God is Still Calling

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1–3

When God first began to call a people for His name, He didn’t start with an existing nation or people group. No. He began with one man (likely a pagan) named Abram. God called Abram to leave his country, his people, and his extended family to go to a land God would show him. Why? Because God had a special plan for his life. 

To that end God makes Abram certain promises in the passage above:

1. God will make Abram into a great nation.

2. God will make Abram’s name great.

3. God will bless those who bless Abram and curse those who curse him.

4. All peoples on earth will be blessed through Abram.

Those are some pretty big promises! And a little later in verse seven of the same chapter God adds another. "The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7)

5. God will give the Land of Canaan to Abram’s offspring.

God gave all these promises to Abram and his wife Sarai. And He called them to step out in faith, follow Him and trust Him to keep His Word.

Do you know that God works the same way today? Even now, He’s calling people to step out in faith, to believe His promises, and to obey Him. Is the Lord calling you? 

Have you heard Him calling you to salvation? Have you heard Him calling you to ministry or some other great faith adventure? If so, step out in faith like Abram did. Obey God and see what He will do.

You Have An Enemy

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1

Genesis 3 never directly identifies this serpent as Satan, but we have every reason to believe that’s exactly who it was. First, the fact that this snake talks suggests that there is some spiritual being operating behind the scenes. And it begs the questions “Who could that be?” As we read the rest of the Bible, we find that there is a spiritual being who opposes God, deceives His people and tempts them to sin. He is called Satan. The conduct of this serpent in Genesis 3 is perfectly in keeping with what we know of him. 

Second, several New Testament passages seem to identify Satan with this serpent. Revelation 12:9, for example, describes Satan as, “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” So, I think we have every reason to believe this serpent was Satan.

And that's important, because if this serpent was Satan... then he's still around. And that means that this passage serves as a warning for you and I still today. 

Genesis 3 is the first passage in all of Scripture that reveals to us that we have an enemy… someone who is actively working to separate us from God, to draw us into sin and destroy us. It’s important that you don’t forget that. It’s pretty easy for a snake to hide in the grass and wait to strike when you don’t know he’s there, but the Fall teaches us that he is there and it warns us to be careful.

This same warning is echoed throughout the Bible in passages like 1 Peter 5:8.

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Are you aware today that you have an Enemy? There is an intelligent and powerful being who is trying to deceive and tempt you… who is working to lure you into sin so he can destroy you. You are under attack! Beware! Be careful! Don’t allow yourself to be deceived like Adam and Eve were.

Creation is Revelation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

This is how the Bible begins… with a simple but bold declaration that God created all that exists. But does the Doctrin of Creation really matter?

As it turns out... it really does. There are many ways in which Creation sets the stage for the rest of the biblical story, but one of the most important ways it does this is by giving us our first revelation of who God is. Creation reveals quite a bit about God to us!

First, it reveals that God is powerful. Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke creation into existence. He created by His Word. God simply said “Let there be light," and there was light. He said, "Let dry ground appear.” And it did appear! And God did the same with the sun, the moon, the stars, the plants and the animals. He simply spoke them into existence. That’s power!

Second, creation reveals God’s glory to us. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” In the same way that the moon has no light of its own but only reflects the glory of the sun, creation itself is only glorious because it reflects the glory of God. The evidence of God’s glory is all around you!

Third, creation reveals God's goodness. God didn’t have to make food taste good. He didn’t have to create beauty. He didn’t have to give us the ability to feel happiness or joy or pleasure... but He did.

Fourth, and finally, creation shows God’s wisdom. Who but God could have designed the eye? Who but God could have set the planets on their courses through the heavens? Who but God could have set the tides and currents in motion? There is such order and such wisdom to creation that God’s wisdom is unassailable.

I could go on. Creation reveals even more than this about God’s nature. But for now let me ask... when was the last time you looked up at a clear sky or out over a planted field and glorified God? Your worship shouldn’t be contained to the church sanctuary. If you will only open your eyes, you’ll find that there are more than enough reasons to praise God all around you. Don’t let all that creation reveals to us about who God is go to waste. Take it in and worship the Lord.

Favorites in the Family (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.

Genesis 29:30

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:3-4

Jacob had been his mother's favorite son. His brother, Esau, had been his dad's. Favoritism in the home was what he knew. It was what he was used to. And as we read the last half of Genesis, it becomes clearer and clearer that it is a toxic trait that Jacob's home life will be dominated by. 

Through a series of circumstances that weren't entirely Jacob's fault, he was tricked into marrying a pair of sisters. This is a bad idea which is why Scripture expressly forbids it in Leviticus 18:18. But Jacob made this bad idea worse by playing favorites. Scripture tells us right away that he loved one of his wives better than the other. Unsurprisingly, this created a rivalry between the two women. And for years they competed for their husband's affection by trying to outdo the other by having more children.

