Category: Genesis Devotions

Father, do you ever weep?

Post author By Bruce
Post date September 17, 2024
No Comments on Father, do you ever weep?

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”

So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’

Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”

Joseph wept when their message came to him. (Genesis 50:15-17)

Father, do you ever weep?

Do you ever weep when we hold on to guilt in our lives, even after you’ve forgiven us?

Do you ever weep when you see us holding back from you in fear, thinking you still want to punish us?

Do you ever weep when we act as fearful slaves though you call us your beloved children?

Help us to see you as the Father you really are and draw near.

Tags forgiveness, guilt

Genesis Devotions

Remembering whose we are

Joseph said to the people, “Understand today that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh.” (Genesis 47:23)

“You have saved our lives,’ they said. ‘We have found favor with our lord and will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” (Genesis 47:25)

Whenever I read those words, I can’t help but think of what Jesus did for us.

Like the Egyptians, we were dying, and Jesus purchased us for himself and his Father, saving our lives. (Revelation 5:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Whenever the Egyptians gave the fifth of their harvest to Pharaoh, it was a time to reflect on Pharaoh’s goodness to them.

In the same way, whenever we give our tithes and offerings to God, it’s a time for us to remember his goodness to us.

But the awesome thing is that Jesus didn’t purchase us to become God’s slaves, but to become God’s children.

As Paul wrote,

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ… (Romans 8:15-17)

So with joy each day, let’s remember whose we are and honor him with our lives. As Paul also wrote,

You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Tags Joseph, redemption

Genesis Devotions

“Come near me.”

[Joseph’s brothers] could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me.” (Genesis 45:3-4)

Imagine being in Joseph’s brothers’ shoes.

One moment, they’re talking to this powerful Egyptian ruler through an interpreter. (Genesis 42:23)

The next thing they know, the interpreter and everyone else is sent out of the room.

Then this Egyptian ruler starts speaking to them in Hebrew. And not only does he speak to them in Hebrew, he says, “I am Joseph.”

Now they’re terrified. This is the brother they had sold as a slave all those years before. They were well aware of their guilt and how deserving they were of Joseph’s wrath.

But Joseph says to them, “Please…come near me.”

It’s the same with us and Jesus.

We stand before him with all our sins and failures laid bare, and we see just how deserving we are of God’s wrath.

But Jesus looks at us and says, “Please…come near me. God sent me ahead of you to save you with a great deliverance. The Father has made me Lord of all. (1 Corinthians 15:27)

And now you can draw near. You can dwell near me, walking with me moment to moment, day to day without fear.

I will sustain you through all the struggles and trials of your life.

Now go, tell your family and all those around you about my glory and all you have seen so that they may draw near me too.”

That is awesome to ponder. The Psalm I was praying today is so apropos.

Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!

Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his,—
his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;
his faithfulness, through all generations. (Psalm 100)

Tags forgiveness, grace, Joseph

Genesis Devotions

Repentance

Now please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave, in place of the boy.

Let him go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father without the boy?

I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father. (Genesis 44:33-34)

With those words, Judah showed how much he had changed.

He was the one who had once callously suggested selling Joseph as a slave. (Genesis 37:26-27)

And when he saw the grief his action had caused his father, he ran away. (Genesis 37:33-34; 38:1)

Now his running was at an end. And in the face of the grief he knew his father would feel at losing Benjamin, he offered himself to Joseph as a slave in Benjamin’s place.

Perhaps he thought, “It’s only fair. I once sold my brother as a slave. Now I will live as a slave so that Benjamin can go free. Perhaps by doing that I can atone for what I did to Joseph.”

Repentance is not simply feeling guilty for your sin.

Repentance is not simply regretting the harm you have done to people.

Repentance requires facing what you’ve done, and if you’ve hurt someone, doing what you can to make things right.

That’s what Judah did.

Or at least tried to do.

The truth is, nothing we do can truly atone for our sins. No good work we do can ever truly blot out the stain of our sin.

But the good news is that there is someone who can.

As Judah offered himself in Benjamin’s place, one of his descendants, Jesus, offered himself in our place.

The ironic thing is that Judah, the guilty one, offered himself for Benjamin, the innocent one, that Benjamin might return to their father Jacob.

But Jesus, the innocent one, offered himself for us, the guilty ones, that we might be brought back to God the Father.

As Peter put it,

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

Tags repentance

Genesis Devotions

Though I may face troubles in this world

Post author By Bruce
Post date September 4, 2024
No Comments on Though I may face troubles in this world

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (which means “forget”) and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.”

And the second son he named Ephraim (which means “fruitful”) and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51-52)

Jesus, you said that in this world I would see suffering, and I have. (John 16:33)

But as with Joseph, the day will come when all my troubles will be in the past and they will no longer be able to touch me. (Revelation 21:24)

Thank you that my present sufferings cannot compare with my future glory. (Romans 8:18)

Thank you that in the midst of my sufferings, when I don’t know how to pray, your Spirit prays for me. (Romans 8:26)

Thank you that you will work all things for the good of us who love you, whom you’ve called according to your purpose. (Romans 8:28)

That’s my hope. You are my hope.

So as I still remain in this land filled with trouble, I choose to trust you. Fulfill your purpose in me and make me fruitful. In your name I pray. Amen.

Tags bearing fruit, Joseph, troubles

Genesis Devotions

Holding on to faith in hard times

Post author By Bruce
Post date September 2, 2024
No Comments on Holding on to faith in hard times

I really wish sometimes that we could see what was going on in Joseph’s heart. We do see a hint of it in chapter 40, and a lot more of his heart in chapters 42-45.

But we have no idea what’s going on in Joseph’s heart in chapter 39.

Because of that, it’s easy to think, “Man, Joseph was such a godly man. No matter what he went through, he was so faithful to God. He never wavered.”

But today I was thinking, “Was it really so easy for him? In his first days as a slave in Egypt, did he ever struggle with bitterness towards his brothers? Did he ever ask God, ‘Why?’

“When he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and he was sitting in his cell, was he ever tempted to be bitter towards God. ‘I did things God’s way, and now look what happened.'”

My guess is yes. He wasn’t perfect. He was human.

But ultimately, he held on to his faith and remained faithful to God.

In that way, he mirrored David. The both experienced mistreatment by others (Psalm 62:3-4).

They both had reasons to be bitter towards others and to God.

But they both chose to keep trusting God. And in the end, God proved himself worthy of that trust.

I was reading Psalm 62 today, and I could just imagine Joseph singing to himself something similar to what David did.

Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.

My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.

Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:5-8)

Tags faith, faithfulness, Joseph, trials

Genesis Devotions

Finding God’s healing for your broken life

Post author By Bruce
Post date August 30, 2024
No Comments on Finding God’s healing for your broken life

At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah. (Genesis 38:1)

I have read that verse hundreds of times, but today, for the first time, I asked myself a question: “Why?”

Why did Judah leave his family? Why did he leave his responsibilities?

It can be argued that with his three older brothers Reuben, Simeon, and Levi fallen into disfavor with their father Jacob (Genesis 49:3-7), Jacob was counting on Judah to lead the family after he died.

But Judah left. Why?

I don’t know, but I’m guessing that his conscience was deeply bothering him for what he had done to Joseph. And perhaps seeing his mourning father every day was more than Judah could bear. (Genesis 37:26-28, 34-35)

And so he left.

He tried to start a new life.

But he couldn’t escape himself. He couldn’t escape his sinful heart.

And as he faced himself at the end of chapter 38, Judah didn’t like what he saw.

Not only was Joseph whom he had betrayed more righteous than he was, this Canaanite girl Tamar who didn’t even know God was more righteous than he was.

