Weekly Protein (06/25/22)

 “And Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, 'Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me, then I shall be as a deceiver in his sight; and I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.'” (Gen. 27:11-12, NASB 1977)

Did you catch Jacob's faulty reasoning? He would be seen as a deceiver only if he was caught. (Listening to his mother's plan and then strategizing how to pull it off – that wasn't deception?)

Believers in Jesus cannot live that way. God's Word is clear: “Do not lie to one another . . .” (Col. 3:9).

Here is your weekly protein.

1.  Answer these questions.

• Have you recently resorted to deception, or considered it, in order to resolve a matter of concern? (If yes, how bothered are you by that admission?)

• On a scale of one to ten (ten being the highest), what number best describes how quickly you have been to act deceitfully?

• Why does acting truthfully sometimes seem harder than acting deceitfully?

2.  Read Genesis chapter 27.

3.  Communicate with your pastor. Relay that you want to to be more consistent at walking in the truth. Ask him or her, “Do you have any suggestions?”

Benjamin Came (Gen. 43:3-5)

Read Genesis 43:3-5.

There would be no relief from the famine and hunger unless Benjamin came.

"Benjamin" means "son of my right hand."  For mankind to be delivered from the ravages of sin, Jesus Christ (God's Son Who sits at the right hand) had to come.  Now, your soul hunger is met and you do not have to be consumed by sin.  Jesus satisfies!  He is the Bread of Life.

"All These Things Are Against Me" (Gen. 42:36)

Read Genesis 42:36.

How one-sided life can easily become! 

Though there was much hardship, Jacob seems to have forgotten how blessed he was in spite of the pressure. 

That's what pressure does:  it puts your focus on what's wrong not on what's right; it puts your focus on the sacrifice, not the opportunity; it causes you to assume the worst (re: Benjamin, Simeon) about open-ended situations.

You are more blessed than you realize right now.

Born In Time For Famine (Gen. 41:50)

Read Genesis 41:50.

If you knew that seven years of horrific, unprecedented famine were coming soon, might you put off having children until after?  Such responsible adults would reason this way:  "Why put my children through that?  Why not give them every advantage?"

Joseph doesn't think that way.  He doesn't and won't live in fear because he knows Who God is, what He is like and what He has said.  When you know these things, there is a confidence.  You can rest in the One who knows every detail.  You don't have to bear the weight of accounting for every contingency.

How Some Try To Squelch A Dream (Gen. 37:18-28)

Read Genesis 37:18-28.

Joseph's brothers tried three approaches to eliminate his dream:  kill him (assassination), confine him (pit), sell him.  These tactics are used against "dreamers" today.

1.  Kill -- not physically, but internally.  The main weapons of assassination are gossip, lies, criticism and character generalization.  A dreamer is torn down verbally (to his face and behind his back) until he becomes a walking dead man.  He is still "there" but now he is tamed and in his "proper" place.  Respect, honor and credibility have been stripped.

2.  Confine.  This is done via the "pits" of control and threats.  A leader becomes tolerated but useless.  Everything he says or attempts is sabotaged by votes at the board meeting or influential conversations in the parking lot.  To the leader it seems someone is always watching, ready to trip him up.

3.  Sell. How is a pastor or leader "sold"?  He gets fired because hostile board members were able to convince enough members (who barely attend services or participate in the welfare of the ministry) to vote for the leader's removal.  The root of such wickedness is control.  Some people would rather remain selfish than have to change.

If you are a pastor, department head or ministry leader, you must understand that the above is what can happen to you once you announce and pursue vision.  Those who do not have a vision persecute those who do.

Flesh It Out (10/23/17)

Read Genesis chapters 38-39.

Both chapters share the theme of sexual temptation.  Judah (ch. 38) shows a person what not do to.  Joseph (ch. 39) shows a person what to do (flee).

Both chapters result in immediate, negative circumstances.  Judah gets his daughter-in-law pregnant and Joseph goes to jail for something he didn't do.

