Sunday, January 31, 2010

God Is Watching

Today I read Exodus 1:1-3:1 and Matthew 25:20-26:2. My favorite verses are:

Exodus 2:8-9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

When the children of Israel were told to kill their boy babies, some of the women simply could not do so. One in particular fixed a waterproof basket for her baby and set it afloat in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and felt compassion for him. She needed a woman to nurse the child; and, ironically, she asked his mother to take care of him and PAID her to do so. When our actions are pleasing to God, He will bless us; sometimes it will happen in surprising ways. Jesus reminds us that whenever we do either good or bad to other people, it is just as if we were doing it to Him. God is watching everything we do and listening to everything we say. I wonder if we would behave differently if we thought about that on a regular basis!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Watch

Today I read Genesis 49:6-50:26 and Matthew 24:42-25:19. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

God is involved in our lives. He wants to do good for us, and even when Satan or people create problems for us, God can turn it around for our good. Whether our circumstances are bad or good, we can trust God to care for us. And he wants us to be watching what goes on around us in this world because there will be signs to warn us when the end of time is near. We don’t know exactly when Christ will return to take his children home, but we are to be serving him faithfully so that we will not be caught off guard when he comes.

Friday, January 29, 2010

God's Word Is Eternal

Today I read Genesis 47:8-49:5 and Matthew 24:13-41. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 48:11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

God is faithful to His children. Jacob (Israel) had suffered much in his lifetime. One of his greatest sorrows was when he thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He had grieved for him for years before he learned that Joseph was actually alive in Egypt. In the verse above, he rejoices that he not only saw his son Joseph again; but he also got to see Joseph’s sons. He gave God the glory for being able to see these grandsons. God had given his word to Jacob when he was a young man at Bethel that He would watch over him wherever he went. God kept that promise just as He keeps all His promises. In Matthew Jesus reminds us that His words are eternal. Heaven and earth will one day be destroyed, but the words of the Father and Son will be true forever! Read the written Word; commune with the Living Word in prayer. Be part of something eternal.

Obey and Be Blessed

Today I read Genesis 44:2-47:7 and Matthew 22:40-24:12. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Joseph knew what it meant to be led by God and used by God; he let his brothers know that they did not need to feel guilty for selling him into slavery. He knew that it was God’s plan for him to be in Egypt at that time to guide Pharaoh in the storing of food to save lives during the years of famine. Because he obeyed God even in difficult circumstances, God blessed him. Jesus spoke to the children of Israel living in Jerusalem during his ministry. He reminded them that He would have gathered them together and protected them if they had obeyed him. But they repeatedly disobeyed and robbed themselves of the blessings and care God wanted to give to them. Each of us must choose whether or not to obey God’s direction in our lives. Remember that obedience brings blessings!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Love the Lord

Today I read Genesis 42:23-44:1 and Matthew 22:11-39. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 43:29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment.

The greatest commandment we have is to love God. We show our love for God by loving people and treating them in ways that are pleasing to God. Joseph asked God’s blessing on his little brother. Joseph treated people the way God wanted him to in general, but he had a special love for this younger brother who he had been separated from years before. He wanted God to be gracious to Benjamin, and I think God heard and answered his prayer. If we love God and others as he commands, we will have the assurance that He hears and answers our prayers.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Believe and Receive

Today I read Genesis 40, 41, and 42:1-22; I also read Matthew 20:33-22:10. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 41:39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art.

Matthew 22:21 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

God is pleased with people like Joseph who are faithful to serve him even in adverse circumstances. Pharaoh recognized that God had revealed wisdom to and through Joseph. Because of that, Joseph was taken from prison to second-in-command of Egypt.

In Matthew we are all told to ask God for things when we pray; if we believe when we pray, we will receive what we ask for. I think that if we ask for something we know we should not have that we don’t really believe God will give it to us. Those things we truly believe in when we pray are the things pleasing to God. What a wonderful Father He is to allow us to have so many of our wants fulfilled as well as our needs!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Be Faithful to God

Today I read Genesis 38:3-39:23 and Matthew 20:4-32. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 39:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

We see that the Lord was with Joseph and made him fruitful even as a slave. God blessed Joseph, but that did not mean that he “lived happily ever after”. Life is not a fairy tale; there are problems to be overcome, but being faithful to God through the difficult times as well as the good times is commendable. That is the kind of life that Joseph lived, and in the end he was given power and riches and an abundant life. But he went through estrangement from his family, slavery, and imprisonment on his way to that outcome. The outcome of an abundant life takes on eternal significance in the light of what Jesus, the Son of man, did for us. He gave His life to ransom our souls; he bought our freedom from the slavery of sin. He lived humbly as a minister, or servant, to others; then He died a sacrificial death on the cross. Now all who accept His gift of salvation know that in spite of hardships faced in this life, the inevitable outcome is victory over death—eternal life in heaven with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Children

