For more notes on God's Word, visit God's Word For Every Day. Genesis 4:6-16. In the story of Cain, we see the development of sin. Jealousy leads to anger, and anger leads to murder. In this story, we see ourselves in the 'mirror' of God's Word. Here, God emphasizes our exceeding sinfulness - 'The heart is …
Continue reading We’ve wandered away from the Lord. He’s waiting for us to make our way back to Him.
Genesis 5:1-17 Lord, where have all the years gone? Five years become ten years. Ten years become twenty years. Twenty years become forty years …. Is there something more than this? - We thank You that You are the eternal God. In all the changing circumstances of our life, help us to remember this: “The …
For more notes on God's Word, visit God's Word For Every Day. Genesis 6:1-8 The story of Noah is the story of God's grace - 'Noah found grace' (8). Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet 'Grace found Noah'. His testimony could be summed up: 'Amazing grace...I once was lost but now am found' (Mission …
Genesis 1:4-13 Lord, when You speak to us, help us to say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10). ‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38) - This was Mary’s prayer. May it also be our prayer. By ourselves, we are helpless and hopeless - Without Your help, we have no hope of …
Genesis 7:1-24 What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven of salvation inside the ark. We read that, once all were in the ark, "the Lord closed the door behind them" (16). What was it that made the ark a place of salvation? - The Lord. What is it that …
Genesis 6:9-22 To view the flood exclusively in terms of judgment is to see only one side of what God was doing. As well as judging, He was also saving - 'In this ship a few people - eight in all - were saved by water' (1 Peter 3:20). The ark points forward to Christ …
Genesis 8:1-22 Following the flood, we have this simple yet striking declaration: 'the ground was dry' (13). Safe from judgment! This is the message which comes to us from the Cross: 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). The judgment has fallen upon Christ. We are no …
Genesis 10:1-32 Names are important to God. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, "calls His sheep by name' (John 10:3). Among the many names, there is an interesting reference to "Nimrod, the first mighty warrior on the earth ... a mighty hunter whom the Lord blessed" (8-9). When we note that the first among the "cities in …
Genesis 1:26-2:3 We now come to the creation of humanity, male and female. Our creation is described in a distinctive way - created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are different from the rest of creation. We have been given dominion over 'all the earth' and 'every living creature' (Genesis 1:26,28). We are …
Genesis 9:1-19 'When you see a rainbow, remember God is love.' The rainbow reminds us of the gracious promise of God (13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: 'We sing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross...upon …
Continue reading When you see a rainbow, remember God is love.
GENESIS 1:1-3 ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right – (a) The priority of God (1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the …
Genesis 9:20-29 What a sad episode this is! It teaches us that yesterday's victories can become today's defeats, if we do not keep close to God. We read, in Hebrews 11:7 of Noah the man of faith, but here we have a very different picture. The lesson is clear - 'The arm of flesh …
Continue reading Yesterday’s victories can become today’s defeats, if we do not keep close to God.
Abraham lived through tumultuous times. As we read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, let us not lose sight of where things are going: "Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him" (18:18). When terrible things happen, and we wonder what …
"Your wife, Sarah, will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac" (verse 19). Abraham was given a glimpse of the future. For Abraham and Sarah, Isaac would be their immediate future. God was looking beyond the immediate future. He was looking toward the long-term future. God told Abraham that he would "become the …
Hagar was running away, but "the Angel of the Lord found her" (verses 6 and 7). Can we run away from God? We can try, but will we succeed? Why does God come looking for us? It's because He loves us. This is something we must never forget. God does not want us to run …
"Do not be afraid, Abram" (Genesis 15:11). Fear is such a powerful emotion. It can have such a negative effect on us. Abram needed to hear this word from the Lord. We need to hear this word from the Lord. There are times when everything seems to be so out of control. We wonder, "What's …
Genesis 6:1-8 The story of Noah is the story of God's grace - 'Noah found grace' (8). Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet 'Grace found Noah'. His testimony could be summed up: 'Amazing grace...I once was lost but now am found' (Mission Praise, 31). Expanding on the thought of 5:29 - 'this one …
"Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). To be blessed by the Lord is better than anything else. Without the blessing of God, our lives are empty. We may fill our lives with many things, but the question keeps coming back to us: What about God: where does …
"Abram built an altar to the Lord" (Genesis 13:18). As I was reading about Abram and Lot going their separate ways, I noticed these words in the last verse of this chapter. Here, we are challenged to think about what is important to us. Are we giving the Lord His rightful place in our lives? …
Before starting to comment on chapter 12, I want to say something about the second part of chapter 11, verses 10-32. These verses provide us with the background to the events which begin to unfold in chapter 12. The message of this long list names is this: God is moving on. He is fulfilling His …
