http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2012%20-%2015&version=NIV
“ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. “ Genesis 15:6
Chapters 12 through 15 in the book of Genesis begin to detail God’s work not through individuals, but through a people that He would make for Himself. That being the nation of Israel. However, we can already see the genesis, if you will, of the Gospel being world wide and being available to all that God has chosen in every race and nation.
In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abram of His covenant he is making with him. It is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. In this covenant, God promises Abram land, seed, and blessing. In this covenant the Gospel is beginning to be displayed as Paul writes :
“The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. “ Galatians 3:8-9
So, even at the beginning of the Bible the Gospel can be seen. You may say, but Jesus has not come yet? How were they saved in the Old Testament?
Genesis 15:6 tells us how: “ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. “
The Old Testament saints were saved the same way we were saved. By placing their faith in the Messiah. They looked forward to the Messiah and what He would do for them, whereas we look back and see what He did for us.
This righteousness we have in Christ is so very important. Paul writes in Romans 4:3-5
“3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
At the fall Adam’s sins were imputed or reckoned to us, Jesus came and our sins were imputed to Him, and because of the work Jesus did on the cross for us, His righteousness was imputed to us.
Genesis chapter 15 is such an important chapter of the Bible. Today, read Romans 4 and Genesis 15 to see how they relate.
And give thanks that:
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
This post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 15: Job 40-42
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2040-42&version=NIV
We often wonder why there is evil and suffering in the world. In some instances, God is using suffering to strengthen our faith. In other instances, our suffering may be the result of sin in our life. And in other instances, we really don’t have a clue as to why certain things are happening to us, save for the fallen nature of humankind and thus we still to this day continue to feel the after affects of the fall.
In the case of Job, God asks "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!" (Job 40:2)
It is ok to question things about God, i.e. His plans for creation and your life, how things have come about and where they are headed, what is the role of the Holy Spirit, etc... These are examples of the types of questions we should ask God. Through prayer, the study of His Word, and Godly counsel, the Lord may reveal the answers to our questions.
Yet, we should not question the intentions of God, as Job has done. We all have done this in certain times of our lives. When we do this we are placing ourselves as being equivalent with God in terms of knowledge.
If we do question God in an unbiblical manner, we should do as Job did: (Job 42:1-6)
1 Then Job replied to the LORD : 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.' 5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
We must understand that God’s ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Even though we may not understand what God is doing or why, we must trust that He is sovereign and in control.
A verse that has helped me with this has been Deuteronomy 29:29. It is one you should consider to memorize.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our sons, so that we may obey all the words of the law.”
So even though we have God’s Word, we will never know it exhaustively. Additionally, God’s Word is the revelation He deemed necessary for us to have a salvific experience with Him.
When we get to Heaven, there will be much more for us to learn outside of God’s Word about Him as well as in God’s Word. But for now, God’s Word is the revelation that we must go by when we study and approach God.
So I ask, do you have any areas in your life in which you are questioning the intentions of God? If you do, ask the Lord to grant you repentance in these areas, and to place your full faith and trust in Him and His Word.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Today's blog is submitted by Russ Shellhamer
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Day 14: Job 38-39
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2038-39&version=NIV
Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
We are curious by nature and we like to know who, what, when, where, how and why. But there are some things that we just won’t ever understand. We are often without knowledge. We don’t know how God laid the foundation of the earth. We don’t know how he summons morning or why the stars are hung as they are. We can’t comprehend the expanse of the earth. Only God knows all of these things. God is reminding Job that there is much hidden from him in creation and in purpose.
Like Job, we also spend a lot of time trying to figure out God when we don’t have all the information we need. But often we take it too far. We spend so much time trying to figure God out that we become stuck. We begin to wonder - what if God is trying to teach me something? What if I’m missing something? We get stuck in the what ifs and the whys and forget to focus on the Who.
Yes, we should spend quiet time with God, asking him for wisdom and revelation, but we can’t get stuck in our need to know. We can’t stress out wondering if we’re missing something, analyzing everything under a microscope until we are beyond frustration. We have to remember how big our God is. Trust me, if there is a lesson that God wants you to learn, he will make it clear to you. If you miss it the first time, he will show you again. He has that ability…he created you after all. He knows the number of hairs on your head and the words you will speak before you even think them. He also knows how to make you understand when you need to understand. We have to stop trying to figure out what God is doing and start focusing more on getting to know Him and building a relationship with Him - a relationship where we talk with God in prayer and listen to Him in meditation and learn about Him in His Word and serve Him in our actions and worship Him in our hearts. If we do those things, we will know what we need to know.
A good friend of mine recently said “I will never understand why God does what He does in my life”. She is so right – it’s something she’s known for a long time. It is something she has learned to accept. There is much that is hidden from us in life. There is much we will never understand. But the question is - will you put your trust in Him anyway? Can you trust a God who you will never fully understand? Can you trust that he works for the good of those who love him and just let that be enough?