Today I read Genesis 36:31-38:2 and Matthew 19:5-20:3. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Dealing with children can be a very difficult proposition. The Bible has quite a lot to say about children. The first verse that I have chosen today illustrates a mistake some parents make, and its consequences. Jacob showed favoritism for his son Joseph over all his other children. Because of that, Joseph’s brothers hated him; they couldn’t even speak to him civilly. They wanted to be rid of him, and eventually they did capture him and sell him to foreigners as a slave. They told their father that he had been killed and caused their father years of inconsolable grief. Jesus, on the other hand, showed love and compassion for all children. He told the disciples to bring the children to Him and commented that “of such is the kingdom of heaven”. We are His spiritual children when we accept His gift of salvation, but little children who have not reached the age of accountability for their actions are innocent in His sight. Jesus loves children; he wants children to come to Him and learn from Him and become His spiritual children when they are old enough to seek salvation. Parents need to lead their children in that direction—teach them about Jesus and encourage them to be like him.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Communicate with God

Today I read Genesis 35:9-36:30 and Matthew 18:11-19:4. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 35:14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Do we remember when God speaks to us? He may speak through His word, the Bible, or through a pastor or teacher or Christian friend. We need to take note of the times that we hear from God. We may not set up physical monuments to mark those times, but we should remember them and take time to offer thanksgiving to God for them. Jacob poured out an offering in sacrifice to God for his care; we may simply offer praise and worship acknowledging God’s work in our lives. God also wants to hear from us; if two of His children agree—make a covenant—to ask Him for something, He will do what they ask. God loves us; He wants to communicate with us. He wants to bless us as we serve Him.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Meet God Anywhere

Today I read Genesis 33:9-35:8 and Matthew 17:9-18:10. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 35:3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Bethel means House of God; Jacob had a desire to return to that place where he had encountered God years before. But notice that God had not remained in Bethel all those years; He was with Jacob in the way he went. We can go to a church or other special place that we consider to be God’s dwelling place in order to feel close to God; but as His children, we can be close to God anywhere and at any time because He dwells within us! It is good to sometimes return to the place of our salvation or to a place where God helped us in a time of distress. We may feel a special closeness to God associated with the experience we had there originally. But always remember, God is omnipresent; He is everywhere! We do not have to go to any particular place to be near Him. It is the condition of our hearts that causes us to feel close to, or far away from, God.

The verse from Matthew is more closely related to yesterday’s comments than today’s. This verse supports the concept of children having Guardian Angels. If we despise (mistreat, abuse, neglect) little children, we may face the wrath of God because “their angels”—the angels who are responsible for the welfare of these children—stand before God in heaven. They are, no doubt, reporting to him what is happening to the children. God does not intervene immediately in many situations, but I believe He takes note of what is happening and remembers it. There will come a day when He will judge those whose actions have been reported to Him by the Guardian Angels.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Angels

Today I read Genesis 31:45-33:8 and Matthew 16:8-17:8. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

At Stained Glass Theatre we have begun rehearsals for The Outpouring which personifies angels and demons and dramatizes the conflict between them. God’s angels are messengers who watch over His children and bring them good news. Few people living today have seen angels, but they are working whether we see them or not. Some day, Christ will come WITH His angels to take His children home to heaven.

Monday, January 18, 2010

God Meets Our Needs

Today I read Genesis 30:37-31:44 and Matthew 15:18-16:7. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 31:42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.

Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

God took care of Jacob in his business dealings with Laban. Jacob had promised to serve God, and he found God to be faithful in caring for him. God was watching over him and allowed him to return to his home a wealthy man rather than a pauper, cheated out of what was rightfully his. Jesus Christ responded to a foreign woman’s request in Matthew 15. He told her at first that He was sent to proclaim God’s kingdom to the children of Israel only; but because of this woman’s great faith, He honored her request and healed her daughter. Christ showed great compassion and faithfulness to the woman and her family just as God the Father did to Jacob and his family. He will do the same for us. If we come to God in faith, believing that He will meet our needs, HE WILL!