If participating in immorality and not participating in immorality both have or can have negative consequences, then why not participate?  Briefly tell Judah and Joseph's stories, then emphasize that believers in Jesus shouldn't be ruled by feelings or pragmatism. 

Another angle to consider:  What do you do with a troubled sexual past?

Hearing First (Gen. 27:22)

Read Genesis 27:22.

Any time you trust feeling over hearing, you're going to be in trouble.  When making major decisions, trust what you hear God is saying.  He will give you insight.  Don't let your senses overrule what your spirit initially receives.

Encouragement During Suffering (Gen. 21:17)

Read Genesis 21:17.

What you expect to read is "And God heard her voice."  Yes, He did, but that's not what the verse says.  It says, "And God heard the boy's voice."  (To my knowledge this is the only record of Ishmael's praying.  He probably did pray at other times, since Abraham would've modeled and encouraged that.)

1.  God hears the prayer of the one who suffers.
2.  God hears the prayer of the one who comes alongside the one who suffers.
3.  God not only hears your prayers but He responds to them.  He is full of compassion.

Perhaps You Shouldn't Build It? (Gen. 11:4)

Read Genesis 11:4.

The desire to build something impressive and to make a name for oneself (to pursue greatness) is tempting still today.  This "me first" mentality causes much damage.

No one wants his life to count for nothing.  He has a dream, pursues it, makes plans, and works hard. God is not against planning, diligence or hard work.  Jesus taught about faithfulness, about keeping your hand to the plow. 

It all comes back to motive.  Why are you building that thing?  Why are you investing your life in it?  Is it about magnifying the name for Jesus?  Who gets the glory, honor, praise and attention as you build?

Altar, Tent, Well (Gen. 26:25)

Read Genesis 26:25.

• Notice the elements.  There is worship (altar), security (tent) and joy (well).
• Notice the order.  Worship comes first.  The altar comes first.  The Holy Spirit comes first.  The well (blessing, overflow) comes last.  The well won't spring up if the knees don't bend down.
• Notice the effort.  None of the three things came to pass on their own.  The altar had to be built, the tent had to be pitched, and the well had to be dug.  Let us not expect God to do for us what He has scripted us to do for ourselves.
• Notice the application.  There are three relationships in which a man needs to be effective, if he is to live successfully.

1. He needs to be effective in his relationship with God.  Build the altar and bow the knee.
2. He needs to be effective in his relationships at home. Drive the stakes (convictions, core values, biblical truths) and pitch the tent.  
3. He needs to be effective in his relationships in the community.  Go to the well and draw from it. (The well was a gathering place, since everyone needed water.)

Genesis 1:1

1. "In the beginning" 
1. The beginning of time
2. The beginning of Creation
3. Not the beginning of God
2. "God"
1. The way this sentence is structured highlights God, not Creation.  What about God?
1. He is timeless.
2. He is eternal.
3. He is creative.
4. He is powerful.
5. He is causeless (not created, not evolved, not born).
6. He is living.
3. "Created"
1. That rules out evolution.
1. It doesn't matter what science postulates.
2. It doesn't matter what "experts" declare.
3. It doesn't matter what revisionists pressure you to accept.
4. God's Word says creation, not evolution. I'll take God's Word over man's any day!
4. "The heavens and the earth"
1. Two spheres (a height and a depth)
2. Figure of speech -- synecdoche -- a part refers to or includes the whole
3. Yes, it means the literal heavens above and the literal earth beneath, but also serves as a summary statement for all of creation (Gen. 1:1ff; Ex. 20:11; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17).

Enoch Walked With God (Part 4) (Gen. 5:18-24; Heb. 11:5-6)

What is required for you to walk with God?

