![Read the Bible Through, Day 6]()
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Genesis 13 – 15
This story of Abram is one of my favorites in the Bible. Abram’s character was so obvious throughout these pages. Sure, he made a few pretty big mistakes, but he was able to hear God and to believe Him. That was amazing.
It’s clear that God was establishing a vision for Abram, so that he could believe in his future. In 13:14-17, God told him to “lift his eyes” and that as far as he could see, the land would be given to his descendants. Then he went on to say that Abram’s descendants would be as plentiful as the dust of the earth.
In chapter 15: 5-7, God told Abram to look at the stars and count them. His descendants would be as numerous as the stars.
God gave Abram three visuals to build his faith. Every time he went outside, he could look at the dust or look at the stars and remind himself of God’s promise. Then he would lift up his eyes and see the horizon far away, and think that this land would some day belong to his descendants. His faith could be built bit by bit as he thought about what God had said.
In 15:8 the word says that Abram ” believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” It was Abram’s faith in God that made God think of him as a righteous man. That’s still the way it is today. God is looking for people who will believe Him. Even in seemingly impossible situations, God will bring us through, if we believe Him and His promises.
Just one more note. In 15: 13-16, God gives Abram a prophecy which tells what will happen to his descendants. It speaks of going into Egypt and staying for 400 years – just as it happened.
Then He addresses another issue. He says that they shall return in the fourth generation, “because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” These people were eventually going to be judged by God and their land taken from them. But He was waiting for their evil to reach a certain point before He would judge them. Their evil wasn’t yet “complete.”
Something to think about, huh?
Matthew 6
Jesus continues to disclose some secrets of the Kingdom of God. When men are living their lives to impress others around them, they are missing the mark. Jesus says that if you are giving, or praying, or fasting, do it in secret. I don’t think that He means that no one can ever know what you are doing. I think that He is giving a warning that what others think of you is not important. What God thinks of you is important.
So many Pharisees of the day were strutting around, looking important, trying to impress others. Yet humility, not pride, is the way into God’s kingdom. They were missing the mark.
In verses 22-23 He says that the “lamp of the body is the eye.” And He speaks of good or bad eyes. He’s speaking of “your point of view.” people can look at the same circumstances and draw different conclusions. He is warning the people to be careful that their point of view is not contrary to God’s.
Then He tells us to “seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Every time I read these verses, I am convicted to be more in tune with God’s voice and His plan, to believe more, and to be more “single-minded” about my faith in my Savior.
Blessings,
Suellen
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Today we move into some rich territory. So let’s get started.
Genesis 10-12
Begat, begat, begat. That seems to be the mantra when we take first glance. We must remind ourselves that God is a covenant-keeping God. In the 3rd chapter of Luke, the lineage of Jesus goes all the way back to these times, and you can see who His ancestors were. (When you are praying for your children, this attitude of God should be very comforting. He will pursue your children because of His covenant with you)!
In chapter 11, we see the story of the tower of Babel. These humanists said, “We can build a tower to the sky.” (You see that same spirit today; in fact it’s always been around.)
We need to take note of what God said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.”
He confused their language so that they couldn’t agree on their project. But the concept is true for righteous causes too.
He wants those who are His to agree with each other so that His plans can be accomplished. “And nothing shall be withheld from us.”
Chapter 12 introduces Abram and Sarai. We could write volumes about the father and mother of our faith.
Let’s be sure to think for a moment about the fact that God spoke to this man to leave his family and his country. In those days, travel was very difficult and time consuming. When they left their land, Abraham knew that he would not return there. This was for good. All that was familiar to them would be gone forever.
Even though he was 75 years old, Abram obeyed God and did exactly as he was told. Then God showed him the land of Canaan and said that this land would be given to his descendants. So Abram was doing all of this for his heirs, not even himself.
Would you be that willing and obedient if God spoke to you to do something hard? Think about it.
Matthew 5
This is the first chapter of what is called the Sermon On The Mount. Jesus sits on the side of a mountain, with many people around, and begins to introduce some very new concepts.
