Leave

Today's reading is found in Genesis 12 -14.

Right off God got my attention with the reading with His words to Abram.   Hit the road not God's words my words, but that is pretty much what He told him to do.  I try to imagine things during this time and it's hard.  We have so much on the television, computer, and everything else that we have an idea of what the foreign place or the next town might be like, but Abram didn't.  He had no idea what to expect.  

Imagine, yourself in Abram's sandals going about his everyday life in Haran where we learned at the end of our reading yesterday they stopped when they were headed to Canaan.  Abram still lived with his father, his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot was around too.  So, they had made a home when Abram got the call from the LORD, Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  

Do you think Abram packed up right away?  Do you think he delayed the leaving or got right on with the process?  I can't imagine.  God gave him some pretty big instructions about leaving all familiar and going to the unknown, but if he would he would be blessed.  

I think he was excited, but ...  At least, I think that is what I would have felt with a whole lot of trepidation.  Unknown's aren't easy to take the first step into.  If we know what to expect, it's a lot easier to pack.  If we don't know where we are going, what do we take along?  So many questions, but Abram departed as the LORD instructed.  Faith!

What is God asking you to leave right now?  Is it a place?  Is it a situation?  Is it ????  Perhaps, He's not asking you to leave, but He wants you show your faith in His instructions and take the first step on the journey of perhaps a new ministry?  A new job?  A new ???  Again, I don't know your situations, but I do know that Abram is teaching us how to be faithful, so pack your bags or take the first step!

Enjoy the journey,

Debbie

Shutting and opening of doors

Genesis 7 - 9: 17

Noah and the flood...

The story is so difficult to imagine.  The terrible destruction.  The sounds that would have been heard surrounding this story are awful.

I ask you yesterday to place yourself in Noah's shoes.  You know it had to be difficult.  The people talking to him about being crazy and the whole time he is the one that isn't crazy.  Suddenly, they realize what Noah was talking about and you know they all showed up around the ark.

The verse that gets me every time and this time it was no different.  It is found in Genesis 7:16 ~ ...Then the Lord closed the door behind them.  God didn't ask Noah to close the door on anybody God did it himself.  Don't you know Noah stood with pause at that moment because it meant he was giving up hope on those around him that had done nothing, but mock him for months.  One commentator I read said perhaps Noah was finding it hard to give up hope, so the Lord spared him the act of sorrow.  He went on to say that we (humans) can neither open or close the door for salvation that is God's act.

The reading brought to my mind the scripture in Revelation 3:20 ~ Here I Am!  I stand at the door and knock  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  The opening and closing of the doors in our life are perhaps more meaningful than we realize.  Who or what do we willing open the door to?  Who or what do we willing close the door on?  

Would we be like Noah and wait on the Lord to shut the door?  God protects all of us sometimes by closing the door to things we don't need in our life and opening it to others, but do we realize it?

Next time you stand at the door ~ pause and ask God to only open and close the doors of your life that are the ones desired by Him and not always the ones we think.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

How are you going to spend your time and be remembered?

How many of you have ever heard the old saying well old so and so is as old as Methuselah?  Did you wonder where it came from and didn't know?  Well, God's Word!  Specifically in Genesis 5 we are told that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old.  Do you wonder how in the world he felt?  Did he ache?  Did his bones make noises when he stood up?  

Today, the thought that throughout the reading kept coming to mind was it's all about God's timing.  I've often heard people wonder why people don't live longer and we are told specifically in chapter 6 of Genesis that God decided that the normal life span will be no more than 120 years.  We are told why people don't live like Methuselah anymore too in the same chapter because The Lord's spirit will not put up with humans for they are only mortal flesh.  God is so patient with all of us when they lived to be 900 and now when we live to less than 120 and we still make similar decisions to Cain, Abel and Noah that were mentioned in the reading.  Some good choices and some bad choices, but yet God provides a way for each of us in spite of our choices.

