The Many Nations [Genesis 10-11, 2021]

Genesis 10

“These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood (10:32).”

Look at the number of people in chapter 10. Remember how it was once only Noah and his three sons (and the wives)? The Lord God can make so much from so little. Our Lord is the One who is worthy of all praise. Look what He can do! He instructed this family to “be fruitful and multiply” (see 8:17) and they did!

The most important thing is to trust and obey the Lord. What is He asking you to do today? How is He inviting you to trust Him all the more?

Genesis 11

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech (11:1).”

The tower of Babel is the place, where one common speech would end. It isn’t until we reach Heaven, where we will understand every tribe. Today, there are many languages. We might wonder, “Why is there more than one language?” This is exactly why.

Humanity wanted to “make a name for themselves,” as we learn in verse 4. They wanted to be famous, to seek out their glory instead of living for the Lord’s.

So now, we are scattered in location and speech.

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Sarai, Abram’s wife, is mentioned in this chapter of so-and-so was __ years old when he became a father. And, everything stops… when it states: “Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive (11:30). This would greatly affect Abram’s story. It prevents the next line, which should have read “Abram became a father at age 25-50.” All I know is, he was old when the MIRACLE of fatherhood came to him. And, it almost didn’t happen.

But, God…

Our God is far greater than we could ever imagine!

Terah kept his family close. He lost a son Haran and Nahor was now married… but he kept Lot (Haran’s son), Abram, and Sarai (Abram’s wife) close to himself. So, they sent out for a new adventure… to the land of Canaan where they settled.

God is working in the details. I don’t know who you are or what you are going through… but our Mighty God is in the details!

The Lord Remembers [Genesis 8-9, 2021]

Chapter 8

“But the Lord remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded (v.1, NIV).”

The Lord remembered Noah and his family. I am sure they wondered if/when they come stand on solid ground again. Would they ever smell a flower or walk by a fragrant tree again? If so, how much longer?

We can be so thankful for the Lord’s rescuing and still ask difficult questions like these. The Lord remembered Noah and his family, and the waters began to recede. It wouldn’t evaporate as quickly as a trip to a McDonald’s Drive Thru… but, the Lord remembered His people and they worshiped Him. That was the first thing they did, when everyone came out of the ark.

They worshiped the Lord!

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in His heart: ‘Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done (v. 20-21).”

The Lord loved and favored Noah.
This was a man who sought the Lord God.
He wanted to please the One True God, rather than chase after worldly things.

The difference is found in their friendship. The Lord loved Noah. God as our Heavenly Father loves us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day. We have been saved by the blood of Jesus, and our Mighty God wants to spend quality time with us.

How are we investing in our relationship with the Lord like Noah might have done? Through worship, let us praise the Lord!

Chapter 9

The Lord blessed Noah and his family greatly! Just think about it: He chose this particular family to spare, to speak to, and to establish His covenant with them. But, this covenant is also made available to us. “With your descendants after you” reminds me that this covenant is also for us.

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life (v. 13-15).”

The rainbow isn’t solely for humanity. If you look at verse 16, we notice something else. The Lord will see it and remember the everlasting covenant He has made with His chosen people!

We do not have to fear that the Lord will repeat Genesis 7. Regardless of how sinful humanity is, the Lord promises to never again flood the whole earth. And, this is such a gift.

We get the opportunity to know our Mighty God and trust His Word in this place of an everlasting covenant. The rainbow is a sign of that promise. His promise is far better than any pot of gold, because His Word never ever fails! We can trust Him all the more, as we cling to His promises!

As we trust the Lord Jesus, how can we choose honorable and righteous living?

We learn quite a bit about honorable actions even in sticky situations, as we see how Noah’s sons handled the situation of a naked Noah. Instead of covering his father, Canaan went and told his brothers instead. And he was cursed because of it.

Noah and the Ark {Genesis 6-7, 2021}

Genesis 6

In verses 1-4, we are met with heroes and our sinful nature. God’s chosen people, sons of God, saw the appearance of women, married, and began to procreate.

This offers us a brief glmpse of our Lord’s heavy load. He regret all of the beautiful and very good creations He had made. He regretted creating the entire human race, which was bent toward evil living. They were choosing other things, putting the Lord in last place for their hearts and lives. Even so, the Lord found favor in Noah. Noah was an imperfect man who loved God and sought to pursue righteous living – regardless of the cost.

In verse 9, we meet Noah. We first meet his family and learn the temperature of that specific time period, where others are pursuing lust and not our heavenly Father.

Now, we get to see how Noah kept the faith and continued to trust and obey the Lord – even when it wouldn’t be the popular decision.

Our Father confided in Noah, regarding the human race and their chase to do what is evil. The flood wiped out all of Noah’s family, with the exception of his three sons. It must have been a hard, yet glorious experience for this family. On one hand they grieve all they lost, and another what they have gained. They received the opportunity to hear the Holy Spirit speak to His people! This is something money could never buy. The Holy Spirit and gifts of our Lord Jesus cannot be sold.

“Simon watched as the apostles placed their hands on them. He saw that the Spirit was given to them. So he offered money to Peter and John. He said, “Give me this power too. Then everyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered, “May your money be destroyed with you! Do you think you can buy God’s gift with money? You have no part or share in this holy work. Your heart is not right with God.”