And perhaps at that point, he looked in the mirror and said, “Something has to change. I can’t keep living like this. I have to stop running.”

His first step? Taking responsibility for Tamar and their two sons.

And then somewhere along the line, it seems he returned home a different person.

You see that in his actions in chapters 43-44.

The change probably didn’t happen overnight. But it started with that single step, and he took it. And as God led him, day by day Judah kept taking those steps forward.

In doing so, he found healing in his broken life.

Joseph forgave him. (Genesis 45)

His father forgave him. (Genesis 49:8-12)

And of course, God forgave him.

What do you see in the mirror? Do you like what you see?

Change…and healing starts with a single step. What is God asking you to do?

Tags forgiveness, healing, Judah, Sin, Tamar

Genesis Devotions

When you’re sitting in the pit

Post author By Bruce
Post date August 29, 2024
No Comments on When you’re sitting in the pit

Today, along with reading Genesis 37, by chance, I was also praying Psalm 118.

And as I read it, it struck me that it could have been Joseph’s song as he looked back on the darkest time of his life. (To be clear, this psalm was actually written hundreds of years later.)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1)

I called to the Lord in distress;
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place,

The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?

The Lord is my helper;
therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me. (Psalm 118:5-7)

They pushed me hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation. (Psalm 118:13-14)

The interesting thing is that Joseph’s life mirrors Jesus’. And a prophesy about Jesus could also be said of Joseph who would later save his brothers who had rejected and betrayed him.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)

All this would have been easy to sing for Joseph looking back. But in that moment, first sitting in that pit, and then being sold into Egypt as a slave, it would have been hard for Joseph to sing any of that.

And yet somehow, he held on to his faith. He kept believing God was good and that his faithful love endures forever. And his actions reflect that throughout the next few chapters. The result? He learned what Paul did.

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

It’s easy to say, “God is good” and believe in his love when things are going well. But when we’re in that pit, can we still say that?

Can we sing with Joseph,

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.

Tags God's goodness, God's love, Joseph, trials

Genesis Devotions

Moving forward with God

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (2-3)

After the disastrous events in chapter 34, we see God’s grace immediately at work. Despite the horrendous things Jacob’s sons had done, God let Jacob know he was still with him and told him to go back to Bethel where he had first appeared to Jacob.

And so Jacob told his family to put away their foreign gods, purify themselves (certainly needed after what Simeon and Levi had done), change their clothes, and to go where God was leading them.

And there, God reaffirmed his promises to Jacob, again giving him the name, “Israel,” which either means “He struggles with God,” or “God fights.”

The latter meaning seems more appropriate here. Jacob was no longer fighting against God. Rather, he had submitted himself to God’s reign in his life. And now, God was fighting for him, protecting him and his family (5).

All this was encouraging to me. No matter how badly we may fall, God doesn’t give up on us. Rather, he calls us to keep moving forward with him.

How do we do that? We put our sins behind us, burying them as Jacob buried the idols, come to the cleansing blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7), and clothe ourselves once more with Jesus Christ and his righteousness (Romans 13:14).

And whenever Satan accuses us, always keep in mind that God is fighting for us. (Romans 8:31-34)

So let’s keep moving forward with God, walking each day in his grace.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, walking with God

Genesis Devotions

To obtain God’s blessing

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (26)

All his life, Jacob strove to get God’s blessing.

He conned his father and brother to try to obtain it. (Genesis 26-27)

He later tried to bargain with God in order to obtain it. (Genesis 28:20-22)

Now he tried to wrestle God for it.

But what he had failed to realize is that God simply wanted to give it to him.

All Jacob had to do was rest in God’s goodness and faithfulness to him. A goodness and faithfulness that God shows to all his children despite our unworthiness. (10)

How much joy would we know if we truly understood that truth?

No striving to receive God’s blessing. Just resting in it.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's blessing

Genesis Devotions

Praying for the broken

Yesterday, I was talking with my sister about one of our cousins.

Apparently, our cousin was telling my sister about what a terrible father our uncle was. That when she was born, my uncle wouldn’t come to the hospital because he had wanted a boy.

And he would actually tell her, “I wish you had been a boy.”

She has carried that hurt with her for over 50 years.

Reading today’s passage reminded me that broken people are nothing new. Leah was broken. Rachel was broken. Jacob was broken.

Yet God sees, hears, and remembers us. And he wants to bring healing.

He wants to break us out of our pain cycle and bring us into his peace cycle in which his truth and his love reigns in our hearts. Because that’s really the only way that healing can happen.

And so I’m praying for my cousin today. I’m praying that she would find God.

I’m praying that by his grace, he would take away the disgrace and pain of her past. And I’m praying that in him, she would find peace.

Who are the broken people God wants you to pray for?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, broken people, healing

Genesis Devotions

Getting the log out of our eyes

Post author By Bruce
Post date July 29, 2024
No Comments on Getting the log out of our eyes

When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:25)

I was just thinking this morning, “How much would Esau have laughed to hear those words coming out of Jacob’s mouth.”

Did Jacob himself later see the irony of what he had said?

But then I thought about myself.

I was thinking this past week about someone who really annoys me. And yet, do I ever do the same things that he does? And even if I don’t, what faults do I have that I’m blind too?

As I thought about that, Jesus’ words came to mind.

Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?

Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye?

Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)

So once again, I was praying, “Father, search me and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23，24)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, judgmentalism, logs in eyes]

Genesis Devotions

The One who’ll never abandon us

Post author By Bruce
Post date July 26, 2024
No Comments on The One who’ll never abandon us

Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)

Considering how badly Jacob had messed up, God’s promise to him was truly amazing.

But it did remind me that God says the same thing of us.

No matter how badly we may mess up, he never abandons us. He continues to be with us and watch over us.

His Spirit works in us daily to make us more like Jesus. And he will not leave us until he has done everything he has promised us, we are complete, and we see him face to face.

As Paul put it,

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

I don’t know about you, but that gives me hope.

Let’s walk each day in that hope.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's grace, Jacob

Genesis Devotions

Whose agenda?

As I read today’s passage, I wondered, “Whose agenda was Isaac following?”

Did he know what God had told Rebekah about Jacob and Esau? (Genesis 25:23)

Surely he knew that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob.

And yet he seemed determined to bless Esau over Jacob.

Whose agenda was Jacob following?

He might have argued, “Of course, I’m following God’s agenda. He promised that Esau would serve me.”

But I was thinking about King David.

He could have made the same argument. God had promised to make him king. And yet, though David twice had opportunities to kill Saul, he refused to do so.

Instead he waited on God and his timing.

I was praying through Psalm 25 today, and David’s words show his attitude.

Lord, I appeal to you. My God, I trust in you…
No one who waits for you will be disgraced;
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced. (Psalm 25:1, 3)

Because Jacob refused to wait for God and his timing and acted treacherously against his father and Esau, he was disgraced.

He had to run for his life and never saw his mother again. Esau eventually forgave him, but that was after years of heartache and fear.

And yet, there was grace for Jacob. David’s prayer could have been Jacob’s.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love,
remember me because of your goodness, Lord. (Psalm 25:7)

And that’s exactly what God would do for Jacob.

But all this made me think: Whose agenda am I following? My own? Or God’s?

And so I was praying David’s prayer this morning.

Make your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
I wait for you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

Tags agenda, Bible Original, Bible verse, God's plans

Genesis Devotions

In this world, not of it

…stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you…

From there (Isaac) went up to Beersheba.

And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father.

Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. (3, 23-25)

Father, I am living in this world, but I do not belong to it. I’m just residing here for a short time.

So don’t let me get too attached to the temporary things in this world.

Instead, let me desire you above all else, always pitching my tent wherever you are.