Sadly, this only made the situation worse because Jacob treated the children the same as he treated their mothers. He played favorites among his own kids. Showing preference to the one who was born of his favorite wife. Predictably, this led to rivalry among the kids. It got so bad that the brothers sold their rival into slavery and told their father he was dead. Deep down in their hearts, I believe they wished he really were dead. 

There are so many lessons we can learn from Jacob's life but one of them is undoubtedly the danger of playing favorites with our families. I know that most of us think we would never do that, but how many adults do you know who believe they weren't their parent's favorite child? Obviously, some parents still make this mistake. Be very careful that you aren't among them. Favoritism is toxic, and it will ruin your family.

Will You Believe?

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

And then verse six says simply, that standing there looking at the stars, “Abram believed God.” He decided to trust God to keep His promises. He was certain, confident that God would give him a son. Romans 4:18 puts it this way. It says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...” It would have been easier for Abram to believe what seemed certain, that he and his barren wife would never have a child. But Abram made the decision to hope against hope. He chose to believe that God is faithful. He chose to believe that He would keep His word.

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And the second half of verse 6 tells us that God credited this to Abram as righteousness. Abram wasn’t righteous mind you. If you read his story in detail, Genesis presents him as a flawed man. When he went down to Egypt he was so afraid of Pharaoh that he hid the fact that Sarai was his wife. He knew Sarai was beautiful and he was afraid they would kill him to marry her, so he let his wife be taken into Pharaoh’s bed to save his own skin. This was a despicable sin against God and Sarai. Then, years later, Abram did the same thing again with the King of Gerar, a man named Abimelech, only God intervened this time before Sarai was taken into the king’s bed. So, Abram wasn’t righteous. He wasn’t perfect. But he believed God. He had faith and God credited that faith to him as righteousness. In other words, because of his faith, God regarded him as righteous even though he wasn’t.

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This verse, Genesis 15:6, is picked up in Romans 4:23-24 and applied to us. It says, “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

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You see, just like Abram, you aren’t righteous and you can’t be righteous on your own. But has chosen to credit righteousness to the accounts of those who believe. For Abram it was belief in the promise. For us it is belief in Jesus and the promises surrounding Him. Do you believe?

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Do you believe that Jesus is more than just a man, that He is the eternal Son of God? Do you believe that He lived a sinless life so He could become the perfect, atoning sacrifice for your sins? Do you belief that Jesus died on the cross to pay the punishment for your sins? Do you believe He was raised from the dead on the third day? Do you believe He ascended to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty? Do you believe that He can save even you? Do you believe that He can set you free from sin and make you a new creation. Do you believe that one day He will raise all who believe back from the dead to live eternally with Him on a new heavens and a new earth where He will wipe away every tear and where there will be no more crying, death or pain? Do you believe that? These are all promises that God has made to those who believe. But you have to believe to receive this reward. You have to believe to be considered righteous.

Will you believe in Jesus? Will you trust God to keep Him promises?

So Abram Went

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Genesis 12:4–5

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The Bible often phrases things so simply and yet so powerfully. God has asked Abram to leave his country and any land he might have owned behind. God asked him to leave his people and his extended family behind. Basically, God asks Abram to leave everything and follow Him. And Scripture simply says “So Abram went.” Amazingly, Abram seems to have made this giant step of faith and sacrifice without pause. Presumably, Abram was willing to make these sacrifices to obey God’s call because he reasoned that the blessings of obedience would outweigh the sacrifices that God asked of him.

Following God’s call on your life will always  require sacrifice. What are you willing to leave behind to follow God? What is He asking you to sacrifice? Money? Friendships? Time? Your plans for your life? No matter how much sacrifice it requires to follow God’s call, I assure you that you will be happier living inside God’s will than you will be living outside of it. So, I urge you to trust God and willingly make any sacrifices He asks of you.

One other thing I should point out is that when Abram obeyed God’s call, he didn’t even really know where he was going. God didn’t tell him the whole plan. He made some specific promises to Abram and He told him that He would show him the land, but that was about it. Hebrews 11:8 puts it well when it says that Abram “obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Often that is exactly what following God’s call in your life feels like. You have no idea where you’re going. You don’t fully know where He is leading you. God seems to only tell us what we need to know to be able to obey. Perhaps that is because He wants us to obey based on faith instead of knowledge. It could also be because He knows we couldn’t handle knowing the whole plan. Either way, you don’t have to know the whole plan to obey. Just step out in faith and obey what He has revealed to you and trust that He will show you the rest along the way. That’s what Abram did.

Favorites in the Family

Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.

Genesis 29:30

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:3-4

Jacob had been his mother's favorite son. His brother, Esau, had been his dad's. Favoritism in the home was what he knew. It was what he was used to. And as we read the last half of Genesis, it becomes clearer and clearer that it is a toxic trait that Jacob's home life will be dominated by. 

