Read Psalm 121
The Lord is our protector. Spend a few moments today simply thanking the Lord for not letting your foot slip or nodding off during our desperate hour. The Lord is here and ready to meet our greatest need.
Consider memorizing a verse in this passage: a great one would be verse 7. A great verse to teach our children and grandchildren. A promise to sing over them as they leave our sight.
Read Genesis 13
One of Abrams faults it seemed was that he deferred leadership and responsibility to others. Instead of leaving Lot behind with the rest of his family, he allowed him to follow along. Now that both men had grown in size and resources, they had to part ways. Instead of Abram taking the leadership responsibility in this matter of who would go where, he deferred to Lot to chose which direction he would go. The decision Lot made to select the land close to Sodom would prove to be a terrible choice in the days ahead.
God in his mercy and providence took care of Abram. His land selection would be the Promised Land that God would give to Abram's ancestors (as numerous as the dust of the earth). And there Abram built an altar to worship the Lord.
Read Acts 10
What a power movement of the God taking Peter and the gospel to a Roman centurion and his family. Through visions both Cornelius and Peter were informed about this divine appointment. But first a work of enlightenment had to occur in Peter. Once Peter saw that God was indeed opening the door for people of all nationalities and backgrounds to receive the Gospel, he welcomed this transition with hesitation. These new followers of Jesus were baptized and added to the church of God. Into new groups and regions the gospel was spreading with great response among those who were ready for a changed life.
Read Genesis 12
The beginning of the story of father Abraham. After hearing the call of God, Abram left his father and security of home in order to and venture into the unknown of following God by faith. At age 75 with no children of his own, God called Abram to begin a nation of people through whom He would bless all nations of people. God's special purpose for Abram was not saying he loved him more than the other people of the world, but it would be through the life and family of Abram that God would demonstrate his love and provision for all the people of the world.
Far from perfect Abram had trouble fully trusting God. It would be a growing relationship that God would nurture. Like a child learning and growing into an adult, Abram was learning to walk with God. Abram would pave the way for all of us in what it means to trust and obey God.
If you get behind sometimes like I do, take a breath and do a little at a time to catch up. These devotions are bit late by the calender, but they may be right on time in your life. Have a blessed day.
May 22, 2014
Read Genesis 10
The family of Noah increased and multiplied. They replenished this earth from the devastation of the flood. Their names became cities, villages, and region names. The legends and stories of humanity increased in each generation and new territory of expansion. From this family all humanity today has its roots. Our DNA and heritage trace back to these children of Noah and their wives.
May 23, 2014
Read Acts 9:1-31
Saul, a life radically transformed. Rarely do we hear of such outrageous conversion experiences. Paul was such a staunch persecutor of the church who had a deadly reputation among the church. The church was afraid to let him be part of the movement after his conversion. It must have seemed too outlandish to believe. Could you imagine in our day a major public opponent of Christianity suddenly turning into a bold evangelist of Jesus?
Saul (Paul) began convincing Jews to follow Christ and thus became a lightening rod of controversy. It was only after Paul was removed to Tarsus that things began to calm down in the region. A radically changed life has a way of disturbing both sides. The group he was joining was skeptical while the group he was abandoning felt betrayed. Paul had moved from persecutor to one of the persecuted in a matter of days and weeks. But he would never back down in his boldness to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
May 24, 2014
Read Psalm 72
The king of Tarshish? Tarshish was one of the great grandsons of Noah found in Genesis 10 through the line of Japheth. Seba and Sheba as well are descendants of Noah through Ham. Verse 11 says that all kings and nations will bow and serve the righteous King. This prophetic song is about the coming Messiah. God has a heart for all people, nations, and tribes under heaven.
The immediate context is about Solomon the son of David. But it ultimately speaks of an even greater king, Jesus, who would reign in the righteousness and justice of God.
May 25, 2014
Read Proverbs 16:18-33
Jewels of wisdom indeed. When given the choice between sitting with the janitors or the bosses, choose the janitors. If you are invited to the head table, then listen more than your speak. If your hair turns gray, praise the Lord that you have lived that long! Let it be a crown of mercy from God and tell of the righteousness of God. When you know it is time to speak, choose pleasant words. These words open the door for instruction. Pleasant words are sweet and healthy for the spirit and body. When given the choice between violent outrage and patient understanding, choose patience. You may live long enough to have a gray hair.
May 26, 2014
Read Genesis 11
The city builders. Early barons of industry and technology were preventing the human race from expanding into all the earth. Making a name for themselves was more important than fulfilling the mandate to fill and subdue the earth.
When God intervened (we don't know exactly how) the building project was abandoned. Groups spread out into new areas taking with them their DNA, stories, skills, and legacy. New languages and dialects would develop. Divisions and languages were God's idea and part of the discipline needed for mankind to spread out over the earth. It would be through one family, one man in fact, that God would seek to bless all the peoples of the earth.
May 27, 2014
Read Acts 9:32-43
Near modern day Tel Aviv Peter performed some of the most amazing miracles that gave credence to the message of Jesus. The raising of Tabatha from the dead was perhaps one of the greatest of his miracles. Peter would go on to stay in this region by the sea for quite a while as a guest in the home of Simon a tanner.