Tags aliens, Bible Original, Bible verse, Isaac

Genesis Devotions

Despising our birthright

“Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”

…So Esau despised his birthright.” (32, 34)

As Isaac’s firstborn son, Esau had a birthright. These included special privileges such as a double-portion of the inheritance and leadership in the family after Isaac died.

But most importantly, it included the covenant blessings promised to Abraham and Isaac, not the least of which was a relationship with God.

But in an instant, Esau lost that birthright. He lost it because he despised his birthright, and instead followed his “flesh.”

This past Sunday, I gave a message in church talking about the “flesh,” and defined it this way: the instincts, desires, and feelings within us that pull us away from God.

In this case, Esau followed his desire for food, and threw away his birthright as a result.

It made me wonder, how often do we as Christians despise our birthright as children of God in order to follow after our flesh?

We have so many blessings from that birthright, among them a new relationship with God, a new identity as his children, freedom from our past, and access to his grace and power.

Yet do we truly value these things? Or do we ever despise them to follow our flesh?

For example, part of our blessing as God’s children is a spiritual family.

But is that blessing so important to you that you prioritize church on Sunday?

Or do you take church lightly, skipping it whenever there’s something else you really want to do that day?

Or do we ever indulge in our sins, saying, “I’ll just ask God for forgiveness later,” taking lightly the price Jesus paid for us on the cross?

There are so many ways that we despise our spiritual birthright in order to follow our flesh.

I don’t want to be that way.

I want to go against the flow of my flesh and embrace my birthright as a child of God.

How about you?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, birthright, Esau, flesh

Genesis Devotions

The God who sees, the God who hears

Post author By Bruce
Post date June 28, 2024
No Comments on The God who sees, the God who hears

In Genesis 16, Hagar called God, “El Roi, ” meaning, “the God who sees me,” and she named the place where God met her, “Beer-lahai-roi”, meaning, “Well of the Living One who sees me.”

Years later, we now see Isaac returning from Beer-lahai-roi. His mother had died not long before, and his heart was apparently still aching and lonely. Some translations say in verse 63 that Isaac was taking a walk in the field, but the meaning of the word translated “taking a walk” is apparently a bit obscure in Hebrew. Other translations put it, “he was meditating” or “he was praying.”

Perhaps he was praying, “God do you really see me? Do you really know my hurt?”

God did.

God knows our hearts and hears even the silent prayers of our hearts, as Abraham’s servant found out. (45-48)

And by God’s grace, he met Isaac’s need. I love verse 67.

And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death.

A God who hears us. A God who sees us and our deepest needs.

That’s the kind of God we have.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, El Roi, The God who sees

Genesis Devotions

God will provide

Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me”…And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.” (12-14)

This story always touches me whenever I read it, but today I noticed something for the first time. I wonder if Paul was thinking about this passage when he wrote these words:

If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? (Romans 8:31-32)

Two thousand years ago on the hill called Calvary, God provided for our salvation, not sparing his own Son in order to do so.

How can I not trust that he’ll provide everything else that I need?

Father, you are Yahweh-yireh, the Lord who sees me, the Lord who provides. You proved that on Calvary. Help me to never forget that truth. Help me to never forget who you are.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God provides, Yahweh-Yireh

Genesis Devotions

The God who will make us laugh again

Post author By Bruce
Post date June 25, 2024
No Comments on The God who will make us laugh again

The Lord came to (or “visited“) Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age,at the appointed time God had told him…

Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:1-2, 6)

In this broken world, our lives can be painful.

It was for Sarah who for years longed to have a child but couldn’t.

But in his timing, God “visited” her and blessed her with a child, and she found laughter.

I’m thinking of two people right now. One who is broken by his sin. Another who is broken because of family issues. And so I’m praying for them.

“Father, as you visited Sarah, visit them. Bring them healing. And in your timing, make them laugh again.”

Who are the broken people in your life? Pray for them. And as you can, touch them with God’s love.

Maybe you’re the one who’s broken right now.

Don’t lose hope.

God still loves you. He forgives. He heals. And he always keeps his promises to us.

So keep following and waiting on him. In his timing, you will find laughter again.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, brokenness, laughter, Sarah

Genesis Devotions

Unintentional sins?

[Abimelech] said, “…I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience. I have also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I have not let you touch her.” (4-6)

It’s hard to fault Abimelech for taking Sarah as his wife. Abraham lied to him, after all.

But knowingly or not, he still sinned by taking Abraham’s wife, and it was only by God’s grace that he was kept from greater sin by actually sleeping with her.

It made me think of Paul’s words to the Corinthians.

For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:4)

We’re not always aware of our own sin. That’s why it’s good to sometimes pray David’s prayer in Psalm 19. Honestly, I really ought to do it more. In fact, I think I’ll do it today.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.

Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion. (Psalm 19:12-13)

Tags Abimelech, Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, unintentional sins

Genesis Devotions

Fearful words?

I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1)

I don’t know about you, but those words arrested my attention.

“I am God Almighty. Creator of all. Ruler of this universe.

“Live in my presence. Don’t stray from me, going your own way. Walk with me, moment to moment, day to day.

“Be blameless before me. Don’t simply indulge in your sin. As I am holy, you also be holy. Imitate me in everything. My character, my values, my heart.”

Think about those words for a minute.

Honestly speaking, for me, those words would be pretty overwhelming were it not for one thing:

He is our Father who loves us.

And just as he made a covenant with Abraham, he’s made a covenant with us.

Not a covenant based on our performance, but on what Jesus did for us on the cross.

And because of that, we can always come boldly before his throne even when we fall short, knowing that he will accept us. (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19)

So let’s walk with our God moment to moment, day to day, blameless before him. And when Satan would accuse us, let us cling to these truths:

For [God] chose us in [Jesus], before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:4-8)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, fear of God, grace, walking with God

Genesis Devotions

You are the God who sees me

Post author By Bruce
Post date June 18, 2024
No Comments on You are the God who sees me

To the outcast on her knees, you were the God who really sees. — Michael Card

Father, you are El Roi. You are “the God who sees me.”

You are Lahai Roi. You are “the Living One who sees me.”

But you are not a God that just observes me from afar.

You know my name.

You hear me and my cries of affliction.

And you are the One who searches me out and finds me.

Though the Lord is exalted,
he takes note of the humble…

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
Lord, your faithful love endures forever…” (Psalm 138:6, 8)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, El Roi, Hagar, Lahai Roi

Genesis Devotions

I am your shield

Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield… (1)

Thinking about God’s words to Abram…and to us.

I am your shield.

Not your money. Not your possessions. Not your strength. Not your wisdom or knowledge. Not anything or anyone else. I am your shield.

I am your shield.

It’s not that I used to be your shield but that you need to fend for yourself now. I am your shield.

I am your shield.

I care about you. I’m thinking about you. My hand is on you. I am your shield.

I am your shield.

When the Enemy comes against you, when the world comes against you, I will protect you. I will always be faithful to you. My faithfulness is your shield (Psalm 91:4).

Father, you are my shield. Help me to believe and trust in you as Abram did.

Tags Abram, Bible Original, Bible verse, shield

Genesis Devotions

To be a blessing

and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3)

I was thinking about those words this morning. God ultimately fulfilled his promise to Abraham through Jesus, Abraham’s descendant.

Through Jesus, we all have been blessed. (Galatians 3:7-14)

But the thing that struck me today is that we, God’s people, are part of that fulfillment too.

That is, as spiritual descendants of Abraham through Jesus, we are meant to be God’s blessing to this whole earth.

God wants to bless this world through us. And as we touch those around us, God is continuing to fulfill his promise to Abraham through us.

That’s an awesome thing to ponder.