• Agreement. Amos 3:3 (KJV).  Relationship.  You don't walk with strangers (at least you shouldn't, as a rule).  You walk with those you know.  Do you know God or merely know about Him?  Do you have a relationship with Him?
• Trust.  Believe the walk is leading somewhere, that God knows what He's doing and where He's going.
• Submission.  It is your job to walk with God.  Let Him lead.  It isn't His job to go where you want.  Though you walk together, God must lead.
• Discipline.  Oh, the distractions you will encounter!  Ignore them.  Stay on the path God has set for you.  Stay on God's pace.
• Time.  Lots of unhurried time.  Without this, the walk becomes a burden.  God wants you to enjoy Him.  Enjoy the walk.  Don't just take it.  Has your walk with God become drudgery?  It could be that you're trying too hard -- trying to walk a mile when God's only prescribed two steps for now.
• Perspective.  This walk isn't about your happiness, but about holiness.  You're walking with God on the highway of holiness and the paths of righteousness.  You won't always be happy, but you can always have joy in the journey.  Psa. 1:1; 23:3; Phil. 4:4; Isa. 35:8.
• Truth.  Walk in the light (1 Jn. 1:7).

Enoch Walked With God (Part 3) (Gen. 5:18-24; Heb. 11:5-6)

Observations:

• It is never too late to start walking with God.  Enoch didn't start until he was 65.  He did start, however.
• You are never too young to start walking with God.  Enoch started at 65, "old" by our modern standard.  However, Enoch "walked with God" for the next 300 years!  For 83% of his life, Enoch "walked with God."
• You can be the one to start a new spiritual heritage in your family.  There is no indication Jared (Enoch's father) ever walked with God.  Enoch "walked with God" anyway.  Your history or lineage doesn't matter.  What matters is your choice today.  Josh. 24:15.
• Walking with God doesn't mean sacrificing, ignoring or not enjoying your family.  Jared had sons and daughters.  So did Enoch.  Enoch, though, "walked with God" -- put God number one. Walking with God makes you a better, more effective "family man."
• "Enoch walked with God."  This was a step-by-step, life-long, lifestyle walk.  This was no experimental sprint.  God's not impressed by those who "tried" Him (as if He is a brand of peanut butter) but soon abandoned walking with Him.  Who is in it for the long haul?  Add some discipline, intentionality and accountability to your initial zeal.
• We who do walk with God must teach and transfer this to the next generation.  Enoch didn't learn it from Jared, but neither did Methusaleh learn it from Enoch.  Had Methuselah learned that and passed it on -- and so on -- might the moral landscape have been altered?  (Might the flood have been averted?)

Enoch Walked With God (Part 2) (Gen. 5:18-24; Heb. 11:5-6)

"Enoch walked with God."  He walked with God...

• Dependently.  To walk with God was to trust Him for direction, strength, provision and reward.  During Enoch's tough times, God was there for him to lean on.
• Simply.  We're not told what "walked with God" looked like.  Here is what we know:  God took a step and then Enoch did.  It says "Enoch walked with God."  God was the dominant partner.  It does not say God walked with Enoch, as if Enoch led the hike.  Watch a step, take a step.  Walking with God involves imitation and obedience.
• Inspirationally.  What serious Christ-follower can read Enoch's story and not be a bit "jealous"?  I want that kind of walk with God!  What an example!
• Pleasingly.  What pleased God?  Enoch's faith.  Faith was demonstrated in obedience (taking the next step).

Enoch Walked With God (Part 1) (Gen. 5:18-24; Heb. 11:5-6)

"Enoch walked with God."  He walked with God...

• Personally.  Whatever anyone else would or wouldn't do, Enoch determined that he would walk with God.  He couldn't make the choice for anyone else, and no one else could decide for him.  What's your decision?  Will you walk with God?
• Consistently.  Enoch walked with God for 300 years.  That's a long time!  He didn't start and stop a dozen times.  He made his choice and stuck with it.  Walking with God was Enoch's lifestyle, not his weekly duty on Sunday.
• Contrarily.  What courage Enoch had!  To walk with God was to go a direction most others wouldn't.  Friends walk together.  To be God's friend meant being the world's enemy.  To say yes to God was one thing.  And for 300 years!  To say no to all the distracting, competing voices and interests in the world was another.
• Mutually.  To have walked with God is to have had God walk with you.  What sweet communion!  It wasn't merely that Enoch was going God's direction.  God was going God's direction with Enoch.

