Posts with the category “devotional”

“The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.”‭‭Exodus‬ ‭13‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Exodus 13:17-14:4 God has been intentional about leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. I’m so glad His intentionality did not stop in Egypt. God continued to lead them with a pillar...  Read More

“Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬ Exodus 12:1-28 If you’re anything like my kids, you’re at the edge of your seat watching this battle of plagues, but you have a lot of questio...  Read More

However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth. Exodus 9:16 Exodus 9 A few years ago, I told a story about one of the most important nights in my life. The short version of the story one night on Spring Break in college, I took on multiple police officers in a physical altercation. And though that moment set in motion a series of de...  Read More

But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers—the magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices.Exodus 7:11 Exodus 7-11 Something interesting happens here for the first time in scripture.In Exodus 7, we see that Moses goes before Pharaoh and, empowered by God, performs a miracle. Yet instead of being in awe of Moses' God, Pharaoh calls in his wise men and sorc...  Read More

But the Lord replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land."Exodus 6:1 Exodus 5-6 Have you ever tried to help someone only to make things worse?Maybe you tried to cut or style their hair and you butchered it.Maybe you tried to repair their brakes, only to break some other pa...  Read More

The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.”Exodus 4:11-12 Exodus 4:1-17 From this week’s readings we have witnessed God see the affliction of the Israelites and share his action plan with Moses. In chapter 4, God equips Moses. God gives “power” to Moses...  Read More

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”Exodus 3:14 Exodus 3 Yesterday we looked at how our God sees everything. He’s omnipresent, everywhere, all the time. Today I want to focus on how providential God is as he acts. God says he is going to make something happen, and he does. God’s first action item is to show up in a burning b...  Read More

God saw the Israelites, and God knew.Exodus 2:25 Exodus 2 There’s something about this verse that God saw and God knew that brings to mind God’s omnipresence. He is everywhere all the time. He’s there during the good and hard times. When God was in the wilderness, Hagar called God, El Roi, the God Who Sees. In chapter two of Exodus, we see God with Moses as a baby in a basket. God’s with Moses as ...  Read More

A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.Exodus 1:8 Exodus 1 We have journeyed from the end of the story of Joseph to the beginning of the story of Moses. Scholars and Jewish descendants believe there is 64 years between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. It took 64 years for Joseph to be forgotten. Sixty-four years for God to grow the Israelites to a number that ...  Read More

But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.Genesis 33:4 Genesis 33-34 Forgiveness tends to fall into two categories. One is forgiveness that is independent of remorse. The other is forgiveness that is dependent on remorse.In today's reading we get an example of forgiveness that was independent of remorse which is often the forgiveness that is mo...  Read More

The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.Genesis 30:39 Genesis 28-30 What if I told you that Charles Darwin was not the first to come up with the Evolutionary Theory?As we take a moment today and return our focus to the defense of the Bible as Trustworthy, consider this story from Genesis 30.Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane ...  Read More

She replied, “Drink, my lord.” She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.”Genesis 24:18-19 Genesis 25:19-Genesis 27 While there are so many different directions we could approach today's reading, I'm most struck by the influence of the past on the presen...  Read More

She replied, “Drink, my lord.” She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.”Genesis 24:18-19 Genesis 23-24 What would it look like to be in a world where people readily shared their homes, land, and possessions? What would you think if you were walking the...  Read More

“After these things God tested Abraham…Genesis 22:1 Genesis 21-22 We don’t know why Abraham continues to move away from Canaan, the land the Lord promises to him, but he moves back to the Negev again. The end of chapter 21 tells us that this is the land of the Philistines. Once the disputes with King Abimelech are resolved, Abraham settles down and plants a Tamarisk tree. Of all the things that ha...  Read More

Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?, says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.Ezekiel 18:23 Genesis 17-18 A point of contention of atheists, is the prevalence of suffering in the world and genocide recorded in the Bible. Why would God encourage, assist, orchestrate, or allow whole populations of people to be annihilated? Does God en...  Read More

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.Genesis 17:1 Genesis 17-18 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old…” Ninety-nine! Abram was old. Even by cultural standards of that time, he was old. Twenty-four years have passed since Abram received the call to move to this previously unknown land. Thirteen years has pas...  Read More

Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your power; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.Genesis 16:6 Genesis 16 Genesis chapter 16 is messy. As Pastor Eric would say, “This is the first case of baby-momma drama in the Bible.” And trust us, there is more to come. Really, who needs TV when you have the Bible? Now, let’s look at the dra...  Read More

When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and they went in pursuit as far as Dan. Genesis 14:14 Genesis 14 In Genesis 14 we learn about the first ever war in the world! Apparently, this war has been named amongst bible scholars as the “War of Nine Kings”. After 12 years of being under the rule of king Kedorlaomer of Elam se...  Read More

“I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.”Genesis 13:6 Genesis 13 When God makes a promise, He keeps it. We see that in the first verses of Genesis 13. Abram has been blessed with riches of livestock, silver and gold. He has become so wealthy, along with his nephew Lot that the land could no longer hold the...  Read More

I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you,I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.Genesis 12:2 Genesis 12 Genesis 12: The Call Of AbramAbram is introduced to us in this chapter without much detail into his life outside of a brief genealogy we get from Genesis 11 and insight into his age and his wife's barren womb. Other than that we don’t know who he is or why God chose...  Read More

Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me.Job 38:2-3 Job 35-38 My wife knows I have this thing I do when the kids are supposed to be sleep at night time but are instead playing. I walk into their bedroom but make sure to open the door very suddenly as to startle them and let them know I mean what I'm about to...  Read More

It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge.Job 32:9 Job 31-34 Right out of college I had the privilege of teaching in a Christian academy that ranged from Pre-K2 to 5th grade. It was there that I learned early on that some of the wisest people in the world have mandatory naps every day. I would constantly find myself blown away by some of the simple things these...  Read More

How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure?Job 25:4 Job 23-26 Here is one of the  challenges I've had with Job's friends...they made some very valid points.Consider these words from Bildad in Chapter 25.How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a ...  Read More

How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure?Job 25:4 Job 23-26 Here is one of the  challenges I've had with Job's friends...they made some very valid points.Consider these words from Bildad in Chapter 25.How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a ...  Read More

Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful? Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes.Job 21:7-8 Job 19-22 Until this point, Job’s friends have gone through great lengths to describe how destruction comes upon the wicked. All the things that Job has been experiencing have been likened to the fate of wicked people ...  Read More

“My friends scoff at me as I weep before God.“Job 16:20 Job 15-18 At one point in our lives, each of us may have been seeking a good friend. You may have sought friendship from a sibling, classmate, coworker, or spouse. Many of us have sought kindness and loyalty from others. We have hoped that someone would add positivity to our lives. I’m sure Job sought friendship at one point too. Yet, when di...  Read More

“The earth is handed over to the wicked; he blindfolds its judges. If it isn’t he, then who is it?”Job 9:24 Job 11-14 As promised, today we are focusing on Job’s friends. Let’s just say, things have gotten a little tense. Job begins in chapter three, pouring out his heart in anguish. Eliphaz makes the first rebuttal, accusing Job of not being righteous and attributing his suffering to an assumed l...  Read More

Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.Job 2:13 Job 2:11-13 Today I want to take a break from the evidence for our faith and just reflect on the humanness and empathy of this moment. We're going to have plenty of time over the next few weeks to witness these friends struggle to support Job, but...  Read More

“Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.”Job 2:6 Job 2:1-10 One character we haven't discussed much in detail since the start of this study is Satan.Who is he? Where did he come from? What is he capable of?This won't be the last time we come across Satan so it's probably a good idea to get a quick overview before touching on one specific observation from today's...  Read More

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”Job 1:8 Job 1:6-22 One of the greatest barriers for unbelievers in accepting the Bible as true and authentic is the character and person of God. Many ask the question, "If there is a God who loves us so much, why is there so much ev...  Read More

There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.Job 1:1 Job 1:1-5 Today we are introduced to a new book of the Bible, believed by many to be one of the oldest stories in all of history. Over the next few weeks, we'll discuss many of the themes and thought provoking ideas presented in this book, but let's get some of the c...  Read More

He said: "Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers."Genesis 9:25 Genesis 11 The tower of Babel. Is it fact or fiction? For many years, this story could have been considered a good old wives’ tale. In 1899, that changed dramatically when German archaeologist Robert Koldewey began to uncover remnants of the ancient city of Babel. Located almost 59 miles from Baghdad, Iraq, a...  Read More

He said: "Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers."Genesis 9:25 Genesis 9-10 “Come oooooon Ham!!!” Geez. Get it together. Are you eating popcorn and enjoying the show like I am? Every now and then I want to scream at my Bible as if I’m screaming at the TV. It didn’t take long before mankind started sinning and God started giving out curses. This reminds me of Adam, Eve, ...  Read More

“When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma,  He said to himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward.  And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.’”Genesis 8:21 Genesis 8 Many people appreciate the Bible because it’s a history book, a documentation of real events. These event...  Read More

Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.Genesis 7:10 Genesis 7 Today we are going back into time. This might be hard to imagine, but take a moment and think about this. You’ve been building an ark for 120 years and today is the day you’ve been preparing for. Are you excited, nervous, anxious, relieved? Up until this point, I’m sure Noah received his fair share of taunting from the wicke...  Read More

“Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish."Genesis 6:17 Genesis 6:9-22 What it would feel like to be the only righteous person on the entire planet? Talk about peer pressure.Noah was that guy. The scriptures say that Noah was righteous and he walked with God. His righteousnes...  Read More

So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died.Genesis 5:27 Genesis 5 969 years.If you were Methuselah's age, here is a small sampling of what you would have witnessed in your lifetime11th Century: The Norman Conquest of England and the start of the Crusades.12th Century: The flourishing of Gothic architecture and the Magna Carta.13th Century: The Mongol Empire's vast expansion across Eurasia...  Read More

Cain was intimate with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Genesis 4:17 Genesis 4:17-26 Our reading today brings up a slew of questions like, who did Cain marry? Was it his sister? I thought you couldn't do that? Are we all descendants of Adam and Eve?I'm just going to concede my time to the video below to discuss that a few other things.  Today, take time to reflect on the implic...  Read More

"If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."Genesis 4:7 Genesis 4:1-16 Have you ever given thought to that voice, that inner feeling that we all get when we know we're about to do something wrong? Maybe as a follower of Jesus, you attribute that feeling to the Holy Spirit. But w...  Read More

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”Genesis 3:2-3 Genesis 3 As a parent, I know that the best way to ensure my kids don't do the wrong thing is to make sure the wrong thing isn't an option.If I don't want them to eat a lot of cand...  Read More