*Homework Alert*

In past texts, I’ve stressed the importance of reading genealogies. Your homework assignment is to study to learn why this particular genealogy is important for this specific part of Genesis. 

I’ll give you a hint: It is significant to the life of Isaac and Abraham’s lineage. Please private message me when you figure it out or if you have any questions. 

All will be revealed in the coming days. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 22:20-24

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 22

A Keeper Of Promises

I appreciate greatly how Genesis 21 begins. We see that the promise God made to Abraham and Sarah has come to fruition. Exactly what God promised and how He promised it was now their life. 

Has God made a promise to you? Are you struggling to believe He will keep it? One thing I know, God is a keeper of promises. 

God is always faithful to me. In our relationship, I’m the only one who does not keep his promises. I have felt the consequences of not keeping my promises. It’s not fun. 

Take time today to ponder whether or not you keep your promises to God. If you’re like me, you may have some explaining to do. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 21:1-2

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 21

You Don’t Understand

As you read this passage, I encourage you to allow your mind to fully understand who is talking. This man is a king. He is a ruler over the land. With one word he could have Abraham killed and he could make Sarah his wife. 

Think about the dream he had. Think about his encounter with God Almighty! When you encounter God, it changes you. Only the arrogant encounter God and seek to reason with Him or, worse, disregard the encounter. 

King Abimelek was not stubborn. He feared the God he did not know. He responded with humility because he understood who God is once he encountered him. 

Have you encountered God? How do you live your life knowing that God sees everything you do? Take time today to sit at the feet of Jesus and pour out your heart to Him. Ask Him to show you areas of your life where arrogance has taken root. Then ask Him to help you pull up the weed of arrogance and replace it with the seed of humility so it may grow in you. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 20:8-10

8 Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid.9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” 10 And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 20

Are You Serious

As I read Genesis 19, I laugh at the arrogance of man. If we are honest, the attitude of the men who surrounded Lot’s house is prevalent today in our world. People think they are in control. They discount God as if He’s an imaginary being created in the minds of weak people who cannot think for themselves. 

The Bible teaches us “woe unto” people who think that way. What God did in Sodom and Gomorrah is nothing compared to what He will do to those who act as if He does not exist, or worse, know that He exists but purposefully disobey Him. 

This is a dangerous game that some people are playing. If you’re one of them, I encourage you to get your mind right. God is not to be trifled with. He is sovereign, holy, and mighty. Please don’t challenge Him. You will lose and the cost is greater than you think. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 19:9-11

9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 19

Why Lie To God

This passage makes me scratch my head. It’s funny to think that Sarah could lie to God and it would be okay. It’s never okay to lie to anyone. 

It begs the question, then, why lie to God. He knows everything. Let that sink in! There is not one thing hidden from God’s knowledge. As humans, it’s difficult to understand that. But we need to lean into that reality. 

God is not a man. God does not have any constraints. God is all knowing. God is present in all places at all times. God is perfect.

Given that information, I ask again, why lie to God. 

Take time today to think about what you’re telling God. Are you “hiding” the truth in any area of your life? If so, bring the truth to the light. God already knows. If you ask, He will probably give you help. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 18:12-15

12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 18

God’s Will Be Done

I once heard a preacher say, “He’s God all by Himself.” This passage brings those words to life. Although Abram and Sarai tried to help God’s plan come to life, Abraham and Sarah learned that God needed no help in establishing His plans. 

I am guilty of doing that. I try to make what I think are God’s plans come to life, even though He’s told me to do no such thing. I’m in the midst of living that out right now. 

Have you struggled with that? I encourage you to turn to God. Get clear instructions, then follow through. That’s what I’m doing. It’s a little “scary,” but faith can be at times. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 17:19

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 17

An Ageless Problem

Multiple times in the Bible we see married people co-sign bad ideas. It always ends poorly. This passage is no different. 

Because of impatience, Sarai decides to help God’s plan along. Unfortunately, Abram, the one to whom God spoke the plan, agrees with this bad idea to help God’s plan. What ensues is nothing less than a history of angst. 

Here’s some homework for you. Look into the lineage of Ishmael. You may be surprised at what you learn. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 16:1-2

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 16

God Answers Prayers

In many cultures, having a son is important. The first born son becomes the heir to the family estate. This is what we see in this chapter of Genesis. Abram is crying out to the Lord because although God has blessed him with much wealth, he has no son to carry on his legacy. 

The covenant God makes with Abram is the one that gives us the opportunity to have a right relationship with God the Father. Jesus is born through the line of Abram/Abraham. Then we were presented the chance to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. 