Through a series of circumstances that weren't entirely Jacob's fault, he was tricked into marrying a pair of sisters. This is a bad idea which is why Scripture expressly forbids it in Leviticus 18:18. But Jacob made this bad idea worse by playing favorites. Scripture tells us right away that he loved one of his wives better than the other. Unsurprisingly, this created a rivalry between the two women. And for years they competed for their husband's affection by trying to outdo the other by having more children.

Sadly, this only made the situation worse because Jacob treated the children the same as he treated their mothers. He played favorites among his own kids. Showing preference to the one who was born of his favorite wife. Predictably, this led to rivalry among the kids. It got so bad that the brothers sold their rival into slavery and told their father he was dead. Deep down in their hearts, I believe they wished he really were dead. 

There are so many lessons we can learn from Jacob's life but one of them is undoubtedly the danger of playing favorites with our families. I know that most of us think we would never do that, but how many adults do you know who believe they weren't their parent's favorite child? Obviously, some parents still make this mistake. Be very careful that you aren't among them. Favoritism is toxic, and it will ruin your family.

A Heart Sacrifice

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Genesis 22:1-2

The thought of offering a child up to God as a sacrifice is appalling. But as we read the rest of this story, we find that God never wanted a human sacrifice, and He certainly didn’t want Isaac to die. He had plans for him. No. What God wanted was a heart sacrifice.

You see Abraham had lived most of his life childless. His wife, Sarah, was barren. And in that culture having children, having an heir, was a big thing. Abraham was 75 years old when God first spoke to him and promised to give him offspring. But then…nothing happened. For 24 years Abraham trusted even though he knew that his wife was barren and well past the age of childbearing. For 24 years Abraham waited, but no son. And then, finally, when he was 99 years old the Lord told him it was time for Sarah to get pregnant and at 100 years old, his son Isaac was born.

Most fathers love their children, but after waiting so long for Isaac, Abraham must have loved him dearly. I believe there was a danger of Isaac becoming an idol in his life. And if there’s one thing you can be certain of, it's that God will ask you to sacrifice whatever it is that you love most for Him. He wants to be first in your life. He wants to be first in your heart. And He will ask you to give up anything or anyone that threatens to keep your love from Him.

Jesus said the greatest Commandment is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37) And God expects nothing less than this from believers. If you dare to love anything or anyone more than you love Him, He will ask you to give it to Him.

Is there something or someone that you love more than the Lord? Jesus won’t accept second place in your heart. Lay it on the altar and offer it up to the Lord. Lay your dream of having kids or getting married at the Lord’s feet. Lay your ministry at his feet. Lay your wealth at His feet. Lay your very life at the feet of Jesus and tell Him that you love Him more than anything and everything else. If Jesus is whispering to your heart and asking you to lay something down, to sacrifice it for him, then follow in Abraham's footsteps and do it. 

Cain's Sinful Heart

For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Matthew 15:19

Sin doesn't originate outside of you (with temptation) but from within your own wicked heart (compare James 1:13-15). So, you can't blame anyone else when you sin because the battlefield on which you win or lose the battle against sin is inside yourself.

In Greek the word for 'heart' in Matthew 15:19 doesn't just mean the emotional part of yourself, but your passions, desires, and thoughts as well. It could be translated as 'soul.' That means that you lose the battle against sinful thoughts, attitudes, and feelings long before you lose the battle against sinful acts.

 

I believe we find this illustrated in the first murder. Genesis 4:8 says, "Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let’s go out to the field.' While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him." The text doesn't explicitly say that Cain's act was pre-meditated, but that seems to be the clear implication. It certainly reads like Cain intentionally lured his brother out to a remote place with the intention of killing him and hiding his body. 

Who knows how many times Cain thought about killing his brother before he actually did it? Who knows how many different ways of murdering Abel he considered before landing on a specific method? Or who know how many times Cain played the murder out in his mind before he acted on it? We don't know. But unless we're to believe that Cain spontaneously killed his brother after inviting him out to the field for no particular reason, we have to assume that Cain thought this through. If this is true, then Cain gave in to sin and indulged in sinful and murderous thoughts and attitudes towards his brother long before he ever raised his hand against him. 

What a powerful example of the truth Jesus teaches! When you are angry, be very careful what you allow yourself to think on or fantasize about. Be careful what thoughts you fill your mind with. Be careful what feelings you indulge or dwell on. Because sin begins in your heart and in your mind. If you lose the fight against sinful thoughts, desires and feelings, then you will never win the battle against sinful actions.