Today’s blog is submitted by Kelly Coxe
Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
We are curious by nature and we like to know who, what, when, where, how and why. But there are some things that we just won’t ever understand. We are often without knowledge. We don’t know how God laid the foundation of the earth. We don’t know how he summons morning or why the stars are hung as they are. We can’t comprehend the expanse of the earth. Only God knows all of these things. God is reminding Job that there is much hidden from him in creation and in purpose.
Like Job, we also spend a lot of time trying to figure out God when we don’t have all the information we need. But often we take it too far. We spend so much time trying to figure God out that we become stuck. We begin to wonder - what if God is trying to teach me something? What if I’m missing something? We get stuck in the what ifs and the whys and forget to focus on the Who.
Yes, we should spend quiet time with God, asking him for wisdom and revelation, but we can’t get stuck in our need to know. We can’t stress out wondering if we’re missing something, analyzing everything under a microscope until we are beyond frustration. We have to remember how big our God is. Trust me, if there is a lesson that God wants you to learn, he will make it clear to you. If you miss it the first time, he will show you again. He has that ability…he created you after all. He knows the number of hairs on your head and the words you will speak before you even think them. He also knows how to make you understand when you need to understand. We have to stop trying to figure out what God is doing and start focusing more on getting to know Him and building a relationship with Him - a relationship where we talk with God in prayer and listen to Him in meditation and learn about Him in His Word and serve Him in our actions and worship Him in our hearts. If we do those things, we will know what we need to know.
A good friend of mine recently said “I will never understand why God does what He does in my life”. She is so right – it’s something she’s known for a long time. It is something she has learned to accept. There is much that is hidden from us in life. There is much we will never understand. But the question is - will you put your trust in Him anyway? Can you trust a God who you will never fully understand? Can you trust that he works for the good of those who love him and just let that be enough?
Today’s blog is submitted by Kelly Coxe
Day 13: Job 35-37
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2035-37&version=NIV
Job 37:13 - 14 - Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen. Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders.
In the first verse, Elihu gives us an answer the question, “Why?” There are three reasons he gives for the storms in our lives. At times he sends a storm for correction – a consequence to correct a behavior or to open our eyes to sin. It might be a way to correct our path – to get us back on the path of our purpose. The second reason he gives for sending a storm is his land. Some things occur for the greater good of our earth. A storm isn’t always just about one person. Sometimes it’s about a people. It makes me think about how after hurricane Ike, so many people got reconnected with their community. You heard story after story of neighbor helping neighbor. Normally you might be a little afraid if you saw someone walking around your neighborhood with a chainsaw, but after hurricane Ike, they were a welcomed sight. You’d see people just walking around going from yard to yard to do what Jesus called us to do…love our neighbor. I don’t know why God allowed hurricane Ike, but I do know that I saw a lot of love come out of that tragedy. The third reason Elihu gives for sending a storm is love. It might be a way to protect us from ourselves or from others. It might be a way to grow our faith or to cause us to seek Him. What Elihu wants to remind Job of is that God has his reasons and he is not our enemy.
The second verse Elihu asks Job to stop and consider. Stop complaining and focusing on yourself and consider the wonders of God. This is something that we tend to forget when we are in the midst of our suffering. We so blinded by our suffering that we focus on the whys – the why me’s and the why now’s - instead of focusing on God’s wonders. The thing is, God is in control of the storms of our lives. When the hurricanes and floods hit, we often fall into that trap where we get so focused on the storm that we end up missing the rainbow. What God wants us to do is to trust Him and it helps to build our trust if we consider his work and his wonders.
Here’s a list from Francis Chan’s book “Crazy Love” that shows a few of God’s wonders:
Next time you’re in a midst of a storm, remember that God is justified in His reason even if we don’t what that reason is. Stop and consider the cross and rest in the comfort of his precious, eternal love.
Today’s post is submitted by Kelly Coxe
Job 37:13 - 14 - Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen. Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders.
In the first verse, Elihu gives us an answer the question, “Why?” There are three reasons he gives for the storms in our lives. At times he sends a storm for correction – a consequence to correct a behavior or to open our eyes to sin. It might be a way to correct our path – to get us back on the path of our purpose. The second reason he gives for sending a storm is his land. Some things occur for the greater good of our earth. A storm isn’t always just about one person. Sometimes it’s about a people. It makes me think about how after hurricane Ike, so many people got reconnected with their community. You heard story after story of neighbor helping neighbor. Normally you might be a little afraid if you saw someone walking around your neighborhood with a chainsaw, but after hurricane Ike, they were a welcomed sight. You’d see people just walking around going from yard to yard to do what Jesus called us to do…love our neighbor. I don’t know why God allowed hurricane Ike, but I do know that I saw a lot of love come out of that tragedy. The third reason Elihu gives for sending a storm is love. It might be a way to protect us from ourselves or from others. It might be a way to grow our faith or to cause us to seek Him. What Elihu wants to remind Job of is that God has his reasons and he is not our enemy.
