January 11- The Product of A True Love's Kiss

January 11, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 24:52-26:16

I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss

And a prince, I'm hoping, comes with this

That's what brings ever-aftering so happy

That's the reason we need lips so much

For lips are the only things that touch

So to spend a life of endless bliss

Just find who you love through true love's kiss

~Disney's Enchanted

Do you like Disney movies?  Back in the day every Disney princess movie had the beautiful princess find her true love prince. There was always some conflict though. An evil character or two would try to stop them, but the princess always managed to find her man. It was so romantic.

Today we have a real-life true love story! Rebekah agrees to leave her family and follow Abraham's servant back to the land of Canaan.  She agrees to marry Isaac and start a new life in a strange new land. You can imagine as a young virgin she is hoping to meet and marry a dashing wonderful man.

Can you feel the anticipation as Isaac meditates in the field and then raises his eyes up to see the camels coming in the distance? Rebekah, who surely heard plenty about her future husband on this long journey, jumps off of her camel to meet her true love.

They are apparently compatible as they consummate their marriage that night with their "true love kiss." Isaac is comforted by Rebekah after the death of his mother. May I take a moment to remind the wives reading this blog that your physical relationship with your husband is a tremendous source of comfort to him.  As you are intimate with one another, his sense of well-being is cemented. Let this Scripture be a reminder to all of us to embrace our intimate relationships and nurture them.

Yesterday I mentioned that Isaac and Rebekah's union is a picture of Christ and his Bride (the Church).  Just as Rebekah and Isaac finally meet face to face in this story, one day we will meet our True Love face to face.  We will see Christ in person. What a glorious day that will be filled with love, passion, and comfort.

Are you prepared to meet your True Love?

Genesis 25

As we have noted from day one,  Jesus is the central character of the Bible.  Therefore, the Bible focuses on the lives of the people through whom the Christ will come.

Isaac marries Rebekah and she is initially barren just like her mother-in-law Sarah.  Why does God keep doing this?  Why is Rebekah having to suffer with infertility?

God is allowing a wilderness experience for both Isaac and Rebekah.  God develops our faith through times of trials. Our communication with Him grows through our prayers and cries to Him during our hardships.  He is able to draw near to us and show us His love and strength.

We will see this pattern of God allowing wilderness experiences and Him providing triumph over the hardships repeated throughout the whole Bible. The sooner you and I learn to accept this pattern in our lives, the better.

Isaac pleads with God to open Rebekah's womb.  Rebekah becomes pregnant with twins who struggle within her womb.  Here is the product of their true love's kiss!  She cries to God asking what's happening within her.  His answer from verse 24 is, "The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will become stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son." (NLT)

Here we go again!  Remember, the first shall be last and the last shall be first? Remember Cain and Seth, and Ishmael and Isaac? This is another pattern that is repeated in the Bible.  It is a picture of Romans 11. One other spiritual truth this pattern pictures is that Adam (the first man born from God ) cannot enter heaven until Christ (the last man born from God) enters first. Jesus is the first fruit of those resurrected in the body and entering into heaven.

Next, we have the story of how hairy, impetuous Esau sells his birthright to Isaac's fortune to crafty and deceptive Jacob. The younger son, Jacob, steals the older son, Esau's, right to the family's material inheritance by taking advantage of Esau's impulsive and impatient tendencies.  This is sanctioned by God as we have already seen in His prophecy to Rebekah.  Have you noticed that deception runs in this family?

Isaac, like his father before him, moves to Gerar and deceives King Abimelech by saying that Rebekah is just his sister.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it.  Abraham deceives. Isaac deceives.  Jacob deceives.

Isaac, like his father, acquires wealth from this deceptive situation.  God chooses to bless Isaac, not because of Isaac's good character, but simply because of God's promise to Abraham.  Isaac is a man of faith, but that does not mean he is a perfect man.

Before we get too judgmental of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, remember that IF my life and your life were recorded in a book for all to see there would be many times that we, too, would look bad. The story would reveal that we made mistakes, were deceitful, and participated in incidents in our lives of which we would not be proud.


Lesson:  God chooses who He will bless and who He will curse.  It is not based on behavior. It is based on His sovereignty.

Can you humble yourself to this aspect of God's power and personality?

Matthew 8:18-34

Jesus has completed his wonderful Sermon on the Mount and has healed a number of people publicly.  Not surprisingly, he begins to be followed by an increasingly large number of fans.  Perhaps we could say he was the Justin Bieber of his day.  (OR NOT!)

Anyway, Jesus wants a break from the crowds, so he and the disciples (his posse) get in a boat and go out into the middle of the lake.  A large storm comes up and threatens to capsize the boat.  The disciples cry out in fear, but Jesus calms the waves by speaking.  Here we see that the prophesied Redeemer Child of the world, who was with God in the beginning (See Genesis 1:1-2 and John 1:1-2) is able to control the physical world with his voice alone.  

What storm in your life does Jesus need to calm with his words alone?  Do you allow the voice of Jesus through Scripture to calm the storms in your life?

The disciples wonder who this is that he has this kind of power.  The next scene in the story shows us that although the disciples can't figure out who Christ is, the demons have no problem identifying Jesus' role in the universe.

As he is getting out of the boat some evil spirits, who are possessing some people, shout to Jesus saying that they know he is the Son of God and they want him to leave them alone.  Christ sends them into a herd of pigs owned by some local towns people. Once in the pigs, the demons rush over a cliff and die.

The townspeople are upset by this incident, seein' as how they just lost their source of income because of this man.  They ask Jesus to leave them alone.  I guess they don't care that the demon-possessed people among them have been rescued by Christ.  They are only thinking about their pigs and their lost income.