Where All The Water Came From (Gen. 7:11)

In the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) the writer mentions "the water under the earth" (Ex. 20:4, NASB).  During the account of the flood (Gen. ch. 6-9), the record mentions "the fountains of the great deep burst open" (Gen. 7:11, NASB).  

Water from above, called "the floodgates of the sky" (Gen. 7:11), we're familiar with.  That was the worst rainstorm man ever encountered!  What's the deal with "the fountains of the great deep"?  It sounds as if that water sprang up from below.

Today on Yahoo I saw this headline:  "Found!  Hidden Ocean Locked Up Deep in Earth's Mantle."  You can read the article here.  Is this "hidden ocean" the same as "the fountains of the great deep"?

One of the criticisms about the Biblical account of the flood concerns the amount of water.  Where did all that water come from?  Even if we allow for water from above and water from beneath, would there have been enough to flood the world?  

The area between 255 miles and 410 miles beneath the earth's surface is referred to as "the transition zone."  Here's what got my attention in the article:  "The transition zone can hold a lot of water, and could potentially have the same amount of H2O [water] as all the world's oceans."

The Elusive Cardinal

I've been trying to capture the red cardinal on camera.  Satrurday night, I heard its distinct sound.  I can hardly believe it stayed in one spot long enough for me to setup my camera and take the shot.  I think God wanted to bless me.  Look at that color!  You have to admire God's handiwork.

 

"God created...every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good."

(Gen. 1:21)

Stop the Dialogue with Satan (Gen. 3:1-6)

If you dialogue with Satan long enough (Gen. 3:1-5), you'll come to "see" things (Gen. 3:6) his way.  Then it's only a matter of time before you're doing what you discussed.

It's interesting that Satan deceived Eve when she was isolated.  Fight that battle alone and you too will lose.  Stop listening to the devil.  Break away right now.  Call a friend and talk about the greatness of Jesus.

A Word about God's Pre-Existence (Gen. 1:1)

Some things don't sound right, but you wouldn't want the burden of disproving them.

"The acid in your stomach is so

powerful it can dissolve a razor

blade in less than a week."

www.twitter.com/OMGFacts

Accessed 6/22/12 11:30 PM

Would you swallow a razor blade to test the theory?  Me neither.  We're not guinea pigs!  Either we're being sold a bill of goods or someone did research to qualify the above statement.  Since I have no graduate degree in the digestion of razor blades, I'll gladly defer to the experts.  Stomach acid is both powerful and effective. 

Read Genesis 1:1.  For God to have created the heavens and the earth He must've pre-existed.  Some things don't sound right, but you wouldn't want the burden of disproving them.  You can't disprove the pre-existence of God.  Disagree, yes.  Have your head spin, yes.  Disprove, no. 

Most of us don't understand electricity.  Do we have to understand it before using it?  We don't hesitate each time at the switch and wonder, "Is it going to work?  After all, I still don't understand it."  It's predecided in your mind:  flip switch, have light, transaction done.  We don't have to understand God's pre-existence for it to be true and beneficial.  Let it be predecided in your mind:  hear about pre-existence, have doubt about it, can't disprove it, transaction done.

God's OK with our fascination (frustration) over His pre-existence.  Only He fully understands Himself.  That's why He is God!  There should always be some mystery, some wonder, some awe about God.  Otherwise He would be predictable, explainable and ordinary.  We don't have to figure Him out.  Pressure off.

Brevity, Bitterness and Blessing (Gen. 47:9-10)

By his own admission, Jacob had a short and hard life.  However, he blessed Pharaoh, the current authority in his life.

God is (or should be) the authority in your life.  Bless Him at all times, even when circumstances are less than ideal and even when you don't get all you wanted out of life.

Psa. 34:1.