The second verse Elihu asks Job to stop and consider. Stop complaining and focusing on yourself and consider the wonders of God. This is something that we tend to forget when we are in the midst of our suffering. We so blinded by our suffering that we focus on the whys – the why me’s and the why now’s - instead of focusing on God’s wonders. The thing is, God is in control of the storms of our lives. When the hurricanes and floods hit, we often fall into that trap where we get so focused on the storm that we end up missing the rainbow. What God wants us to do is to trust Him and it helps to build our trust if we consider his work and his wonders.
Here’s a list from Francis Chan’s book “Crazy Love” that shows a few of God’s wonders:
- A caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head
- The average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it
- Your heart generates enough blood to squirt up to 30 feet
- 3000 species of trees in 1 square mile in the Amazon
- He created hundreds of types of bananas
- Spiders create 60 feet of silk in one hour
- God created more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies
Next time you’re in a midst of a storm, remember that God is justified in His reason even if we don’t what that reason is. Stop and consider the cross and rest in the comfort of his precious, eternal love.
Today’s post is submitted by Kelly Coxe
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 12: Job 32-34
Job 33:13 “Why do you complain against Him that He does not give an account of all His doings.”
I’m guilty – often this has been my compliant. You might even be complaining right now as you read the book of Job. It’s repetitive and wordy as was the Hebrew style of the day and maybe you’re just ready for God to step in and clear everything up.
Funny thing is, I’ve been complaining for a couple of hours now because I haven’t been able to decide what to write about tonight. I’d start out in one direction and do a little research only to hit a roadblock. So I tried another path only to hit yet another dead end. I sat her at my computer for a couple of hours reading study notes and commentary and nothing spoke to me. I was getting more and more tired and cranky and I cried out more than once, “Why doesn’t He reveal to me what I should write about?”
Finally I had to clear my head. I got up, dropped to my knees and prayed again for revelation. When I went back to the text, Job 33:13 is the verse that jumped out at me – I guess God just wanted me to experience a little of it.
So often when we get stuck in our suffering all we want to do is complain. We want to know why we are traveling down a particular road…a road that seems to go no where. We want to know why and we want to know now. During these times of impatient suffering, we have to cling to four things:
- Revelation will come at its appointed time. We must wait for it. (Habakkuk 2:3)
- Testing of our faith only makes it stronger. (James 1:2)
- God’s knowledge & judgments are unsearchable and unfathomable. (Romans 11:33)
- He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deut 31:6)
If you’re wondering why God hasn’t answered Job yet, don’t worry – we’re getting there. He hasn’t deserted Job and he won’t desert you!
Habakkuk 2:3 “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Romans 11:33 – “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Today's blog submitted by Kelly Coxe
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 11: Job 29-31
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2029-31&version=NIV
Job 31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”
I touched on this topic yesterday, but today, Job 31:1 is jumping out at me (that’s what I get for not studying ahead). Job made a covenant with his eyes to avoid lust – he is affirming his sexual purity. He recalled a contract that he made with himself to avoid sexual lust. In Hebrew, a covenant refers to a contract accompanied by signs, sacrifice, and a solemn oath. It’s a serious contract. It often includes blessings and curses and Job was so sure of his adherence to this contract that he was even willing to offer up his wife as a concubine to his neighbor if he had broken it. He is so confident that he was willing to take the curses that go along with the breaking of his covenant if he had in fact broken it. He knew in his heart that he had held to his contract and he wanted his day in court.
I want to focus on that covenant that Job made. Why did he need to make a covenant with his eyes? Matthew 5:28 says “Whoever looks upon a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery in his heart.” Lust begins with the eyes and is the gateway of immorality. To God it’s no different than adultery. You have already done it. For us singles – lust is the same as sex outside of the covenant of marriage.
The Bible commands us to flee from sexual immorality, (1 Corinthians 6:18), but with computers, TV, movies, advertising, dress styles, etc., pretty much in today’s world, that means you’d have to stick your head in the sand. The world we live in is full of temptations that plant seeds of lust in our hearts. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says “At the moment lust takes hold, God loses all reality”. Lust sets in and we forget about the reality that we are Christian and that the Holy Spirit in living inside of us. We lose the reality of who He is and who we are in Him. We forget that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We forget that we are filled with the Holy Spirit and instead try to fill our voids with something else. This is why Job felt he needed to make a covenant with his eyes. Lust begins with the eyes and lust makes us forget the reality of God.
