Tag: BSF Genesis

BSF Genesis: Week 14, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
a. “Shield”  Defensive armor against swords, lances, arrows, usually carried on left arm; A person or thing that protects
b.  Stress and confusion. Self-reliance. Impatience. The attacks of the evil one.
c.  91:4: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
4.
a.  Children, descendents
b.  While money and possessions are limited resources, the most limited resource we are given to manage is time. I choose to spend my time in prayer and service.
c. Peace. Provision for family especially children. Guidance on direction to serve Him and best help others.My Daily Journal:I think sometimes non-christians think the life of a dedicated christian is one of boredom and self-denial.  Stay away from anything risky.  Sit in church and sing boring hymns and go to sewing circles and spend lots of time being pious and uppity.In reality, a walk of faith is a walk through a battleground.  God does not promises long walks on the beach and floating on clouds.  You don’t need a shield on a beach.  You don’t need angels telling you to “do not be afraid” on a cloud.  While God does not promise a life without difficulty, He does tell us that He will protect us.  I love the Psalm 91:4 verse, to enclose me in feathers, under his wings, to find refuge there.  That by His faithfulness and His righteousness (not mine, but His) I will be protected.  If life was a walk in the park, how would we learn to rely on God.  It is only by allowing us to experience adversity does God teach us to rely on Him and only by learning to rely on Him do we find salvation.

BSF Genesis: Week 13, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

8.
They came out to meet him in the valley and each attempted to honor him in his own way. Melchizedek brought bread and wine and blessed Abram with a prayer of blessing from God and honoring to God. Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Sodom focused on possessions. He wanted the people and to leave Abram with all other possessions. Abram said he swore an oath to God to not take anything, even a sandal strap. But the other kings should receive their share.

9.
a.
I am your shield. I am your great reward

b.
He had just stood up to a king of a wicked people and given up a great amount of wealth and riches. He had delivered a message to the king of Sodom that God was against him.  But, more so, I think he had fear for his nephew Lot.  Lot must have chosen to go right back into sin city.  Abram would have had great fear for his nephew.  Not to read ahead, but he doesn’t consider Lot to be a viable heir, but instead his only living heir is a servant he acquired.

10.
God tells us to not be afraid, over and over again. But it is hard. We make so many decisions and there is such uncertainty in this life it is hard not to be afraid and not to have second thoughts.  It is easy to look back on each decision and have doubts and questions: did I make the right choice.  But God calls us to have confidence and to shed the fear because God works all for His glory.  It is not whether I make the right decision, but how I make the decision that matters most to God.  Do I rely on myself or put my trust in Him with the intent to bring glory to Him?

My Daily Journal:

Question 8 was my pivotal question this week.

Here comes Abram marching back into the Valley of the Kings.  He is victorious.  He is accompanied not only with his entire army but with all the people and possessions.  To the victor go the spoils.  This all belongs to Abram.

The valley he walks in to must have been somber.  Not only had all the local kings been defeated in battle, but their cities had been sacked and raided, their people had all been hauled off as slaves.  It says the armies took ALL of their food.  The kings had fled from the battle, leaving their soldiers to be trapped in tarpits.  The few soldiers that did escape fled to the hills, but you cannot imagine they maintain any loyalty to these defeated and cowardly kings.

In comes mighty Abram and out come Melchizedek and the King of Sodom.  With one swipe of his sword Abram could kill the king and place himself on the throne over the entire valley.  Not even his own sword would be required, he had an army of fighting men with him loyal to his word or hand gesture.

The contrasts in this meeting are so rich.  Look at this:

The first words out of the mouth of the King of Salem are: “Blessed Be.”

Abram’s response is to give him a tenth of everything.  Note, he does not ask permission of anyone else.  All of this is Abram’s to give or keep as he sees fit.

Next is the King of Sodom.  His first words are “Give me.”

Abram responds, “With raised hand”

While the King of Sodom is trying to put on a good front, it has to realize that with one motion of that raised hand he is dead.  But instead of raising his hand against this wicked King, Abram says, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth”

What an amazing and powerful scene that is such a strong lesson to us.  Are my thoughts and words first to bless others or to get for myself.  Do I raise my hand against others or raise it in praise and promise to my solemn Lord?