It may seem like bits and pieces of information, but there is a theme throughout. Jesus is introducing the multitudes to the Kingdom of God.
There is another Kingdom (I like to think of it as a “parallel universe”). We can choose to live in either one. If you are satisfied with the status quo, you are less likely to want to enter this new kingdom. So those who are poor in spirit, or mourn, or hunger and thirst for righteousness are the ones who will probably make the journey in the spirit.
He goes on to show that the new kingdom is not one of the law, yet the standard is higher. Under the law, you weren’t to commit adultery; under the new kingdom, you weren’t even to lust after someone. Under the law, you weren’t to kill; under the new kingdom, you weren’t even to hate anyone.
The people must have been somewhat confused, because their lives had always been directed by the Law of Moses. But they were hanging on every word. They had never heard anyone speak with such authority. This Man seemed to really know what He was talking about.
So interest was aroused in what would eventually lead to the Holy Spirit coming to live within us.
I like to meditate on these scriptures in the light of what I know now. You might like doing the same.
Blessings for a great day!
Suellen
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
There is an old saying which goes something like this: The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. I like this analogy, because it is so true!
When we start reading the Old Testament, there are lots of questions. “Why are so many people killed?” “Does God just not like some people?”and on and on.
When we read the New Testament, we see more of what God’s plan was all about. He was going to bring redemption to the earth. But since He never would (and never will) treat people like puppets, He had to find some people who would cooperate.
Without God in their lives, men were destined for great evil and destruction of each other. So He had to search for some who would allow themselves to be influenced by Him. Only then could He work His plan of bringing His Son into the earth.
It took many years – even centuries – before His great plan could be accomplished. But step by step, He faithfully continued, working with those who would allow Him.
With these ideas in mind, let’s look at these early chapters of Genesis.
Genesis 4- 9
We start with Cain and Abel. Each of these bring an offering to the Lord; an offering from their livelihood. God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not with Cain’s. Do you wonder why? Abel’s offering was a sheep sacrificed to God and Cain’s was produce of the ground.
Even at that early time in history, God was trying to show that a blood sacrifice was essential for His perfect offering. He was pointing to Jesus, who would be His blood sacrifice. we will see this idea continue throughout the Old Testament.
Then eventually we get to Noah. As we see, man without God, was running wild, so God needed to start over. Men had fallen into so much sin, and their hearts were so hard, He could not deal with them anymore.
So that’s why He found one man who would listen: Noah. Noah proved himself by being obedient to perform the strange task of building an ark, and when the time came to take His family and representatives of the animal kingdom into the ark for safety. Then God destroyed all the rest of creation with a flood which covered the earth.
It was preservation for our deliverance.
Matthew 3 and 4
Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. The prophet knows that God is sending redemption, so he is “preparing the way.” He is preaching to people, trying to get them to repent and turn back to God.
He speaks of One who will come, whose ministry would be the greatest of all time. Recognizing Jesus as the Savior, John baptizes Him and hears the voice say “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Then Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, so that He could prove Himself to the spirit world.
If you will notice, we see once again the importance of words. As Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, again and again He fights the battle with words. And not just any word, He uses the Word of God. “It is written. It is written.” He uses scripture over and over to defeat the devil’s schemes.
We will see this principle at work many times. Hopefully we will learn to use this weapon of God with greater force, as we see how it is done.
That’s about all I have for today. If you want to add, please do!
Blessings,
Suellen
![Read the Bible Through, Day 6]()
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
How’s it going? I hope very well.
Today Read The Bible Through takes us to Genesis 2,3 and Matthew 2.
Genesis 2,3
These chapters continue to lay foundation for all of theology.
Probably the most compelling concept revolves around the two trees. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At that point in time, God had breathed His life into man and so man’s spirit was alive with God’s life. (Later we will be re- introduced to this “God life” by Jesus, when He talked about being born again).
The tree of life represents the life lived by the spirit, with God empowering and enlightening you. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents a life lived by man’s own knowledge. Humanism. You can see that all around us today, people living their lives by “what seems good at the time.”