The thing to remember is when God answers prayer, it goes beyond what the eye can see in the moment. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 15:4-6

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 15

Strength In God, Not Numbers

Have you ever heard the expression, there’s strength in numbers? People use it when talking about coming together to accomplish something. There is truth to that statement. 

However, in this passage and others in the Bible, we see that the strength is in God, not the numbers. Abram takes 318 “trained men” and defeats an Army of uncertain size. He’s able to do that because he placed his trust in God. 

After his victory, he maintains his integrity. When a king tried to increase his wealth, Abram refuses to let the king be able to say that he made Abram rich. 

With God on your side, you don’t need numbers, you only need Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 14:14-16

14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 14

Looks Can Be Deceiving

There’s something interesting happening in this chapter of Genesis. We see the humility of Abram on display while in Lot we see how easy looks can deceive us. Both men have become so wealthy that it is not feasible for them to live in the same area any longer. Abram gives Lot first choice on which way to go. Abram will then go in the opposite direction. 

Lot uses his eyes to choose. He sees a place that looks amazing. So that’s where he goes. If you know the story of Lot, you’ve probably heard of the city of Sodom and its fate. You may even know the fate of Lot’s wife. But did you realize that Lot had a choice in where he would pitch his tent and he chose what looked pleasing to the eyes?

Humility must guide our choices. Seeking guidance from the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit must guide us. How can we be in the right place if we never ask God where to go?

Let’s take a lesson from this chapter. As we seek God and His presence and purpose, we will always find ourselves in the right place. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 13:11-13

11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 13

Partial Vision Is Enough

When you pray, do you want God to give you the entire plan upfront? If you’re like the average person, the answer is a resounding YES!

Fortunately for us, God does not do that. I believe that if He gave us the full picture, we would figure out a way to mess it up. Of course our intentions would be good. 

Genesis 12:1 is one of my favorite passages because we see God give Abram a partial vision, “Go to the land I will show you.” 

The best part is in Genesis 12:4, “So Abram went.” That’s it! No questions! No “Why, Lord!” He simply packed up and followed God’s instructions. 

Are you that faithful? What is God telling you to do? Are you listening and doing it on the count of zero or are you hesitating?

Putting your trust in God is always the correct answer. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 12:1

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 12

The Long Game

There’s an expression people use when they are plotting something that will take a while to come to fruition. They say, “I’m playing the long game.” 

This means that what you see now doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it means. If you give it time, all will be revealed. 

Have you ever played the long game?

In this passage we see God playing the long game. At face value it seems like maybe God is “afraid” of the potential of man. That is not the case. 

God knew that left alone on the path they were on, they would turn from Him. He did not want that for us. He wants all people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Those who were building the Tower of Babel were not on the path to eventual salvation, so God acted on our behalf. He played the long game. 

Many people will never understand that. They get caught up in the moment. They think, “why would God do that? They did not mean any harm.” But they do not know the destruction that would have been caused if that tower would have been “completed.” 

Trusting God with all your heart and not leaning on your own understanding means waiting patiently for God to do what He’s going to do in your life. Remember, He plays the long game. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 11:5-7

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lordsaid, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 11

Genealogies 

If you’re like I used to be, you always want to skip over genealogies when you’re reading the Bible. However, years ago, God opened my eyes to the importance of genealogies. Now when I see them I immediately want to figure out how this tracks to Jesus. 

In today’s genealogy, we can track Jesus back through Noah’s son Shem. If you go to Luke 3, you will see the part of the genealogy that 
Shows how Jesus line came through Shem and his descendants. 

The next time you want to skip over a genealogy, first do a little study to learn how this may relate to Jesus. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 10:21-25a

21 Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

22 The sons of Shem:
Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

23 The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.

24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah* the father of Eber.

25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg,

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 10

*-Called Cainan in the Septuagint, which is a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible.

Covenant And A Rainbow

Rainbows inspire! Throughout my 60+ years walking the earth, rainbows have held a special place in the lives of the numerous people I’ve met. I grew up thinking there was a “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow. I longed to figure out how to get to the pot of gold.😏

Ultimately, I realized that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, there is a priceless promise within the rainbow. God has promised to remember humanity and all living things on the earth when He sees the rainbow in the sky. He entered into a covenant with Noah, his sons, and us.

What are we to make of that covenant? How do we respond to the rainbow when we see it? I offer this thought to ponder.