This chapter contains the story of the tower of Babel, and another long list of names. What are we to say about the tower of Babel. It's a story that's been repeated over and over again. It's a story that's summed up in the words, "Tower and temple fall to dust." These words are taken …
This chapter contains many names. As I was looking over this long list of names, my eyes fixed on the last sentence of the chapter: "The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood" (verse 32). "The nations": This made me think of a great verse in the book of Revelation. It's Revelation …
Here, we read about the faithfulness of God and the frailty of man. We begin with the faithfulness of God. "And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, …
The flood is over. The time of judgment has come to an end. As I was thinking about the flood and what lay beyond the flood, I found myself thinking of some words from the hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Here's a lyric video of the hymn. …
Terrifying: that's what it was like outside of the ark. Reassuring: that's what it was like inside the ark. Outsde and inside the ark: this is the way God said it would be. The word of warning and the word of promise: this is what is saying to us, today. The flood: this is the …
These were dark days, but God was still there. There was judgment, but there was, also, salvation. There was the flood, and there was, also, the ark. We live in dark days. Everywhere we look, it seems like there's a 'flood' that's sweeping away everything that stands in its way. Is there any hope, for …
Genesis 21:1-23:20; Matthew 8:23-9:13; Psalm 7:10-17 As we read of the testing of Abraham in regard to God's call for Isaac to be sacrificed, we have a hint of God's provision of Jesus Christ as the Saviour who was sacrificed for the sins of the world. By faith, Abraham says, "God himself will provide the …
Continue reading Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God – our Saviour
So many names and so many years: what are we to say about all this? There are two names that jump out at us. The first name is Enoch (verses 21-24), and the second name is Noah (verse 29). What do we learn from Enoch and Noah? While we learn more about Noah in chapters …
Things are going from bad to worse. Cain kills his brother, Abel. There are times, in life, when we wonder, "Can things get any worse than this?" This was one of these times. When things start going wrong, we start wondering if they're ever going to get any better. Sometimes, things can get a lot …
It had all started so well, then everything went wrong. That's the story of Genesis 3. After Genesis 1 and 2 started so positively, disaster struck. Sin entered the world, and nothing was ever the same again. We read this story, coming to us from such a long time ago, and we wonder, "What does …
This chapter speaks to us with childlike simplicity. It builds on the teaching of the first chapter: God is our Creator. Chapter 1 shows us the bigger picture. Chapter 2 looks, more closely, at the creation of human beings. We were made by God. We were made for God. To say that we were made …
"Genesis 1" has become a battlefield. People argue about creation and evolution. A battllefield: Is this all that we have in Genesis 1? When we read our Bibles, do we leave Genesis 1 to "the experts" - the people who know what they're talking about? This raises some questions. Who, exactly are the "experts"? What …
"God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ... But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord ... and Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:5,8-9). In every generation, the Lord's people must make their choice. Will we …
Continue reading Will we walk in the ways of the world? or Will we walk with the Lord?
"Building a tower and making a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) There is no salvation in ourselves. Salvation is in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). The Lord is our "strong tower" (Proverbs 18:10). Salvation doesn't begin with ourselves. It comes to us from Christ: "Who came down from heaven to earth? - Jesus Christ, our Saviour." …
"No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). From Abram to Abraham - it doesn't seem like a very big change. It is a big change. It seems to suggest a movement from the blessings given to Abram - to …
"The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature, as I have done" (Genesis 8:21). We read, here, about human sin and divine grace. Our story is the story of sin - but there's another story which breaks into our story - it's the story …
Genesis 4:1-5 Lord, when we come to You, we come with our sin. We can’t do anything else. Sin is a part of what we are. It’s the heart of what we are.
"Sarah laughed" (Genesis 18:12). It wasn't only Sarah who laughed. Abraham, also, laughed (Genesis 17:17). The laughter of Sarah and Abraham was the laughter of unbelief. There is, however, another laughter, a better laughter. It's the laughter of faith; "Faith laughs at impossibilities, and cries, 'It shall be done.'" (Charles Wesley). https://youtu.be/Tkzu_sz3EGQ
Genesis 1:14-25 The Bible's opening chapter is a great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all things have been created for the glory of God (Revelation 4:11). Nothing can be permitted to distract our attention from the Lord. He alone is worthy of worship. The creation of the 'lights' makes no reference to the sun and …
Genesis 1:1-3 'Genesis' means 'beginning'. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right - (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God's Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there …
Continue reading Get Your Priorities Right – God, God’s Word, God’s Spirit.