Does belief in Christ get in the way of your worldly possessions?  Is he more trouble than he is worth to you?

Psalm 10:1-15

This psalm asks the very honest question of why God allows the wicked to get away with believing that God is not watching their behavior.

The psalmist cries out for God to stop the wicked.

Lesson:  You can cry out to God about the injustices you see.  He wants to hear your opinion.

Proverbs 3:7-8

Don't be impressed with yourself.  This is wise advice!

What did you notice today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 10- e Harmony...Old School

January 10, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 23 & 24

It's so easy to fall in love, but hard to find someone who will catch you. 
~Anonymous

Thanks to the internet you and I are able to share this experience of reading through the Bible together. Another benefit of the internet is that you can find a spouse without ever leaving your house!

In the year 2000 e Harmony was launched to help individuals find their soul mates. Over 33 million people have used the service and each day 15,000 people fill out the questionnaire to start their search!

In today's reading Isaac has an e Harmony-like experience because he does not have to leave his house in order to find his soul mate.  In his case, it is the Lord, not e Harmony, who makes Isaac's love match.

Genesis 23

This chapter begins with the beautiful Sarah dying. She is 127 years old.  Remember that the Lord said He was going to shorten the lives of people after the Flood to 120 years in order to stem the tide of man's evil.

Abraham buys land with a cave in order to bury Sarah in the land of Canaan (the Promised Land) near a place where he worshipped God with sacrifices. This is an act of faith on the part of Abraham because he is not truly in possession of the Promised Land yet.  To bury his beloved wife here is to say to the world, "I believe God will do what He promised." Abraham will also be buried in this cave.  It will be many hundreds of years before his descendants will occupy this land.

Lesson:  I should act upon what I believe just like Abraham does.

Do your actions reflect your faith in God?

Genesis 24

Abraham is quite old now. He decides it is time for Isaac (who is 37 years old) to get married.  His main concern is that Isaac not marry a local Canaanite woman.  Remember, the Canaanites come from Ham's line. Abraham wants Isaac to marry a woman from Shem's line. So he sends his servant back to his own family to find Isaac a wife. Note: The servant is not sent back empty-handed, but rather, loaded down with gifts to reflect Abraham and Isaac's wealth.

Here are some things I noticed in this passage:

• Abraham does not want Isaac to ever see his homeland and be tempted to move back there. Vs. 6
• The servant takes an oath to seek God in the task of finding Isaac's wife. Vs. 9
• The servant is a man of prayer who seeks God. Vs. 12-15
• A beautiful, pure, servant-hearted girl gives Abraham's servant water when he reaches Abraham's homeland. Vs. 16-22
• The servant worships God when his prayer is answered and the girl is from Abraham's family. Vs 26
• Rebekah's brother and father agree that she can go to be Isaac's wife. Vs. 50

Okay, if you have been following my blogs you know that I am always pointing out pictures of Christ in the Scriptures.  There are literally hundreds of symbols and pictures in the Bible that point to Christ and the nature of God.  Here is another picture of God pointed out by J. Vernon McGee in his commentaries of the Bible.

When Abraham agreed to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, he was a picture of God the Father, who would sacrifice His only Son on the cross.  Isaac was a picture of Christ in that scenario. Today, we have a picture of the Holy Spirit and the Church.

Abraham's servant represents the Holy Spirit, whose function on earth is to remain nameless, work for both God the Father and the God the Son, speak the truth, and seek and find Christ's bride-the Church.  Rebekah in this story represents the Church.  The Church is to be beautiful, pure, and a servant to others who willingly follows her husband-Christ.

Tomorrow we will see that Rebekah leaves everything to follow her husband.  

Lesson:  God's purpose is to bring us to Christ through the Holy Spirit into an intimate relationship with Himself. We are Christ's bride drawn by the Holy Spirit into a spiritual union.

Have you recognized your soul mate in God?

Matthew 8:1-17

Oprah recently aired a show in which a man called John of God was supposedly healing people from all over the world in South America.  In the video piece the reporter says that not everyone who goes to this man will be healed.  Healing depends on their faith and whether they were meant to be healed. People are required to sit and meditate for quite some time before John of God attempts to heal them. He uses barbaric methods and crude surgeries that do not appear to hurt the person being treated.

Today Jesus heals many people as he goes through the area.  The healings are accomplished solely by his spoken word.  No one is required to pray prior to being healed. Anyone who Jesus decides to heal is completely healed immediately.  This is a true test as to whether or not a healing is from God.  If it is from God, it will look exactly like what Jesus did.  

Lesson:  Not all healings are from God.  Be careful with regard to healing ministries.

Jesus uses these healings as a teaching moment. He tells the mostly Jewish crowd that although he is from the Jews, many Gentiles who are not from the line of Shem will get into Heaven and sit at the feast with Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob.  This would have been a shocking concept for the Jews of that day. Note: If they had known their Scriptures they would have seen this prophecy in their Old Testament prophets' writings.

Lesson:  Jesus has come to heal people of every tribe, language, nation, and culture.

Matthew ends this chapter by reminding us that Jesus' healing ministry is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy found in Isaiah 53:4.

Psalm 9:13-20

Vs. 17 The fate of all nations who ignore God is death.

Vs. 19-20 Let the nations be judged and let the nations know they are merely human.

Proverbs 3:1-6

This is a verse that should be memorized by all:

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

What did you notice today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 9- It's A Boy!

