Wow. This one was packed for me. Genesis 15, you had a lot to say.
First off, just LOOK at how this chapter begins:
Genesis 15:1 "After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'"
I am CERTAIN that I have probably read this chapter at some point in my life, but I never remember reading that verse. The words of it struck me to my core. God is our shield, and not only that but he is our very great reward. That great reward part is the part that got to me. I think that so often I see God as my helper, as my rock, as my redeemer, as holy and wonderful. He really is all of those things, but to see him as my great reward? That is amazing! HE IS A REWARD! He is a reward for walking a life lived with him! I mean think about it! We get to have daily communion with our amazing Lord! When we give our lives over to him he promises to be there with us, to walk with us, to guide us. What is a better reward than that. I just love that phrasing so much. It made me feel almost...I don't know, giddy? Is that the right word? Right now I am just GIDDY! I am smiling and rejoicing and thinking about that...God is my reward. Amazing. Amazing that he loves me that much and that he wants to be with me...he wants to be my reward.
The other part of this chapter that just about made me cry comes a bit later on.
Genesis 15:4-6 "Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
Um, yeah. This one just makes me want to cry. If you follow my other blog, you know that our journey to having children was not always an easy one. My boys, wow...I want to just smother them in love all of the time. I know what an incredible gift they are. With each pregnancy I took not a moment for granted and often I just look at their precious faces and cannot believe how blessed I am. I don't take having children for granted. I know that journey is a long, hard one for some people. It was even for us. When I think of Abram crying out to God in this area I can feel his pain. When you have tried to have a baby and for some reason or another it is not working, that anguish can be difficult to bear. Abram was just bringing this before his Lord, sharing his heartache with him. I have been in that same spot. Then, there is God, making him this BEAUTIFUL promise! He uses something so gorgeous as the night sky to say to Abram, I hear you, I feel your anguish, I understand. Your faithfulness will grant you descendants that number greater than the stars in the sky. Wow. It just makes me want to smile on Abram's behalf. He must have felt like jumping up and down and dancing after God told him this...I know I would have!
I don't know that God always answers in this way, but we have seen these sorts of answers in our own lives. Sometimes I think that God wants us to just cry out to him, to share those sorrows with him...he is just waiting for us to say, "Look God, my heart is hurting!" It doesn't mean that he is always going to answer that cry with a joyful circumstance...after our first miscarriage our cries were answered with another miscarriage, but he is there. He is with us. It goes back to that great reward thing...he is there.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Geneis 14
In today's chapter, Genesis 14, I can't say that a single verse really struck me. What struck me was that once again, Abram puts his life on the line for his nephew. He puts his family first. He has a little band of just 318 men, yet when he hears his nephew has been captured he goes out and rescues him. I guess what also really stands out to me is how Abram continually gives God the glory.
Verse: Genesis 14:19 "and he blessed Abram saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth."
Even the king could see that Abram was blessed by God. Abram listened to and obeyed God and his commands and continued to see God at work in his life. I'm sure that his life was not always easy, and there were probably times of great frustration, but the pattern that I see is a good one...listening and obeying GOD! I also want to follow his pattern of giving God the glory. Too often I take things, events, or people in my life for granted. I need to remember that it is God that makes it all happen and I should be praising and glorifying Him in and through those things!
Verse: Genesis 14:19 "and he blessed Abram saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth."
Even the king could see that Abram was blessed by God. Abram listened to and obeyed God and his commands and continued to see God at work in his life. I'm sure that his life was not always easy, and there were probably times of great frustration, but the pattern that I see is a good one...listening and obeying GOD! I also want to follow his pattern of giving God the glory. Too often I take things, events, or people in my life for granted. I need to remember that it is God that makes it all happen and I should be praising and glorifying Him in and through those things!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Genesis 13
Wow, I loved this chapter. It really hit home for me. It is short but packed with a mighty punch. In this chapter, Abraham and his nephew, Lot, are moving their families to where they are going to settle. Both Abram and Lot are pretty powerful and wealthy men, so they have a lot of goods between the two of them. They have so much, that they realize that they really cannot support both of their crews in the same area, so Abram knows that they will have to go their separate ways.
Verse: Genesis 13:8-9 "So Abram said to Lot, 'Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left.'"
This is pretty big stuff. Abraham was older than Lot and was his uncle, so technically he should have been the one to choose. When Lot does choose, he does not show any deference to his uncle and chooses what seems to be the best land for himself.