Genesis 2:4-14 We read of 'the breath of life', producing 'a living being' (Genesis 2:7). Separated from God through our sin, we have become spiritually dead (Ephesians 4:18; 2:1), we have been 'born again', 'born of the Spirit'. This new birth is brought about by the breath of life, the wind of the Spirit (John …
Continue reading Our Fall Into Sin – And The Foundation Of Our Salvation
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b or 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33 Strengthened by the Lord, we are led in the way of victory. In the story of Joseph, we see human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (Genesis 37:11) and its effects: ‘where jealousy …
"And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”" (Genesis 50:24). What great words of encouragement! Joseph was very near to the end of his life on …
"Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9).Everything had started out so well, It was such a promising beginning. Then something went wrong, something serious, something that changed everything. What does God do about it, when things start going wrong? He starts looking for us. Why is He looking for us? It's because He loves us.Jesus tells us …
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45b (or Psalm 128) or 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Trust in the Lord. He is working in us to do us good. The tables are turned on Jacob. The trickster is tricked! The ‘trick’ was according to the ‘custom’ that the …
Continue reading Trust in the Lord. He is working in us to do us good.
Genesis 11:1-9 Human pride sets itself up against the authority of God. This is the oft-repeated story of the 'Tower of Babel'. The end of godless men is sure - 'Tower and temple, fall to dust' (Church Hymnary, 405). Sin can be analyzed psychologically in terms of the human attitude of proud independence ('let us …
"You are an honoured prince of God among us" (Genesis 23:5). How great this is! When people thought of Abraham, they thought of God. We think of Abraham, and our thoughts move forward to Jesus; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word …
Genesis 9:1-19 '‘When you see a rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the gracious promise of God (13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross... …
Continue reading When You See A Rainbow, Remember God Is Love.
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,24 yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agileby the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with …
What's life all about? What does it mean? Does life have a God-given meaning? or Do we, ourselves, give it a meaning that, we feel, it has for us? Why are we here on earth? What is the purpose of our life? Do we have a God-given answer to this question? or Must we create, …
"Abram worshipped the Lord" (Genesis 13:4). Here, we see Abram, returning to a place where he had, at an earlier time, worshipped the Lord. As I was reading this verse, I thought of a song that I haven't heard for years. https://youtu.be/nKq0_d9bfr0 How long? - Too long! Now is the time for making a new …
"The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'" (Genesis 15:1). Abram was given great promises by the Lord. He received great blessings from the Lord. When we sing the words, Be Thou my Vision, we are affirming our faith in the Lord. With him as our …
"We can plainly see that the Lord is blessing you ... We bless you in the name of the Lord" (Genesis 26:28-29). Thank God that he is blessing you and pray that he will keep on blessing you. Think of how much the Lord has blessed you, and let your heart be filled with praise …
Genesis 11:10-32 Another list of names! Again, there is something here for us - God is moving on. These many names summarize the times between Noah and Abraham. We must look beyond this list of names. We must see them in connection with His Story. History can be tedious, until we see it as His …
We come here to the creation of woman. Her creation is bound up with the creation of man. She is created from man's 'rib' (Genesis 2:21-22). The 'rib' is taken from his side, emphasizing that man and woman are to be together, side-by-side, not one in front of the other. The 'rib', rather than the …
Continue reading Close To The Heart Of God, Created To Glorify Him
"But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Saviour except me" (Hosea 13:4). Here, God is saying to the people, "Here's something you must never forget. I brought you out of Egypt the land of bondage." He's saying to them, "Never forget how much …
Genesis 47:27-48:22 No more fear (46:3). No more pride (47:9). Now, no more doubt - God will bless (15-16, 19-21). Let it be confidence(Philippians 1:6), humility(John 15:5) and faith(Hebrews 11:1; Philippians 3:14). Man's way is set aside - ‘his younger brother shall be greater than he’(19). We are ‘saved by grace’(Ephesians 2:8). There is one …
Continue reading In Christ, We Are Being Led On To ‘A Better Country… A Heavenly One.’
Genesis 16:1-16 From salvation and the assurance of salvation, we turn to Satan and the activity of Satan. Sarai came with temptation (1). Abraham yielded to temptation (2). Temptation becomes sin when we yield to it. In Abraham, we see the conflict between ‘the old man’ that he was and ‘the new man’ God was …
Continue reading ‘Sin Shall Not Have Dominion. Grace Is Victorious.’
Genesis 21:1-21 We have here the contrast between Isaac, the child of promise, and Ishmael, the fruit of unbelief. Ishmael was born as a result of impatience, the failure to wait upon the Lord. In the birth of Isaac, the initiative belonged with God, and the glory belonged to Him. In Christ, we are the …
Genesis 6:1-8 The story of Noah is the story of God’s grace - ‘Noah found grace’ (8). Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet ‘Grace found Noah’. His testimony could be summed up: ‘Amazing grace...I once was lost but now am found’ (Mission Praise, 31). Expanding on the thought of 5:29 - ‘this one …
Psalms 18:2 (KJV) The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
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