Category: Genesis-BibleTrekToday
Trek through Genesis
Companionship and relationship
Scripture reading for January 5th: Genesis 6-8, Psalm 104, Mark 3
Mark 3:13-15 “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”
God didn’t design us to function alone. Sin’s original lie through the serpent, “you shall be as God”, implies that we need no one else. We alone can determine what is right and what is wrong for us. We can set our own rules and call the shots. Jesus invited those who responded to His call to follow Him and to “be with Him,” to spend time in His presence. Jesus desired their companionship and used that as a primary means of discipleship. As these disciples were ‘with Jesus,’ they saw Him model for them the ministry of preaching good news, of forgiveness of sins and the spoiling of Satan’s kingdom by casting out demons. Ministry is caught, more than just ‘taught’. He then sent them out to follow His example and to win new disciples for the kingdom of Heaven, bringing them to relationship with Jesus!
Genesis 6:9 “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
Genesis 8:18-19 “So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his son’s wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your desire for relationships with sinners and Your stated purpose in choosing disciples to be with Jesus, Your Son. Forgive me for forgetting my responsibility to spend time with You and to be aware that You are with Me each day. Remind me when I lack awareness of Your Presence or fail to seek guidance for reaching out to my own family and the lost. Open opportunities today to preach the Good News and to cast out spirits of demons.
Psalm 104:33-34 “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord.”
Understanding Jesus’ Purpose
Scripture reading for January 4th: Genesis 3-5, Mark 2
Mark 2:14-17 “And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed Him. And as He reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.””
When Jesus called Levi, (Matthew) the tax collector, He caught the attention of the religious establishment. Jewish tax collectors were the lowest of the low in their eyes and the worst of sinners because they made their living collecting money from their own people. But Jesus saw not a sinner, but a valuable team member who would follow Him and find new purpose and provision. When the scribes of the Pharisees asked why Jesus would eat with the tax collectors and known ‘sinners’, Jesus spoke up directly and set them straight. God’s purpose was to heal the hurting, the broken and known sinners. His purpose was to call “sinners” out of their sinful lifestyle and lost state and invite them into His kingdom. Jesus would teach them who they were and help them find noble purpose and the abundant life. As Levi accepted the invitation, he invited his friends to come and dine, already beginning to find new purpose and joy in fishing for men!
Prayer: Father God, thank You for inviting me, a sinner, to join You in Your purpose of seeking and saving the lost. You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ to seek out sinners and clothe them with Christ’s righteousness. Forgive me for hiding from Your purposes and failing to see sinners through Your eyes. Fill me with a renewed understanding of Your purpose in each moment of today. Help me to be present in Your Presence to truly help those still hiding from You.
Genesis 3:7-9 “Then the eyes of both (Adam and Eve) were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?””
Laying hold of purpose!
Scripture reading for January 3rd: Genesis 1-2, Psalm 19, Mark 1
Mark 1:16-20 “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John His brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Him.”
A big factor in life-satisfaction is having a clear purpose and pursuing it. God has a plan for each person’s life and a purpose for which He formed them. Before Christ, we may set out on our own to find purpose in many pursuits, some lawful and others dubious, but when we hear from God, that changes everything! These fishermen were going about their business of mending nets and pursuing purpose in an honorable way of life and business. Jesus purposely passed by their place of business. He was walking as the Father God directed Him to choose those who would become His followers and enter into God’s kingdom purposes. He offered an invitation to these ordinary working men to follow Him and to become fishers of men! Their response was “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” Immediate obedience and faith came at the sound of Jesus’ voice to these called by God! Are you listening to Jesus as you read His Word today? Jesus is calling!
Genesis 2:7, 15 “. . . then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” . . .”The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the breath of Life you placed in me through the gift of the Holy Spirit and for the call to follow Jesus and learn and obey His Word. Thank You for the purpose and vision that You give to each person who responds to Your voice. Forgive me for not being ‘immediate’ in my responses. Thank You for Your patience and mercy. Let Your purposes be my purposes and teach me to fish for men as You did with those first followers.
Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
The source of Eternal Salvation!
Scripture reading for August 12th: Hebrews 5
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 5: 7-10 “In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to Him Who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus came to earth as a man in human flesh. He was born of a virgin and had a human body like our bodies. He lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to the Father. He relied on the Holy Spirit and prayed regularly submitting Himself to the Father’s will and plan. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat drops of blood and cried out to God with loud cries and tears. God heard His prayers and yet allowed Him to die as They had planned to bring many sons to glory. Even Jesus learned obedience through suffering. “Not My will, but Your will be done” was His cry of submission! Because of His perfect obedience, He was raised from the dead by the Spirit of Holiness and is now the source of eternal salvation to all who believe on Him. He can save us because, like Melchizedek, priest of God Most High and King of Salem, with no record of beginning or ending, He lives forever to intercede for us! He is King of Kings and our High Priest!
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Your only Son to live on earth as a man and perfectly obey Your will, conquering sin and death and the grave! Thank You for an eternal salvation and an eternal Priest who as able to eternally save us! Use me to share this Good News!
Genesis 14:18-20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand!””
Jesus explains marriage and divorce
Scripture reading for July 23rd: Matthew 19
Key Scriptures: Matthew 19:3-9 “And Pharisees came up to Him and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that He Who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.””
Marriage issues have been around for a long time, even in and amongst God’s chosen people! The Law of Moses contained instructions about marriage and divorce. Jesus pointed the questioners to God’s written Word for help and then explained to them God’s plan for marriage. God made humans in two sexes–male and female. Marriage was to be between a man and a woman. They must leave their father and mother and cleave to each other, forming a new family entity of ‘one flesh’. God, Himself joins them together and man is commanded not to separate. God would use the union to bring godly offspring into the earth to fill and care for it. Jesus went on to explain that Moses was given instructions about divorce because of man’s harness of heart, not because it was God’s plan. Jesus emphasized that sexual immorality was the only ground for divorce. Getting married to another after a divorce for any other reason resulted in committing adultery. Broken marriages sow violence into our lives. God’s plan is simple for marriage. Man’s hard hearts make it complicated. Godly marriage is a reflection of Christ and His Bride the Church.
Ephesians 5:31-32 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father God, thank You for Your plan for godly marriages and the raising of godly children. Thank You for grace when marriage is broken by hardened hearts. Have mercy on our land and Your people as many have not believed Your plan for marriage–one man and one woman till death parts. Heal us from the violence sown from broken covenant marriages. Protect those living according to Your plan.
Malachi 2:15-16 “Did He not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife or your youth. For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not be faithless.”
Confronting the crucifiers
Scripture reading for April 14th: Acts 7
Key Scriptures: Acts 7:51-57 “”You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things, they were enraged and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.”
Stephen, one of the seven chosen to serve the widows, was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. He was falsely accused of speaking against the holy place and God’s law. When asked by the high priest if this was so, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit was given a wonderful ability to lovingly confront the religious leaders who had crucified Jesus. He shared Israel’s history of rejecting the prophets and confronted them of their complicity. Instead of listening and humbly repenting, they hardened their hearts and stopped their ears. As Stephen was about to be stoned, he saw a vision of Jesus Christ, standing at God’s right hand, ready to receive him! This was the trigger that moved the crowd to stone him. Before he ‘fell asleep’ he prayed, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” Saul, (Paul) was holding the coats of the stoners and was included in his prayer. God used Stephen to confront the ‘crucifiers’ of Jesus in another act of mercy seeking their repentance, and then took him home as Jesus stood to welcome him.
Acts 7:59-60 “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” And when he said this, he fell asleep.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, what a moving testimony of Your grace and loving appeal to those who crucified You and stoned Your disciple. Help me to show that love and mercy to those I encounter today and turn evil around to work for good. I look forward to seeing You in glory!