January 9, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 20-22; Matthew 7:15-29;
Psalm 9; Proverbs 2:16-22

Genesis 20

A number of years ago when I was pregnant with my first child ultrasounds or sonograms to determine the child's sex before birth were a fairly new thing. Nowadays you can see your child in utero in 3D and take home a digital image. But way back then I felt a little guilty about finding out the child's sex before the it was born. My guilt disappeared and joy filled my heart when my husband and I saw our little boy on the monitor.  Here's a pic of my son all grown up!

In our reading today Sarah and Abraham finally get the son they have been promised so many years ago by God. God's promises are not always fulfilled immediately or even in the time that seems good to us, but God is true to His Word. His trustworthiness is complete.

Before we discuss the birth of Abraham and Sarah's child, we  see that Abraham is back to his behavior of deceiving local royalty. Because his wife is so beautiful, Abraham is afraid he will get killed by the king and Sarah and all of his possessions will be taken to Abimilech's palace. Abraham tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. Remember, this is a half truth. She is his half-sister and his wife. Sarah is taken into the king's harem, but Abraham's possession are not touched. God is displeased. As a result, God causes the whole royal harem to become barren because of Sarah's presence.

Abraham increases his wealth again when Abimelech asks Abraham to pray to his God to heal the women. King Abimilech gives Abraham a bunch of stuff to get rid of him after Abraham's prayers are effective and the women are healed. This is very similar to what happened to Abraham and Sarah in Egypt. Abraham is one sly guy who has a tendency to deceive those he does not trust!


We finally get to the part of the story where Sarah gets her son! Through the miracle of God, Sarah has a child in her nineties. She finally joins the Mommy Club and sheds the shame of a barren womb. We see that Sarah is enjoying laughter again, but this time her laughter is filled with joy, rather than sarcasm.

Sarah is now in a position of power in her household. Once Isaac is born, Sarah insists that Hagar (the servant) and Ishmael (the son) be sent away. Abraham is distressed because Ishmael is his first born son. God assures Abraham that He will care for the boy.

Scriptural Principle: This story illustrates a principle that is found throughout the Bible. "The first shall be last and the last shall be first." We saw this with Cain and Seth. We saw it with Jacob and Esau We will see this repeated in our readings.  The first born is set aside and the last is brought forth and declared righteous. What is God's point? There are several legitimate interpretations, but one that cannot be denied is that his first born, the nation of Israel, is set aside for a period of time so that the Gentile nations (all the rest of us) can come into God's Kingdom. See Romans 11 for an explanation of this principle. Ultimately though, this principle is summed up with this truth: Adam, God's first son, is set aside because of his sin. Jesus, the last Son of God, is declared righteous and is the Savior who lives a sinless life, dies a sacrificial death for the world, and is the first to be resurrected to new life. The first is last and the last is first. That is what Adam and Jesus show us. The last son, Jesus, is the first fruit of the resurrection and leads us all to our salvation.

Hagar has a wilderness experience as she lays her boy down to die of thirst in the desert. God shows her a well and assures her that He will make Ishmael a great nation. Again, God meets her in the wilderness. Remember, Ishmael's kids become the Arab nations.

Here is one of the strangest incidents in the Bible. It is proof that our lives are part of a larger story and God wants to use our lives as living pictures of His Truth. In this story, Abraham is a picture.

Finally having received his promised child through whom the whole world will be blessed, Abraham is now told by God to go sacrifice that child. Isaac is probably around 13 years old. How in the world could a man of faith like Abraham do this?  Here are some reasons I have contemplated:

• You may have noticed that Abraham has been having many face to face conversations with God lately. He has gotten to know the Lord quite well. I believe that Abraham completely trusts the Lord and has amazing faith in everything God says.
• Abraham has been regularly worshiping God by doing animal sacrifices. Abraham is proving that he believes in a Redeemer Child through whom a sacrificial death will redeem and bless the whole world.
• My theory is that Abraham believes that Isaac is the promised Redeemer Child.
• I think Abraham believes that Isaac will be immediately resurrected after the sacrifice to lead the whole world in salvation.
• Did I mention that Abraham has faith in God? His faith results in obedience.

Abraham is a picture of God the Father in this situation. Just as God the Father will one day sacrifice his first born son on the altar of the cross, Abraham is a picture of that future truth. Note:  I am sure that Abraham did not realize that his life was going to be a picture to future generations. Isaac is a picture of Jesus Christ in that he gives his life willingly, sacrificially. What a beautiful picture of a future reality.

The true test of a believer is how your beliefs manifest themselves in your life. Are you at peace? Do you trust God? Abraham's life bears the fruit of true faith. He acts upon what he believes.

Lesson: Our lives are designed by God to be a picture to future generations. Live a life of faith that bears good fruit. Your life matters in His story.

Matthew 7:15-29

When I was growing up my parents took me to both the neighborhood Methodist church and the Unitarian church that was downtown near the Mississippi River. At the Unitarian church I was taught that Jesus was just a good teacher. Well, the Unitarians had it partially right. Jesus was a very good teacher. But as we have already learned in our Bible reading, he is much more than just a good teacher.  Because Jesus was able to keep the whole Law without any sin, he is not just a normal person who has a gift for teaching. He is God.

Today, Jesus concludes his teaching session associated with the Sermon on the Mount by giving us a method for determining if someone truly loves God. He is especially talking about those who seek to lead us spiritually. Here is the method: Look at their life.

Jesus compares people to trees. One is able to tell if a tree is good or bad based on if it bears fruit. If the tree does bear fruit, one can tell if the fruit is good or bad. Our lives on earth are like these trees. They either bear good or bad fruit.

Do you trust God? If so, your life will reflect that by your peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. Do you say you love God, but your life is filled with strife, anger, addiction, lack of control? These are ways for us to test our own faith.