The reading today was Genesis 4 -6 with a closer look at Cain and Abel, the account of men from Adam to Noah's children and then a closer look at Noah in chapter 6.  The phrase that totally grasp my attention today was lived in close relationship with God. The phrase is used with both Enoch and Noah.  Enoch in Chapter 5:22 and 24 and again in chapter 6:9, so I researched the words and found that in Hebrew the word is yithhallech, which means he set himself to walk, he was determined.  Both of these men made a choice to be in fellowship/relationship with God that they knew what God wanted from them and they decided to make these choices. We found in the story of Cain and Abel that Cain brought what he could get by with and Abel brought his best.  Do you think they had any idea what they were suppose to do?  Relationship is how we all know and the only way to know what God desires is to be in His Word.

I felt that Cain wasn't a bad person, he just did what he could to get by.  He didn't bring his "A" game, he made a choice to simply bring "some" of his crops not his best, but his brother brought his very best.  How often are we tired and rundown, so we glimpse over God's Word?  We don't listen for what He is trying to tell us, because we are tired and we think we know what He wants?

Well, the reading spoke to my heart today by saying know God by spending time with Him!  Isn't it amazing that these two men knew God and determined to walk with Him.  Also, that forever and ever they are remembered in His Word for exactly that?  How do you want to be remembered?  Do you want to be remembered for spending time with Him?  

On a side note, put yourself in Noah's shoes.  You know God, you spend time with Him and He instructs you that he intends to destroy the creatures and for you to build a boat with all the instructions.  Noah also knew his neighbors and spent time with them.  Who did He follow?  His neighbors that you know he cared about or God?  Sometimes, we must make difficult, hard choices and follow God.  

Sweet blessings,

Deb

The woman was convinced...then played hide and seek!

Do you remember when you were a little girl and played hide and seek?  It seemed like forever sometimes before you were to be found and other times it was right away?  The giggles and laughter of being found?  I do.  I loved to play hide and seek, but today's story found in Genesis gave me a different feeling for what Adam and Eve must have felt perhaps a little shame and fear?

Today, in our reading for day 1 in the New Living Chronological Bible it is the wonderful story of creation.  As I sit and type, I am surrounded by God's creation in such a profound way that my heart was touched in a whole new way beginning this journey of reading the Bible through in a year.  It's snowing as I type and the words "In the Beginning..." which give me a fresh take and a whole new outlook for me.  Watching nature take it's course with the clean, fresh snow falling with the crisp, clean air the words truly mean we are allowed to start over, to begin again just like when all this snow melts and the trees bud out, the flowers bloom, and the mountains sing.  We are allowed the same opportunity to begin again with the LORD.

Yet, the words that truly grasp my attention today are found in chapter 3 with the story of the woman who was convinced.  Which in the original hebrew word means she was coveting, she wanted to delight in, she wanted to take pleasure in what she saw which was the tree and the fruit.  She wanted it.  So she took it.  Ever done the exact same thing in your own journey?  You had to have something?  Oh, our somethings all look different, but I would hazard a guess to say that each one of us have been just like this woman and we were convinced we had to have it, but once we took it or got it...well, it wasn't exactly what we thought.  Immediately, feelings of shame or fear over took you?  Remember?  Oh, come on.  We like to act like Adam and Eve were so different from us, but they aren't are they?

God supplied everything they needed. He ask them one thing not to do and well the ever lurking evil one knew exactly how to attack, didn't he?  He placed seeds of doubt?  He placed the thoughts of really or are you sure that is what was said?  He convinced them they had to give it a whirl and try it.  After all, what would it hurt.  

How often have I done this?  Well, I don't think you would want to read a post quite that long.  I did exactly like Adam and Eve.  I was convinced, so I acted.  It is the sad truth, but as I continued to read along knowing that I was convicted of the reminders of my failures I was renewed.  Yes, in chapter 3, verse 21 we learn that God made clothing for these two people that messed up.  He called them out, convicted them of their sins, but reminded them of His love by clothing them with garments that He made for them.  Once again, I know without a doubt God loves me and He loves you.

Are you hiding among the trees today?  God is calling your name to replace those seeds of doubt, those shameful thoughts, or absolute fear with His amazing love by providing exactly what we all need in our moment that we call out to Our Amazing Father!

Call out to Him Today,

Debbie

See you here tomorrow on day 2 of our reading!  I hope you are as excited as I am to see what God shows us each day!  Share if it was just a word, if it was more, or if you just want to say hi!

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