Genesis 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Joseph to his betraying brothers)
Remember Lot’s wife
Scripture reading for March 25th: Luke 17
Key Scriptures: Luke 17:28-32 “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot–they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all-–so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.”
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was going to come. Jesus responded that the coming kingdom was not visible, but would be an inside job, within each person. He then proceeded to instruct His disciples on the time when the kingdom of God would be revealed. He likened it to the days of Noah, when all mankind, except for Noah and his family, would be going about their normal lives and then suddenly the flood came and swept them all away. He then used Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah as another example of His sudden return and the destruction of the wicked and the saving of Lot and his family. Lot’s wife, however, looked back at the burning city, ignoring God’s instructions. She was turned into a pillar of salt in judgment on her lack of steadfast faith with her heart still in Sodom.
Genesis 19:15-17, 26 “As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside of the city. And as they brought them out, one said, ‘Escape with your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills lest you be swept away.” . . . “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Word is truth and life to those who will hear. Help me to remember the lessons You taught about perseverance and faith. Thank You for Your mercy for me and the lost of this world.
Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My Word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.”
The Virgin and God’s Son
Scripture reading for March 3rd: Luke 1
Key Scriptures: Luke 1:34-38 “And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
A key truth of the Christian faith is the truth that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin who had never known a man. This is important for our faith because a man born the ordinary way, through human intercourse, would not be able to save us because he would still have a sin-nature. God’s plan was to form His Son in a virgin’s womb and allow Him to be born of a woman and yet be the “Son of God.” The child would be holy and set apart from all other humans from His birth. Mary, herself, when approached by the angel had trouble understanding how this would happen. The angel explained that God can do anything He wants and had already formed the fore-runner, John the Baptist, in the womb of a barren woman. Mary humbly submitted and offered her body to serve God and mankind.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign, Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord I believe that You were born of a virgin, and are the Son of God. Thank You for saving me and those who believe on You. Help me to say along with Mary, Your mother, “Let it be to me according to Your Word,” for all my life and service.
Genesis 18:13-14 “The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Kingdom righteousness!
Scripture reading for February 15th: Romans 5
Key Scriptures: Romans 5:18-21 “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one Man’s obedience the many were made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul explained to the Roman believers that the first man, Adam, crossed God’s line (trespassed) in disobedience when he took fruit from his wife and ate of the forbidden fruit. Because of this, all men became sinners after the manner of Adam. But Jesus Christ the Son of God, the second Adam, came to earth and perfectly obeyed His Father. He then offered His own sinless body on the cross for payment for sins done by Adam and his offspring. The Law was given to Israel to reveal sin and the sin nature. All sins lead to death which is eternal separation from God. But grace is unlimited towards all who will go to God through Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. Righteousness through Christ’s sacrifice and His obedience is given to all the faithful as a gift of eternal life.
Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man (Adam), saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your perfect obedience and perfect sacrifice on the cross to make those who would believe on You righteous and cleanse them of sin’s guilt and shame. Lead me to share Your amazing grace and lead sinners to righteousness and life
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
Excuses on Judgement Day?
Scripture reading for February 10th: Romans 2
Key Scriptures: Romans 2:1-5 “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”
How easy it is to become judgmental of others and condemn bad behavior and ungodly attitudes! Paul warned the Jewish believers against judging the Gentiles or others while still doing the same things themselves. This is hypocrisy and is spotted and ridiculed by others on a regular basis. But even worse, this behavior is sinful and unless repented of will bring God’s wrath on those practicing it. Just because God’s wrath is not evident today does not mean that God has overlooked it. Without our repentance, He stores it up for the day of wrath. He is kind and patient with all sinners, giving time to repent. It is His goodness that leads us to repentance–a change of mind and behavior. There will be no excuses when we stand before God.
Genesis 3:12 “The man said, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.””
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing kindness and patience with me, a sinner. Thank you for sending Gospel messengers to lead me to repentance and faith. I ask the Lord Jesus to defend me on the day of wrath, not my worthless excuses.
Romans 2:15-16 “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my Gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”