Dust to Dust (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

History has proven that men are often more prone to arrogance than to humility. Thus, almost immediately after our Lord tells us of our role in creation (see Genesis 1:26-30 and last week's post), how being made in His image we are to rule over the world as His vice-regents, He humbles us by reminding us what we are truly made of... dust. We have been chosen by God to rule over this world not because of any inherent goodness or regal quality in us, but rather by an extra dispensation of His grace to us.

 

Psalm 103:13-16 makes the point this way,

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 

Reading that passage you get the idea that David is saying that we are but dust. One breath of the Lord's nostrils and we would disperse to the ends of the earth. Thus, our loving Father is gentle in correcting us for He (better than anyone else) knows how fragile we are.

Again Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 frames the point slightly differently saying,

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

We are no better than the animals that God has set us over. We are both made from the dust and when we die we return to the dust the same as they do.

What does all this mean? Well...it means this: Humble yourself before the Lord and remember that you are but dust. All that you have, He has given you. You haven't earned any of it. He has freely given it all. So when you enter His presence in prayer or worship do so with a humble spirit. But in your humility never forget our great hope.

The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (I Corinthians 15:47-49).

One day the Christian will be made like Christ. We are dust now, but one day we will have heavenly bodies. We will be made like Christ. That is our hope and to that end we strive to be increasingly conformed into His image day by day.

For further reading...

• II Chronicles 33:1-20: Check out how Manasseh humbled himself before God and how seriously the Lord took his humility.
• Ecclesiastes 5:1-2: Let your words be few.
• I Corinthians 15: Check out what our heavenly bodies will be like.
• Romans 8:29: Destined to be conformed into the image of Christ.

The Prisoner who was Richer than the King

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. 

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Genesis 41:14-16

What an exciting day for Joseph! How many men in the history of the world have been lifted up out of prison to have an audience with the King? Sure, some were pulled out of prison to go before the King to be sentenced or judged, but how many were brought out so the King could make a request of them? Pharaoh asks for Joseph's help!!! He has all the power in Egypt, but even in that dungeon Joseph is richer than Pharaoh because he has something Pharaoh doesn't...GOD!

Never underestimate the blessing you have, Christian! The Spirit of the living God dwells in you. Don't waste your time coveting the things of this world - other people's money, house, car or career - when what you have in Jesus far surpasses all those things. There will come a time in that person's life when all their possessions will mean nothing, when they would gladly give up all they own to experience what you have, the Spirit of God. 

He is in us to guide and direct, to enlighten, to lead into all truth, to comfort, and to empower. This is a gift so special that no amount of money can buy it. No worldly influence can win it. You can't be born into it, and it can't be counterfeited. And absolutely no one can take it away from you. They can take away all your earthly possessions. They take away your freedom. They can wrongly accuse you and throw you in jail like they did Joseph, but they can't take God's Spirit away from you. Even in that jail cell, even at his lowest point, Joseph had something that Pharaoh never would, and that means that even then, in jail, he was incredibly blessed.

God in you...what a powerful blessing! Don't take it for granted. Spend some time alone with God today. Listen to His Spirit. Ask Him to guide you. And if you don't have that, but you want it, here's how you can become a Christian. 

• A- Admit that you are a sinner and in need of God's grace (Romans 3:10 and 3:23).
• B- Believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and that He was raised from the dead (Romans 6:23 and 5:8).
• C- Confess Jesus as Lord of your life. Turn from sin (from living life your way) and commit to live your life for God (Romans 10:9).

It's just that easy!

Walking Through the Land

The Lord said to Abram...“All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever... Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

Genesis 13:14-18

I see many parallels between Abram and the believer today. Abram had been promised that his offspring would one day inherit the land of Canaan. The believer also has a promised inheritance, for us it is the whole earth. God commanded Abram to walk throughout the land of Canaan in faith, believing that all of it would one day belong to his descendants. God has called us to go and make disciples throughout the entire earth in faith, believing that some are called to become God's children. As Abram walked through the land he built an altar to his God and made sacrifices worshiping Him. Let us build altars to the Lord wherever we go as well. Let us make sacrifices to share the gospel and bring men to faith in Christ. And let this be our pleasing act of worship to Jesus. When Abram left a place that altar remained as a silent testimony to the Lord. So too the believer will not be left without a witness as we move through the world. If we walk closely with Jesus and worship Him openly, then when we leave a place the impact as well as the memories of our good deeds will remain as a silent testimony to our Lord Jesus.

Find your way to "walk throughout the land" you will one day own. Go on a mission trip. Sacrifice to support missions both financially and in prayer. Live in such a way that you leave altars of worship behind you as a testimony to Jesus wherever you go. Each of us are only given so much time. Make the most of yours. One day the whole earth will be ours, believer. Let's live like it!

Jesus- A Stairway to Heaven

[Jesus] then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

John 1:51

Jesus was a master of saying the maximum amount possible in the fewest words. Here is a classic example. He is responding to his newest disciple's declaration of faith that Jesus was God's promised Messiah. In response, Jesus evokes one of the most memorable images in the Old Testament, Jacob's ladder or stairway to heaven. By doing so Jesus offers up a piercing insight into His Messianic role and identity.

