I once was lost, but now am found.

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 …

God is greater than our circumstances …

Genesis 15:1-21 God is greater than our circumstances. God had given great promises to Abraham, yet there appeared no sign that His promises were being fulfilled. The circumstances seemed bleak, and Abraham felt despondent. Abraham was full of questions. In verse 2, he asks, 'What can you give me...?' This is the question of salvation. …

Turning-points

Genesis 32:1-33:20; Matthew 12:22-45; Proverbs 2:1-11 In Genesis 28:10-22, we read about a turning-point in Jacob’s life. Here, in Genesis 32:22-32, we have another turning-point. It’s summed up in Genesis 32:28 – “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob may “have overcome”, but there …

Jesus is Lord of all…

Genesis 45:1-47:12; Matthew 16:1-12; Psalm 14:1-7 Joseph makes himself known to his brothers: “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!” (Genesis 45:4). Jesus makes Himself known to His disciples (Matthew 16:13-17). In Joseph’s self-identification, there is a statement about why God had sent him into Egypt – “it was to save …

The Lord is reaching out to us. He’s calling us to respond to Him.

Genesis 14:1-16:16; Matthew 5:43-6:24; Psalm 6:1-10 In Genesis 14:18-20, we read about the remarkable appearance of the mysterious figure, Melchizedek. Here, we have the first suggestion of tithing – “Then Abram gave Him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:20). This is not a legalistic practice. It is set in the context of grace and worship. Abram’s …

Let us worship God with our lives as well as our words.

Genesis 49:1-50:26; Matthew 17:14-18:9; Psalm 15:1-5 In Genesis 49, we read of Jacob’s blessings on his sons. In Matthew 18:1-4, we read of the disciples asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Jesus replied to them, “whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” In the …

Jesus Christ – the Source of our salvation

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 …

Lord, when You speak to us

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 …

Eternal life – through Jesus Christ our Lord

Genesis 47:13-48:22; Matthew 16:21-17:13; Proverbs 3:1-10 In Genesis and Matthew, we see Jacob and Joseph looking to the future. It is to be a future of blessing. For both, death was near. the future, however, was life. In Jacob’s time, the expectation concerned an earthly land – “God will be with you and take you …

A New Beginning: Some thoughts from the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-3‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Its 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 Word of the Lord. (c) the priority …

Lord, You are God.

Genesis 2:15-17 Lord, You are God. Who are we to tell You what to do? Who are we to say, “We’ll do what we like” - when You’re saying to us, “I know what’s best for you.” Help us to choose Your way - and stop insisting on getting our own way. How are we …

Jesus is showing us that He loves us.

Genesis 41:42-42:38; Matthew 14:22-15:9; Psalm 12:1-8 We may see a parallel between Joseph and “the twelve” (his eleven brothers and his father, Jacob) and Jesus and “the twelve” (His disciples). Joseph is leading them into a situation of testing. His long-term intention is to show them that He loves them. Jesus comes to “the twelve” …

When things are going badly…

Genesis 38:1-39:23; Matthew 13:36-58; Psalm 11:1-7 What a contrast there is between the unrestrained lust of Judah (Genesis 38) and the sexual restraint of Joseph  – “How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph was unjustly treated, and put in prison. Nevertheless, God’s purpose was not hindered …

God plans to bring his blessing to all nations.

Genesis 42:1-46:34 As we read chapters 42-44 - we ask the question -"What's going to happen next?" To answer this question - we need to read chapters 45-46. As we read through chapters 42-44 -we find that the drama builds up more and more as the story unfolds. The story draws us in. It's a …

From the darkness of our sin… to the joy of God’s salvation

Genesis 19:1-20:18; Matthew 7:24-8:22; Psalm 7:1-9 Genesis 19 is a chapter that’s full of the darkness of sin. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is followed by the sordid episode with Lot and his daughters. Sin leads to judgment. That’s the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. sin leads to judgment. we see this in the …

Everything seems to be changing. We trust in God’s unchanging love.

Genesis 49:28-50:26 It was a time of "very great and sorrowful lamentation" (10). Jacob had died (33). Soon, Joseph would be gone (26). God was still there. He had been there in the past (20). He would be there in the future (24-25). Times are hard. We rejoice: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never …

You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

Genesis 37:1-36 Here, we have human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (11) and its effects: ‘where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice’(James 3:16). We see God working out His purpose: ‘you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good’(50:20). In his dreams, Joseph was …

Big questions

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, …

Be Thou My Vision.

"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 …

Responding to God’s Word (1): In our times of suffering, may we never forget this, the Holy Spirit has been given to us.

God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering (Genesis 41:52). Here, Joseph speaks to us about suffering, and he speaks to us about fruitfulness. For Joseph, there was suffering before there was fruitfulness. What do we learn from these words of Joseph? There is no pathway that leads to fruitfulness, if we are …

Some Simple Thoughts From The Scriptures

Genesis When I was writing these words, I was thinking of some of the stories in the book of Genesis (the book of beginnings). I was thinking about Adam, Abraham and Joseph - and I was thinking about Jesus!___________________________________________ It was the genesis of my life.Things were looking so good.Then, it all went badly wrong.What …

Where are you? God is looking for us – to bring us back to Himself.

