Two painters were asked to paint a picture illustrating peace. The first painted a beautiful evening scene in the foreground of which was a lake, its surface absolutely calm and unruffled. Trees surrounded it, meadows stretched away to the distant cattle gently browsing; a little cottage, the setting sun-all spoke of perfect rest. The second […]
Someone has said, “When God bolts the door, don’t try to get in through the window.” God had not yet opened the door for Abram and Sarai to have a son, and they tried to get a son their way. Transition So that we can avoid the same mistakes, I want to point out several […]
An unknown author penned this poem, “Patience is a virtue, Possess it if you can. Found seldom in a woman, Never in a man.” As Genesis 15 opens, we find Abram troubled by concerns and impatience. As I look in a mirror, I often see the same in my life. Perhaps you do too. God […]
Salvation is a big word that describes the act of God that saves a sinner from hell. The salvation described in the Bible is when a person repentantly responds to God’s conviction of sin, then believes that God the Son died and rose again to pay the full punishment for his sin, and by faith […]
Some time after Abram and Lot separated, an enemy invaded the land. Four kings from Persia and Babylon in the far east, led by Chedorlaomer, swept down from the north conquering all those in the path. Eventually there was a great battle near Sodom. Chedorlaomer won the battle and Lot’s family was among the captives […]
After his bad experience in Egypt, Abram returned to the Promised Land. He headed back to the altar he had built near Bethel, and there he worshipped God, Genesis 13:1-4. If you are not as close to God as you once were, God has not moved – you moved. The book of James gives God’s […]
In the winter as a boy, we used to play a game called “King of the Mountain”. When Dad cleared the snow from the driveway, he pushed it into large piles. The object of the game was to climb to the top of the pile of snow and keep others from pushing you off the […]
After God divided the languages at Babel, some of Shem’s family settled in Ur south of Babel. [See map] More than 200 years passed and Abram was born there in Ur. In His wisdom, God began a work in Abram that would lead to the birth of a nation. Transition To help us better understand […]
Beginning with Ephesians 5:22, Paul tells us that Spirit-filled submission will be evidenced as wives complete their husbands, husbands love their wives, children obey their parents, and servants obey their masters. God knows that we men can be very selfish, self-centred, insensitive, and demanding, especially toward our wives. Because of this thorn in our character, […]
Genesis 10 gives an overview of population growth after the flood and Genesis 11:1-9 describes the details of a world-changing event that probably took place in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:25). Peleg was born about 100 years after the flood and his name means “division.” God tells us that the earth was divided in […]