Father, continue to fulfill your promise to Abraham through me. As I interact with the people around me today, let me be your blessing to them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tags Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, blessing

Genesis Devotions

Righteous and blameless

When the LORD saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved…

Noah, however, found favor with the LORD…Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:5-6, 8-9)

We live in a world much like Noah’s, with wickedness widespread, and the inclination of the mind seemingly evil all the time. And our Lord grieves.

But as I was reflecting on these verses, I put in my name in place of Noah’s.

“Bruce, however, found favor with the Lord. Bruce was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Bruce walked with God.”

Honestly, when I look at my life, and all my sins and failings, it’s hard to see God looking at me with favor and calling me a righteous man, blameless among my contemporaries.

But God reminded me this morning that I am righteous and blameless, not because I am perfect, but simply because I walk with him, trusting him, following him, honoring him as my Creator and Lord, believing that he is good.

And though I may not be perfect, because Jesus died on the cross, washing away my sins and clothing me with his righteousness, God can call me righteous and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22)

That’s a pretty incredible thing to ponder.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, blameless, righteous

Genesis Devotions

Our obedience, our hearts

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 10, 2022
No Comments on Our obedience, our hearts

The scepter will not depart from Judah
or the staff from between his feet
until he whose right it is comes,
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him. (Genesis 49:9-10)

This is the first prophesy that points to a ruler coming from the line of Judah, a ruler who would reign over the whole earth.

Ultimately, this was fulfilled in Jesus, the Lion of Judah. (Revelation 5:5)

But the words that strike me are those last: “the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.”

That includes ours. We owe Jesus our obedience. Why? Because he is our rightful King and Lord.

But Jesus doesn’t want a mere obedience of rules.

He wants our hearts. Hearts that love and trust him. Without that kind of heart, even our “obedience” is not pleasing to him. (Hebrews 11:6)

How about you?

Does God have your heart?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, hearts, obedience

Genesis Devotions

A prayer for our children

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 9, 2022
No Comments on A prayer for our children

As I read Jacob’s blessing on Joseph’s sons, I prayed for my own daughter this morning.

Lord, you were the God before whom my father walked.

Not only that, you have my shepherd all my life to this day.

Throughout my life, you have redeemed my life from harm.

You saved me from my sin, and from the Enemy who would have destroyed me.

Now Lord, bless my daughter.

As you have been my shepherd, be hers.

As you have redeemed me, redeem her.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, blessing, prayer

Genesis Devotions

Few and hard

Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?”

Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My pilgrimage has lasted 130 years. My years have been few and hard, and they have not reached the years of my ancestors during their pilgrimages.” (Genesis 47:8-9)

As I read Jacob’s words, I thought about the psalm Moses wrote.

Perhaps as Moses wrote Psalm 90, he thought about Jacob.

Jacob had been through many hard times. Some of his problems he had brought upon himself, deceiving his father and his brother.

Later on, God would teach him the pain he had caused his father and brother when his own sons deceived him concerning Joseph.

In his life, short in comparison to Abraham’s (Genesis 25:7) and Isaac’s (35:28), Jacob had gone through many trials.

By the time of Moses, lifespans had shortened even further than Jacob’s. But I think Jacob would have agreed with Moses when he sang,

Our lives last seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)

And yet, by the end of his life, Jacob had seen God’s faithful love. (Psalm 90:14)

Though God had humbled him and Jacob had seen adversity, God also caused him to rejoice. (Psalm 90:15)

Jacob saw God’s work and power in his life. (Psalm 90:16)

And he saw God’s incredible grace toward him. (Psalm 90:17)

We too are on a journey. This world is not our home. This journey is short, and we often face sorrow and struggle.

But let us keep our eyes on God, remembering his faithful love and grace toward us.

And as we face each day, let us pray with Moses,

Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. (Psalm 90:12)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Jacob, Moses, trouble and hardship

Genesis Devotions

God’s gracious plan

In a lot of ways, Joseph was a picture of Jesus.

Beloved by his father. (Genesis 37:3, Matthew 3:17)

Rejected by his own people. (Genesis 37:8, John 1:10-11)

Sold for silver. (Genesis 37:28, Matthew 26:14-16)

Falsely accused. (Genesis 39:16-18, Matthew 26:59-61)

Raised to power. (Genesis 41:37-44, Philippians 2:9-11)

Bringing salvation to his people. (Genesis 45:7, Matthew 1:21)

And here in chapter 45, we see a picture of our own salvation.

Like Joseph’s brothers, one day we will stand before Jesus, so aware of our own guilt, knowing we deserve death.

But like Joseph, Jesus will say to us gently, “Please, come near me. God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:4, 7)

As with Jacob and his family, there is now a remnant of Jews saved by grace. (Romans 11:5)

And by God’s grace, we are part of that family too, saved by the great deliverance Jesus brought about. (Ephesians 2:11-13)

None of this was an accident either. As in Joseph’s case, it was all part of God’s gracious plan toward us. (Genesis 45:5-8; Acts 2:13-18, 4:27-28)

So let us sing with Paul, rejoicing in our salvation:

Oh, the depth of the riches
and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments
and untraceable his ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?

And who has ever given to God,
that he should be repaid?,

For from him and through him
and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, great salvation, Jesus, Joseph

Genesis Devotions

How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves?

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 3, 2022
No Comments on How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves?

“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ iniquity.” (Genesis 44:16)

Aren’t those words representative of us all? When we stand before God, and God opens up the books that show our entire lives, there will be nothing we can say. No defense we can give.

Judah’s words to his father Jacob in verse 32 also strike me.

If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father. (32)

It seems to me there was a double meaning there, although Jacob didn’t see it at the time.

It was Judah who had suggested selling Joseph as a slave. (Genesis 37:26-27)

And we see in this chapter how heavily he wore the weight of that guilt.

He had sinned against his father by selling Joseph. There was nothing he could do to change it. And I think he was trying to atone for his sin by guaranteeing Benjamin’s safety.

I think his hidden message to his father was, “If I do not bring Benjamin back to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you by selling Joseph.”

But the truth is, even if he had brought Benjamin back safely, it would not have truly paid for his sin.

How often do we try to do what Judah did? We try to “make up” for the wrong we did.

But nothing we do can take our sin away. God exposes our iniquity and there is no way to justify ourselves.

But the good news is that Jesus lifted the weight of our sin, put it on himself, and paid for our sin at the cross.

All we have to do is trust and rest in what Jesus did for us.

And so Paul tells us,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

Tags atonement, Benjamin, Bible Original, Bible verse, forgiveness, guilt, Joseph, Judah

Genesis Devotions

God’s discipline

This is truly a fascinating chapter when you think about it.

For in it, you see Joseph being confronted with his past hurts.

He sees his “honest” brothers (verse 11) for the first time in 20 years. (“Honest? Did you tell Father the truth about me?”)

He is confronted with how they sold him into slavery. “One of our brothers is no longer living.” (Genesis 42:13)

Then you have his brothers. God confronts them with the guilt that they have tried to bury for years. “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother.” (21)

And finally Jacob. Ever since Joseph disappeared, his life has basically stopped because of his grief. And he is probably wondering where God is in all his pain.

“Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me!” (36)

Often times we confront pain in our lives.

Sometimes it’s things people have done to us.

Sometimes it’s the consequences of our own guilt.

And so we wonder, “Does God really hate me that much?”

And yet, God does not confront us with our pain to make us suffer. He does it to bring about our healing and salvation.

For Joseph, he finds out for the first time that Reuben was not involved in selling him. That he in fact had defended Joseph.

More, Joseph finds out his brothers were not as callous as he had thought. That all these years they had been wracked with guilt for what they had done to him. (21-22)

All that, I think, helped him to forgive.