Be Faithful in Word and Work

Today (January 17) I read Genesis 29:21-30:36 and Matthew 14:25-15:17. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Verse 28 is Laban saying to his son-in-law Jacob that he will pay whatever wages Jacob names. Laban had become prosperous through Jacob’s good management of his sheep and goats. He did not want Jacob to leave, so he offered to let Jacob “name his wages”. Faithful, trustworthy employees are often rewarded with promotions and better pay. God wants His children to be that kind of workers; we should work for our earthly employers as faithfully as we work for God. God wants us to draw near to Him with our hearts, not with deceitful words. A Christian’s words as well as his works should be pleasing to God.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Believe and Obey

Today I read Genesis 27:38-29:20 and Matthew 13:54-14:24. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Matthew 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

God is faithful to us; He keeps His promises. He never leaves us, but sometimes we leave Him. Sometimes we are unfaithful and go our own way instead of obeying God. If we refuse to believe God, He will not work His good will in our lives. If we obey and serve Him, He will bless us and keep us and bring us safely to our destination. Believe God today; follow Him and see what good things He has in store for you.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Generations

Today I read Genesis 26:22-27:37 and Matthew 13:25-53. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Matthew 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

God has a great memory. He blessed Isaac, Abraham’s son, and Isaac’s descendants because of the good life Abraham lived. God blessed generations for the sake of one life lived in obedience to Him. Even when the descendants sinned against God and refused to obey Him, he continued to bless them for Abraham’s sake. For us today, it should be an encouragement to know that our lives can make a difference not only for our lifetime, but for generations to come. May we live in such a way that God can bless our descendants for our sake. And one day we have the promise that we will shine like the sun in God’s kingdom. All darkness will be banished and only the light will remain. Jesus reminds us again to listen. And we must not only listen, but also obey.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Use Those Ears

Today I read Genesis 25:5-26:21 and Matthew 12:46-13:24. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Matthew 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Isaac sowed in the land where God told him to live, and he reaped as much again as he had sowed. God blessed him because he obeyed—he did what God told him to do. We can all share that kind of blessing if we do what Jesus said to his followers. God gave us ears for a reason; He wants us to listen to Him! His messengers will share with us words from God. If we listen and obey, God will bless us.

Good or Evil

Today (January 13) I read Genesis 24:21-25:4 and Matthew 12:16-45. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

When God is guiding and blessing our lives, we want to keep busy about His business. When we are following His will, we have good treasure in our hearts; we can do good things because we are doing God’s things. If we are not following and obeying God’s leadership, our heart will harbor evil treasure and it will bring out evil things in our lives. If you are one who has never accepted the gift of salvation, you cannot follow God’s will until you are saved. You are condemned to bring forth evil, because a heart without God is an evil heart. Seek good; do good; treasure good things.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Rest in the Lord

Today I read Genesis 20:15-24:20 and Matthew 10:28-12:15. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Abraham exhibited great faith in God when he tied his son up and put him on the altar of sacrifice to kill him. God was pleased with Abraham’s act of obedience, but did not allow him to go through with the sacrifice. He provided a ram to sacrifice in place of Isaac, Abraham’s son. God will always bless obedience on the part of His children. He wants us to be able to find rest—not conflict, worry, sorrow, or any kind of wearisome burden. He will give us rest when we come to Him and accept it. Resting in the Lord is the perfect rest because He, after all, is in control of all situations; we do not have to help Him work things out for the best.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Mercy and Compassion

Today I read Genesis 17:11-20:14 and Matthew 9:6-10:27. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

The Lord is merciful to us even when we are disobedient. Mercy is sometimes defined as “not getting what we deserve”. We often deserve to be judged and disciplined by a righteous God; instead, He loves us and saves us from the penalties of sin. In the case of Lot and his family, the angels took them by the hand and led them out of Sodom before God destroyed the city. God wants to be our Shepherd and lead us away from things and places that are dangerous for us. He has compassion—a wonderful word conveying deep feelings of concern for our welfare. He loves us while we are yet in sin, and He offers us the gift of salvation by His Son Jesus Christ so that we can live in His presence and care for eternity. Alleluia!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Be Perfect

Today I read Genesis 14:21-17:10 and Matthew 8:10-9:5. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Matthew 8:34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

God expects more from us than we are willing to give in many instances. He told 99-year-old Abram to be perfect. But notice what precedes this; if we kept it in our mind at all times that we are walking before God—He is watching everything we do—we would be more likely to make right decisions. And if we always made decisions which meet with God’s approval, we would be perfect. Unfortunately, we forget or ignore the fact that our lives are open before the Almighty God, and we choose to do things that are not pleasing to Him. When He confronts us with our own sinfulness, we may be like the “whole city” referred to in Matthew. We may just ask Him to go away. Most of us are somewhere between these two extremes—we are not perfect, but we are not asking the Lord to go away and leave us alone. We try to please Him; and when we fail, we ask Him to forgive us and we try again. Hopefully, by the time we are 99 years old, we will be much closer to “perfect” than we are now.