Genesis 3:1-5 We have read about the beginning of creation (1:1). Now we come to the beginning of sin. In these verses, we have temptation. Note that temptation is not sin. It only becomes sin when we do what the tempter suggests (6). Temptation comes from ‘that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan’ (Revelation …

The Lord lifts us up when we let him down.

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every …

Help us, Lord, to be more faithful in our walk with you.

In Genesis 5, verses 22 and 24, we read about Enoch's walk with God. The King James Version tells us that "Enoch walked with God. The New International Version adds the word, "faithfully": "Enoch walked faithfully with God." As I read these two verses, I began thinking about the word, "faithfully." It begins with the …

God’s love and faithfulness, His guidance and blessing

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (or Zechariah 9:9-12); Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Rejoicing in God’s love and faithfulness, let us seek His guidance and blessing. The detailed account of Isaac's marriage highlights the guidance of God. He directs the life of His …

Lord, we thank You for Jesus – He is the Rock of our salvation.

Genesis 8:1-22 Lord, we thank You for Jesus. He is the Rock of our salvation. Often, in our journey through life, we’re walking on shifting sand. As we walk along, we discover that it’s more than shifting sand. It’s quicksand! It’s sucking us in, and it’s dragging us down. Is there any hope for us? …

Let’s do what God tells us to do.

Genesis 2:4-25 Do what God tells us to do. This leads to blessing. Do what God tells us not to do. This leads to trouble. It’s been trouble ever since. Here, on earth, things can be turned around. We can be set in the right direction. We are not yet at our final destination, but …

Count your blessings.

"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 …

God is faithful (Opening up God’s Word – Genesis 12:1-3; Hebrews 6:13-20)

Our concern is not so much with Abraham. Our chief focus of attention is on "the God of Abraham." The story of Abraham is both the story of Abraham and the story of God's grace and power. We see the grace of God, revealed in the promises of God. We see the power of God, …

Standing on the promises of God

"Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him (or because of the blessing with which his father, Isaac, blessed him, Jacob)" (Genesis 27:41). The story of Jacob and Esau can be read at a purely human level. Esau's reaction to Jacob's trickery was perfectly understandable. What are we to make of all …

The Spirit of God’s Son Lives In Us. We Are God’s Children, And He Is Our Father.

Genesis 29:31-30:24Leah progressed beyond her own concerns (Genesis 29:32-34) to the most important thing: ‘This time I will praise the Lord’(35). Of the many children, the most significant, in terms of God’s purpose of redemption, was Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). An answer to prayer, it was the work of divine grace (Genesis 30:22). ‘Rachel was barren’ …

The tragedy of Adam – and the triumph of Jesus

Genesis 3:1-7 The tragedy of Adam and Eve: their fall into sin. We compare this with the triumph of Jesus, His victory over Satan. What made the difference?: standing on the Word of God. Adam and Eve believed the lie of the devil. Jesus took His stand on the Word of God. What about us? …

When You See A Rainbow, Remember God Is Love.

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... …

Lord, You are our Creator.

Genesis 1:26-2:3 Lord, You are our Creator. We have been created by You. We have been created for You. What have we done with this great blessing? We have turned away from You. We have gone our own way. We have done our own thing. Have You lost patience with us? Have You given up …

Lord, You have made us.

Genesis 1:14-25 Lord, You have made us - to praise You. You call us to live for Your glory. Praise to God, glory to God - Where does this come from? We look into our hearts - and it is not there. We look at our lives - and we say, "Where is this praise …

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 10-11 Following on from the reference to Babylon in 10:10, we have, in chapter 11, the story of "the Tower of Babel". "This is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible to them" (11:6). What can we say about the world today, …

May we never lose sight of our eternal glory.

Genesis 23:1-20 Genesis is known as "the book of beginnings." We can also learn from the endings. here, we read of the death of Sarah. As we read of the generations coming and going, we come to rest in the truth that only God is eternal. This is the great truth, proclaimed in Psalm 90. …

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Easter Vigil: Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26; Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13; Psalm 46; Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 16; Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18; Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12:2-6; Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6; Psalm 19; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Psalms 42 and 43; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 143; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Psalm 98; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 114; Matthew 28:1-10 In …

Can people of this generation still live “by faith” in God (Part Two)?

In an earlier post, I invited people, who are unconvinced about faith in God, to consider what Hebrews 11 and the book of Genesis have to say to us about living by faith. Here's a link to that post. https://learningfromgodsword.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/can-people-of-this-generation-live-by-faith-in-god After I completed that post, which highlights what Hebrews 11 says to us about the …

Can people of this generation still live “by faith” in God?

Have people, in this generation, stopped looking for answers to important questions? There are questions that might point us in the direction of God, but we, the people of this generation don't want to go there, We get uncomfortable when it's suggested that God might be the answer to our most important questions. What do …

When trouble comes our way, may we catch a glimpse of God’s eternal Kingdom.