Allow the rainbow to be a reminder to you of the faithfulness of God. Allow it to inspire in you an intense desire to serve others. Let the rainbow move you to seek to share the gospel and make disciples. In a word, allow the rainbow to lead you to agape! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 9:13

13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 9

God Remembers

In this passage we are reminded of an important characteristic of God; He remembers. When God makes a covenant with you, He will always keep His part. If a covenant is broken between you and God, it’s your fault. 

I have met countless people who forget the faithfulness of God and it has led to countless problems, none of which are caused by God. 

Think about that.

What has God promised you? Wait for it! What truth has God shown you? Believe it! What has God told you to do? Do it?

As we read the story of Noah and how God remembered Noah, be mindful that when God gave instructions to Noah with the specifics of how to build the ark, Genesis 6:22  says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

How do you respond to God when He speaks to you? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 8:1

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 8

Called Righteous

We serve a righteous God. He is blameless of any wrong doing. The number of people who blame God for their place in life is staggering. Those same people would be bent out of shape if God removed free will and turned us into mindless people.

That’s the beauty of God and walking with God. We get to choose how we want to behave. He does not force us to follow Him, we get to follow Him. Of course, when we choose not to follow Him, we must pay the “I don’t follow God” consequences.

In Noah’s time, he was the only one found righteous. Because of this, God spared Noah and his family from the  “I don’t follow God” consequences, in this case  the flood. This confirms the faithfulness of God. 

How can we be righteous in God’s sight? It starts with accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. As a result of our heartfelt acceptance of His redemptive sacrifice, we are seen as righteous in God’s sight. We then must live a life that shows we belong to Jesus Christ. 

I encourage you to take time out of your day and allow the Father to show you areas in your life where you need to seek His righteousness. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 7:1

The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 7

But Noah

I love God! He is just, fair, merciful, and gracious, to name a few of His characteristics. As we read Genesis 6, we see that God is disappointed in his creation of mankind. He plans to wipe them all out. 

But Noah!

The Bible tells us that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

Why?

Because he did right. In the midst of everyone around him doing wrong, God was faithful to him and used Noah to repopulate the earth. We are ALL descendants of Noah!

Before you do what the world does, be mindful that God is watching and He will reward you if you endure and do not lose faith in Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 6:8

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 6

Old As Methuselah

When I was growing up, a popular way to describe how old something was, was to say, “that’s as old as Methuselah.” Before I read Genesis 5 I never understood why people said that. When I finally read Genesis 5, the light bulb came on. But I kinda wish people would have made more references to Methuselah’s father Enoch. 

Enoch is the first person described as walking with God faithfully. That’s the example I want to set. I don’t care to be the richest, kindest, coolest, generous, or any number of positive adjectives you could say. I simply want to be described as a man who walked faithfully with God.

What legacy are you seeking to leave? I pray your desire, like mine, is to walk faithfully with God. If it is, you must make daily communing with God your number one priority. Without that as the priority, too many other things will keep you from walking faithfully with God. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 5:24 & 27

24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 5

Cause To Pause

In my travels around the sun, I’ve encountered many people. The ones that give me cause to pause are those who do not hold themselves accountable for their actions. These are people who do the wrong thing. Then when they it is pointed out they get angry as if they could do no wrong. 

This lack of individual accountability is on display in this passage. Instead of Cain taking a step back, inquiring of the LORD about what he can do to provide a worthy offering, he kills his brother. Think about that. Cain ended Abel’s life because Abel understood the assignment.

Do you do that? Are you a person who gets upset when someone does a better job than you? I have seen far too many people get upset in these situations. Their mentality is one of entitlement. They have convinced themselves that their efforts should always be applauded. 

NEWSFLASH: That’s not God-like! 

Spend time today taking accountability of your actions, present and past. Ask yourself the difficult questions. Seek the Father and ask Him to point out areas in your life where you have felt entitled to something you did not earn. God is faithful and He will help you. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 4:2b-5

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 4

A Gracious God

Most of us have read about the fall of man as described in Genesis 3. The passage I want to highlight is verse twenty-one. This is a perfect display of the graciousness of God. 

Adam and Eve have disobeyed Him. They hid from Him because they were naked. In their shame of nakedness, they covered themselves with fig leaves. This covering was inadequate. Therefore, God made them better garments. 

Let that sink in. Adam and Eve were disobedient to God. He dealt with their sin, then loved them by providing something for them that was better than what they had. 

We may never fully understand the significance of our sin, but we can praise a gracious God who forgives our sin, cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and provides for every need. 

Thank You, Lord, for doing for me that which I could never do for myself. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 3:21

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 3