BSF Genesis: Week 13, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
a.
Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer of Elam and Tidal of Goyim

b.
Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboyim, Zoar of Bela

c.
The plain of Shinar (Babel)

4.
a.
Decision to setup tents by the city of Sodom

b.
Choices on employment, choices on how to spend money and time, choices about whether to launch new ventures and how quickly to do them. Consequences affect myself, employees, family, readers, other believers. I also need to be talking with others about Christ. I need to pray about all of this.

My Daily Journal:

We know from the previous verses that the people of this valley were wicked.  In these verses we also see how inept the battle plans of the wicked are.

Here we see a big front.  5 kings allied against 4.  They draw up to fight on their home turf, in their own valley with naturally better ability to prepare to devise strategy, to prepare reinforcements.  What we see is that instead all they have is a big front.  There is nothing behind it.  At the first sign, they retreat.  Some are caught in the tar pits of their own turf, some flee to the hills.  The leaders themselves flee leaving the women, children, elderly and innocent to be taken by the enemy as slaves including ALL the food.

As Christians we fear confrontations with evil.  Evil today acts the same way, with a big scary front.  But like this battle, there is nothing behind it.  The soldiers are deserted, the leaders flee and they are caught up in their own lies and deceit.  I am not suggesting that we should discount the forces of evil, clearly they have the ability to cause harm and pain, but I am suggesting that under the power of the spirit of God, with the truth of the gospel, we need have no fear.

BSF Genesis: Week 12, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

11.
a.
Look, (listen), Go, Walk through the length and breadth of the land

b.
give you every place where you set your foot. I will be with you. Be strong and courageous

12.

  • We give an account of ourselves on judgment day
  • appear before the judgment seat of Christ and receive what is due us
  • So that we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming

 

My Daily Journal:

God was training Abram.  Training requires movement.

My daughter is learning to drive.  But it is impossible to learn to drive sitting in the garage.  God wants to steer us in the right direction.  God wants to lead us on the path, the straight highway that leads to him.  But, like a rider on a bicycle, it is far easier to steer when there is movement.

How do we move as Christians?  By being missional.  By teaching and disciplining others.  By preaching the truth of the gospel and proclaiming the love of Christ for the world. By serving.

BSF Genesis: Week 12, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

8.
a.
Good pasture land, peace from fighting with Abram’s men, a place to pitch tents

b.
He moved away, to Hebron near the trees

c.
Don’t place worldly (temporary) amenities over heavenly (eternal) ones. Everything of earth will go away including life, wealth, home and family

9.
He gave up a valley. His descendents were given everything he could see and he would have descendents life the dust of the earth

10.
a.
Gal 3:9: Blessed along with Abraham, Jeremiah 29:11: God has planned good for us and not disaster, gift of future and hope, Matt: 11:28-29: Rest – come to me all who are weary…, Isaiah 40:29-31: Power to the weak, strength to powerless, soar on eagles wings, Phil 4:19: All needs from His glorious riches, Rom 8:37-39: Victory and love: nothing can ever separate us from God’s love, not death, life, angels, demons.., Prov 1:33: peace, untroubled by fear of harm, 2 Cor 4:18: Troubles will pass, John 14:27: peace of mind and heart, John 7:37-39: Living water, the Spirit, John 14:26: The Holy Spirit, Rom 3:23: Forgiveness, Rom 10:9: Salvation, Rom 6:23: Eternal Life

b.
We give up sin, guilt, fear, troubles, worry, murder, adultery, wickedness, lustfulness, greed, gluttony, unrighteous anger, self-pride, laziness, coveting and death. We get peace, love, protection, strength, power, victory, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, a mission from God and to be brothers with Christ for all eternity.

 

My Daily Journal:

Decorating a hotel room.  I can’t find the reference, but I remembered this analogy while thinking about all of the promises vs. costs involved in living the life of a brother to Christ.  Our time here on earth is like living in a hotel room.  It isn’t home.  Home for believers is in heaven, for all eternity.

But how much time, effort, money and fight do we put into furnishing and decorating our hotel room.  Instead of using our resources for value that matters to God for all eternity, we invest in making our hotel room more comfortable.  We buy bigger houses and decorations, we focus on better curtains for the hotel room.