Genesis 2:4-3:15 Do what God tells us to do. This leads to blessing. Do what God tells us not to do. This leads to trouble. It’s been trouble ever since. Here, on earth, things can be turned around. We can be set in the right direction. We are not yet at our final destination, but …

Before the creation, there is the Creator.

Genesis 1;1-2:3 Before the creation, there is the Creator. * He is the chief focus of attention in the Bible’s first chapter. Wherever we look in Genesis 1, we see the word, God. This is about Him. Genesis 1 speaks about us. It tells us where we have come from. We have come from God. …

Dreamer?

"Here comes that dreamer!... We’ll see what comes of his dreams." (Genesis 37:19-20). Joseph had dreams. His brothers didn't take him seriously. What are we to say about the dreamer and his dreams? We must not make up our minds too soon. Time will tell whether the dreams are from the Lord, As we read …

A Passionate Appeal From The Heart Of Our Loving Father

Genesis 3:6-9 Once we were innocent. Now we are guilty. The story of Adam and Eve is repeated over and over again. This is our story as well as Adam and Eve's story. Even in the face of sin, we see something else. We see the God of love, seeking to restore the fallen to …

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 17:1-7, 15 or Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21

Receiving Strength From The Lord At the place called Peniel, Jacob ‘saw God face to face’ (Genesis 32:30). We see ‘the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jacob wrestled with God and became an overcomer (Genesis 32:28). Christ wrestled with the powers of evil, and has won a mighty victory …

Lord, we are often tempted.

Genesis 3:1-5 Lord, we are often tempted - tempted to forget all about You. The pull towards self-centred living is so strong.We think that we can go it alone. We think that we don’t need You. We think that we can manage all right without You. Where does this kind of thinking come from? Does it …

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 22:1-12; Psalm 13 or Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 Let us look to Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” In Genesis 21:22-34, we see Abraham in his relationship with the world. In Genesis 22:1-14, we see Abraham in his …

Lord, everything seems so hopeless.

Genesis 17:1-27 Lord, everything seems so hopeless  - when we take our eyes off You! Help us to keep our eyes on You. Fill us with fresh hope. Sometimes, we can be optimists. Often, we’re pessimists. You’re always “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13). You’re always saying to us, “There is hope” (Jeremiah 31:17). Lord, …

Listening to what Jesus has to say to us

As I was reading the Bible's first chapter, Genesis 1, I noticed, in verses 22 and 28, "God blessed them." In verse 28, I read about "seed" and, in verse 22, I read about being "fruitful." This made me think of Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-9). In this parable, Jesus is speaking about …

Transported into an eternal dimension (Search The Scriptures: Genesis)

Genesis 1:1-2:3 There is, here, a real sense of the majesty of God. He is "beyond description." We cannot comprehend Him. We can hardly put into words this sense of God's greatness. We are transported into an eternal dimension, which is so different from our earthly existence. We read, "In the beginning, God ... " …

Flow, River, Flow.

Genesis 2:13 “the river that flows through the whole land” God is not only concerned with our personal blessing. He wants His blessing to reach out to many people in every land: “Fill this land with the Father’s glory … Flow, river, flow … Flood the nations with grace and mercy” (from the hymn, “Shine, Jesus, …

What a great thing it is to be saved by the Lord…

Genesis 19:1-29 In Genesis 3, we read of humanity's fall into sin. Here, we see the awfulness of human sin and the awesomeness of divine judgment. We must take God with the utmost seriousness. If we refuse to take Him seriously, He will continue to take us seriously - in His judgment! Sin leads to …

Lord, where have all the years gone?

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 …

We’ve wandered away from the Lord. He’s waiting for us to make our way back to Him.

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 …

God’s greatest gift – Jesus

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 or Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 19:24-30 Let us rejoice in God’s greatest gift – Jesus. 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 …

Close To The Heart Of God, Created To Glorify Him

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 …

Trusting In Christ, We Receive A Sure Salvation.

Genesis 14:1-24 Following an account of military conflict, we come to a passage that is full of Christ (18-20). In Melchisedek, we see Jesus. In Hebrews 7:3, we learn that Melchisedek resembles the Son of God. We read on, in verse 4, ‘See how great he is’, and, in our hearts we say, ‘How great …

Opening Up God’s Word: Genesis 3

* Following the glory and majesty of the Creator and His creation in Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, the third chapter of Genesis begins with the enemy of God, the enemy of our souls, the devil, Satan (Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2). He is "subtle" - sly, cunning, crafty. He is evil.He sows seeds of doubt: …

Lord, we thank You for Your “amazing grace” …

Genesis 6:1-8 Lord, we thank You for Your “amazing grace” – “I once was lost but now am found” (John Newton). We think about our life. Did we find our way back to You?  - No! You found us! You came looking for us – and You found us. We think about this – and …

Love that stands the test of time

Eternity - it's a word that makes us feel like we're completely out of our depth. Love - it's a word that we like to hear. We read the first words of the Bible - "In the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1), and we feel like we are in the presence of eternity. In Genesis 1:27, …