Jesus also speaks authoritatively about a Judgment Day. Again, he is mainly speaking about wolves in sheeps clothing. These are people who are false religious teachers. He says that many will come to him that day claiming to have known him having done many works in his name. Here is his response, "I never knew you. Go away.  The things you did were unauthorized."  Matthew 7:23 (NLT)

Lesson: There will be a Judgment. Jesus is the Judge. Behavior matters.

The Bible says that the crowd who heard his teaching session were amazed at the authority with which Jesus taught. They noticed that he was nothing like their religious leaders. I would have loved to have been there!

Psalm 9

• Verses 1-4 are the I wills (what the psalmist will do).
• Verses 5-12 are what God will do.
• Verse 12 confirms what Jesus just said, he will judge the world with justice (vs. 8).

Proverbs 2:16-22

This proverb provides confirmation that the wicked will be judged and removed.

What did you notice today?  Be sure to invite a friend to read with us, if you are enjoying this!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 8- Turning a Blind Eye

January 8, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 18:16-19:38; Matthew 6:25-7:14; 
Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 2:6-15


Genesis 18:16-19:8

Recently in the news a young couple jet skied during their honeymoon on a lake that bordered both the United States and Mexico.  This lake was known to be pirated by ruthless Mexican drug dealers.  While on the lake, some of these wicked men intercepted the husband and shot him.  The wife managed to get away and jet ski back to the U.S., where she reported the incident to authorities.

This young woman is now living with the consequences of turning a blind eye to evil.  She and her husband ignored the dangers of being among wicked people.

Today in our reading Lot also suffers the consequences of turning a blind eye to evil.

Do you remember the SNL skit with Mike Myers where he dresses as the coffee klatch lady?  His signature phrase was "Can we talk?"  Before we deal with Lot's situation, I want to review Abraham's conversation with the Lord.  It is a "Can we talk?" moment!

Jesus (pre-incarnate) comes to Abraham to discuss some issues.  He loves and respects Abraham enough to have this conversation with him, treating Abraham as a confidant and friend.  The Angel of the Lord (Jesus) lets Abraham know that He is not pleased with what's going on in Sodom and Gomorrah and He is going to destroy the place.

Abraham knows that Lot lives there, so he begins to ask the Lord if He would change His mind about destroying Sodom and Gomorrah if there are fifty righteous people there.  The Lord responds that if He finds fifty righteous people in Sodom, He will spare the entire city for their sake. Abraham, acknowledging that he is but dust and ashes, asks if the Lord would spare Sodom if there are forty-five righteous people.  The Lord answers in the affirmative.  Abraham then pleads for sparing the city if there are forty, thirty, twenty and finally, ten.  The Lord allows Abraham to continue in the this line of questioning.

If you have ever wondered if the Lord is truly long suffering, this story should resolve that issue for you. I probably would have slapped Abraham when he got to the number twenty!  The Lord is incredibly patient and seems to enjoy Abraham's persistence and sincere concern for the people.  Instead of telling him to zip it, Jesus answers Abraham until Abraham is satisfied that God is just and any action He takes will be justified.  Apparently, there were not ten righteous people in this city.

What do you notice about God's personality in this story?  I've learned that I can have an intimate, honest conversation with God. I can be truthful and He will not get angry if I am persistent in my questions. I can question God's ways without ruining my relationship with Him.  God wants to reason with me. I also learn that God is just and no one can stop His judgment of the wicked.


Jesus confirms that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be judged and destroyed.  Here is how it goes down.  Two angels enter the city and Lot is at the gate where the wealthy, influential men sit.  Lot sees the men/angels and invites them to come to his home for a feast. It is good to know that Lot is hospitable.


At this point, EVERY MALE in the city, both young and old, surround Lot's house and demand to gang rape Lot's visitors.  This is quite simply, mind-blowing.  This gives us a glimpse at why God is intent on leveling this place.


As if that were not enough, Lot tries to solve the situation by offering to send out his two virgin daughters to be gang raped by the men of Sodom, rather than having his house guests raped.  NICE!  Great move, Lot.

Real pillars of salt in that region today!

Thankfully, the angels have the ability to blind the lustful mob. This ends the incident and begins the destruction of the city. Lot has to be hand-held by the angels to get out of the city. The fiances of his daughters laugh at Lot's warning to flee the city. Lot apparently does not have enough credibility with these guys to convince them he is telling the truth. Finally, his wife looks back in regret and doubt and becomes a pillar of salt. By the way, there really are pillars of salt in this region to this day!


No one appears to respect Lot, including his wife.  They are a family that embraced the cultural values of their time and paid a great price for their complicity.  The final scene is Lot drunk in a mountain cave impregnating his two virgin daughters. His offspring from these unions become the Moabites and the Ammonites.  They become prominent enemies of the nation of Israel later in God's story.

So Lot starts out as a wealthy man in an immoral city and ends up having lost everything but his daughters in a cave in the mountains.  These are the consequences of turning a blind eye to evil.

Do you feel like you have just watched a show on HBO? This story is modern in its immorality and depravity.  I guess there really is nothing new under the sun.


What are you and I turning a blind eye to in our society?  What consequences might we face if we do not set ourselves apart from evil?

Matthew 6:25-7:14

I find this section of Scripture very comforting.  Jesus gives some great advice to all of us. This is His Don't Sweat the Small Stuff  talk.  Here's the break down:

Jesus' Don't List:

• Don't worry about everyday life.  Why? Worry won't add a single moment to your life.
• Don't worry about clothes. Why? If God cares about clothing the flowers, He cares about you.
• Don't worry about food and drink. Why?  God knows your needs.
• Don't worry about tomorrow. Why? Today's troubles are enough for today.
• Don't judge others. Why? You'll be judged the way you judge them.
• Don't give to unholy people what is holy. Why? They will trample it.