Acts 8:18-21, NiRV

Genesis 7

In his generation Noah was found to be righteous, and so the Lord made a covenant between Himself and Noah. God kept His word to Noah, where many were wiped from the face of the earth. Only these few men and their wives remained. In total there were eight people who were welcomed to the ark, and used to restart the human race.

Accountability is the one word, which comes to mind. While the world around us is evil and keeps taking another step away from our King Jesus Christ, we must give an answer.

Will we choose to surrender all of our lives to Jesus Christ – the Lord and King? How will we step up to the plate, and respond to our loving Savior?

Living Intentional {Genesis 4-5, 2021}

Add intentional living to whatever you do. Add it to your faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ! When we are intentional, we get the opportunity to flourish instead of accepting whatever growth changes “simply happen”.

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” – Ephesians 5:17, NIV

Genesis 4

Cain was not intentional in his offering to the Lord. The only intentional act I can see with my human eyes and heart is to hurt his brother Abel. They went out to a field, and Cain killed his very own brother.

Sin will desire to have us, but we need to be intentional in seeking our King Jesus the Christ! Verses 4-7 are among my favorite from the book of Genesis. It reminds me of my need to be alert or I will fall into sin. Our Lord looked with favor on Abel’s sacrifice… and Cain hated that. He hated it that he couldn’t throw together an offering, and have it looked favorably by the Lord.

God’s presence and to be looked favorably upon by our Savior are two gifts I cannot take for granted. Through redemption found in Jesus, I can have a relationship with God… It really sticks with me that Cain was “driven” from the Lord’s presence because of his sin. He sinned before the act of murder, and I am thankful that the Lord is my help and deliverer.

“At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26b).”

Genesis 5

We get a glimpse of their family tree. There is one person in their family, which stood out more than even Cain and his heinous act. His name is Enoch. Enoch is the set apart, completely on fire for the Lord, man who sought to walk faithfully with the Lord.

In our own legacy, what will be said of our own faith and the One whom we have trusted with our very lives?

At the end of our lives, all that matters is our relationship with Christ! It doesn’t matter the type of diet we stayed on, our “impressive” social media stats, or the amount of money in our bank accounts. All that matters is that we have chosen to believe and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior…, and that we sought to give Him all we have to offer.

Listen to Enoch’s story in verses 22-24 –

“Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years after Methuselah was born. He also had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God. And then he couldn’t be found, because God took him from this life.”

What have I inappropriately prioritized in my life?

Christ and His Kingdom is far more important than anything this world can offer us. And He loves us more than we could ever realize.

Prioritizing Christ {Genesis 1-3, 2021}

Genesis 1

We see God so purposeful, as He creates everything ‘from scratch’. But, there is a theme I want to take special note of. Three things happen within each day, which remind me of our God’s sovereignty!

God said…

And that’s exactly what happened…

God saw that it was good.

“So God created human beings in his own likeness.
He created them to be like himself. He created them as male and female.”

God blessed them. He said to them. . . And that’s exactly what happened. God saw everything he had made. And it was very good. There was evening, and there was morning. It was day six. – See Genesis 1:27-31 (NiRV)

So often I forget that I have been made in my Creator’s image. And, we can become our worst enemy – constantly putting down ourselves, instead of offering an ounce of the abundance of grace found in our Savior Jesus Christ. How are we taking note that we too were created by God and He is proud to call us His?! Just sitting at His feet is all He asks of us. He doesn’t criticize how little of our agenda we accomplished in a given day/week.

Our relationship with God through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ is the most important aspect of our lives. But, how are we prioritizing our time with Him? He wants us to boldly come to His throne of grace. He offers us grace, grace, and more grace. He doesn’t offer it because He “has” to. . . or anything like that. He offers it because He genuinely loves us and we become His children the moment we choose to place our trust in Christ. He wants a relationship with us! We are His sons and daughters. But, how often do we love and pardon our failings like our God wants us to?

Our God is far more interested in our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, than how much we accomplish in a given day, week, or month.

Genesis 2

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. So on that day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. He blessed it because on that day he rested from all the work he had done.” – Genesis 2:2-3

Our God made sure to “rest from the work He had done”. He didn’t scoot over to the next big project He had on his task list. He deliberately shows us of our need to celebrate the work we have done. We need to celebrate, but to rest… so we don’t become burnt out. Our Creator has all the energy He could ever need, so He didn’t “have” to rest. Yet, He did. He is modeling a good work ethic for us here.

How can we become increasingly intentional when working hard and resting.

From creating humankind, placing Adam in the garden, and the number one rule to not forget, our God is definitely intentional. He knew Adam would get lonely, so provided the right mate for him – in creating Eve.

Genesis 3

God is all powerful and holy! If being intentional is important to Him, shouldn’t it be to us also? Once Adam and Eve were created, something happened that was the opposite of days one through seven. It was not very good. In fact, it was not good at all.

They broke the one rule.

There is this one point in the conversation, where I wish I could boldly call out to them and give them a pep talk on being intentional in their relationship with God and each other, – and to be weary of the serpent. The serpent is not trustworthy like our God!

“You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5

The enemy of our soul is not trustworthy like our Lord! Be intentional about the influences in your life. What if they asked questions instead of merely answering the serpent?

They broke this one big rule. And, everything changed… forever. Their sin would affect their children and every aspect of their lives. They would be cursed. Banished from the garden of Eden.