights to remind us of another Light coming into the darkness.  I know one thing for certain: the house is noticeably empty looking when those signs of Christmas are packed away for another year.

We learned a chorus a long time ago that was almost a verbatim quote of  I John 1:7.  It was written by Mark Yasuhara of the Hawaiians, who believed adding music to Scripture was a perfect way for people to memorize it.  He was right.  The music is still in my head for John’s words as I read them this year.   We walk in the light of the Scripture following its signs to the cradle to give our gifts.  It’s a cradle that’s All About Light:  a Light that promises we don’t have to settle for darkness even when Advent is over and our beautiful Christmas lights are gone.

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Posted in 1 John, Advent, Birth of Jesus, Christmas Bread, Daily Faith, Genesis, Matthew

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Great is Thy Faithfulness

Posted on June 26, 2015 | Leave a comment
Genesis 45;17-28
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’ 19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’” 21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in  land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

 Of Interest:
26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.

My Thoughts:
Reading this part of Joseph’s story will have to stand on it’s own today because a really weird thing happened as I was working on this post.  I was copying and pasting scripture from Biblegateway into my iPad Chapters app.  All of a sudden after clicking somewhere in that app the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness began to play.  I tapped everywhere to figure out how it was being controlled and actually had to leave the writing app and go to the music app icon on my iPad desktop.  I saw that it was playing but not from my iPad.  It was still in the Cloud [maybe that’s a hint?]…BUT it was playing.  I honestly haven’t a clue about it so I’m taking it as a sign from God.

I’m certain many of the characters I’ve been reading about were humming along with the hymn because they understood that God’s faithfulness was great.   I know that too, but this song mysteriously playing was an astounding reminder meant for me…today.  Doing devotions daily can easily become habit instead of heart.  Just this morning lying in bed I told The Lord I realized that I’d gone off on another devotional tangent and needed to re-charge my time in a new way today.  My heart and my eyes are both really full right now.  What  and amazing way He chose to catch my attention.  WAY TO GO GOD!  GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!!!

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Posted in Genesis, OT Snippet Slog

Run!

Posted on June 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

Genesis 39:6-18
6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.  Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”  8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. 11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants.“Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”  16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

Of Interest:
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. 

My Thoughts:
Those three words “But he refused” make me very proud of Joseph’s response to temptation.   Don’t be fooled by how easy those three words make it sound.  There’s no “just do it” lecture here.  Temptation is being trapped “between a rock and a hard place,” a nasty situation.  Joseph recognized the trap and he was smart enough to run.

The longer temptation goes on the tougher it gets, until you’re in its vise-like grip.  Don’t let temptation fool you into believing that you can keep the situation under control. That’s the very thing James warns us about in 1:14. “Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes.”  Don’t trust your own strength and resolve, sometimes you just have to tear yourself away and run!  There may be circumstances in your life that bring to mind rocks and hard places.  I’ve got good news for you.   You can run from that hard place and “Go to the Rock of our Salvation.”  That’s a BIG difference and that’s worth running to! 

Lyrics of the Chorus from I Go to the Rock by Dottie Rambo
I go to the rock of my salvation
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me
When the earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter
When I need a friend I go to the rock

 

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Posted in Genesis, OT Snippet Slog