It isn’t that God doesn’t want us to have wealth or comfort – clearly Abram and Lot had been blessed with more than the land could even support.  But where is our focus?  Is it on our eternal home or our temporary dwelling.  Maybe that is part of the reminder in the fact that Abram was called to live in tents.

BSF Genesis: Week 12, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

5.
a.
Abram told him to choose.  He chose based on a farming focus: Good land, good water, like the gard, like the land of Egypt, vs 10

b.
Where job is, where land or good housing is available, the quality of the schools

c.
12. he pitched his tents near Sodom, 13. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and sinning gratly against the Lord

d.
Horrific. Lost his wife, his children’s morals twisted to breaking, his own judgment was dispicable (offering daughter)

6.

  • we have troubled hearts and fear because we receive a false peace
  • darkened in understanding, separated from the life of God, ignorant
  • adulterous, friendship w/world=enmity against God. Choose: friend of world=enemy of God
  • do not love the world, lust of flesh, eyes, pride does not come from God. They will pass

7.
As a whole, no. In moments of time, yes.

My Daily Journal:

Every decision matters.  Throughout Genesis the language of walking daily with God comes up over and over again.  It reminds us that, in a walk, every step matters, no step is more or less important than the one before or the next.  In Abram’s life we are reminder that the same fact applies to decisions we make.  Through any trial, whether one of fear of famine, fear of being killed by a pharoah or one of having so much wealth and flocks that the land can’t support all of our possessions, we are given the opportunity to make decisions.  These are every day decisions because trials exist for us every single day.  But each decision, like each step, matters.

It is only by walking with God every day, by spending time in His word, by talking with Him daily and by keeping our eyes on Him that we have the insight to make the right decisions to life’s daily trials.

BSF Genesis: Week 12, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.

  • He let Lot choose his land
  • Better to be wronged and cheated than file lawsuits against believers in secular courts
  • be patient, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit, bond of peace
  • Be kind and compassionate, forgiving, walk in the way of love

4.
a.
Age and covenant from God. God promised the land to Abram’s descendents, not to his cousin
b.
It is very difficult, especially since it affects not only self but also family. It is easier with relatives, but then even it is hard. It is against our greedy nature to purposefully allow others to pick the best of the bunch and take what is left.

My Daily Journal:

What if Abram and Lot weren’t supposed to part company?  I think most would agree that they faced a time of trial.  We read the story and see Abram as the gracious older uncle who gives up his right and allows Lot to choose the better land.  It is not that I don’t believe this to be true and I don’t mean to disparage Abram, but what if they weren’t supposed to part in the first place.  Lot was Abram’s ward, his pupil per se.  It states in the verses that the land could not support both of their flocks and they shared the land with the Canaanites and Perizzites.  Abram made the decision to part.  But should he have elected to reduce their flocks?  Could they have blessed their neighbors, would that have opened a new door?

I know this is a hypothetical rabbit hole, but it served as an interesting point to me and a good reminder that the true lesson isn’t that things turned out OK for Abram, but that ever so slowly Abram was learning not only to trust God but to trust Him first.  I am slowly learning this same lesson.  I trust God, but too often I make a decision based on my own viewpoint first.  This does not prevent God from acting and even blessing me, but it also doesn’t mean that I, necessarily, made the right decision.  Pray first, act second.

BSF Genesis: Week 11, Day 3

Today’s Scripture

Questions:

5.
a.
Make you into a great nation, bless you, make your name great, you will be a blessing, bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you, all people on earth will be bless through you.

b.
1. Nation of Israel, 2. Given a son in his old age, 3. Credited with righteousness (Rom 4), 4. Abraham saves Lot from capture 5. Joseph saved Egypt from drought, 6. Egypt’s losses through the plagues in Exodus, 7. Romans 9 – Promise through Jesus to all who are children of the promise through faith in God

6.

  • blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ
  • the hope to which he has called you, riches of his glorious inheritance, holy people
  • raised up with Christ, seated in the heavenly realms in Christ, riches of grace, kindness
  • Invisible things God prepared revealed to us by his Spirit
  • Portion and cup, security, pleasant boundaries, delightful inheritance

My Daily Journal:

Who have I blessed?