Abram doesn't even bat an eye. He goes the opposite way, even though it doesn't seem to be that great. He knows that the Lord will protect him and his family. He is told that by the Lord later on in the chapter...God promises to give him great land and great numbers of offspring. This isn't what struck me though...what struck me is Abram's selflessness. He offers up the best to his nephew. He puts his family first. He knew that he could be facing potential conflict and chose to meet it head on and took the initiative to resolve it. He didn't put himself first either, he put his nephew first. It's a good reminder to me. I need to be willing to work with those I care about, to not avoid things, but to meet them head on. I also need to go in with a heart of humbleness and peace and to be willing to put myself last, even if it means I might get hurt or not get what I want. It is a hard lesson for me to learn sometimes. I think it can be human nature to want to put ourselves first...I need to learn to squelch that desire and look to the needs of my family and friends around me. I need to be BOLD. That is one of my biggest problems...I am always afraid to shake things up, or to be hurt myself. I have to get past that and step out in FAITH.
Verse: Genesis 13:8-9 "So Abram said to Lot, 'Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left.'"
This is pretty big stuff. Abraham was older than Lot and was his uncle, so technically he should have been the one to choose. When Lot does choose, he does not show any deference to his uncle and chooses what seems to be the best land for himself.
Abram doesn't even bat an eye. He goes the opposite way, even though it doesn't seem to be that great. He knows that the Lord will protect him and his family. He is told that by the Lord later on in the chapter...God promises to give him great land and great numbers of offspring. This isn't what struck me though...what struck me is Abram's selflessness. He offers up the best to his nephew. He puts his family first. He knew that he could be facing potential conflict and chose to meet it head on and took the initiative to resolve it. He didn't put himself first either, he put his nephew first. It's a good reminder to me. I need to be willing to work with those I care about, to not avoid things, but to meet them head on. I also need to go in with a heart of humbleness and peace and to be willing to put myself last, even if it means I might get hurt or not get what I want. It is a hard lesson for me to learn sometimes. I think it can be human nature to want to put ourselves first...I need to learn to squelch that desire and look to the needs of my family and friends around me. I need to be BOLD. That is one of my biggest problems...I am always afraid to shake things up, or to be hurt myself. I have to get past that and step out in FAITH.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Genesis 11 & 12
Wow...I got a little off track there. Life got busy. Not an excuse, I know, but I made it one. I started to think other things were more important and next thing I knew I was out of the Word. I missed it. Back to the grindstone.
Genesis 11
The main focus for me in this chapter is the Tower of Babel. This is something that just fascinates me. First of all, to be living in an age where everyone spoke the same language must have been fascinating. I guess they didn't know any different but imagine how they must have felt when God confused their languages??
The verse that struck me is Genesis 11:4 "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make an ame for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"
These people wanted to make a name for themselves. This tower was a wonder of the world, a great monument. The people must have been pretty proud of themselves. I wonder what things I place as monuments in my life? Is it my house and how nice it looks? Is it my kids and how they are behaving? Is it my job? God is the one that has blessed me with all of these things. It is ok for me to develop and to appreciate these things, but the important thing to remember is that without Him I am nothing and these wonderful blessings would not be in my life.
Genesis 12
The story of Abraham is always an interesting one. The guy wasn't perfect, but the way that he follows God is a good reminder to me. He just up and leaves everything that he knows and is familiar to him because God tells him to. He doesn't really question, he just goes.
Genesis 12:4 "So Abram left, as the Lord had told him: and Lot went with him."
He obeys. I wonder if I would obey if God told me to just up and leave everything and everyone I hold near and dear. I have some friends that did that. They felt God calling them to be missionaries in Cambodia. They owned a home, they had three young daughters, they were settled and happy. They both had great jobs...but they went. They went! I want to believe that I have that kind of faith and trust, but I know I need to work on it. I often say that I am trusting God with things and then quickly grab them back and try to take over again. That's not what he asks, he asks me to just give it to him and follow.
Genesis 11
The main focus for me in this chapter is the Tower of Babel. This is something that just fascinates me. First of all, to be living in an age where everyone spoke the same language must have been fascinating. I guess they didn't know any different but imagine how they must have felt when God confused their languages??
The verse that struck me is Genesis 11:4 "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make an ame for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"
These people wanted to make a name for themselves. This tower was a wonder of the world, a great monument. The people must have been pretty proud of themselves. I wonder what things I place as monuments in my life? Is it my house and how nice it looks? Is it my kids and how they are behaving? Is it my job? God is the one that has blessed me with all of these things. It is ok for me to develop and to appreciate these things, but the important thing to remember is that without Him I am nothing and these wonderful blessings would not be in my life.
Genesis 12
The story of Abraham is always an interesting one. The guy wasn't perfect, but the way that he follows God is a good reminder to me. He just up and leaves everything that he knows and is familiar to him because God tells him to. He doesn't really question, he just goes.