In Genesis 28, Jacob was travelling to Harran to find a wife. When he stopped for the night, Jacob "had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (Genesis 28:12). For the purpose of understanding Jesus' statement, Jacob's interpretation of this ladder is key. When Jacob woke up "he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven'" (Genesis 28:17). Having seen the ladder connecting heaven and earth in that place Jacob concludes two things: One, he has stumbled upon the entry point or gate of heaven; two, this place must be the house or temple of God on earth. To be in this place is to enter into the very presence of God.

I believe that Jesus is applying both of these conclusions to Himself and is revealing in stunning brevity what He will only later more fully explain. First, Jesus is claiming to be the gate or entry point to heaven. Consider these verses later in John's gospel in which Jesus builds on this point.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. (Said in the context of Jesus' famous sheep, shepherd, thief, gate analogy.)

John 10:9

Second, Jesus is saying that He is the true house of God, that from the moment of His arrival on earth He became the point at which heaven and earth meet.* To be in His presence is to enter into the very presence of God. Consider these verses later in John's gospel in which Jesus builds on this point.

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

John 2:19-21

I and the Father are one.

John 10:30

So then, above all things, seek to know Jesus! He is God's clearest self-revelation. He is the only way to heaven. He is the true temple of God. It is only in Him and through Him that we enter into God's presence. "There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). So approach God today in the name of Jesus!

For further reading...

• Read the fuller context of any or all of the Scripture quotes above.
• Pick one or more of these powerful verses and memorize them.

* I believe the first time I was exposed to the idea of and the turn of phrase "the place where heaven and earth meet" was in a book written by N.T. Wright.

Crouching Tiger, Devouring Sin

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

One only needs to read the first four chapters of the Bible to get a clear picture of how dangerous sin is. Already in Genesis 3 we have been told that sin entered the Garden of Eden in the form of a cunning snake we know to have been the Devil. Now just one chapter later, sin is described as a ferocious animal lying in wait outside a door waiting to pounce upon and devour its prey...us! No more fitting a simile for sin than this can be found. Although the Lord speaks to Cain in this passage, His message is just as true for you and me. We must never forget what sin's design is for our lives. In the original language "it desires to have you" is closer to "it craves or desires to devour you." Sin feeds on our destruction. We would do ourselves much good by simply remembering this. So often sin is peddled as fun, as stress relief, as really living it up. So remember this saying out of the mouth of God Himself. In reality sin is a ferocious animal lying in wait to devour you at its first opportunity. Don't believe Satan's cheap sales tactics. For your own good, avoid sin!

The Almighty continues to give Cain a suggested course of action. Literally God tells Cain that he must rule, or exercise dominion over, sin. He cannot allow sin to master him; he must rather master it. This is an interesting phrase given that God gave man dominion over animals at creation. Now after the Fall, increasingly men will have to exercise that dominion with great effort to tame and control animals from harming people. When you stop to consider how much intentional effort and planning goes into exercising dominion over a dog, a horse or even something as grand as a tiger, you get some sense of how difficult it must be to master sin.

We can all think of prominent news stories in which a supposedly tame (mastered) wild animal broke out and killed or maimed its owner, trainer, or some innocent bystander. Whether it's chimpanzees, lions, or horses over and over again we have been reminded not to get too confident in the idea that we have fully mastered any animal. If it is this difficult to master an animal, how much more so with sin.

It isn't until many years later in the New Testament that man would learn that only Jesus can ever truly exercise dominion over sin. For the rest of us, try as we might, we can never fully master it in our own power. Yet those who are in Christ, who have been filled with the Holy Spirit, have been set free from the bondage of sin (Acts 13:38-39, Romans 6, & Romans 8:1-4). Sin no longer has mastery over the Christian. Yet, we too must heed God's words to Cain so we do not give in to sin again. We must continually remind ourselves of the dangers of sin, and we must plan and put forth an intentional effort to master this enemy in our lives.

Imagine what steps a man would take if he knew a wild animal were crouching at his door ready to devour him. He cannot stay in his house forever (Proverbs 26:13-14). He must eventually slay the beast. But he will not walk outside with a spatula or a rolled up newspaper. He'll plan carefully and give his best effort to master the enemy or he may die. Dear Christian, even though your soul is secure with the Lord, your life and all that God has planned for you hangs in the balance when you engage in sin. You must seek to master it by learning to walk in the freedom and power that Christ has given you. Do not think that you can embrace sin and somehow avoid its bite. So let me ask you... what ferocious animal, what sin are you inviting into your home, into your life? What sin do you find lying at your door each morning waiting to tempt you when you awake? And what is your plan to avoid it, to master it?  