Jesus' Do List:

• Do keep asking. Why? You will receive.
• Do keep looking. Why? You will find.
• Do keep knocking. Why? The door will be opened.
• The Heavenly Father wants to give good gifts.
• Do to other people what you would want done to you. Why? This is the whole Law.

Did you notice that Abraham was a great example of Jesus' Do List?  I wish I was better at the don't list, quite frankly.

Jesus concludes by telling us a truth.  He says that the highway to hell is wide and many go down it.  The gateway to heaven is narrow and few enter there. 

You and I should heed Jesus' advice.  How can you persistently seek God in your life?    What changes need to be made so that you are living a "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" life?

Psalm 8:1-9

This psalm is a confirming psalm of truth.  It states that man was made just a little lower than God and given responsibility for the whole earth. Yep. That's what Genesis 1 and 2 were about!  Also, the earth is full of God's majesty.  I see that each day!

Proverbs 2:6-15

The Lord grants wisdom to certain people, those people have good sense and make good decision like Abraham.  Wisdom keeps wise people away from evil people.
Remember Lot's story. Lot was unwise. 

What did you notice in today's reading?  I want to hear from you!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 7- Laughing At The God Who Sees Me

January 7, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 16:1- 18:15: Matthew 6:1-24;
Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5


Genesis 16:1-18:15

Abrams First Child


Today's passage starts with Abraham laughing at the possibility of having children in his eighties.
One of the hardest and most painful things that a woman can experience is the inability to conceive a child.  I could tell you countless personal stories of friends of mine who have found themselves in this situation.  Today's story is a story of infertility and miraculous divine intervention.

Sarai and Abram are getting old.  God promised a child to them, but there has been no pregnancy.  What to do?

Well, like most people they decide to take matters into their own hands.  Abram has faith, but decides to listen to what Sarai suggests. She wants to use Hagar as a surrogate to conceive an heir to Abram's fortune and succeed where God has failed them.  Does this attitude remind you of Eve?  Yep.  The woman is influencing her husband.

Abram agrees, sleeps with the Egyptian slave (Egypt represents the world, remember), and conceives a child.  During her pregnancy Hagar appears to lord it over Sarai.  In frustration, Sarai sends Hagar into the wilderness.

Here is another wilderness experience. Hagar is crying when the Angel of the Lord (another pre-Incarnate Christ situation) comes to her and tells her she will have a boy named Ishmael.  She must go back to her mistress, Sarai, and have the child.  Hagar is warned that the child will be a wild donkey of a man, who will be in constant conflict with others. (Note:  This boy is the father of the Arab nations.)

Have you noticed the pattern that God uses our wilderness experiences to speak to us!  Keep that in mind during your difficult times. Listen for His voice.

Hagar calls the Angel "The God Who Sees Me". What a beautiful statement.  What truth has come from this woman's lips! You and I have a God Who Sees Us.  Do you sometimes feel alone in your struggles?  Let Hagar's story remind you that God sees our struggles. Hagar realizes in her wilderness experience that God cares about her.  Always remember that. He cares for you and me, too.  God speaks to us each day through His Word.

The Covenant


Abram is now given another covenant or promise from God.  God says that He will make him the father of a multitude of nations. God changes Abram's name to Abraham. He promises to give Abraham the land of Canaan (yes, this is the cursed son of Ham's territory) as an eternal inheritance.  I guess Noah was right in his prophecy!  The Promised Land is an eternal possession.  Remember,  Abraham is a descendant of Shem and Shem's kids are enemies with Ham's kid's through Canaan.

Circumcision is now required by all males in Abraham's family, including servants, as a sign of belief in this promise that God has given.

God renames Sarai, Sarah, and tells her that she will have a male child named Isaac, even though she is now ninety years old and Abraham is 100 years old.  Isaac will be the father of twelve princes and Ishmael will be the father of twelve princes.

Why do you think God is setting the story up this way?  Can you see the inevitable conflict between the two half-brothers?  God does have a purpose and He is painting a picture of a spiritual truth.

Ishmael represents the unrighteous of the world. Isaac's offspring represent the righteous. Their lives are part of a bigger purpose, although they probably never really realized that while they were on earth.

Regardless of the picture, Ishmael's descendants are the Arab nations. They are indeed still in conflict with Isaac's kids, who are the Israelites/Jewish people.

Finally, we have another pre-incarnate Christ visit.  This time Sarah hears God's prediction of her having a son as the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham outside of their tent. Sarah laughs in doubt.  Christ asks Abraham why she is laughing.  He senses that this is a sarcastic laugh of disbelief.  The Lord says to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"  You and I would do well to say that to ourselves often!

Sarah denies that she laughed.  Here is Christ's answer, "That is not true. You did laugh."

So, "The God Who Sees Me," saw Sarah.  No thing is hidden from His gaze, even our attitudes and lack of faith.

Lesson:  God has His purposes in our lives. He uses wilderness experiences to speak to us. He is the God Who Sees Me. I have a God who knows me intimately and loves me anyway.  That changes everything.


Do you live each day realizing that God sees you?  Has God spoken to you in the wilderness?

Matthew 6:1-24

Jesus keeps going like the energizer bunny on the mount.  Here are more challenging commands from Christ:

• Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  Give in secret.
• Pray privately to God and don't pray publicly to be seen by others.
• Don't babble in prayer to seem religious.  God already knows your needs.
• Forgive or you won't be forgiven.
• Don't make it obvious when you fast for religious purposes.
• Don't store up treasure on earth.
• Have clear eyes and a clear conscience.