Genesis 12:4 "So Abram left, as the Lord had told him: and Lot went with him."
He obeys. I wonder if I would obey if God told me to just up and leave everything and everyone I hold near and dear. I have some friends that did that. They felt God calling them to be missionaries in Cambodia. They owned a home, they had three young daughters, they were settled and happy. They both had great jobs...but they went. They went! I want to believe that I have that kind of faith and trust, but I know I need to work on it. I often say that I am trusting God with things and then quickly grab them back and try to take over again. That's not what he asks, he asks me to just give it to him and follow.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Genesis 10
This chapter of the Bible isn't one that is riveting for me, I have to be honest. It is basically a genealogical listing of Noah's sons and their sons. What was interesting for me in this chapter was to see what "nations" came from each of the sons. That is one of the reasons that I love the footnotes in my Bible. I feel like I learn so much more and it really helps me to want to get into the Word that much more. Even what previously might have seemed like a boring chapter to me had some meaning when I saw that these guys were the "fathers of all nations."
Noah had three sons that are listed here: Japheth, Shem and Ham. They were the fathers of the various Biblical nations.
From Japheth came the Greeks, Thracians, and Scythians. From Shem came the Hebrews, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Persians, and Syrians. From Ham came the Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites, and Amorites.
What is even more interesting to me is that they all started out from three men, yet eventually these "nations" end up warring with one another, just as we all do now, and essentially, we all originate from these three guys too. It makes me really think about the fact that I can't look down on anyone else because of where they are from or who their descendents are. I don't really do that anyway, but it just reminds me that much more that I need to care for everyone, not just those that it is easy to care for.
Noah had three sons that are listed here: Japheth, Shem and Ham. They were the fathers of the various Biblical nations.
From Japheth came the Greeks, Thracians, and Scythians. From Shem came the Hebrews, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Persians, and Syrians. From Ham came the Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Hittites, and Amorites.
What is even more interesting to me is that they all started out from three men, yet eventually these "nations" end up warring with one another, just as we all do now, and essentially, we all originate from these three guys too. It makes me really think about the fact that I can't look down on anyone else because of where they are from or who their descendents are. I don't really do that anyway, but it just reminds me that much more that I need to care for everyone, not just those that it is easy to care for.
Genesis 9
I missed a few days of reading. I thought about trying to catch up by doing several chapters in one day, but when I do that, it really takes the joy out of the process and makes it feel like a chore, so I thought I would just pick up where I left off. Last night I read Genesis chapter 9. I asked my husband if I could read it to him as we were going to bed. I wanted to hear his thoughts. He really just wanted to sleep, but as always, he is a trooper, and once I finished we ended up having a great conversation about not only that chapter, but a few others. I love him...he is so intelligent, and conversations like that with him always really make me think.
Genesis 9 revolves around God commanding Noah and his sons to repopulate the Earth, and talks a bit about the different nations that descended from Noah's sons. This time I didn't necessarily identify with just one verse, but rather the chapter as a whole.
It amazes me to think of stepping off of that boat and having NO. ONE. ELSE. AROUND. Just you, your wife, your sons and their wives. That's it. In today's age it is seen as wrong to marry within your own family. People do it, but it can cause all sorts of genetic problems with the children you may have. I guess that is probably why it is tough to think about coming off that boat and having that command to "repopulate the Earth." Kev and I had quite a discussion about all of this. We also discussed the flood and what that really looked like and even the question of is this story of the Bible central to our faith.
What it came down to for me was yes. Yes it is central to our faith. I think it all is. I can't say that part of the Bible is important and part of it isn't. I need to figure this all out. I need to figure out how I am going to interpret what I am reading and when I have questions, I need to find someone that I can talk to about those questions.
Ultimately, this chapter, reading it with Kevin, and the discussion that followed just served to make me that much more excited about this journey. I feel like I am seeing God's Word through new eyes, not just my own, but also through the eyes of maybe someone that does NOT believe as I do, and to think about how to discuss it with someone like that. It makes me hunger and thirst to read and to know more. I am loving it, wholly and completely!
Genesis 9 revolves around God commanding Noah and his sons to repopulate the Earth, and talks a bit about the different nations that descended from Noah's sons. This time I didn't necessarily identify with just one verse, but rather the chapter as a whole.