For further reading...

• Acts 13:38-39, Romans 6, & Romans 8:1-4- Set free from the power of sin.

Monuments to our Glory

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

 

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

 

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

 

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:1-9

 

 

God's instructions to the first humans were simple: be fruitful, fill the earth, subdue it, rule over it, and do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We all know how Adam and Eve ignored the command not to eat of the tree. The incident at the tower of Babel shows us how their descendants disregarded another of God's instructions. Instead of spreading over the face of the land and filling the earth as God commanded, they grouped together. Their common language allowed them to cooperate toward a common end. Under normal circumstances this is a good thing, but they were cooperating to build a monument for their own glory, to make a name for themselves. God did not create humanity to glorify ourselves or exalt our own names, but to bring glory to Him. Their common language allowed them to take part in even greater sin than each man could have on his own. Already mankind was exchanging the glory of the immortal God for a cheap knockoff (Romans 1:23).

 

God, in His wisdom, confused men's language, causing them to babble. This broke up man's cooperation in sin and caused them to keep His original commandment to fill the earth. It's interesting to consider this story in light of the Day of Pentecost in the New Testament (Acts 2). At Pentecost, God sent His Spirit to fill the disciples and enable them to speak languages they formerly had not known. The Lord temporarily reversed what He had done at the tower of Babel so many years before and tore down the language barrier. Why?  So that the good news of Jesus Christ could advance more quickly to all people. God built the language barrier to avoid mankind working toward his own glory. He removed the language barrier so that mankind could more easily work towards His glory.
 

Are you working to make a name for yourself or for God? In what ways are you erecting monuments to your own glory? Many people work long hours for many years to make a name for themselves in their community, profession, or even vicariously through the lives of their children. They live and die for their own glory. They even put their names on buildings so their name will be remembered long after they are gone (a remarkably similar folly to that of Babel). What monuments do you need to tear down in your life today?

Maybe you haven't built any monuments to yourself, but are you building monuments for God? Are you cooperating with others spread the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection to people of every tribe, nation, people, and tongue? All believers are called to do just this. Are you giving to missions, praying for missions, supporting ministries that translate the Bible into the languages of unreached people groups? God has given us many tools to cross language barriers today with the gospel. Be sure that your life is spent building something that will last.

 

For further reading...

• Acts 2- Read the story of Pentecost and compare it for yourself.
• Operation World is a ministry that helps Christians pray for God's great mission of love around the world. They have a wonderful prayer calendar you can use to pray throughout the year for people in every nation. You can also sign up to receive an email prompt every day with ideas to help you pray for the advance of the gospel in various nations.
• Revelation 5:9-10, 7:9-10, 14:6-7- Rejoice that God will prevail! He will redeem for Himself people from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

Who Gets the Credit?

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,

   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

   Creator of heaven and earth.

   And blessed be God Most High,

   who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

Genesis 14:17-24

When Abram finds out that Lot has been taken as a captive of war, he musters his servants and sets out after the four kings who have his nephew. After Abram defeats these kings and rescues the captives and plunder, he is confronted with two opposing views of his victory presented to him in the persons of the mysterious priest king named Melchizedek and the recently defeated king of Sodom. Abram's interactions with these two kings give us insight into the pitfalls and appropriate responses to God's blessing in our lives.  

Melchizedek gives Almighty God blessing and praise for Abram's success while the king of Sodom attempts to credit Abram's own power for the victory by offering the spoils to Abram. These represent Abram's options in the face of his success. Should he give the credit to God or keep it for himself? You and I face the same two options anytime we are blessed in this world. This world will try to rob God of the credit and honor of the blessings He has given you. It will do this to both steal God's glory from Him and to try to convince you to seek out future blessing through the ways of the world instead of through obedience to God. But Scripture says that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights" (James 1:17).

Abram makes the right choice. He affirms Melchizedek and rebuffs the king of Sodom. Abram gives a tenth of everything to Melchizedek and in so doing sets the precedent for the practice of tithing. But understand that this wasn't a gift to the priest. It was a gift to God. Melchizedek is simply a mediator. Abram also rejects the generosity of the king of Sodom. He doesn't do so out of rudeness but out of shrewdness. Abram is vigilant in guarding against taking anything from this worldly king lest the king later claim that he is the reason Abram has prospered. Abram is relentless in guarding himself from becoming an opportunity for the world to boast against God.

This world wants to take credit for what only God has done in your life, but the way of the Lord cuts against that. When you tithe, you are affirming that you believe your blessing and abundance are from the Lord. And when you refuse to submit to the world's ways of accumulating wealth, you effectively cut them off from taking credit for what only God has done in your life. So stand firm and avoid the trap of your enemy. Be vigilant in giving the Lord the glory for every good thing in your life for He surely deserves it.

For further reading...

• Psalm 110:4 & Hebrews 5-10 (especially chapters 5 and 7)- Check out how this priest named Melchizedek foreshadows Christ.
• Malachi 3:6-12- Don't rob God. Test His generosity
• Isaiah 42:8- God will not give His praise to others. Just something to think about.
• Luke 11:42- Some people say that New Testament Christians are not under an obligation to tithe any longer. Does this passage prove that we are?

A Fork in the Road...

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

Genesis 13:5-12

My wife and I both like the musician Ben Folds. He is a truly talented man, and my wife derives no small amount of joy from the fact that she occasionally sees him driving around town. One of his songs that we both enjoy is The Luckiest. It starts out, "I don't get many things right the first time. In fact, I am told that a lot." In some ways I think this applies to Abram.

Abram learned a hard lesson in Genesis 12. He should have trusted God to keep His promises; instead he gave in to fear. As a result, Pharaoh unknowingly took Abram's wife as his own. No doubt this damaged Abram's relationship with his wife Sarai but it also damaged his relationship with the Lord. Now, in Genesis 13, he finds himself at another crossroads. The Lord is keeping his promise to Abram and is blessing him so abundantly that he and his nephew Lot must part ways. Here is a fork in the road. How will Abram handle it? This time he shows faith. This time he gets it right.

Abram has learned to trust God. The Lord has promised to bless Abram and make him into a great nation, and Abram trusts Him to do this regardless of where his flocks feed. He allows Lot to choose the part of the land he wants. Abram is content with the leftovers because he believes that God is going to bless him no matter what. This highlights one of Abram's best qualities in my opinion. He was teachable. Abram didn't always get things right the first time. In fact, sometimes he made the same mistake twice (see Genesis 12 and 20), but he was humble before his God. He listened to the Lord and learned his lessons well. He wasn't perfect right away. He was far from it. But because he was teachable the Lord continued to use him and grow him. Abram was far from a giant of the faith in chapters 12 and 13 of Genesis. But he walked with the Lord day in and day out and he humbled himself under the Lord's correction for year after year. Over time he became more and more conformed into the image of his God.

What about you? Are you teachable? When the Lord corrects you, do you learn your lesson well or do you stiffen your neck? Proverbs 3:12 tells us that "The LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son He delights in." God disciplines you with an eye to correction. He is not merely punishing you; He is training you into the man or woman He would have you be. He has predestined you to be conformed into the image of his Son and He is working that out in your life little-by-little (Romans 8:29). So learn your lessons well. Submist yourself wholly to the guiding hand of God. He doesn't expect immediate perfection, a teachable heart will do.

For further reading...

• Proverbs 15: 5, 10, 12, 31, 32 & Proverbs 12:1: The wise man loves correction.
• Romans 8:26-30: Destined for conformity to the Son. 
• Philippians 3:7-12: Progressive sanctification

God Stoops Low

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. 

Genesis 12:10-20

In Genesis 12 we find Abram making one of the worst decisions of his life. Instead of trusting God, Abram fears man. In fear that the Egyptians will kill him to possess his beautiful wife, he convinces Sarai to tell everyone that he is her brother. (This was after all a half truth. Sarai was Abram's half-sister. cf. Genesis 20:12) Scripture says that Pharaoh took her to be his wife. (I have no reason to believe that this statement should be taken to mean anything less than what its full implications would suggest.) It is only once God plagues Pharaoh’s house that the truth is revealed and Abram and Sarai are sent away with much wealth.

It is important that we take note at the outset of what type of writing this is. It is a historical writing, which is immensely important. That tells us that this part of the Bible is a historically accurate detail of events. It is descriptive of what happened. It is not prescriptive, meaning it does not explicitly tell us what Abram should have done or what a person in his situation should do. Much of the Bible is prescriptive in that it commands us to do things. For example, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" is a command that tells us what we ought to do (Deuteronomy 6:5). But many other passages in the Bible make no statements about what should have happened, they merely report what did happen. We cannot assume that just because Abram was a hero of our faith that everything he did was right. 

One of Scripture's best qualities in fact is that it presents the heroes of the faith as they really were, human. Abram was not perfect. In this situation he was downright cowardly and others were harmed by his sin. "He's not a very good person to build a religion on," you might think. But that is just the point. Christianity is not built on Abram or Moses or David or any other Biblical hero. It is built on God and His Christ. Christianity isn't the story of great men who elevated themselves to high levels of righteousness and caused God to take notice of them. Many other (if not all other) religions are about this, but Christianity is not. On the contrary, Christianity is about a God who stooped low to show grace to wretched sinners. Even our greatest heroes are presented as wretched sinners...wretched sinners that were forgiven by grace and changed by grace. Scripture's persistent habit of telling the truth about our heroes' human failures constantly reminds us that Christianity is about a great God not about great humans.