Have you made a covenant with yourself to remain pure? Make sure you include God in that covenant - remember yesterday’s verse – Romans 3:22, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”. We cannot overcome sin of our own will power or stubbornness. God arms us with strength and makes our way perfect (Psalms 18:32).
Job 31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”
I touched on this topic yesterday, but today, Job 31:1 is jumping out at me (that’s what I get for not studying ahead). Job made a covenant with his eyes to avoid lust – he is affirming his sexual purity. He recalled a contract that he made with himself to avoid sexual lust. In Hebrew, a covenant refers to a contract accompanied by signs, sacrifice, and a solemn oath. It’s a serious contract. It often includes blessings and curses and Job was so sure of his adherence to this contract that he was even willing to offer up his wife as a concubine to his neighbor if he had broken it. He is so confident that he was willing to take the curses that go along with the breaking of his covenant if he had in fact broken it. He knew in his heart that he had held to his contract and he wanted his day in court.
I want to focus on that covenant that Job made. Why did he need to make a covenant with his eyes? Matthew 5:28 says “Whoever looks upon a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery in his heart.” Lust begins with the eyes and is the gateway of immorality. To God it’s no different than adultery. You have already done it. For us singles – lust is the same as sex outside of the covenant of marriage.
The Bible commands us to flee from sexual immorality, (1 Corinthians 6:18), but with computers, TV, movies, advertising, dress styles, etc., pretty much in today’s world, that means you’d have to stick your head in the sand. The world we live in is full of temptations that plant seeds of lust in our hearts. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says “At the moment lust takes hold, God loses all reality”. Lust sets in and we forget about the reality that we are Christian and that the Holy Spirit in living inside of us. We lose the reality of who He is and who we are in Him. We forget that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We forget that we are filled with the Holy Spirit and instead try to fill our voids with something else. This is why Job felt he needed to make a covenant with his eyes. Lust begins with the eyes and lust makes us forget the reality of God.
Have you made a covenant with yourself to remain pure? Make sure you include God in that covenant - remember yesterday’s verse – Romans 3:22, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe”. We cannot overcome sin of our own will power or stubbornness. God arms us with strength and makes our way perfect (Psalms 18:32).
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Day 10: Job 24-28
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=job%2024-28&version=NIV
Job 27: 6: "I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live."
In order to live a righteous life, you have to be intentional. It is the first step in living a righteous life. Because of our sin nature, living a Christ centered life doesn’t come naturally. Job, however, has made up his mind to maintain his righteousness and his conscience is clear. He would not curse God as his wife suggested earlier. Remember that was Satan’s original goal was…that Job would curse God.
Are you intentional in your pursuit of righteousness? What needs to change in your life so that you can turn away from sin? There are many ways to guard yourself against temptation including setting boundaries and putting in place safeguards in your dating life, seeking out an accountability partner, setting up controls and filters on the computer or television and avoiding environments where you are likely to sin. Most importantly, you must make room in your daily prayer time to talk with God about these areas and pray for his guidance, wisdom and strength in these matters. Here are two other verses to consider are:
Romans 3:22-24: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
At salvation you received the righteousness of Christ and a resulting passion for righteous living. It’s there for you to tap into! Share your intentions with God in prayer and ask Him to reveal to you your path of righteousness! Have faith that He will lead you and that He will redeem you when you fall. Carve out that quiet time to feed your faith with God’s Word and prayer. Seek the Lord and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)! He will satisfy!
Today's blog submitted by Kelly Coxe
Job 27: 6: "I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live."
In order to live a righteous life, you have to be intentional. It is the first step in living a righteous life. Because of our sin nature, living a Christ centered life doesn’t come naturally. Job, however, has made up his mind to maintain his righteousness and his conscience is clear. He would not curse God as his wife suggested earlier. Remember that was Satan’s original goal was…that Job would curse God.
Are you intentional in your pursuit of righteousness? What needs to change in your life so that you can turn away from sin? There are many ways to guard yourself against temptation including setting boundaries and putting in place safeguards in your dating life, seeking out an accountability partner, setting up controls and filters on the computer or television and avoiding environments where you are likely to sin. Most importantly, you must make room in your daily prayer time to talk with God about these areas and pray for his guidance, wisdom and strength in these matters. Here are two other verses to consider are:
Romans 3:22-24: “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
At salvation you received the righteousness of Christ and a resulting passion for righteous living. It’s there for you to tap into! Share your intentions with God in prayer and ask Him to reveal to you your path of righteousness! Have faith that He will lead you and that He will redeem you when you fall. Carve out that quiet time to feed your faith with God’s Word and prayer. Seek the Lord and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)! He will satisfy!
Today's blog submitted by Kelly Coxe
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