It amazes me to think of stepping off of that boat and having NO. ONE. ELSE. AROUND. Just you, your wife, your sons and their wives. That's it. In today's age it is seen as wrong to marry within your own family. People do it, but it can cause all sorts of genetic problems with the children you may have. I guess that is probably why it is tough to think about coming off that boat and having that command to "repopulate the Earth." Kev and I had quite a discussion about all of this. We also discussed the flood and what that really looked like and even the question of is this story of the Bible central to our faith.
What it came down to for me was yes. Yes it is central to our faith. I think it all is. I can't say that part of the Bible is important and part of it isn't. I need to figure this all out. I need to figure out how I am going to interpret what I am reading and when I have questions, I need to find someone that I can talk to about those questions.
Ultimately, this chapter, reading it with Kevin, and the discussion that followed just served to make me that much more excited about this journey. I feel like I am seeing God's Word through new eyes, not just my own, but also through the eyes of maybe someone that does NOT believe as I do, and to think about how to discuss it with someone like that. It makes me hunger and thirst to read and to know more. I am loving it, wholly and completely!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Genesis 7 & 8
Today I had a little extra time-the wee one was sleeping-and the chapters were short, as well as compelling, so I read two. These chapters are about the great flood and Noah. I have always loved and been amazed by that story in the Bible, and now as an adult, I even contemplate them in a different way.
Verse #1: Genesis 7:15 "Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark."
I love this verse. I totally love it. I look at it and read it and think of many things. First, I think whoah! What must that have been like? Can you just IMAGINE it? I mean think about these animals, all of these animals, two of each, coming to the ark. Just sauntering up like, "Hey, I'm ready to go, can I get on the boat now?" I think that is how it happened because it says they came to Noah. God did this, he commanded them and they just came! That is crazy! Also, I am amazed at Noah again. He didn't worry about it like, how am I going to get all of these animals here? He just focused on his job, which was to build the ark, and trusted God to get the rest accomplished. I can learn a lot from that. I am a details girl and often when I am in the midst of things I get all caught up in trying to figure every single thing out by myself. I forget the bigger picture or what perhaps God is asking me to do and lose my focus because I am thinking about the other details that God can take care of better than I can. I need to leave those up to HIM!
Verse #2: Genesis 8:18 "So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives."
Why is this verse important to me? It is because of what I read in all of the verses preceding it. It was a lonnnng wait. They were there in this ark for over a year, when it was all said and done. This wasn't a luxury cruise ship. It was full of animals, and I am sure that the smell was probably pretty awful. They probably had a lot of the same kinds of food, they probably got a little tired of each other, but Noah waited. He waited until GOD told him it was ok and THEN he came out. What I learn from this is that sometimes life is tough. Sometimes it is a long haul and you feel like you are surrounded by stinking animal poo, but you have to wait. You have to wait and listen to God and wait for his command and what he wants to do and when he wants to bring you out of the ark. God was keeping Noah and his family in the ark for their own good, he knew that it wasn't safe and ready for them yet, and Noah and his family trusted God. I have to wait. I have to learn to deal with the poo and just wait.
Verse #1: Genesis 7:15 "Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark."
I love this verse. I totally love it. I look at it and read it and think of many things. First, I think whoah! What must that have been like? Can you just IMAGINE it? I mean think about these animals, all of these animals, two of each, coming to the ark. Just sauntering up like, "Hey, I'm ready to go, can I get on the boat now?" I think that is how it happened because it says they came to Noah. God did this, he commanded them and they just came! That is crazy! Also, I am amazed at Noah again. He didn't worry about it like, how am I going to get all of these animals here? He just focused on his job, which was to build the ark, and trusted God to get the rest accomplished. I can learn a lot from that. I am a details girl and often when I am in the midst of things I get all caught up in trying to figure every single thing out by myself. I forget the bigger picture or what perhaps God is asking me to do and lose my focus because I am thinking about the other details that God can take care of better than I can. I need to leave those up to HIM!
Verse #2: Genesis 8:18 "So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives."
Why is this verse important to me? It is because of what I read in all of the verses preceding it. It was a lonnnng wait. They were there in this ark for over a year, when it was all said and done. This wasn't a luxury cruise ship. It was full of animals, and I am sure that the smell was probably pretty awful. They probably had a lot of the same kinds of food, they probably got a little tired of each other, but Noah waited. He waited until GOD told him it was ok and THEN he came out. What I learn from this is that sometimes life is tough. Sometimes it is a long haul and you feel like you are surrounded by stinking animal poo, but you have to wait. You have to wait and listen to God and wait for his command and what he wants to do and when he wants to bring you out of the ark. God was keeping Noah and his family in the ark for their own good, he knew that it wasn't safe and ready for them yet, and Noah and his family trusted God. I have to wait. I have to learn to deal with the poo and just wait.
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