It should be clear then that Abram acted in a way that is out of line with Scripture in this passage (cf. Leviticus 20:10 & Hebrews 13:4), but look at God's faithfulness. He has chosen this man Abram to begin a new work with humanity. He will build him into a nation that will proclaim God's greatness to all the people of the world. Eventually through this people he will provide a Savior who will remove the separation of sin and crush the serpent's head. Until then, He has chosen to start with Abram. God is faithful even as Abram is unfaithful and over time He will shape Abram into the man that he needs to be.

Remember this week that we serve a God who stoops low to meet people where they are. He shows them grace. He lifts them out of their circumstances and by His grace He shapes them into men and women worthy to bear His name. If you aren't there yet be comforted by the truth of Philippians 1:6, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Psalm 95:7-8). He has stooped low for you. Humble yourself and submit your life to His faithful leadership.   

For further reading...

• Acts 7:11-36 & Exodus 12:33-36: Is Abram's trip to Egypt a foreshadowing of the Exodus? In both instances God’s people entered Egypt because of a famine, they were taken into Pharaoh’s service, Pharaoh was plagued because of them, and they were sent away laden with riches.
• Genesis 13:1-4: Abram goes back to a place he had been before where he had worshiped the Lord. Why does he return here now? Is this a physical representation of repentance from his sin?

The Call of God

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
 

So Abram left, as the LORD had told him...

Genesis 12:1-4

Here is the beginning of God's work to set aside a people for Himself through whom He will save mankind from their sin. He chooses one man. But He doesn't choose someone who is especially righteous (like Noah was) or someone who is especially regal (like Saul was). He chooses Abram. A man 75 years of age, who had no children, and who was apparently unremarkable in any significant way for the Bible mentions nothing remarkable about him. In fact, the only thing that makes him remarkable is that God calls him. Surely it is the same with us. Paul says "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." You may not be special in any significant way in the eyes of our world, but God has chosen to use ordinary people just like you.

God's call requires something of Abram though. He is told to leave his country, his people and his father's household. He is to set out on a journey for a land that God will show him along the way. In fact, it seems that God is asking rather quite a lot of Abram. This is true of God's call to us as Christians as well. Those He calls are expected to leave their old way of life behind. They are to put off sin and step out on faith beginning their journey with Him. Yet people then and now are willing to pay that price because of the great blessings that accompany God's call.

God promises Abram that he will be blessed if he obeys. In fact, Abram is told that he will be made into a great nation and that his name will be great. All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through Abram... if he obeys. Abram counted the cost and decided it was worth it. But there are far greater blessings for us today. Believers in Jesus Christ are promised not abundance on earth but abundance in heaven. Our name may not be great here, but it will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We may not be given a great inheritance of land here, but we will be made co-heirs with Christ of all that our Heavenly Father owns. All of creation is our inheritance.

If you hear the call of God on your life today, count the cost. You will find that what you are expected to give up is worth far less than what you will gain. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

For further reading:

• I Corinthians 1:26-31: Not many of you were rich.
• I Peter 1:13-25: Be holy.
• John 15:18-20 & John 17:14-16: You are not of this world.

Building Your Own Glory?

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:1-8

At first Genesis 11:6-7 sounds like everything is going great. Man is working together and God Himself says that “nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” Yet God sees it as a bad thing and decides to confuse their language. Why? The ESV Study Bible notes that "The Babel enterprise is all about human independence and self-sufficiency apart from God." Look at what the passage itself says their motivation was, "so that we may make a name for ourselves." Their desire was not for God's glory but for their own.

Babel was man’s first real attempt at idolatry. They were going to build a physical image to the glory of someone other than God (in this case themselves.) Though it is not clear that they intended to worship either the tower or themselves in the strict sense of the word, it seems doubtless (knowing the evil that is in man’s heart) that had the tower been built it would have eventually led to full blown idolatry of some kind.

So God is not against cooperation, unity or great things being achieved by man. But when men's hearts are unified against Him and when we choose to cooperate in sinning so that we can achieve even greater sin, then our righteous and loving God intervenes. He intervenes in righteousness because no one deserves praise other than Himself and He intervenes in love to prevent us from bringing harsher judgment upon ourselves.

So what about you? Are you spending tireless hours working for your own glory? Are you allowing other people to lead you into even greater sin? Has something crept into your life and stolen your focus from your Lord? If so repent and remind yourself that the greatest pursuit of this life is to be spent for the glory of God. The Lord is our strong tower and He alone is worthy of our praise!

For further reading...

• Psalm 61:3 and Proverbs 18:10: The Lord is our strong tower.
• Psalm 2: They wanted to be enthroned in the heavens like the Lord (Psalm 2:4), but like so many after them who have plotted to take the Lord's place our God laughed at them. 
• Matthew 6:19-24: You can't serve two masters.