2013 Day 12 – Genesis 30-32, Psalm 11

12 Saturday Jan 2013

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Jacob is an interesting man. He is very crafty in all he does. He likes to manipulate every situation to his advantage. And he trusts God to bless him through everything he does. I’m not sure how much of Jacob’s life should be emulated, but I think his effort and determination should be. I think too many believers pray and wait for God to act on their behalf. I don’t think that is the way God wants us to work. While there are times God wants us to settle down and wait for His leading, He eventually does just that; He leads us. We are still commanded to act.

2013 Day 11 – Genesis 27-29, Psalm 10

11 Friday Jan 2013

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Today’s reading always makes me wonder how deception and sin could turn into God’s perfect plan. As I read the story of Jacob, I kept thinking to myself how wrong he was with the decisions he made. Then I realized that in the end, none of the things he ended up possessing came without a heavy cost. After all, the deceiver became the deceived when it came to receiving his bride(s). And while this man became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, it did not come without great sacrifice and cost. Could it have been that the cost came because of the sins of the father? I have to believe that it did. For this reason I must always be careful with my actions and the downstream affect it will cause to my family. God’s grace is sufficient for me, but there are always consequences to the choices I make. I hope I always keep that in mind and work hard for the future of my family.

2013 Day 10 – Genesis 24-26, Psalm 9

10 Thursday Jan 2013

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In today’s reading, the story that stood out to me was of Esau and Jacob. Every time I read this story I am always surprised by the way Esau gave up his birthright to his brother. But then I quickly realize that I do the same thing all the time; I give up on waiting for true blessing in place of short-term satisfaction. Nothing in this world will ever be more important than the things God has promised me for eternity. It is a constant battle in my mind to look past what I think I want right now to the promises of God that have true meaning. If I take the time to think about it with clear eyes, I know that Gods promises for my life have more impact and real satisfaction than anything this world has to offer me.

2013 Day 9 – Genesis 21-23, Psalm 8

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

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Sorry for the delayed post today.

The main thing that stood out to me in today’s reading was Abraham and how he handled God’s command to sacrifice his son. God usually asks me to do much simpler commands and somehow I complain and fight Him on it all the way. Abraham was willing to follow through completely and without complaint. If it weren’t for the angle stepping in, Abraham would have followed through and I have to believe there would be no angle present if God knew Abraham didn’t have it in him. That type of obedience is the kind I want to have. The kind that doesn’t hesitate to just jump right in; knowing God will take care of the details. The other thing to keep in mind is that God did not ask Abraham to do something He wouldn’t be willing to do Himself. God sent His son and sacrificed Him for us. Shouldn’t we trust God to know His plan is perfect? If nothing else, we should trust that there is purpose in His plans through us and we should count it a blessing to be included in those plans.

2013 Day 8 – Genesis 18-20, Psalm 7

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

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There is so much drama in today’s reading. The big thing that struck me was how much God continued to bless both Abraham and Lot. These were not perfect men. In fact, by some standards they were not even close. Abraham continued to rely on himself for protection by offering up his wife to Abimelech and Lot offered up his daughters to the men of Sodom to protect the angels. When looking at these acts on their own, it is easy to call these men unrighteous. But isn’t this the same thing for us? Aren’t we unrighteous when we look at our individual acts of our lives. Our righteousness does not come from our own efforts. Our righteousness comes from a merciful God who gives us grace despite our imperfection. When we act without trusting in God for our needs, He still loves us enough to lead us to ultimate righteousness.

2013 Day 7 – Rev. David Wilkerson – A Call to Anguish

07 Monday Jan 2013

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For our first reflection day, I wanted to share a video someone shared with me a few years ago. This is Reverend David Wilkerson’s soul-stirring sermon on the necessity of anguish – to bear God’s heart, passion, and burden within our lives. It is lest than 8 minutes long and is one of the more powerful messages I have heard in a while. I’d love to hear your comments on it.

2013 Day 6 – Genesis 15-17, Psalm 6

06 Sunday Jan 2013

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In addition to all the drama between Sarai and Hagar, the big thing that stood out to me today was in Genesis 15:5, 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.” Many years ago, as I was driving through the state of Texas in the middle of the night, I pull over and stepped outside to gaze up at the stars. Until you have viewed the stars with no light pollution to impair your view, you have not really seen what Abraham was seeing. That night I was able to see the actual form of our Milky Way galaxy, with billions of stars before my eyes. Think about the time of Abraham when there were no city lights to impair his view of the stars. This gave me a much greater appreciation for the picture God had painted for Abraham. When God gives us promises it is important for us to realize His promises from His vantage point. It is easy to see through our limited eyes. We have to step outside the things that impair our sight to see through the eyes of God what He is capable of producing in our lives.

2013 Day 5 – Genesis 12-14, Psalm 5

05 Saturday Jan 2013

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In today’s reading in Genesis, Abram shows wisdom and some foolishness throughout. He was foolish to not trust God in Egypt. Though I can empathize with his decision making, its easy to look at a situation and decide you need to protect yourself, but God wants us to trust in Him. God does everything for His honor and glory and we need to trust that He knows what is best for us in the light of eternity.

Conversely, Abram shows some wisdom when he responds to the King of Sodom in Genesis 14:22-23, 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ It would have been easy to accept the reward for Abram’s actions, but in the long run, the cost would not have been worth it. We can apply this wisdom in our lives as well by considering the cost of some of our decisions in life. Is it worth the cost of acquiring things such as wealth, notoriety, or relationships when we weigh it in the light of what should matter in our lives?

2013 Day 4 – Genesis 10-11, Psalm 4

04 Friday Jan 2013

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The first time I read through all of this genealogy, I have to admit it was a bit boring. However, as I read it this time… it is still boring. In all seriousness, this is the story that sets the stage for everything else that happens in the Bible; including the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. The key to appreciating these parts of the Bible is to realize there are no insignificant parts. All this information is important. In the end, it all leads us through the story of imperfect humans who need the saving grace of a perfect God.

2013 Day 3 – Genesis 6-9, Psalm 3

03 Thursday Jan 2013

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My big observation from today’s reading was actually made a while ago. When I first read through the Bible a few years back, I came across the story of Noah and realized that there really are no perfect men. If you read through the entire Bible you will see that everyone in it, with the exception of Jesus, had sin in their lives. Noah, the only man God chose to save from the flood, got drunk so drunk that he left himself exposed for the world to see (I assure you, even in my college days I never got THAT drunk!). But here he is; the man God chose to save, and he not only exposes himself, but he causes one of his sons to sin as well. The beauty of it all is that God knows we are Imperfect, yet His plan is perfect! The actions of Noah’s son Ham sets in motion the formation of the Canaanites. These are the same people who will develop the Promised Land the Israelites will later inherit. Don’t let the significance of the future impact of this story pass you by. No matter what happens in our lives, God is always in control and His perfect plan will be fulfilled.