The reputation of the church was increasing with new people embracing Jesus as their Lord and savior. Paul was now in Tarsus in Turkey learning and training. Peter and the other followers of Jesus were enjoying a brief period of local peace to expand the message of Christ.
Read Genesis 9
Rebirth, a new genesis. Now the instruction once given to Adam fell to Noah: be fruitful, multiply, fill and subdue the earth. But there would necessary accountability for every creature that dies at the hand of man. And every human life taken would require accountability as well. God made a covenant with mankind and with all the earth never to destroy all life with the flood waters again. The rainbow stands as God's reminder to us of this promise.
Many other realities would still be in the re-born earth and humanity. Here are a few that are found in this story: Drunkenness, shame, inequality, jealousy, and broken relationships. With evil and rebellion still residing in the heart of man, the story of our beginnings continued from the saved family. A reminder to us all that although we may be saved, our sinful bent still persists. Yet, so does God's grace.
Read Acts 8:1-25
The death of Stephen led to a scattering of the church and its leaders (except the Apostles) into other regions. What was intended to stop the movement of the Jesus followers was actually expanding its reach by putting people into new areas for sharing the gospel of the Kingdom. When the Apostles John and Peter heard of people being baptized, they finally left Jerusalem and spread out to investigate and help.
As sad as the death of the Stephen was, it forced the church outward. Saul began his house to house persecution and intimidation. And the Holy Spirit led the church into Judea and Samaria (see Acts 1:8).
Read Proverbs 16:1-17
Motives, heart, and intentions. God weighs and sorts these. Only He fully knows these. We make plans, but He determines our path. The Lord is certainly our great protector and provider. What a wonderful promise found in verse 7. When our ways please him, even our enemies will live in peace toward us. What ways please the Lord? If you are unsure of these ways, then you may want to do a more intensive study of what pleases the Lord.
Read Psalm 47
How awesome is our God! Praise Him today with songs and praise. Declare His might and power today in conversations that you have with people. Take note of their responses. Do they know, by experience, the power and might of God? How might you share God's glory and love with them?
Read Genesis 8
As Noah came out of the ark he turned the animal loose and turned his turned his heart toward God. He built an altar to worship God, the saving God who had mercy on him and his family.
God responded with tenderness and compassion. "God said in His heart" is a phrase that means that God set His attitude and intention to never curse the earth (ground) even though the heart of mankind is full of evil intentions. The seasons would be firmly established in the weather patterns and climates that are remarkably predictable for as long as the earth endures. An act of patience and mercy. In spite of our sin and rebellion, God allows His creation and people to endure.
Read Acts 7
Powerful speech and what turned out to be final words of a faithful witness for Christ. Stephen began his sermon with the calling of Abraham and proceeded to recount Jewish history up to his present time. Without fear, he boldly shared the Gospel. And he paid the ultimate price at the hands of an angry mob. In this passage we are introduced to a young Jewish leader by the name of Saul who stood by approving of the death of Stephen.
Read Genesis 7
What an incredible story of epic proportions. After 40 days of deluge, the earth was covered in water. For 150 days the waters remained high on the earth. That is nearly 5 months! God had a plan to restart the creative process with Noah and his family.
Read Acts 6:8-15
One these early leaders who were set apart by the church for leadership had now encountered great opposition by a group within a synagogue who were intent on getting rid of him (Stephen).
Brought before the Sanhedrin he would face tremendous pressure to change his message or stand up as a bold witness for Jesus. Leadership certainly has its perils. But full of the Holy Spirit Stephen prepared to make his stand. An amazing speech is found in chapter 7 which we will read in a couple of days. The events which would follow this speech would cause a major shift in the early days of the Jesus movement. Unaware of what would happen to him or the church, Stephen's focus was on faithfulness and truth.
Would we have such courage and faith in the face of opposition?
Read Genesis 6:9-22
God sought out Noah to establish a covenant: a promised commitment to save his family from the come just punishment upon the earth's corruption violence.
The violence and corruption had reached its limit with God and a punishing flood that would cause a mass extinction was coming. But a remnant, a family, a reset of the animal kingdom would survive.
I love the last verse of chapter 6. It shows the character and faith of Noah. "Noah did everything just as God commanded it." Noah had an upbeat obedient desire to please God. That is just the kind of person God still chooses to do His work today.
Read Proverbs 15:18-33
The decisions, attitudes, and actions of the wise and foolish bring results into relationships with God and family. Did you notice how many of the results of chosen actions affect other people? Here are few relationships mentioned:
Child and parent
Person and God
Person and family
Also, go back and look at vs. 28 again. The righteous are able to weigh and consider words before they are leave the mouth. The wise cannot tame the tongue, but harnessing it is possible as one grows in wisdom.
Is there a verse in this section you would consider memorizing? If so, ask someone to help you/quiz you on any verses you committing to memory.
Read Psalm 7
A song and cry for justice. Whatever justice and righteousness deserves, bring it Lord. The last part of this song tells of how justice might fall back on those who plan and plot evil. May it also serve as a reminder to us all that we dig ourselves a pit when we plot harm on another. It is just a matter of time. Justice and righteousness will come to pass.
Read Genesis 6:1-8
This is certainly an obscure and strange text to fully comprehend. The larger story is that mankind's rebellion was growing to the point that every inclination in his heart was evil all the time. One man found the favor of God: Noah. Noah was not perfect, but it appears that he desired to please God more than simply pleasing himself. God chose him to reset the creation. Everything will go through a mass extinction with only a select family and animals to be retained to replenish the earth.
Nephilims? Who were these? The word is closely related to the Hebrew verb that we translate "to fall." We do not know for sure who these people of renown were. The detailed truth is locked in the past, however we do know that like all the evil that was accumulating in the heart of mankind they were part of the problem. The cleansing flood was God's plan for his purposes to reset His creation.
Read Acts 5:34-42
Gamaliel sounds like a quite the wise and influential leader. Although he was personally unconvinced by the Jesus followers, he drew upon past experience in such movements of reform. If a movement was of man's power, it will be short lived. If God is behind the reform movement, then nothing will be able to stop it.
If a movement is leader driven only, then you strike the leader and you kill the movement. A value driven movement that has captured the hearts of the people (moved into to the top ranking priority in their lives) it will carry on well beyond the life of the leader. And with the reform movement of Jesus, these followers were thoroughly convinced that Jesus was no longer dead but alive forevermore. Gamaliel was wise to err on the side of a "wait and see" approach. Time will tell. Is it true? Will it last? What tangible difference will it make?
Read Genesis 5
The roll call of Adam's lineage is a list of full of little nuggets of treasure that lead to imaginative speculation. As much as the details are mentioned for specific reasons, the overall teaching is that mankind's roots go back to a common family, created in the likeness of God. It is important to know who you are and where you have come from. You and everyone you know have much more in common than you have differences. Family. Relationship.
Interesting facts: Adam lived to see his every generation before the generation of Noah. When Noah was born, Adam would have only dead 126 years. This would be like someone born today in relation to someone who died in 1888. That is not very long compared to as long as these folks are reported to have lived. Adam lived long enough to see his great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren. Can you imagine hearing the stories Adam may have told at family reunions about living in the Garden back in the day? We do not know if the years of age can be compared to our understanding of calendar years. Nevertheless, the succeeding generations grew up with knowledge of paradise lost and the stories of their Creator. Think about it. Noah's daddy knew Adam the very first man. Much time had gone by but the connecting generational lineage allowed for great reliability in the passing down of history from the earliest of days. Interestingly as well is the fact that in the first generation of people that did not know Adam personally, the wickedness of mankind reached the limit of God's tolerance. But that is the story of the next chapter for another day.
Acts 5:1-33
There was such boldness and certainty in the message of Jesus and the ways of the kingdom. The witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit experienced the miraculous on a daily basis. The church experienced a holy fear of God that did not paralyze them but rather emboldened them to reach out to more people.
A curious expression is found in verse 13: "No one dared join them." Many believed. Many brought sick to be healed. But joining the ranks of bold witnesses? No one dared join. The number of believers and enthusiastic supporters, however, was growing. Leadership and outspoken public witnesses were still few.
Jealousy and opposition grew as well. From suspicion and questioning to jailing and prosecuting the penalty of death, the religious leaders were intent on stamping out this Jesus movement.
Read Proverbs 15:1-17
Did a verse speak corrective truth or confirming direction for your life? Take a minute and thank the Lord for His word that is so active and helpful.
The caparisons are dramatic and full of imagery and seem to stick in the mind. Is there is verse in this section that you would like to commit to memory? You may want to write the verse several times or perhaps place the verse in a location where you will see it often.
Read Psalm 136
His love endures forever! Several thoughts here:
An eternal God characterized by love who has an particular affinity toward His creatures in spite of their relentless rebellion and arrogance. Amazing indeed.
Repeatedly in this psalm, the greatness of God's renown is declared, and it is His love that is stated that endure forever. Greatness and power yet full of everlasting love.
Read Genesis 4
Tragedy rocked the first family. Losing a child. Murder. Jealousy. Banishment and guilt. Forgiveness and protection from God. A new start. The communities were expanding and in verse 26 we read that men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Agriculture, farming, village life, and governments were set up and developed as people emerged from the days of nomadic hunting and gathering. With knowledge and expansion came greater responsibility and complex problems. The rebellion from trusting God was there in every heart and succeeding generation even though they sought a relationship with God.
Read Acts 4:1-37
Miraculous healings tend to draw attention. The number of believers was growing and so was the nervousness of the Jewish elders, leaders, and teachers. Momentum seemed to be favoring the Jesus movement, however. Empty threats and warnings were all the leaders could do to Peter and John because of the favor and popular sentiment growing about the people. A sweet season of sharing, kindness, and expansion was a blessing from God. Unity, generosity, and goodwill would all be words to describe this fledgling movement.