For his brothers, they thought they were seeing God’s judgment. (21, 28)

In reality, they were seeing his salvation.

And for Jacob, though God had been silent during those 20 years of pain without Joseph, he would soon find out that God had been working for his good all along.

So let us remember the words of exhortation from the author of Hebrews:

“…we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them.

Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?

For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.

No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.” (Hebrews 12:9-13)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, discipline, Jacob, Joseph

Genesis Devotions

The hope we have

Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon. (Genesis 41:32)

Those words of Joseph are very interesting.

He had gone through so many hardships, one wonders how he held on to hope.

From what he said to Pharaoh, I think it had to be those two dreams he had when he was a young man. Dreams that showed the future hope he had. A hope based on the goodness and faithfulness of God.

Joseph’s “soon” took roughly 20 years. But it did come.

We too, have a hope. And that hope is certain.

Why? The writer of Hebrews tells us: God’s unchangeable promises and oath. (Hebrews 6:17)

We could probably add one more unchangeable thing to that: God’s unchanging good purposes.

Through these unchanging things, we have a high priest in Jesus who has become our source of eternal salvation. (Hebrews 5:5-10, 7:11-28)

For this reason, the writer of Hebrews tells that we who have fled to God for refuge have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

For this hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:18-19)

So whatever struggles you may be going through, hold on to the hope we have in him, just as Joseph did.

For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.

But my righteous one will live by faith;
and if he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.

But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10:36-39)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Great high priest, Hope, Jesus, Joseph

Genesis Devotions

Remember me

“But when all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison.”…

Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (Genesis 40:14, 23)

It must have been discouraging to Joseph that the cupbearer forgot him.

How much hope did he have those first few days after the cupbearer was released, especially when Joseph undoubtedly heard that he was restored to his position, just as Joseph had said?

But days passed. Weeks passed. Nothing happened.

People are fallible. They will fail us.

The good news is, God doesn’t.

Four times it says in chapter 39 that he was with Joseph.

And he would continue to be with Joseph throughout his life, even though Joseph couldn’t always see it.

Thousands of years later, another man begged, “Remember me!”

And on the cross, Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

But unlike the cupbearer, Jesus remembered him and interceded for him before the Father.

He does the same for us. (Hebrews 7:22-25)

So whatever we’re going through, let us always hold on to the hope we have in him.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, cupbearer, Intercession, Joseph

Genesis Devotions

Why all the ugliness?

Why does the Bible tell such ugly stories sometimes?

Have you ever wondered that? The story with Judah and Tamar certainly is a horrible story. And there are other horrible stories recorded in the Bible too.

The short answer is: it’s human history. And human history is filled with ugly stories.

The Bible doesn’t show us an idealized humanity. It shows humanity in all its sinfulness.

But it also shows a God who is able to redeem humanity, no matter its ugly sinfulness.

As ugly as this story is, ultimately, our Savior himself came through the line Judah and Tamar produced. (See Matthew 1).

You may see a lot of ugliness in this world. You may see a lot of ugliness in your life.

But there is no person or situation that God cannot redeem, if we’ll just put our trust in him.

As Paul wrote,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… (Romans 1:16)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Judah, redeem, Tamar

Genesis Devotions

Unseen, but present

What was Joseph thinking when his brothers seized him at Dothan and sold him to the Ishamelites?

“Where is God?” would be the likely response.

Strangely enough, it was at Dothan hundreds of years later that another person was wondering, “Where is God?”

The prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the enemy’s army, and his servant was filled with fear. But Elisha reassured his servant,

Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them. (2 Kings 6:16)

Then Elisha prayed,

Lord, please open his eyes and let him see. (2 Kings 6:17)

Suddenly the servant saw that they were protected by the Lord’s army. God hadn’t abandoned them. He had been there all along.

So he was with Joseph.

And so he would be with Jesus thousands of years later even as Jesus cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

And just as he used the evil of the brothers to save Jacob’s entire family including those brothers, he used the evil of the Jewish leaders to save us from our sin.

So whatever you’re going through remember: You may not be able to see God in your circumstances. But he is present. And he is working for your good. (Romans 8:28)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, elisha, God's presence, Joseph, salvation

Genesis Devotions

Son of sorrows. Son of the Father’s right hand.

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 17, 2021
No Comments on Son of sorrows. Son of the Father’s right hand.

I suppose it’s because Christmas is near, but the word “Bethlehem” in verse 19 caught my eye today.

While Jacob’s family was on their way there, Rachel gave birth to Jacob’s youngest son, but in doing so, she died.

As she was dying, she named her son “Ben-oni,” which means “son of my sorrows.”

Jacob would rename him “Benjamin,” which means “son of my right hand.”

Nearly 2000 years later, another baby would be born, this one in Bethlehem itself.

In a sense, he was “Ben-oni.” When he died on the cross, a sword pierced his mother’s soul. (Luke 2:34-35).

More than that, he himself was a man of sorrows, knowing pain, suffering, and rejection. (Isaiah 53:3)

But on the cross, he willingly submitted himself to death, bearing our sin, and interceding for us who had rebelled against God. (Isaiah 53:12)

And then the Father raised him from the dead, seating him at his right hand, “far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given.” (Ephesians 1:20-21)

Son of sorrows.

Son of the Father’s right hand.

That’s Jesus.

And that’s what Christmas is all about.

Joy to the world!
The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Isaac Watts

Tags Benjamin, Bible Original, Bible verse, Christmas, Jesus

Genesis Devotions

Putting ourselves in bad situations

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 16, 2021
No Comments on Putting ourselves in bad situations

This is one of the ugliest stories in the Bible, from the rape of Dinah to the response of her brothers.

All of it might have been avoided, though, if Jacob had done one thing: go back to Bethel to fulfill his vows to God (Genesis 28:18-22).

Instead, he stopped a day’s journey away from Bethel, and purchased land outside the city of Shechem.

They apparently lived there long enough for his young children (33:13-14) to grow up into young adults.

It was probably more convenient for them living near a city. And maybe Jacob felt they were close enough to Bethel and he could fulfill all his vows there.

But apparently, he never really did until after the incident at Shechem. (35:1-4)

How often do we put ourselves in bad situations because we don’t put God first in our lives?

God is the God of second chances. God gave Jacob another chance after Shechem.

But how much pain would we be spared if we gave God our whole hearts from the beginning?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Dinah, priorities, Shechem

Genesis Devotions

Seeing the face of God

[Jacob] himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept…

Jacob said… “I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me.” (Genesis 33:3-4, 10)

Sometimes we wonder how God sees us.

Like Jacob sinned against Esau, we have sinned against God. And we wonder how in the world he could ever accept us.

The amazing thing is, though we may come head down, fearful, and awaiting punishment, God comes running to us like Esau, hugs us, throws his arms around us, and kisses us. In short, he accepts us.

In a lot of ways, Esau’s response to Jacob mirrors the father’s response in a famous parable Jesus told.

But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

That’s what we see when we see our heavenly Father’s face:

Compassion.

Forgiveness.

Acceptance.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Esau, forgiveness, God's face, Jacob

Genesis Devotions

God fights

Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said.

“It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28)

When blessing Jacob, God gave him a new name: Israel.

The name “Israel” can mean either “He struggles with God” or “God fights.”

I could always understand the first meaning. All his life, Jacob had struggled with God trying to gain his blessing and favor.

Instead of waiting for God’s timing, he stole Esau’s birthright and blessing.

Instead of trusting God and simply telling Laban he was leaving, he ran away secretly with his family.

But today, I finally came to understand the second meaning of that name.

The thing that Jacob had to learn was he didn’t have to fight to obtain God’s blessing and favor.

God was already on his side. God was fighting for him.

God was fighting for Jacob in his struggles with Laban (Genesis 31:6-13, 24, 42).

And God would fight for him in reconciling him with Esau. (Genesis 33)

So many times, we feel like we have to struggle to gain God’s favor and blessing. But in doing so, we end up fighting God and others.

Sometimes, just like Jacob was trying to buy Esau’s favor and forgiveness, we try to do the same with God.

But God tells us, “I am already on your side. I am already fighting for you.”

And Jesus showed us that most vividly on the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)

So remember the words of Paul.

What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?

Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-35, 37-39)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God fights, Israel, Jacob

Genesis Devotions

For the insignificant and despised

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 9, 2021
No Comments on For the insignificant and despised

It’s interesting to me that God chose Leah as the one through whom Jesus would ultimately be born.

Rachel was the “loved one.”

Leah was not.

Rachel was the beautiful one.

Leah was the homely one.

And yet God chose her instead of Rachel.

It reminds me of what Paul told the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something… (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)

Why does God choose such people?

…so that no one may boast in his presence. (I Corinthians 1:29)

It is solely by God’s grace and Christ’s work that we are justified, sanctified, and redeemed. (I Corinthians 1:30)

And so, Paul concludes,

Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (I Corinthians 1:31)

Ultimately, that’s what Leah did.

After her first three sons were born, you see her focusing on her wretched state, saying that she was afflicted, neglected, and unloved.

But after Judah was born, she turned her focus away from her wretched state, and instead turned her eyes to God, saying,

This time I will praise the Lord (Genesis 29:35)

I find it only fitting then that Judah’s line was the one through whom Jesus came.

You might think of yourself as insignificant. As despised. But you are exactly the kind of person that God likes to pour his grace upon.

You are in fact the kind of person Jesus identifies with. According to Isaiah,

He didn’t have an impressive form
or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;
he was despised, and we didn’t value him.” (Isaiah 53:2-3)

But Jesus didn’t just come to identify with the despised and insignificant. He came to redeem them.

…he was pierced because of our rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds. (Isaiah 53:5)

Christmas isn’t just for the happy, the loved, and the powerful.

Christmas is for people like Leah. It’s for people like you. It’s for people like me.

So with Leah, let us boast in the Lord, singing, “I will praise you Lord.”

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, despised ones, insignificant, Leah, Rachel

Genesis Devotions

Our stairway. Our gate. Our temple. Our God.

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 8, 2021
No Comments on Our stairway. Our gate. Our temple. Our God.

A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. The Lord was standing there beside him, saying, “I am the Lord”…

[Jacob] said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.” (12-13, 16-17)

Think about this scene. Jacob, because of his sin, was on the run from his brother Esau.

And yet God reached down in his grace and revealed himself to him. Not only did he reveal himself to Jacob, he blessed him.

Around 2000 years after this event, another man named Nathanael stood in front of Jesus.

I believe that like Jacob, he was somewhat afraid because Jesus had revealed things about Nathanael that only God could have known.

Nathanael named him Messiah that day. But he didn’t yet realize that Jesus was much more.

Jesus told him,

You will see greater things than this…

Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.(John 1:50-51)

In the story of Jacob, the angels descended from heaven on the stairway. Here in John, Jesus says, “I am the stairway. But I am not telling you to come up to me. I have come down to you.”

More than that, Jesus is the new house of God, the new temple where God’s glory is revealed, and people can draw close to him because of his death on the cross (John 2:20, 12:32).

And now, he is the gate to heaven. If anyone enters by him, he will be saved. (John 10:9)

That’s the meaning of Christmas. Jesus is our stairway, our temple, our gate, and most importantly, our Lord and God.

And whether we know it or not, he is in this place.

He is Immanuel, God with us.

So together with Jacob and Nathanael, let us stand in awe in his presence.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, gate, Jacob, stairway, temple

Genesis Devotions

I will be with you. I will bless you.

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 7, 2021
No Comments on I will be with you. I will bless you.

…stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you… I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you. (26:3, 24)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t belong to this world. They belonged to God and his kingdom. But for a while, they were called to live on this earth as aliens, as temporary residents. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

They weren’t to live like the people around them, taking on their values or way of life. They were to be different from the people of this world.

And God promised them that though they would be living like aliens in a foreign land, he would be with them and bless them.

As long as they remembered that, they did well. When they forgot, they got into trouble.

When Abraham and Isaac forgot, out of fear of their neighbors, they claimed their wives were their sisters.

In Jacob’s case, perhaps he wasn’t sure those promises were really for him, so he resorted to deceit in order to gain God’s blessing.

Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are like foreigners in a strange land. (1 Peter 2:11, John 17:14-16)

The question is, do we truly believe that God is with us and will bless us? And does that truth shape the way we live?

Take some time to mediate on these words of Paul. Think about what they really mean.

On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory…as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:7, 9)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's blessing, Isaac, Jacob

Genesis Devotions

The God who sees and comforts

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 2, 2021
No Comments on The God who sees and comforts

It’s always amazing to me how I can read something in the Bible over and over and never really notice its significance.

I’ve read this passage hundreds of times before, but today, this verse stuck out at me:

Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev region. (62)

A pretty inconspicuous verse, right?

But that name “Beer-lahoi-roi” rang a bell with me. And I suddenly realized that it was the same place where God had met Hagar years earlier when she had been running away from Sarah. (Genesis 16)

And after her encounter with God, she called him, “El-roi”, “The God who sees me.” The name “Beer-lahoi-roi” means “the well of the Living One who sees me.”

Perhaps as Isaac was wandering out there, he was praying, “God, you were with Hagar when she was pregnant with my brother Ishmael. You saw her when she was hurting. Will you now be with me in my hurt? My mother has died. And right now, I am feeling incredibly lonely.”

And God was. In his gracious provision and impeccable timing, God brought Rebekah to Isaac. It says at the end of this chapter,

And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death. (67)

Christmas season is usually a happy time. But it can also be a hard time for many people, especially if you have lost someone you loved this year.

But remember that God is “El-roi”, the God who sees you.

And remember that Jesus is “Immanuel,” God with us.

So if you’re struggling right now, turn to him.

God is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

And through whatever pain you may be feeling, his Son is right there by your side.

For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.

He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, comfort, Hagar, Isaac, Rebekah

Genesis Devotions

Foreigners and temporary residents

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 1, 2021
No Comments on Foreigners and temporary residents

I am a sojourner and foreigner among you. (4, ESV)

When Sarah died, perhaps the truth of those words really hit home for Abraham.

He was in the land God had promised to give him and his descendants, but the only part he owned was the place he purchased to bury Sarah.

He was in a land where he was a mere sojourner and a foreigner.

We too are sojourners and foreigners in this world.

The culture of this world is different from ours as citizens of God’s kingdom. The way the people think and act is different from how we think and act. And so we feel out of place.

On top of that, when we see all the pain in this world, when we see how death reigns here, we start to feel homesick for heaven.

Our hearts are not truly here. We’re looking for something better.

And we have something better. We have a hope, an inheritance promised by a God who never breaks his promises.

So let’s hold firmly to that hope, taking on the attitude of Abraham, Sarah, and all who have come before us.

These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised.

But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return.

But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one.

Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, foreigners, temporary residents

Genesis Devotions

The Scriptures testify about me

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 30, 2021
No Comments on The Scriptures testify about me

When Jesus said the Scriptures talked about him (John 5:38-39), I can’t help but think Genesis 22 was one of those Scriptures he was talking about.

God told Abraham,

Take your son…your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. (Genesis 22:2)

While God ultimately kept Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, God did not hold back his own Son from the cross.