The Rock

Today (January 7) I read Genesis 12:8-14:20 and Matthew 7:9-8:9. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Matthew 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

God makes really big promises. He didn’t offer Abraham a small plot of land; He gave him all the land he could see. And He didn’t just give it to him for his lifetime; it would go to his descendants as well. If we will listen to God and obey Him, we will be set on a strong foundation. The Lord Himself is the Rock on which Christians stand firm; nothing in this world can defeat us as long as we stay on the Rock.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Promises Kept

Today I read Genesis 10:21-12:7 and Matthew 6:13-7:8. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

God promised blessings to Abraham based on his obedience in following where the Lord led him. Jesus told His followers to seek the kingdom of God before anything else. When we do, God is faithful to meet our needs—add things to us. It is so good to know that God keeps his promises and blesses us when we obey his will for our lives. By seeing examples in the Old Testament of promises made and kept by God, we have the assurance that He will continue to be faithful in keeping His promises to us today. Just remember to seek Him first!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Nature

Today I read Genesis 8:21-10:20 and Matthew 5:31-6:12. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

God created the progression of seasons, and God created rules of nature which control the weather. This time of year in the Midwest, the weather is often an issue. Right now we are deciding on Plan B for Thursday and Friday of this week because we might get a big snow Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The weather forecasters can’t say for sure how much or exactly where it will fall, but God knows. His distribution of cold, heat, sun, rain, and snow is no respecter of persons or situations. The laws of nature created by God generally rule. God may choose to intervene and change nature’s course in some instances, but most often he allows nature to take its “natural course”. We learn to plan ahead and use common sense in dealing with nature, and it is always a good idea to talk to God about plans and preparations that may be affected by uncertain weather. He might change the weather for us—or He might just change our plans.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Family

Today I read Genesis 6:16-8:20 and Matthew 5:1-30. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 8:15-16 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

When God released Noah and his family from the confines of the ark, they were the only humans left alive on the earth. They had animals and plants to care for, and they had each other. Family is one of the most precious gifts God has given to us. He wants us to worship and serve Him within our family groups. Because the concept of family is so important, people who are saved are called “the children of God”. I always refer to members of my church as my “church family”; and at Stained Glass Theatre, we lovingly refer to each other as our “SGT family”. God is pleased with families who serve Him. Jesus gave us the command to let our light shine to bring glory to our Father in heaven—again, we see the family reference. We learn how to relate to Father God by the way we relate to our human families. May we seek to be pleasing to God in those relationships.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Grace

Today I read Genesis 4:23-6:15 and Matthew 3:13-4:25. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Grace is often described as unmerited (or unearned) favor from God. Noah lived a good life, and God loved him enough to let him and his family live when every other person on earth died in the great flood. Any man striving to serve God would be pleased to have a reputation like Noah’s. But none of us is good enough to deserve that kind of favor from God. Jesus, on the other hand, was loved by God and pleasing to God because He lived a perfect, sinless life. He did deserve God’s favor, yet God allowed Him to die as a sacrifice for sinners who deserved death. Grace is a wonderful thing; when God bestows it upon us, He covers our sins with the blood of His Son Jesus. Only then can He be well pleased with our lives. If you haven’t already done so, accept God’s grace today; ask Jesus to save you from your sin and give you new life pleasing to the Father.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Suitable Helper

Today I read Genesis 2:21-4:22 and Matthew 2:6-3:12. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

What a wondrous thought that God cares deeply about our needs and desires. He knew that man alone was unfulfilled. Caring for the animals and plants which God had created did not meet man’s deepest need; he needed “an help meet for him”. The word “meet” in this context means “suitable”. Man needed someone to work alongside him day by day. And this helper would not only share work, but also thoughts and feelings; man would be able to communicate with this suitable helper in a way that both would understand. But it could not be a carbon copy of man because that would have been boring. God in His perfect wisdom decided that the answer to this need was Woman. At this point, I am going to take the liberty of expanding on the interpretation of Matthew 2:10. When men (like the Magi) are seeking to follow God’s leadership in finding someone (in their case, the child Jesus), they rejoice when they receive a clear direction from God. I believe that when men and women seek direction from God in finding the one help meet created by God for them, God will show them the way. And the search led by God to that one will be rewarded with exceeding great joy.

Friday, January 1, 2010

The Beginning

Today I read Genesis 1:1-2:20 and Matthew 1:1-2:5. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

In 2010 I am reading the Bible through in a translation called God’s Word, but the verses quoted here will always be from the public domain King James Version.

It delights me at the beginning of each new year to read “In the beginning . . .” The scripture never grows old and never changes. We can always revisit and relive familiar stories and trust God to reveal Himself to us in fresh new ways. The verse from Matthew has the very familiar reminder of Jesus’ birth (having just celebrated Christmas one week ago). But the fact that he will save us from our sins must be learned anew by each person. When a person first realizes that Jesus came to save him or her as an individual, it is a new revelation, not an old story. God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Never Changing yet Always New. I pray that in 2010 you will find Him for the first time or find a fresh new love for Him as one of His older children.

Followers