Are you able to behave this way perfectly? Each of us fails at some aspect of these commands. This does not mean that we completely give up on living moral lives and trying to follow Christ's example, but Christ is showing us that complete holiness before God is not possible in human terms.

Again, this is Jesus' point. We are sinners. We need a Savior.  Okay. We are starting to "get" it.

Lesson:  Seek God for forgiveness of your sins.  Rely on Christ and his work on the cross to secure your position of holiness before God.

Psalm 7:1-17

God is a good judge who is fair.  Verse 17 says, "I will thank the Lord because He is just."

Proverbs 2:1-5

Search for understanding and wisdom like you would search for some money you lost or a hidden treasure you might find.

Do you search for wisdom in your life?  Have you acknowledged that you are a sinner in need of a Savior?

What did you notice in today's reading?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 6- Got Faith?

January 6, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 13:5-15:21

Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to.  
~Anonymous

Every time you and I get in an airplane we are taking a leap of faith. We have to have faith in the airline, the airplane, the pilot, the technical crew, and the laws of physics.  

Today we read about one of greatest men of faith who has ever walked the earth.  His name was Abram. Abram takes a leap of faith that changes history.

As today's story begins, Abram and Lot have come out of Egypt and are very wealthy. They are so wealthy that the land cannot support both of their livestock and people.  They decide to pick different areas to settle in so they split up.


Lot chooses the plains of the Jordan Valley, which are well watered like the Garden of Eden.  The area is called Sodom and Gomorrah.

A Promise

God meets with Abram at this time and tells him that He is going to give him the land of the Canaanites for his descendants, who will number greater than the dust of the earth.  This is the introduction to the concept that we are still dealing with in the world today....the Jewish Promised Land.  Abram again, worships God at the altar upon hearing this promise.

Abram Fights

A war breaks out in the area and Lot, his family and possessions are captured by the King of Sodom and taken into captivity. Abram gathers his men and goes to fight and rescue Lot from the Sodomites.
How can you fight for your family today?  Sometimes our fights are spiritual, rather than physical.

Lesson:  We should fight for our family to be delivered out of evil, like Abram did for Lot.

After this successful military campaign, a High Priest of God named Melchizedek blesses Abram.  Note: This is the first preincarnation of Christ in the Bible. Melchizedek means King of Righteousness.  He is also mentioned in Psalm 110:4 and explained in Hebrews chapter 7.  He is said to have had an indestructible life and an everlasting priesthood. Sounds like Christ to me!  Remember that a priest stands between God and man to offer a sacrifice for sin. This is the role of Christ in our lives.

Abram Tithes

After his blessing Abram offers a portion of all of his wealth to God through the priest Melchizedek.  As explained earlier, Abram is offering his wealth to Christ. Abram is once again showing his good character and faith through offering Christ the blessings he has received from God.

Lesson:  Be willing to give your monetary blessings back to God.  Hold possession lightly, my friends.


Abram Complains

God keeps promising big things for Abram, but Abram still does not have a child. Who can blame Abram for saying, "What's up?"  God takes Abram out and shows him the night sky.  God tells Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. More numerous than the stars in this picture that I chose!

Abram Believes

Next, we see a very important interaction. Verse 6 states, "And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith."  (NLT) Abraham is believing God's promise that the Redeemer Child of the world will come through him.  Abram is saying, "Amen" after God speaks. Another way to say this is that Abraham is saying, "Right on!" God likes it when we get on board with His plan and believe His Words to be true!


God is setting out a spiritual principle here.  If you have faith in God, in spite of your sin, He will see you as righteous and commune with you.  This is huge.

Lesson:  Faith in God through Christ God's one and only Son equals righteousness.

So have you "Got Faith?"  Do you say "Right on!" when you begin to understand God's ways and His plan for your life? If so, how are you acting upon your faith like Abram did?

Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33

Today's reading is a continuation of what Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount.  Today he continues to bring down the velvet hammer.

Proving that we all break the Laws of Moses constantly, Jesus ups the ante on our behaviors by adding more attitude requirements to the Law.

Here is a list:

• If you even look at a person to lust them, you have committed adultery. Vs. 27
• If you divorce your spouse, except for unfaithfulness, you have committed adultery and caused them to. Vs. 31-32
• Don't make any vows and don't swear Vs. 33-37
• Instead of following the Law that said it's an eye for and eye, Jesus says we should not resist an evil person.  Instead, turn the other cheek. Vs. 38-42
• The Law says to love your neighbor, but hate your enemy. Jesus says love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. Vs.43-47

Here is his final kicker..."You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."  Vs. 48

Ha!  He knows we can't do this! We are sinners.  He is baiting us to realize we need a Savior.

Do you see your sin?  Have you acknowledged that you need a Savior?

Lesson:  Only belief in Christ's perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrected life can render me perfect in the eyes of a Holy God.

Psalm 6:1-10

• Vs. 2 You can turn to God for compassion during an illness.
• Vs. 6 & 7 God wants to hear about your grief.
• Vs. 9 You can be confident that God hears your prayers.

Proverbs 1:29-33

Some people are simpletons.  Fools destroy themselves.

What did you notice in today's reading?  I'd love to hear your comments.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton

January 5- Family Trees Can Be Shady...

January 5, 2011

Scripture Readings;
Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28

A good many family trees are shady.  ~Robert Elliott Gonzales

Genesis 11:1-13       -The Table of Nations

Have you ever wondered about your ancestry?  Do you know much about your family's past?  Many people are obsessed with finding out about their family history. Today the Bible takes us WAY back to the time right after the Flood to teach us about the human family.