And so the apostle John wrote these words,

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice, for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

And again,

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

As Abraham and Isaac went up the mountain, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

To which Abraham replied,

God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. (Genesis 22:8)

Many years later, John the Baptist would say of Jesus,

Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

As Isaac carried the wood of the sacrifice, Jesus carried the wood of the cross.

As Isaac “rose from the dead,” so too did Jesus. (Hebrews 11:19)

And now through Jesus, Abraham’s offspring, all the nations of the world have been blessed. (Genesis 22:18, Matthew 1:1-16)

Sometimes people wonder why we should read the Old Testament. The main reason is we see Jesus there.

So as we read the Old Testament, let’s look for Jesus together.

Tags Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, Isaac, Jesus

Genesis Devotions

When God visits

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. (Genesis 21:1, NIV)

The NIV translation is very interesting when it says, “the Lord was gracious to Sarah.”

Most translations say “The Lord came to Sarah” or “The Lord visited Sarah.”

After a little digging, what I found was that in the Old Testament, the words “The Lord came” or “The Lord visited” often has the nuance of the Lord coming either to bless or to curse.

And in this case, he came to bless Sarah, just as he had promised, giving her a son.

Hundreds of years later, the Lord would visit another woman named Mary. And in doing so, he kept another promise: to send a Savior to save us all.

And as John tells us, from Jesus, we have received “grace upon grace.” (John 1:16)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's visitation, Sarah, savior

Genesis Devotions

At the appointed time

I don’t know why, but maybe because Christmas is right around the corner, I’m seeing a lot of things through that lens.

The Lord asked Abraham,

Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Can I really have a baby when I’m old?”

Is anything impossible for the Lord?

At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son. (13-14)

Those words rang a bell with me, and I thought of Gabriel’s words to Mary.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless.

For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:35-37)

And then I thought of Paul’s words to the Galatians.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5, NIV)

The birth of Isaac was the first step to God fulfilling his promise that Abraham would be a blessing to all nations. It seemed impossible, with Sarah already being 90 years old.

But she did give birth to a son, turning her laughter of doubt into laughter of joy.

Then at the right time, God sent Jesus in an equally impossible situation, with Mary, a virgin, giving birth to a son.

But now, through him, we rejoice as children of God.

For as Paul wrote,

And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

So let us rejoice with Paul, saying,

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Isaac, Jesus, Mary, Sarah

Genesis Devotions

The God who hears. The God who sees.

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 22, 2021
No Comments on The God who hears. The God who sees.

Here in this passage, we see two names that describe God.

Ishmael: God hears.

El-roi: God sees me.

That’s who God was to Hagar.

And it wasn’t like she deserved it. She messed up badly, and so she was forced to run away.

But God heard her.

God saw her.

And he went chasing after her in the desert.

That term “angel of the Lord” is very interesting.

Sometimes it refers to a mere angel.

But the word “angel” itself means “messenger.”

And sometimes it seems that messenger spoke as if he were God himself.

He does so here:

The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.” (10)

Some Bible scholars think this messenger may have been Jesus himself, hundreds of years before he appeared on earth as a baby.

And to Hagar too, Jesus was Immanuel: “God with us.”

The God who sees. The God who hears.

Like Hagar, you might be in a spiritual desert right now. Like Hagar, it might be your own fault.

But God is not giving up on you. He’s chasing after you.

He sees.

He hears.

He is and will always be…Immanuel.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Hagar, Immamuel

Genesis Devotions

I choose to believe you!

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield;
your reward will be very great…

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (15:1, 6)

I can’t help but think the writer of Hebrews was thinking of this story when he wrote these words:

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Abram had his doubts. He had his times of self-pity. (15:2-3)

At times, his faith would falter. (Genesis 16-17, 20)

But ultimately, the attitude of his heart was: “I choose to believe you, Lord.”

God can work with people like that. Those are the kind of people he seeks. And those are the kinds of people that please him.

Lord, I believe you are good. I believe you love me and desire my best. And so I say with Abraham today, “Lord, I choose to believe you.”

Tags Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, faith

Genesis Devotions

Blessed

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 18, 2021
1 Comment on Blessed

Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you. (19-20)

A couple of days ago, I talked about how we as Christians are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and inheritors of God’s blessing. (Galatians 3:8-9).

And as I saw this verse, I couldn’t help but reflect on that truth some more.

As inheritors of God’s blessing, try reading the blessing of Melchizedek with your own name in there.

“<Your name> is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.”

We are blessed in so many ways. We have received so many spiritual blessings from God. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

More, through Jesus, we have the ultimate victory over our final enemy: death. (I Corinthians 15:26, 50-57)

The amazing thing about it, though, is that the God of all creation would care enough about us to bless us in this way.

Stop and think about that for a moment. Mediate on that truth.

And as we do, let us sing with David:

When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,
what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man that you look after him?
You made him little less than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

Tags Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, blessing, children of Abraham

Genesis Devotions

Inheritors of God’s blessing

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 16, 2021
No Comments on Inheritors of God’s blessing

I will bless you…and you will be a blessing…all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner.

And in this passage, we see one of the first “Christmas promises.”

God told Abraham that in him all the peoples on earth would be blessed. That was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, who was a descendant of Abraham.

And we are inheritors of that blessing. (Galatians 3:8-9; Ephesians 1:3-14)

But like Abraham, we are not called simply to receive God’s blessing. We are to be a blessing to others. We are to shine the light of Jesus into their lives so that they too might receive the blessing we ourselves have received.

So as Christ’s church, let us go out into this world and be that blessing to the world.

Tags Abraham, Bible Original, Bible verse, blessing, promises

Genesis Devotions

Because our God remembers

Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.

The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth. (Genesis 9:14-16)

What if God were a God that forgets his promises?

That’s a scary thought.

But God doesn’t forget his promises. He is faithful to them.

And that’s why we have hope.

Even when we are faithless, he remains faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)

That’s why Jeremiah could sing,

Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's promises

Genesis Devotions

Not forgotten

And the water surged on the earth 150 days…

God remembered Noah…and the water began to subside…

By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was dry. (7:24-8:1, 14)

Since COVID-19 hit, we in Japan have been asked several times to refrain from going out as much as possible.

Imagine being on a boat (albeit a large one) for just over a year.

That’s what Noah and his family had to do. The flood started on the 17^th day of the second month, and the earth finally dried up a year later on the 27^th day of the second month. (7:11, 8:14)

How many times did God communicate with Noah during that time? Once? Twice? Never?

And yet, it says “God remembered Noah.”

It’s not as if God had forgotten Noah and suddenly realized, “Wait a minute! Noah and his family are still on that boat.”

Rather, God was watching over Noah and his family the whole time.

We may be going through our own trials and struggles. But remember that we are never forgotten. Rather, God tells us,

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you
and the rivers will not overwhelm you,

When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched
and the flame will not burn you.

For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, flood, noah

Genesis Devotions

His blood cries out

After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God told him,

Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!” (10)

Abel’s blood cried for justice.

So God told Cain,

“…now you are cursed…” (11)

And Cain had to depart from the presence of the Lord. (14, 16)

Thousands of years later, another innocent man died. Jesus died on a cross though he had done nothing wrong. But the writer of Hebrews tells us this:

Instead, you have come…to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. (12:22-24)

While Abel’s blood cried out for justice, Jesus’ blood cried out for grace.

And so God looks at us and says, “My Son’s blood cries out to me from the ground. So now you are blessed. The curse has been lifted. And by his blood, you have been forgiven.”

So the writer of Hebrews encourages us,

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23)

Tags Abel's blood, Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, Jesus' blood

Genesis Devotions

The day the curse is reversed

Post author By Bruce
Post date November 4, 2021
No Comments on The day the curse is reversed

As I was reading this passage, I thought about all the results of our sin.

Guilt.

Shame.

Pain.

Death.

But worst of all, being cast out from God’s presence.

And yet, God said something that gave hope to Adam and Eve.

He told Satan,

I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel. (3:15)

God kept that promise. On the cross, Jesus suffered death, but in doing so, he delivered a fatal blow to Satan. More, Jesus rose from the dead three days later.

And because of that, we look forward to the day the curse is reversed. The apostle John saw it, and he described it to us.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them.

They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Amen. Come Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, curse, salvation, Sin

Genesis Devotions

Created male and female

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness…”

So God created man in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female. (1:26-27)

When I first wrote this blog, I would have never thought to address this issue.

But now we have people saying that “male” and “female” are mere human concepts that have no basis in reality. That we need to get rid of this idea that humanity is divided into male and female.

But we see in this passage that “male” and “female” are not human ideas, but God’s.

Jesus himself affirmed it later. He told the Pharisees,

Haven’t you read…that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female… (Matthew 19:4)

God made us male and female. And God says this is a good thing. (1:31)

One reason he made us this way was so that we could populate the earth. (1:28)

But just as importantly, it was so that we as humans could better reflect his image.

Men and women don’t reflect God in exactly the same way. But together, they show us a pretty good picture of what God is like.

Just think of how he portrays himself as both a father and a mother. (Isaiah 49:15, 66:13; Psalm 131:2; Psalm 103:13, Galatians 4:6-7, Hebrews 12:5-11)

To reject the idea of male and female is to reject our Creator’s own teaching and intention for us. We will never know who we truly are if we do that.

So let us not buy the lie of the world. It is not the idea of male and female that is human invention.

It’s when we start trying to add other gender identities that we start getting into the realm of human invention.

I know there may be people reading this blog who are hurting and struggling with their gender identity.

Please remember this: God loves you. He has a good plan for you. But the answer is not found in buying the lies of this world.

Jesus tells us,

If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. (John 8:31-32, 36)

So let us cling to the truth. Let us cling to Jesus’ teaching: we humans are male and female. And that is good.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse

Genesis Devotions

Mere animals?

If there is one thing this world tries to convince us of is that we are mere animals.

That there is nothing truly special about us. That we’re no different from any other animal.

But Genesis 1-2 exposes that lie.

I find it interesting that God blessed the animals and humans in similar ways. Both were to multiply and fill the earth. (1:22-26)

But God blessed humans in a special way. He said,

Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth. (1:28)

But it would have been impossible for humans to fulfill that command were it not for one important thing God did, one special quality he gave us.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness…”

So God created man in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female. (1:26-27)

God created us in his own image.

We can think as he thinks.

We can communicate as he communicates.

We can love as he loves.

We can create things as he does.

We have a sense of right and wrong, warped as it is sometimes by sin.

The next time you’re at a coffee shop, or at a park, or a beach, or a train, stop and look at the people around you.

Just look at the things they’re doing, no matter how ordinary.

And ask yourself, “Are these simply animals, no different from any other, with no greater value?”

Yes there are thing we have in common with animals. But God has made us so much more than they are.

So let us stand in awe at the God who made us. And let us stand in wonder at how fearfully and wonderfully made we are.

Tags animals, Bible Original, Bible verse, God's image, humanity

Genesis Devotions

In the beginning, God…

Why do we worship God? Why do we trust him?

I suppose the reasons are found in the very first words of the Bible.

“In the beginning God…”

Take some time to think on those words.

Before anything else existed, God was.

Everything that exists comes from him.

In his wisdom he created all things.

By his power all things were created.

His mind is more vast than we can comprehend.

His power…limitless.

That’s is the God we worship.

And amazingly, that is the God who loves us.

So let us sing with all his angels,

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God, the Almighty,
who was, who is, and who is to come…

Our Lord and God,
you are worthy to receive
glory and honor and power,
because you have created all things,
and by your will
they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:8, 11)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God, in the beginning

Genesis Devotions

The grace of God

I was just reading this passage this morning, and these were the thoughts that came to mind as I did so.

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant…You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper. (32:10-12)

Jacob said this as an heir of God’s promise to Abraham. But how much more can we say this of ourselves as Abraham’s spiritual heirs by faith?

None of us are worthy of God’s kindness and faithfulness to us. And yet by his grace God is determined to do good to us. (Romans 8:28-32)

For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.” (32:20)

Despite God’s grace, how often do we think of God as Jacob thought of Esau? How often do we feel we need to do something to appease him?

And even after attempting to do so, we still harbor some doubt on whether he will forgive us?

As with Esau, however, God needs no appeasing. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, he is already appeased. And he already thinks favorably toward us.

But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me.

Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted. (33:10-11)

At this point, Jacob realized that Esau had already forgiven him. And so now his attempt at a bribe turns into a gift arising from a grateful heart.

And so with us.

All we give to God is no longer to win his favor but comes from a heart of gratitude for his grace and the fact that in Jesus, we have everything we need.

Each day, let us rest in this incredible, indescribable grace of God. And worship.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Esau, grace, Jacob

Genesis Devotions

The God who has been my shepherd all my life

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 21, 2019
2 Comments on The God who has been my shepherd all my life

At our church, we are going through a series on God as our shepherd. I suppose you saw a glimpse of that in yesterday’s blog.

Today, I’m meditating on Genesis 48:15. These were Jacob’s words to Joseph at the end of his life:

The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day…

Think about those words a bit.

I’m kind of guessing that Jacob saw Abraham and Isaac as “good sheep,” although both of them had their moments as black sheep. But in Jacob’s eyes, they “walked with God.”

How did Jacob see himself? I think he kind of saw himself as a black sheep for the first half of his life.

Although he had been raised by a God-fearing father in Isaac, Jacob had definitely had problems calling God, “My God.” (Genesis 28:20-22)

It took many years before he could say, “God, you are my God.” (Genesis 32:28, Genesis 33:20 footnote)

Put another way, for the first half of his life, Jacob had been a lost sheep who had wandered far from God.

And yet, Jacob in looking back at his life could say, “God has been my shepherd all my life.”

In other words, “I may have been a lost sheep. I may have wandered from him. I may not have always acknowledged him as my shepherd.

“But even so, God was my shepherd from the time I was born all the way until now.

When I was lost and hurting and scared, he sought hard after me.

“When I went through trials, some of my own making, and some not, he led me out of the darkest valleys.

“Through everything I have ever gone through, I have never been out of his care.”

My life has not been nearly as dramatic as Jacob’s. I never had a real rebellious stage, growing up in a Christian family.

But I can see all the ways he has been my shepherd from the time I was born until now.

He put me in a family that was seeking after God.

He called my name when I was 7 or 8 and I became a Christian.

At a time when I wasn’t particularly faithful to him, he remained faithful to me and truly revealed himself to me.

He then brought me into children’s ministry. And then into ministry with my peers.

When I was fighting hard to avoid coming here to Japan as a missionary, he gently directed my stubborn heart and brought me into far greener pastures here in Japan than I’d ever had in Hawaii.

At a time when I was seeking a wife, he brought me one.

After some terrible struggles, God gave us a beautiful daughter.

And to this day, I see all my stubbornness (and can I say outright disobedience at times?) and yet he never lost patience with me. He kept on leading me.

Looking back, his grace towards me has been amazing.

And so I say with Jacob in amazement and wonder, “God has been my shepherd all my life.”

Not because I’m such a good sheep. But because he is such a good shepherd. And by his grace, he chose to call me his own.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

–John Newton

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, good shepherd, Jacob