God’s promise to bless those who we bless comes up not only here for Abraham and his descendants, but also in the beatitudes that Christ preached.  I pray for others.  I teach others, particularly children.  I strive to live a life that reflects Christ’s love.  But I don’t spend much time thinking about how I can bless others.

I think it may be because, in comparison to the power and wisdom that I know God has, my words and actions seem so insignificant.  I end up standing back and, in prayer, try to direct God to all the places I think he should lead and go and pour out His power.  But that isn’t what this says, is it.  In these promises, God calls on us to put ourselves into the game.  Does that mean I am any bigger or God is any smaller, of course not.  But it means I’m engaged in the blessing.   And when I engage, God magnifies.

So, who can I bless?  Who can I send a card of encouragement to?  Who can I buy a meal or cup of coffee for?  Who can I call?  Who can I smile at?  Who can I share a word about the joy of the Lord with?  I’m looking forward to see what God does.

BSF Genesis: Week 11, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
His country, his people, his father’s household – His way of life.

4.

  • Called Apostles to leave fishing, follow him, become fishers of men, immed left boat, home
  • Follow me and let dead bury their own
  • Deny yourself, take up cross and follow-save live=lose it, lose for Him & gospel = save it
  • Love Jesus above all others (mom, dad, wife, kids) cost of discipleship is total sacrifice of self
  • Called out of darkness and anything of this world

My Daily Journal:

Do you have to leave home to become a fully devoted follower of Christ?

For most of us, the first response to that question is, “of course not.”  But, let’s look at all of those verses again.  Let’s look at the call to the apostles.  Let’s even look at Jesus’ life.

I think the challenge is that our neighborhoods shape us into their likeness more than we would like to believe.  We feel the pressure to spend our time picking up leaves when neighbors on both sides have leaf free lawns.  We get drawn into conversations about neighbors, teachers, who bought what, who is doing what, too much gossip.  We suffer from the “keeping up with the jones’ syndrom.”  All, whether we like it or intend to or not.

Do we have to leave our homes behind?  Not necessarily in a physical sense, if we are willing to do it in a spiritual and relationship sense.  As Christians our primary neighbor is Jesus.  Not only is He our neighbor but He is our Lord, the one we serve.  Our “norms” should be set by His commands for our life.  Our language should reflect the joy in our hearts for Him.  Our passion for others should always be an outpouring of the love He has for all of His creation.

What do you know about the 8 neighbors around you (the ones whose homes encircle yours)?  What do they know and see about your walk with God?  How do they see you spending your time, talents and money?  How much of your life do they see conforming to the neighborhood vs. living differently and transforming into holiness?

Maybe moving would be easier.

BSF Genesis: Week 10, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

9.
The promise to Abraham did not come as a reward for Abram’s works, but from the righteousness of God poured out to him by his faith (trust and obedience). It is by grace and it is guaranteed and we fall under the covenant God made to Abraham.

10.
Promise came to all nations. If you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise.  Mathew 1 -Jesus came from the linage of Abraham

11.
a.
Obedience and faith. That he, in faith, looked to something far ahead, something he didn’t even know or understand, but something that he trusted in God

b.
An everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants (to never be abandoned or alone)

c.
Land, to be their God, they must keep his covenant – That the promise in 17:3 is bigger – that Abraham will be the father of many nations, not just one.

My Daily Journal:

I was recently reading a John Ortberg book titled Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them.  In it he talks about the creation story and, as we reviewed our Genesis study this week it came to my mind.

Ortberg points out that as God creates each part of His creation He says, “It was good.”  That is, until we come to Genesis 2:18 where He says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

From the very beginning we were designed for companionship and community all in harmony with God.  Lamech sought companionship without God and developed a spirit of vengeance and retribution.  The people of Babel sought community without God and had their language confused and themselves scattered.

But God’s promise, God’s covenant to Abram, tells him that neither he nor his descendents will ever be alone.  God will always be their God.  They will be a family, a nation, joined together.  The word church didn’t yet exist, but, in essence, through this family of Abram’s that is what God is creating.

We are part of that.  Through our faith in Jesus, we have become members of that family as much as we are brothers and sisters to Christ and God is our heavenly father.  We were not designed to be alone and through the church and through brothers and sisters in Christ and through the nations of believers and through the communion of saints and the indwelling of the holy spirit we will never be alone.  God promised that to Abram.