by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Genesis 16-18
Uh-oh!! There’s about to be trouble in Canaan!
Abram acted just like we do sometimes. Have you ever had a promise from God and then tried to “force it to happen” by your own planning? I have. And it doesn’t work that way. When God says he is going to do something, He is perfectly capable of bringing it to pass.
Abram knew that God had said he was going to have an heir, but he thought that Sarai couldn’t conceive. So he took his wife’s advice and decided to have a son by her maid, Hagar. Big mistake. That’s not what God meant.
So Abram had Ishmael and created contention between Sarai and Hagar. God still protected Hagar and her son. Then He said something which may seem strange, but if you think about it, you will recognize that spirit in the middle east today. God said that Ishmael will be a “wild man; his hand shall be against every man and every man’s hand against him.”(Gen. 16:12). Think about that.
Another 13 years went by, and Abram was 99 years old. Once again, God appears to Abram and offers a covenant. If Abram will walk with God and continue to be faithful, there will be great blessings upon him. He will have many descendants – and His covenant will continue throughout Abram’s lineage.
Then God up’s the ante. He says for Abram to circumcise himself, his children, and every male of his household as a sign of the covenant. So God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “Father of Many Nations.” And He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “Beautiful Princess.”
As this special covenant continues to develop, God finds it necessary to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Their evil had increased to epic proportions. (In all of these dealings, remember that God’s intentions were not to destroy, but to save his righteous people. The influence of evil can destroy the world, so God judged them for the sake of His people.
Since He is in covenant with Abraham, God tells him His plan. Then Abraham tries to intercede for the city where his nephew Lot lives. He says, “Would you destroy it if you find fifty righteous?” God says, “No.” Then Abraham continues to wind down to 10. And God said He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if He found 10 righteous people.
Think what a close walk Abraham had with God. It had been 25 years since God had called him to leave his homeland. There had been promises many times, and the covenant had been developing over the years. Abraham wasn’t perfect (no man is), but to the best of his ability, he remained faithful to God and their relationship increased as time went on.
Do you see yourself in these pages? I hope so.
Matthew 7
Jesus is still introducing this new Kingdom to the people, and boy, does it sound strange to many. Yet they were hanging on every word. There was really something unusual about this Man.
One of the most significant principles of the new Kingdom is that we decide our outcome. “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”(7:2) There is a law of God which says that we decide “how much we receive back.” My husband calls this the Law of Measure. You want a teaspoonful of love? Give out a teaspoonful. Do you want a truckload? Give a truckload.
This doesn’t necessarily happen the next day, but over a lifetime, you will see patterns. You will see certain people who seem to have great favor. Take a look at what they have given out.
Then Jesus takes this a step further. He says what you continue to seek, you will find. If you continue to ask, seek, and knock for a closer walk with God, it will be given unto you.
Do you want to be really close to God? You will be in the minority. Don’t look for the path everyone is walking down; look for the way God is showing you. If you really want a close walk, you can’t just let the crowd persuade you, you have to have your own conviction about your life. It may seem hard sometimes, but the reward is tremendous!
When my son was a little boy, he had a t- shirt which I loved. On the front were some colorful fish swimming upward. And on the back it said, “Any Dead Fish Can Float Down Stream. Go Against The Flow.” Sometimes we do have to do just that if we are to walk closely with God.
The chapter winds up with another admonition. It’s not enough to “hear the word.” We have to “do it.” Many people may listen. They may memorize scripture and be able to recite it on the spot. However, if they are not “doing” what they know, they are not truly disciples of the Lord.
The stakes are high, aren’t they? He is looking for people who are truly His. I want to be in that crowd, and I know that you do too!
Blessings,
Suellen
P.S. This photograph was taken by Mickey Estes Photography http://www.mickeyestes.com
![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
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