Twice in proverbs (14:25 and 16:12) you will find the same verse. It says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is a way of death.” If we just make up our own “rules” as we go along life’s path, we will wind up in much trouble – or at least much sadness.
The selfish, “if it feels good, do it” mentality has brought heartache to many people – and to their children and to their children’s children.
The tree of life, however, represents a life lived in communion with the Creator. Accepting God’s love and His wisdom.
When man decided to live the life which was right in his own eyes, he experienced guilt. He saw himself naked and tried to hide from God.
In rendering His judgment, God prophesied about the redemption which was to come. He said to the serpent (Satan) that there would be enmity between his seed and her seed. (Jesus). Satan would bruise the heel of Jesus (the cross), and Jesus would bruise Satan’s head. (Defeat him completely).
Then came another significant act. God made tunics to cover His man and woman. He had to shed blood to get those tunics. So we see the first blood sacrifice covering the sins of man.
Matthew 2
In this chapter we continue to see God’s supernatural guidance as He protects His Son. First the wise men from the east come to see the child, bringing great treasure – treasure which is needed to make a long trip to Egypt.
Then we see God directing Joseph to take his family to Egypt to hide from the wrath of King Herod. (Herod feared this new king and thought that Jesus would be trying to overthrow his reign).
You have to admire Joseph for being so obedient. He had already done something drastic by taking Mary, who was pregnant. Now he was listening again and taking his family on a long, hard journey to Egypt. Such willingness to obey!
Now it’s your turn
If you would like to comment, please do. We can all learn from each other.
In the meantime, Blessings.
Suellen
![Read the Bible Through, Day 6]()
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Happy New Year!
It’s time to start our Read The Bible Through Project. And, boy, does it start off with a bang. (That’s my version of the “big bang theory,” God’s Word surely starts with a bang)!
Genesis 1 and Matthew 1.
In the Genesis chapter, we could spend hours gleaning all of what is being said. There are just a few points I would like to make.
1. God created the earth, and notice how He did it. He spoke the world into existence. When God speaks, things happen. If ever you doubted the significance of words, this should change that forever. Words are powerful, and they can change things around you.
2. Throughout the Bible, if we dig a little deeper than the surface, we will find deeper meaning. For instance, in verse two, most translations say that the earth “was” without form and void. If you look at the original Hebrew, you will find that it really says that the earth “became” without form and void. For those who think that the Bible isn’t true because it says that the world is only 6,000 years old, they just haven’t studied it enough.
Actually, the word doesn’t say how long it was after God created the earth that it became without form and void. There was obviously a time gap between verses 1 and 2. I have found throughout my life of studying that the more you study, the greater truth you find. (You know, that “wow” truth).
3. God delegated His authority to man and gave him “dominion” over the earth and all the creatures of the earth. He wanted man to manage the earth according to His purposes.
So how was man to rule the earth? If God created man in His image, then man operates in a mirror fashion of God: man speaks and things change.
If we look out across our territory and see darkness, as God did, what do we say? Do we say, “Things surely are dark out there?” If so, we aren’t operating in God’s image. If we are acting in God’s image, we say, “Let there be light.” Think about this . It’s one of the most important keys for living the life of faith we are called to live. We can learn to live so that our words have meaning and power. That was God’s original intention.
4. Everything that God created was good. He is a good God.
Matthew 1
1. God shows us what a covenant-keeping God He is. Sometimes, when we read the “begats, ” we think they are boring, so we skip them. This time, read the names. In a few days, we will be reading about the covenant God cut with Abraham. In this first chapter, we see God’s faithfulness to fulfill His part of the covenant. If you belong to Jesus, God is in covenant with you also. He will keep His end of the bargain, will you?
2. In verses 18 through 24 the Word speaks about the virgin birth. Jesus was and is truly the Son of God. He was the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 which says that His name shall be called Immanuel. (God with us).
3. He came to “save His people from their sins.”
So these are a few of my thoughts as I read today. I’m sure you have some of your own. I would love to hear from you also, so please share what’s on your heart as you read.
See you tomorrow.
Suellen
