And though [Potiphar's wife] spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:10) Have you ever been driving on a road and seen a guardrail? You can look at it in two ways: it's a restriction or it's a life-saving device. The purpose of the guardrail is to protect cars from driving off the road and into sudden danger - in ... [Continue Reading]
Dead End (Genesis 35, 37)
All [Jacob's] sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son [Joseph] in the grave.” So his father wept for him. (Genesis 37:35) There comes a point in time when you realize that the decision you made is really just a dead end. It seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but over ... [Continue Reading]
The Power of Forgiveness (Genesis 32-34)
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. (Genesis 33:4) Forgiveness is a powerful force. It says: debt cancelled - you don't owe me any longer. In the relationship between Jacob and Esau, Jacob had built up a huge debt. First, he monopolized on a situation of weakness and manipulated Esau into ... [Continue Reading]
Your Life Isn’t In Your Hands (Genesis 30-31)
'If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.' (Genesis 31:42) One of the greatest lessons of Genesis is the continued understanding that, though we may think otherwise, our lives truly are not ... [Continue Reading]
God Knows and Cares (Genesis 27-29)
When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. (Genesis 29:31) There are moments in time when God feels conspicuously absent, aren't there? In Leah's case, she was forced into marriage in the place of her sister - the desire of her husband Jacob's heart. Her father, Laban, essentially used her as a bargaining tool ... [Continue Reading]
Little Eyes Are Watching (Genesis 25-26)
When the men of that place asked [Isaac] about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” (Genesis 26:7) Where did Isaac learn to say that his wife was really his sister? He probably learned it from his dad. It's amazing that ... [Continue Reading]
It’s No Accident (Genesis 22-24)
Then [Abraham's servant] bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” (Genesis 24:26-27) All throughout the Old Testament we begin to get the idea that nothing really ... [Continue Reading]
No Joke (Genesis 19-21)
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. (Genesis 19:14) I think this story is one of the most tragic ones of the Old Testament. God attempted to show mercy to Lot's future sons-in-law before ... [Continue Reading]
Taking Responsibility (Genesis 16-18)
“Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. (Genesis 16:6) As much as Abraham (aka Abram) was a godly man who revered the Lord, he also was a bit of a weasel. Rather than honestly addressing situations, he took the easy way out. One such situation was the birth of his first son, ... [Continue Reading]
Be Careful Where You Pitch Your Tents (Genesis 12-15)
Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. (Genesis 13:12) Lot's first mistake was pitching his tents near Sodom. Known for its perverseness as a city, going anywhere near Sodom was simply putting oneself in the face of temptation. Whether or not that was Lot's reason for parking it there, he ... [Continue Reading]
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