Before we review chapter 11 in Genesis, I want to take a minute to go back to Genesis chapter 10 and discuss what is called The Table of Nations. Understanding The Table of Nations is important for understanding the rest of the Bible and for understanding the framework under which God unrolls history.  We are given keys to unlocking why things are the way they are relationally between cultures, people groups, and nations in these passages.  We also see that God has ordained this dynamic on earth for a purpose.

Here is a chart with a breakdown

Noah's three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  All people on earth are descended from these men. Japheth's genealogy is given first showing that he is the father of the European people. According to ethnologist H.S. Miller, the Russian and Slavic people come from Magog, Indians and Persians (Medes, Persians, Kurds, Afghans) come from Madai, from Javan we have the Greeks, Romans, and French, and from Tiras we have the Germans, Scandanavians and Anglo Saxons (English people). Please note, I am not giving a comprehensive list here.  This is just a overview.

I can't go through the whole chart of human history, but Ham's descendants are Africans and Canaanites (the Canaanites eventually are all killed), and Shem's children are the Israelites and the Arabs, for the most part.

It is important to note that the first dominant people group on earth after the Flood are Ham's descendants.  The African nations are incredibly influential in early ancient world history.

Genesis 10:8 mentions a descendant of Ham named Nimrod.  He is highlighted because he was the founder and leader of the land of Babylonia.  As the first world conqueror Nimrod eventually takes over Assyria.  Remember that at this time the people of the earth are only in one area of the planet.  Secular history tells us that Nimrod was responsible for the Tower of Babel.  He was a hunter of men, ruthless, rebellious, and a shadow/type of the Antichrist, who will be revealed in the end times.  The first great earthly civilization comes from the line of Ham through Nimrod.

Remember that Noah cursed Canaan, and eventually, the Canaanites are killed off, but Ham's line is used to set forth a theme that will be constant throughout history, the history of mankind as told through God's eyes in the Bible.  This theme is that people will rebel against God and Babylon will represent rebellion against God in God's story.  Spoiler Alert:  Babylon is used as a symbol in the descriptions of the end times on earth as both a religious system, a political system, and a physical place. 

It is interesting to note that each of Noah's sons' descendants have dominated history at one time or another.  Ham's children dominated first, Shem's children were prominent during David and Solomon's reigns, and Arabs are rising on the world stage today, (although Shem's true dominance will come eternally through Jesus Christ), and Japheth's descendants (the Europeans and Asians) are dominating now.  Lesson:  God uses all people groups for His purposes.

Okay,  let's look at today's reading.  Genesis 11:1 tells us that at that time, after the Flood, the whole world spoke one language and used the same words.  They all migrated from the Mt. Ararat area, where the ark had landed and settled in the plains of an area called Shinar or what we would call Babylonia. Nimrod, the dynamic and ruthless world dictator, directed a building project designed to glorify man, rather than God.

We are told they used bricks and mortar for this.  This represents the work of men's hands, rather than the work of God's hands, which would have been natural stone that had not been altered or dressed.  The Bible describes the motives of these people as wanting to celebrate their own greatness, secure unity among the people groups, and prevent the scattering of people across the earth.  What we have here is the first United Nations-like assembly!  Here is an attempt to have a one world government/community glorifying the achievements of mankind.

If you remember Genesis 9:1, God told Noah and his family, after the Flood, God wanted them to multiply and fill the earth.  God's intention was not for them to locate in one place.  

The Tower may have been a ziggurat like this

This assembly in Babylonia was in direct rebellion against what God had mandated after the Flood.  Oh, how quickly the great have fallen. How quickly the sin nature of man rears its ugly head.

In order for history to unfold the way God wants it to, rather than the way man wants it to, God problem solves. It should be noted that like Genesis 1:26 when God says, "Let Us make man...", God again says, "Let Us go down and give them different languages.  Then, they won't be able to understand each other."  (NLT)

We are told that after God confuses the languages among the people assembled, the city is then called Babel because it is where different languages were started and confusion reigned. 

It is important to realize that cultures do develop around language, and unity is founded upon common language and communication among humans.  By introducing the concept of different languages, God found a way to make sure that humans filled the earth!  Have you ever noticed that it is hard to relate to someone who can't speak your language?

Genesis 11:10-13:4

After this description of the Table of Nations, the rest of the Old Testament focuses on the descendants of Shem.  Other people groups are bit players, allies, or enemies of Shem's descendants.  This is because the central character of the Bible is Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is a descendant of Shem. Therefore, Shem's people are followed as the story unfolds as to how God brings the Redeemer child- Jesus through this people group to the whole world.  Remember, Noah prophesied that Shem would be blessed by God.

Hey!  Are you getting tired of genealogies?

Here is another genealogy.  This one is the genealogy of Shem's descendants.  Please note how much earlier people are dying after the Flood in this genealogy. It starts with Shem living to 500 and ends with Nahor dying at 119 years.  Do you remember God saying that He would only allow men to live to 120 years old?  Well, He meant what He said! The purpose of this genealogy is to introduce us to Abram.

God calls Abram to leave the land of Ur and go to the land of Canaan.  Remember Canaan?  He was Ham's kid who was cursed by God thru Noah.  Canaan's kids are going to be arch rivals of Shem's kids.

God makes a promise to Abram.  It is a covenant like the one made with Noah.  This covenant is that God will make Abram the father of a great nation, will bless him, and make his name famous.  Also, all of the families on the earth will be blessed through him.  

