Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What Every Child Should Know About Thanksgiving

By Newt GingrichTaken from Human Events.com

Second only to Independence Day, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. And as an American holiday, it is rooted deeply -- like our nation -- in faith in God.

The earliest Thanksgivings were celebrated by Americans who were keenly aware that their blessings -- like their rights -- came from God. In times of hardship unimaginable to us today, they took time to give thanks to their Creator.

Throughout early American history, when they suffered from drought, famine or war, Americans paused, not to seek vengeance or to question their faith, but to give thanks to God for the blessings they still had.

At a time when the economic news seems to get worse every day, it’s important to remember the humble faith of these early Americans. They didn’t just give thanks when times were good, they gave thanks when times were bad -- especially when times were bad.

Today is a decidedly different time in America.

Not only have many Americans forgotten or never learned the historic origins of our Thanksgiving -- to pause and give thanks to God for our abundance -- but radical secularists are intent on removing God and faith from our national life altogether.

Many of the entertainment and political elite seem to be threatened by religious faith.

Others seem intent on denying or whitewashing the central role that religious faith has played in American history, such as the attempt to whitewash God out of the Capitol Visitor’s Center (view the video and petition my wife, Callista, and I have created to ask Congress to ensure the Capitol Visitor’s Center is historically accurate about America’s Godly heritage.)

These radical secularists seek to portray those who acknowledge this historical fact as theocrats intent on imposing their religion on others.

In fact, to acknowledge the centrality of God in American history is to acknowledge America’s great freedom of religion -- the freedom to worship and the freedom not to worship. Many Americans have taken advantage of this freedom by drawing closer to their Creator. They understand, even if so many of our media and political elites don’t, that religious freedom is the cornerstone of all of our freedoms.

The centrality of God in Thanksgiving in America comes through in the words of some of our greatest national leaders:

Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson, in 1779:
[I] appoint … a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God … to [ask] Him that He would … pour out His Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that He would … spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth … and that He would establish these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue.

President George Washington’s first federal Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.… Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 … that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

President Abraham Lincoln, making Thanksgiving an annual national holiday in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War:
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.

Our leaders have not been alone in celebrating God’s gifts at Thanksgiving, of course.

I conclude today with a poem by Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer, an African-American poet writing at the turn of the 20th century. Her generous, hopeful view of Thanksgiving is made even more remarkable by the suffering and discrimination she endured as an African-American in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God above,
Thanks for expressions of His love,
Seen in the book of nature, grand
Taught by His love on every hand.

Let us be thankful in our hearts,
Thankful for all the truth imparts,
For the religion of our Lord,
All that is taught us in His word.

Let us be thankful for a land,
That will for such religion stand;
One that protects it by the law,
One that before it stands in awe.

Thankful for all things let us be,
Though there be woes and misery;
Lessons they bring us for our good-
Later 'twill all be understood.

Thankful for peace o'er land and sea,
Thankful for signs of liberty,
Thankful for homes, for life and health,
Pleasure and plenty, fame and wealth.

Thankful for friends and loved ones, too,
Thankful for all things, good and true,
Thankful for harvest in the fall,
Thankful to Him who gave it all.

May you and your family have a happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving.

Your friend,

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

We All Need A Savior

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 42:21 And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us. 22 And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood.

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me. And they came near, And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sent into Egypt. 5 Now do not be troubled or angry with yourselves for sending me away, because God sent me before you to be the saviour of your lives. 6 For these two years have been years of need, and there are still five more years to come in which there will be no ploughing or cutting of grain. 7 God sent me before you to keep you and yours living on earth so that you might become a great nation. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God: and he has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

OBSERVATION

“for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers”
I noticed for the first time today the fact that Joseph was taken away by force and that it was a violent scene full of terror for Joseph.

“because God sent me before you to be the savior of your lives.”
Does this sound familiar? He was being forcibly turned over to strangers for money and he was being separated from his father.

APPLICATION

I will remember this picture of my Savior from the Old Testament and I will keep in mind what he has done to bless me.

PRAYER

Thank you Jesus for being my Savior, the only way that I can have life eternally.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Do You Know Who Is In Control?

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 41:1-57

“It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

OBSERVATION

If you have any doubt about who is in control let’s just get it clear right now.

God is in control, he knows the future he has a plan and everything on earth must come into alignment with his plans. I cannot understand it but somehow God works out his will through us even though he has given us free will.

God gave Egypt a world class leader in Joseph and then he used him to save his people. Pharaoh had no idea he was being used by God for God’s purpose, he was just doing what seemed smart in the circumstances.

Later in history God would raise up Babylon and give Nebuchadnezzar enormous power to bring Israel back to him. It was predicted by God’s prophets that Babylon would rise to power for God’s purpose. Nebuchadnezzar would set himself up as God but he was still being used by the one true God.

Later God would use the Persians for his purpose to rebuild Jerusalem and restore his people. Why is Obama my president? Because God put him there, even though the media thinks that they put him there (Romans 13:1). Will God use Obama for his purpose? You bet he will, even though Obama may not live any better morally than the king of Babylon. Even though he has his own agenda, God's agenda will come first.

APPLICATION

I will submit to the authority that God has placed over me and I will remember the responsibility that he has given me to a good leader.

PRAYER

God, it is awesome to know that you are in control. No matter who is in office or who is "in charge" I know who is really in charge.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Watch Out Joe!

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 39:6 Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

OBSERVATION

Things are looking up for Joseph; he has been put into a better situation than he had at home. No more taking care of stupid sheep and dealing with jealous brothers, now he is working in the house of Pharaoh and he is in charge (Gen 39:1-4).

Joseph was being prospered by God and Pharaoh was being prosperous because of Joe (Gen 39:5). Righteous living doesn’t predict that you will be prosperous but for now God was allowing Joe to be very well-off. God’s sovereign will is difficult for us to understand but he is working all things out for the good of those that belong to him (Rom 8:28).

So now here is the proof that living right doesn’t give you reason to expect that you will have a easy prosperous life, Potiphar’s wife would make sure of that. Joe is a good looking guy and she is full of evil desires that became a problem that Joe will have to deal with. Her advances puts Joe in a tough situation since a woman scorned could make life difficult for Joe but to give in would be disobedience to God.

Notice that Joe didn’t respond that he would be offending his earthly, Egyptian master; his response was that indulging in sin is an offense against his master in heaven.

APPLICATION

I will remember that in good times or bad you are still God and you are still in control. I will keep my witness intact by protecting my heart.

PRAYER

All sin is an offense against you, help me to always run from evil and seek what is pleasing to you.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What A Strange Tree You Have

SCRIPTURE


Genesis 37:26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?

Genesis 38:14 She took off her widow's clothing, and covering herself with her veil, she took her seat near Enaim on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was now a man, but she had not been made his wife. 15 When Judah saw her he took her to be a loose woman of the town, because her face was covered. 16 And turning to her by the roadside, he said to her, Let me come in to you; for he had no idea that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me as my price?

Genesis 38:24 Now about three months after this, word came to Judah that Tamar, his daughter-in-law, had been acting like a loose woman and was with child. And Judah said, Take her out and let her be burned. 25 And while she was being taken out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, The man whose property these things are, is the father of my child: say then, whose are this ring and this cord and this stick? 26 Then Judah said openly that they were his, and said, She is more upright than I am, for I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he had no more connection with her.

OBSERVATION


Do you sometimes think that your family is such a strange bunch, “how did I come from that bunch” you may say "I am the normal one."

Every family tree has some branches that you may be tempted to cut off the trunk but God can still use the branches that we don’t always like and he doesn’t care how twisted and damaged the branches are.

Look at Jacob and his family, yesterday I saw that he created a mess with his favoritism problem, first with his wives and then with his sons. Now Jacob’s son Judah, he is an unsightly branch. It was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery to get rid of him (Gen 37:26-27).

Judah left home and married a Canaanite woman (Gen 38:1-2), that was probably not a good start, she gave him three sons and at least two of them were very evil in God’s eyes, bad to the point of God killing them (Genesis 38:7-10).

Judah’s wife passes away and he is out of town on a business trip (Genesis 38:12) when he sees a lovely lady that appears to be making money off her good looks, not knowing that she is his daughter –in-law he buys her services (Genesis 38:13-16). Then when he finds out she is pregnant he wants her to be carried away and burned until he finds out that he is the father (Genesis 38:24-26).

What a messy family tree, but then I have to remember that this is the family tree that Jesus came from.

It seems to me that Judah’s brother Joseph would be a great choice for the lineage of Jesus, after all he is one of our Bible heroes, why not Joe? And of all of Judah’s sons the lineage of Jesus runs through the relation of Judah sleeping with his daughter-in-law.

Our perfect and holy God came down to earth right in the midst of everything that is wrong with the human race. He didn’t look for a pretty family tree because there aren’t any. Despite everything that is wrong with us he still loved us enough to leave heaven, be tempted, suffer and die so that we can live for eternity with him.

The worthiness of Christ is of himself, and not from his ancestors. How little
reason had the Jews, who were so called from this Judah, to boast as they did? –Matthew Henry commentary

APPLICATION


I will guard my heart so that I don’t mess up my family tree any more than it is.

PRAYER


Thank you Lord, that you love us in spite of our rebellious sinful condition. Thank you for coming into the chaos of our world to prove your love to us.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Watch Out, Envy Will Sneak Up On You

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 37:1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them. 3 Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him. 4 And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.

12 Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers with the flock in Shechem? come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14 And he said to him, Go now, and see if your brothers are well and how the flock is; then come back and give me word. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

19 Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer. 20 Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams. 21 But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life. 22 Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on; 24 And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it. 25 Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels. 26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood? 27 Let us give him to these Ishmaelites for a price, and let us not put violent hands on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers gave ear to him. 28 And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.

31 Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death, 32 And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not? 33 And he saw that it was, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has put him to death; without doubt Joseph has come to a cruel end. 34 Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.

OBSERVATION

What a family drama! As parents we can all see the danger in being partial to one of your kids.

Jacob had a favorite son and all the other sons knew it, it was so obvious so let’s make it worse and give him a really sharp coat. Let’s make him really stand out so that everybody can see just how special Joe is. Jacob already had a problem in this area, he was partial to his second wife Rachel he really loved her from day one (Gen 29:16-20,30-31) and only took Leah because he was tricked (Gen 29:21-25).

Some lessons in life are hard to learn and we get hung up on the same mistakes over and over. I think that Jacob could have found Celebrate Recovery to be helpful.

Joseph’s brothers were in great danger for their envy almost led to murder but instead God saw to it that Joseph was taken care of. Be careful with envy it is very dangerous; it took Jesus life (Mark 5:9-10).

APPLICATION

I will always try to treat my “kids”; they are adults now, with fairness and impartially.
Watch out for envy it is very dangerous we must be content.

PRAYER

Help me Lord to be content with who I am and with what you have given me. Keep me from the evil of envy.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Go To Bethel

SCRIPTURE


Genesis 28:16 And Jacob, awaking from his sleep, said, Truly, the Lord is in this place and I was not conscious of it. 17 And fear came on him, and he said, This is a holy place; this is nothing less than the house of God and the doorway of heaven.

Genesis 35:1 And God said to Jacob, Go up now to Bethel and make your living-place there: and put up an altar there to the God who came to you when you were in flight from your brother Esau. 2 Then Jacob said to all his people, Put away the strange gods which are among you, and make yourselves clean, and put on a change of clothing: 3 And let us go up to Bethel: and there I will make an altar to God, who gave me an answer in the day of my trouble, and was with me wherever I went.

4 Then they gave to Jacob all the strange gods which they had, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob put them away under the holy tree at Shechem. 5 So they went on their journey: and the fear of God was on the towns round about, so that they made no attack on the sons of Jacob.

6 And Jacob came to Luz in the land of Canaan (which is the same as Bethel), he and all his people. 7 And there he made an altar, naming the place El-bethel: because it was there he had the vision of God when he was in flight from his brother.

OBSERVATION


Bethel- house of God.

When Abram first reached the land that God promised to him and to his ancestors he was at Bethel, when he arrived he built an altar and worshiped God there (Gen 12:4-8). And on his return from Egypt he came back to Bethel, and again "called upon the name of the Lord" (Gen 13:4).

The most famous event at Bethel happened when Jacob, on his way from Beersheba to Haran, had a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder whose top reached unto heaven (Gen 28:10- 19); and on his return he again visited this place, "where God talked with him" (Gen 35:1-15), and there he "built an altar, and called the place El-bethel"

Where is your Bethel? Where do you meet with God?

Psalms 42:1 says: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

Is it a sacred place? After the division of the kingdoms Jeroboam desecrated the place by erecting a golden calf (1Kings 12:28-29). When we go to the house of God do we carry our idols in there with us? Or is your idol parked outside?

Psalms 24:3-4 says: Who may go up into the hill of the Lord, and who may come into his holy place? He who has clean hands and a true heart;

APPLICATION


I must revere the Lord and worship him only. I want to worship him to please him and put the spotlight completely on him.

PRAYER

Lord I pray that I will long to study your word like a thirsty man that needs more and more of it. I pray that you will be pleased with my worship.

WHAT IS WORSHIP?
Check out this video.

Friday, November 14, 2008

God Doesn't Need My Help.

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 32:9 Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you: 10 I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant; for with only my stick in my hand I went across Jordan, and now I have become two armies.

11 Be my saviour from the hand of Esau, my brother: for my fear is that he will make an attack on me, putting to death mother and child. 12 And you said, Truly, I will be good to you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea which may not be numbered.

OBSERVATION

Jacob was sent away to hide from his brother Esau after Jacob received the blessing from his father. Jacob has worked hard for Laban, his father-in-law; he worked 14 years for the girl he loved he was tricked after the first seven years Gen 29:16-25 and given the wrong girl. He worked hard with Laban’s flocks and the Lord blessed the animals birth rate Gen 30:25-30 .

Jacob went to a far country without much more than his walking stick to the “land of the east” which was how the Old Testament writers referred to the land beyond the Euphrates, approximately a 400 mile walk. He is leaving that area to go back to the Promised Land with two wives, 11 sons, 1 daughter, servants and live stock; he is a rich man.

I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant.

But what an awesome attitude! Jacob could have thought that he accumulated all this wealth because of his hard work; he did have to work for everything including his wives. Instead of feeling that he deserved all these because of his hard labor he still saw God as the source of all good things.

It is more difficult to see your blessings when you feel like you worked hard to get them. It is so much easier to take the credit for our rewards than to give the credit back to God. My success that comes after having worked hard for something must still be seen as blessings from God.

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done - Isaiah 63:7

By experience you will see that the Lord is good; happy is the man who has faith in him. - Psalms 34:8

APPLICATION

No matter how hard I work and how much I succeed I must remember that all good things come from the lord, I didn’t deserve any of it.

PRAYER

Help me to remember that all good things come from you. No matter how hard I work or how good I may be at doing something,

Thursday, November 13, 2008

What Is Worship, What Isn't Worship?

Look at all the things worship isn't. What do you need to do to make it all about him?




Wednesday, November 12, 2008

What Did I Do Wrong

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 26:12 Now Isaac, planting seed in that land, got in the same year fruit a hundred times as much, for the blessing of the Lord was on him. 13 And his wealth became very great, increasing more and more; 14 For he had great wealth of flocks and herds and great numbers of servants; so that the Philistines were full of envy.

15 Now all the water-holes, which his father's servants had made in the days of Abraham, had been stopped up with earth by the Philistines. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from us, for you are stronger than we are. 17 So Isaac went away from there, and put up his tents in the valley of Gerar, making his living-place there.

Proverbs 12:20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.

OBSERVATION

Have you ever been unwelcome somewhere? Been picked on for who knows why?

From a human perspective Isaac does not belong where he is at but God told his father Abraham to move to this neighborhood because some day it is going to belong to his grandkids. The other people that already live in the neighborhood are tired of Isaac, he is growing more food than anybody else, and his flock is growing in numbers like rabbits.

There is a lot of persecution going on and he cannot keep a well dug out for his family and servants or to water his crops or livestock. Nobody likes the new guy in town and they ask him to leave; now asking is all they could do since verse 16 says that Isaac was more powerful than they were.

He isn’t doing anything wrong, he is just living in the land that God told him to live in. What a difficult lesson to learn to not give back evil for evil. 1 Peter 3:9-11 says:

Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing. For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit: And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart.

Isaac goes through the trouble of digging new wells instead of standing up for his rights. We all want to be treated fair and it is difficult to release that desire instead of demanding what we feel we should get.

APPLICATION

I need to a promoter of peace.(Romans 12:18)

The entire story of the Bible from cover to cover is a story of injustice being forgiven and forgotten. God’s “standard operating procedure” is to forgive and forget so why shouldn’t we live the same way.


PRAYER

Help me Lord to be a promoter of peace. I need to live at peace with everyone weather I think they deserve my kindness or not.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

You Can Be Called God's Friend

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 25:7 Now the years of Abraham's life were a hundred and seventy-five. 8 And Abraham came to his death, an old man, full of years; and he was put to rest with his people.

9 And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, put him to rest in the hollow rock of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, near Mamre; 10 The same field which Abraham got from the children of Heth: there Abraham was put to rest with Sarah, his wife.

Galatians 3:9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God's friend.


OBSERVATION

What are you doing that is really important?

Are you leaving a legacy that points to the faithfulness and goodness of God?

Can your children say that they have a Godly example of how to live?

Would anybody believe it if somebody called you a man of faith or a friend of God, or would they laugh at the thought?

Abraham wasn’t perfect; he tried to be in control just like most of us attempt to do:

• He was probably not in God’s will when he went down to Egypt instead of staying in the promised land. Gen 12:6-10

• He was wrong when he lied to the king and said that his wife was really his sister; two times he tried this trick. Gen 12:11-14, 20:1-2

• He was wrong when he fell for Sarah’s plan to get her servant pregnant. Gen 16:1-2

• He laughed at the news that he would have a son from Sarah. Gen 17:17

Is God obviously in control of your life? If it isn’t obvious then he really isn’t.

APPLICATION

I have blown it in the past and I will blow it again but I will remain faithful as a witness to my family and everyone else around me that I was faithful to what I believe and that I was close enough to God to be called his friend.

PRAYER

Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to have a close relationship with you through your son. Give me strength and wisdom to live each day for you and to work in ministry to your glory not mine.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Being The First Born Child: Priceless

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 25:29-34 And one day Jacob was cooking some soup when Esau came in from the fields in great need of food; 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Give me a full meal of that red soup, for I am overcome with need for food: for this reason he was named Edom.

31 And Jacob said, First of all give me your birthright. 32 And Esau said, Truly, I am at the point of death: what profit is the birthright to me? 33 And Jacob said, First of all give me your oath; and he gave him his oath, handing over his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave him bread and soup; and he took food and drink and went away, caring little for his birthright.


OBSERVATION

How quickly everything can change, how fast can you make the wrong decision? In an instant Esau gave away the most expensive gift that was the privilege of every first-born male.

Esau was just one step from stupid and then he crossed over the line. We are all that close to making a mess of our lives, one quick decision and your reputation is shot, your family is broken, maybe you ruin your career, you lose your ministry opportunities .

We must maintain a daily relationship with the Lord in order to make wise choices that are pleasing to him; he cannot use you for his kingdom if you are in a situation that he has to discipline you. He won’t use his children that are embarrassing to his family.

APPLICATION

I will study his word and talk to him every day.

PRAYER

Thank you God for your word, it is an amazing book, the best love story ever written. Thank you for giving us your directions on how to live life.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

God Didn't Hold Anything Back

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 22:1 Now after these things, God put Abraham to the test, and said to him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. 2 And he said to him, Take your son, your dearly loved only son Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and give him as a burned offering on one of the mountains of which I will give you knowledge. 7 Then Isaac said to Abraham, My father; and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, We have wood and fire here, but where is the lamb for the burned offering?

Genesis 22:15 And the voice of the angel of the Lord came to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 Saying, I have taken an oath by my name, says the Lord, because you have done this and have not kept back from me your dearly loved only son, 17 That I will certainly give you my blessing, and your seed will be increased like the stars of heaven and the sand by the seaside; your seed will take the land of those who are against them; 18 And your seed will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth, because you have done what I gave you orders to do.

OBSERVATION

“Take your son, your dearly loved only son.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

You see from the previous chapters in Genesis just how much Abraham wanted a son and how much love he must have for him now that he has Isaac.

God’s love for us is bigger than that of Abraham for Isaac yet he was still willing to give him up for ugly, undeserving filthy rags. We needed a Savior and the God of the universe provided the only sacrifice for our sins.

APPLICATION

I thank God that he is the ultimate expression of love.

PRAYER

Thank you God for your gift of Jesus sacrifice for us.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Be Careful Out There

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared.”

21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

OBSERVATION

“That was a close call.” Have you ever said that?

Some guys have war stories but the closest thing I have to a war story is a sinking cruise ship over in Greece, which was some tense moments, we all have stories of moments that we weren’t sure that we would live through.

Our friend Lot liked to live in the wrong neighborhood, let me get as close to sin as I possibly can, let me just have a taste of what it is like over there. It is so much easier to stay out of trouble when you stay as far as possible away from it.

Why was he such a slow poke about leaving? Was he upset to lose his stuff, did he own property in

APPLICATION

We have to be ready to go at any moment. There won’t be a U-Haul attached to your hearse.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus I thank you for your salvation, I pray that I will show my gratitude by living each day for you.

Just a thot’: Why was he so picky about where the angel told him to go to?

Thursday, November 06, 2008

God's Waiting Room

SCRIPTURE


Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had given him no children; and she had a servant, a woman of Egypt whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, See, the Lord has not let me have children; go in to my servant, for I may get a family through her. And Abram did as Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living for ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian servant, and gave her to Abram for his wife.

Genesis 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. 17 Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth?

Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was past the time for giving birth. 12 And Sarah, laughing to herself, said, Now that I am used up am I still to have pleasure, my husband himself being old? 13 And the Lord said, Why was Sarah laughing and saying, Is it possible for me, being old, to give birth to a child? 14 Is there any wonder which the Lord is not able to do? At the time I said, in the spring, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a child. 15 Then Sarah said, I was not laughing; for she was full of fear. And he said, No, but you were laughing.

Genesis 21:5 Now Abraham was a hundred years old when the birth of Isaac took place.

OBSERVATION


Sarah was tired of waiting on God and gives Abraham an evil temptation.

The other day my family was trying to leave Steak n Shake and we stood at the counter for several minutes with employees standing around looking at us waiting to pay and then just looking away. I finally saw our waiter and asked him out loud if anybody wanted our money.

God has a waiting room for us to sit in, he asks his children to wait for a lot of good things:

    For mercy - Ps 123:2
    For pardon - Ps 39:7,8
    For the consolation of Israel - Lk 2:25
    For salvation - Ge 49:18; Ps 62:1,2
    For guidance and teaching - Ps 25:5

    For protection - Ps 33:20; 59:9,10
    For the fulfillment of his word - Hab 2:3
    For the fulfillment of his promises - Ac 1:4
    For the hope of righteousness by faith - Ga 5:5
    For the coming of Christ - 1Co 1:7; 1Th 1:10


APPLICATION


I will remember Isaiah 40:31:

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.

PRAYER


Lord give us all the grace to wait patiently for you. Help me to be patient each day in this hurry up world.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Change Is Needed

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 15:16 For at present the sin of the Amorite is not full.

Isaiah 1:4 O nation full of sin, a people weighted down with crime, a generation of evil-doers, false-hearted children: they have gone away from the Lord, they have no respect for the Holy One of Israel, their hearts are turned back from him.

Proverbs 6:18 A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

OBSERVATION

Much will be said today about the election results from yesterday and I don’t want this to be a political blog so I will keep this brief.

Has America been a “bless-able” country? Does God look at us and see a nation full of sin? A nation that has forgotten God and made substitutes for him is a nation that cannot prosper for long.

We, as a country, have decided to be God. We will decide which unborn child will live and which will not. We have decided to be okay with the sin of homosexuality, we are even okay with teaching our children that their sexual identity is something for them to decide. We have tolerated sex being thrown in our face from every angle. Porn has destroyed even Christian homes.

Very few attend church and fewer still are truly living as disciples, growing more Christ like and seeing the world from his point of view. How can millions of Christians vote for the most liberal senator that the country has? It is a sad commentary on the spiritual condition of those that claim to follow Christ and how much longer will it be before God says that “the sin of the Americans is full.” We have become the "generation of evil-doers, false-hearted children" that Isaiah spoke of.

Men of the body of Christ, wake up and live for something that is worth dying for, we need to become more like the New Testament church. We need to be vigilant to “Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.”

APPLICATION

I will seek to please you everyday Lord and to be obedient to your command to go and make disciples. We need a nation full of disciples, that’s the only way that we will be effective in making “change”

PRAYER

Lord I pray that we will make real change that is pleasing to you so that you can bless our nation again.

Monday, November 03, 2008

How To Get God's Promises

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 15:1 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.

2 And Abram said, What will you give me? For I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me. 3 And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage. 4 Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you. 5 And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be. 6 And he had faith in the Lord, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

OBSERVATION

Abram had faith in God even though it seems that nobody else did. This scenario reminds me of the relationship between God and Noah.

The scriptures don’t say it but quite possibly when God chose Abram maybe he was the only righteous man on the planet, just like Noah was back in the day. Noah and Abram both enjoyed a relationship where they talked back and forth with God.

I imagine that man was out of control again Sodom had already developed a bad reputation and had forgotten the creator (Genesis 13:13). Thankfully God is a lot more faithful they we are to him.

Abram messed things up from time to time but the one thing that made Abram different was that he had faith in the promise and that’s the only thing that makes us anything as well.

God made a promise to us that if we accept Jesus Christ as our payment for all the wrongs that we have done then we can have an eternal relationship with him. The only thing that gets us into heaven is to believe the promise through faith, and God always keeps his promises.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Please accept the promise. Need more information about Jesus and the promise God has offered to you? Click here for more.

APPLICATION

I will share the promise with someone today.

PRAYER

Come with me today Lord and show me opportunities to share the promise. Press on my heart what to say, I don’t like thinking about the situation later and saying “I should have said…”