May I remind you of a few things?  Adam and Eve had Seth.  Seth had Noah.  Noah had Shem.  Shem had Abram.  I am obviously skipping some people in that list, but you get the point. God told Adam and Eve that Seth was their child through whom the promised Redeemer Child for the world would be born. God now tells Seth's descendant, Abram, that God is going to bless the whole world through him by making him the father of many nations.  The Christ will come through Abram. 

Please note a few things about the story of Abram that follows.  Like Noah, Abram sets up an altar to God and worships God through giving an animal sacrifice. Abram is exhibiting faith in the future Messiah. 

Abram goes to down to Egypt because of a famine.  Egypt is a territory inhabited by Ham's descendants.  In Scripture Egypt symbolizes the world.  

Abram, Joseph, Moses, and Christ all go down to Egypt and are delivered out of Egypt.  This is a pattern in the Bible. They are delivered out of the world system into the Promised Land (representing the blessed life of faith).

We see in the story that Abram is a flawed individual.  He marries Sarai, who is his very beautiful half-sister.  Fearing that he will be killed because of her, Abram tells the Egyptian officials that Sarai is just his sister.  Abram tells a half-lie here. Sarai is also his wife, but he conveniently leaves out that fact. The Egyptians give Abram many gifts because of her, causing him to become exceedingly wealthy, and Sarai is sent to live with the Pharaoh. 

A plague comes upon Pharoah's house because of Sarai.  After this is discovered, Abram is told to leave Egypt with all of his wealth, his wife, and his nephew Lot.  Abram came to Egypt as a starving beggar, but he leaves a rich man. 

Abram goes back to the altar he built in Bethel and worships God.  Abram worships God in poverty and in wealth.  His faith does not rely on his circumstances.

Lesson:  Our faith in God should not be affected by our life circumstances.


How's that going for ya?  Are you able to worship God no matter what happens?  It's a challenge, isn't it?  Abram is an example of faith to us, even though he is not a perfect person.

Matthew 5:1-26

Matthew Chapter 5 is where Christ begins his teaching. Verse 17 gives us the key to understanding why Christ is on the earth.  He says, "Don't misunderstand why I have come.  I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writing of the prophets.  No, I came to fulfill them."

Remember that Matthew wants us to see that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Jesus states that he is here to fulfill the OT writings and predictions of his coming.

The Sermon on the Mount 

Chapter 5:1-10 is known as The Sermon on the Mount.  As you might have noticed, Jesus takes a different approach to teaching people how to be reconciled to God.  He does not emphasize following a bunch of rules in this sermon.  Instead, he sets out a list of heart attitudes that please God.  Here's a list:

• Those who realize they need God (poor in spirit)
• Those who mourn (the implication is mourning over sin)
• Those who are gentle and humble
• Those who are hungry and thirsty for justice
• Those who are merciful
• Those whose hearts are pure
• Those who work for peace among people
• Those who are persecuted by others because they live for God

Jesus states in verses 21-26 that we should have proper attitudes, including not being angry with others, not cursing other people, and not being in conflict with other people.  He additionally admonishes the Jews to obey God better than their religious leaders do.

While it might appear that Jesus is giving us all great advice on how to live appropriately, what he is really doing is setting us up for failure!

This is a very important concept. One of the key things that Jesus has come to teach us is that if we think that our behavior and attitudes are something that we can work at to be "good" enough for God, we are mistaken.  His standard for acceptance is perfection.  

To be in God's presence requires complete holiness.  Jesus is saying that God is pleased with perfect attitudes and actions. To inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and be reconciled to God after the Fall in the Garden requires something that we cannot achieve through our own works. We would have to live a sinless life.

The list that Jesus gives us causes us to realize that none of us is capable of reaching this standard.  That is his point.  He wants us to despair. He wants us to realize that we need a Savior.  Left to our own devices we are hopeless sinners.  As Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Who among us never gets angry?  Who is at peace constantly in their heart with everyone?  Whose heart is pure?  Not yours and not mine, people.  If you don't meet the standard, you don't inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.  Epic Fail.

Our only recourse in the face of our failure to live a sinless life is to call out for a Savior.  Romans 3:25 tells us, "God presented him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood."

Jesus is our sacrificial lamb. He died for our sins.  Our belief in this atonement and his resurrection solve the problem presented here by Christ.

Lesson:  Our works will never be good enough to reconcile us to God.  We cannot "positive attitude" ourselves into heaven.  We must rely on Christ and his work on the cross.

Psalm 5:1-12

This is another song of despair.  What I noticed today was that David cries out to God (and only God) in the morning.  Each morning David brings his requests to God and waits expectantly for an answer.

His heart is directed towards his Creator at the start of each day.

This is awesome.

The other thing I like is that David is constantly telling God that he knows about God's personality and character.  He tells God things like, "You will destroy those who tell lies."  David is talking to a person that he knows.  He is letting God know that he "gets" him.  This has to please God very much.

Lesson:  Go to God each day with your problems.  Get to know God and tell God that you know Him, daily.  Have a relationship with your Creator!

Proverbs 1:24-28

Are you ready for this? God is a person. Today you see some of His personality and how He feels when people reject his advice. According to these verses, He's not too happy when you ignore Him.  If you do not heed His Wisdom, the consequences are on you.

Lesson:  God gets mad if we do not seek and fear Him.

Food for Thought:

1. What does the story of the Tower of Babel teach you?
2. What would you have done in Abram's situation in Egypt?
3. What does the Sermon on the Mount teach you?
4. How can you meet God each morning?
5. Is wisdom important to you?

Hey, I know these blogs are long.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!  Genesis is a very important book!!!  Let me know what you are learning.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton