Bible Verses

Book 1 The Book Of Genesis

Who wrote the book of Genesis: Moses

When was it written: Between 1446 and 1406 B.C.

Why Was It Written:

• To give us the history of how the universe was created
• To tell us how sin came into existence
• To give us the account of the flood and why God chose to ‘start over’
• To give us the history of the beginning of the Israelite (Jewish) nation— God’s chosen people

Key Events In Genesis:

• The creation of the universe
• The creation of man (Adam and Eve)
• Eve tempted by Satan
• Adam and Eve sin and are removed from the Garden of Eden
• The first murder
• God’s broken-heartedness over the sinfulness of mankind
• The building of the ark by Noah and the flood
• God scatters the people over the earth
• God calls Abraham to be the father of the Israelite nation
• The account of Isaac
• Isaac’s sons, Jacob and Esau
• Jacob becomes the father of the 12 tribes of Israel
• The account of Joseph and why the tribes of Israel ended up in Egypt

The Creation Of The Universe

In the first chapter of Genesis, we are given a day-by-day account of how God created the universe. From speaking light into existence on day one to the creation of all the wild animals, livestock, and creatures that move along the ground on day six, God created it all.

It is interesting to note the distinctions God makes between the different kinds of animals he creates—wild, livestock, and creatures that move along the ground. These distinctions are made in this text and again when God instructs Noah as to what he is to take onto the ark with him.

The fact that God takes the time to categorize the animals like this should tell us that he has specific intentions and purposes for them—specific intentions and purposes he wants us to be aware and respectful of.

The fact that he differentiated between wild animals and livestock is interesting—especially because at this point in time humans were vegetarians. That’s right

God knew he would change our diet to include meat, so why wait? Was it to give the animal population time to expand and grow? Who knows… except God, of course.

In much the same way as he puts humans on a higher level of importance than animals, God feels some animals are more acceptable or important to others. Cattle and sheep, for example, are acceptable sacrifices later on when he establishes the Law of Moses whereas pigs are always considered unclean and animals like bears and fish were never considered ‘sacrifice worthy’.

As you look at the events of creation; knowing what we now know about things like the water cycle, the food chain, the lunar cycle, etc., how can anyone doubt the all-knowing, holy nature of God and his perfect, infallible ability to create everything to be just as it should be!

The Creation Of Man (Adam And Eve)

Day six was a big day for God. He not only created all the animals, but he created Adam and then Eve, too.

Eve Tempted By Satan And Adam And Eve Sin And Are Removed From The Garden Of Eden

Genesis brings all the wonder and beauty of God’s perfect world to a screeching halt when the serpent, which God had created, was invaded by Satan. Satan then tempts Eve to disobey God and sin enters the world forever.

For believers and unbelievers alike, the presence of Satan brings up the following questions:

Where did Satan come from in the first place?

To understand the answers to these questions it is important that you remember that God didn’t give us the full and complete story in Genesis. He gave us the abridged chronological account; filling in more details as he saw fit throughout the rest of the Bible.

God, Jesus, and the angels existed in the heavens prior to the creation of the earth. Satan was one of those angels. His name is given to us as Lucifer. Lucifer, however, decided he wanted to be God’s equal—or greater.

So to sum all of this up, Satan was an angel with authority who decided to over-exert his authority by trying to make himself equal to or greater than God. He failed and was cast out of heaven; being sent to earth to exert his power here.

Why did God put the tree in the garden if he didn’t want Adam and Eve to bother it?

When God created Adam he took him to the garden and told him he could have anything he wanted that was there except the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden.

He told Adam that if he ate from the tree he would surely die. It is doubtful that God meant Adam would die immediately, but rather that it would make the human body temporary—less in the image of God and Jesus.

But as for why he put it there in the first place, the answer is relatively simple: God needed and wanted Adam to choose to honor God through his obedience. He wanted to know that Adam could be counted on to make responsible decisions about the earth he (God) had just put Adam in charge of. Unfortunately, Adam didn’t ace the test.

Eve wasn’t there at the time. God didn’t create Eve until after he had instructed Adam not to bother the tree. So does this mean Eve is less at fault? No, she knew. In fact, she went one further and told Satan they couldn’t even touch the tree. But again, it’s all about making responsible choices—choosing God over anything else.

If God didn’t want sin, then why did he let Satan into the garden?

Great question, right? If God didn’t want Satan in heaven and if he wanted man to praise him, then why allow the option for sin? The answer to this question (or questions) isn’t all that complex, but it does require you to look at the Bible as a whole rather than picking it apart piece by piece, account by account. Are you ready?

God knew Adam and Eve would sin. His all-knowing nature didn’t allow him not to. But he had to let them choose. He had to let them choose so that Satan would know just how limited his powers were.

While Adam and Eve’s sin definitely caused a chasm between man and God, it did not keep them from God. God’s willingness and ability to bring healing, forgiveness, and restoration makes Satan the loser. And that is what Jesus’ death and the final judgment are all about—defeating Satan.

So you see, God allows Satan to exert his powers here on earth so that

Our love, faith, and obedience to God is sincere rather than orchestrated by him and

Satan will never accomplish what he hopes to accomplish—to be greater than God.

The First Murder

Adam and Eve obey God’s command to reproduce several times over. Their oldest two sons, Cain and Abel are grown men making their own living in chapter four of Genesis when the trouble breaks out.

Cain is jealous of Abel’s sacrifice to God. He is jealous because God is more pleased with Abel’s gift. Jealousy leads to resentment. Resentment leads to anger and hatred. Hatred then leads to murder.

Sin, when left unattended, quickly gets out of control.

God’s Broken-Heartedness Over The Sinfulness Of Mankind, The Building Of The Ark By Noah, And The Flood

Adam and Eve had several other children in addition to Cain and Abel. One of those children was a son named Seth. From Seth’s lineage was born Methuselah, the oldest man to ever live. And nine generations later Noah was born to Methuselah’s son, Lamech.

We often make the mistake of thinking that these people lived one after the other. We don’t really take into consideration that like most of us, Seth’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren knew their grandparents.

But they did. In fact, when you do the math, you will discover that Methuselah died shortly after Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth at the age of 500.

This Means:

• Noah knew his father and grandfather well
• Neither Lamech nor Methuselah had been dead very long before the flood, which began when Noah was 600 years old

Apparently, however, Lamech and his wife didn’t do such a great job with all their kids because only Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Only Noah was worth saving. But God needed a way to repopulate the earth, so along with Noah and Mrs. Noah, God saved their three sons (the only children they had before or after the flood)—Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The account of the flood is preceded by telling us that God’s heart was broken —filled with great pain over the depravity of the very ones he had created. They had allowed sin to rule their lives. And so simply put, he starts over.

It is important to note, however, that starting over didn’t erase sin. Noah and his family weren’t perfect or sinless. But he was faithful and obedient—just like God calls us all to be.

Following the flood God instructs Noah’s sons and their wives to repopulate the earth. This is something that took place over time. God didn’t whoosh more people into existence to help things along, as some believe.

These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.” (NIV)

The Lineage Of Noah’s Sons

Chapter ten of the book of Genesis gives us a listing or table of nations. In reading through the list you can see the names of the people groups who later stand in opposition to Israel and those from whom the nation of Israel comes.

For example, the sinful people of Nineveh, who Jonah was sent to minister to, come from Ham’s son, Cush. The Babylonians are also descended from him, as are the Canaanites and those who perished in Sodom and Gomorrah.

On the other hand, Shem’s son, Arphaxad had a son who had a son who had a son…. Nine generations after Arphaxad was born, Abram, who later was renamed Abraham, was born to Terah.

God Scatters The People Over The Earth

Just like Satan had aspirations of being God’s equal, the people on earth decided they might possibly do the same.

Did they zap them here and there? Possibly, but it is more reasonable to assume that each group of people that spoke and understood each language naturally congregated together and went off to form their own society. It is equally reasonable to assume that they were blessed with God’s divine guidance, protection, and provision to get where they were going.

God Calls Abraham To Be The Father Of The Israelite Nation And The Account Of Isaac

Prior to God calling Abram to be the beginning—the father—of the Israelite nation, we have no insight into whether or not Abram had a relationship with God. We assume he did because of his willingness to blindly obey—to leave his aging father, the only home he’d ever known, and everything else that was familiar to him. But we don’t know for sure.

The story of Abram/Abraham’s travels and the events leading up to the birth of Isaac, the son God promised Abraham and his wife Sarah in their very old age, is filled with unusual incidents and experiences.

Among these experiences is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their horrendous behavior. Rape, homosexuality, greed, lust, and disrespect for life in general… are among the things God finds despicable and issued a death sentence for.

One of the two most relevant experiences to us today, though, is the birth of Ishmael, who is Abraham’s son born to him by his wife’s maid, Hagar.

Here is the story in a nutshell…

Sarah’s lack of faith that God could give her a child in her old age led her to convince Abraham to sleep with her maid, Hagar, in hopes of giving him a son. And Abraham said yes—definitely a moment of weakness in his faith.

Hagar got pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy she named Ishmael. Abraham naturally loved the child because it was his, but Sarah was miserable. Even before the baby was born Hagar started goading Sarah over the fact that she was able to give Abraham something Sarah couldn’t.

Time passed and when God was ready, he did indeed allow Sarah to conceive and give Abraham the son they always wanted even though she was nearly 100 years old!

When Isaac was weaned, they had a celebration feast. Hagar and Ishmael were there, but it was during the feast that Sarah decided enough was enough. The two had to go. God assured Abraham it was okay to send them away. Ishmael and his descendants are the people we know as Egyptians and Assyrians, Iraqis, Iranians, and other Middle East nationalities.

The other highly relevant event in Abraham’s life is an expression of extreme faith on Abraham’s part that cemented his place as the father of all Israel. Again, in a nutshell…

God told Abraham to take his young son, Isaac, up on a mountain and sacrifice him. So off he and Isaac went.

You would think Abraham’s heart had to be pounding out of his chest with dread and grief because of what God had told him to do, but it wasn’t—or at least it doesn’t appear to be. When Isaac asks where the sacrifice is, Abraham tells the boy not to worry—that God will provide it for them in due time.

When they arrive at their destination and get everything ready, there is still no lamb, so Abraham binds Isaac to the altar and is just about ready to kill him when God speaks to Abraham.

He tells Abraham not to harm Isaac—that he (God) now knows there is nothing Abraham wouldn’t do for him. And then God miraculously provides father and son with the lamb Abraham knew in his heart would be there.

Wow! That’s faith like none other! It is also the ultimate example of how God withheld nothing from us—not even his only son, Jesus.

In today’s society, we would be confident that Isaac would be in need of some serious counseling or therapy, but all evidence points to the contrary. Later on in scripture, we see that Isaac had nothing but love and respect for his father.

Isaac’s Sons, Jacob, And Esau

Ever the obedient son, Isaac goes back to the place of his parents’ upbringing so he can marry someone from their own people. He marries Rebekah—his cousin. Their marriage is filled with lies and deceptions of the worst kind.

Rebekah has an extreme case of ‘playing favorites’ between her twin sons, Jacob and Esau—to the point of convincing Jacob to carry out a plot to deceive Isaac who is old and sick, into giving him the birthright that rightfully belongs to Esau.

God had told Rebekah prior to giving birth that Jacob would indeed be the one in charge, but Rebekah wasn’t willing to trust God to keep his word. She took matters into her own hands. Her actions are something we are still paying for today.

Because of Rebekah’s mishandling of the situation, Esau became a rebellious malcontent. He married the daughters of Ishmael, therefore contributing to the issue of contention between Christians and the Islamic people groups of the Middle East.

Jacob Becomes The Father Of The 12 Tribes Of Israel

Rebekah took matters into her own hands and tried to do God’s work for him, but God is bigger than all the deceit and manipulation in the world. God knew before Jacob and Esau were even conceived that it was Jacob he wanted as the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.

So no matter who or what tried to rearrange or reinvent God’s plan, God’s ultimate plan won out. It always does. It always will.

Jacob also returns to his roots—his mother’s family—to find a bride. He falls madly in love with Rachel, but because deception runs in the family, Jacob’s uncle Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Rachel’s older and matronly sister, Leah.

Multiple wives are not forbidden in God’s eyes at this time (why, we will never understand), so a week after marrying Leah, Jacob gets to marry Rachel. In a desperate attempt to try to win Jacob’s love, Leah is bent on giving Jacob as many sons as possible.

She even gives Jacob her maid as another source of baby-making. Rachel, who has Jacob’s complete love and devotion, on the other hand, is barren. But her love for her husband drives her to give her maid to Jacob, too.

In the end, the twelve tribes of Israel come from Leah, her maid, Rachel’s maid, and even Rachel. God blessed Jacob and Rachel’s love by blessing them with two sons—Joseph and Benjamin. Sadly, however, she died giving birth to Benjamin, the last of Jacob’s twelve sons.

You would think that after seeing what favoritism does to a family, Jacob would have done anything and everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen to his family. But no—Joseph and Benjamin are clearly Jacob’s favorite sons…especially Joseph.

The Account Of Joseph And Why The Tribes Of Israel End Up In Egypt

The last thirteen chapters of Genesis provide for us with one of the most beautiful and amazing life stories in the Bible. It is the story of Joseph.

The account of Joseph’s life allows us to see Joseph grow from an overly- confident teenager to a slave in a strange and distant land, to a young man in authority, to a wrongly convicted prisoner, to the ruler of all of Egypt. He was, in all reality, one of the most important and influential people in the world.

His sphere of influence allowed him to save his father, brothers, and their families from starvation because of a major drought and famine in that area of the world. Through a series of events that is both intriguing and heart-wrenching, Joseph is reunited with his father and brothers.

The reunion between Joseph and his brothers was the second-most emotional event recorded in the Bible—the first being the death of Jesus on our behalf. More than the emotion it evokes, however, is the messages God sends to us through the life of Joseph.

The Messages Are This:

As long as there is breath in our lungs there is hope for forgiveness and restoration between us and God.

God’s methods and means of accomplishing his plan won’t always make sense to us, but if we have faith, we will always realize the blessings that come from trusting him.

God will make something beautiful out of the worst situation if we let him.

Joseph’s arrival in Egypt wasn’t an accident or even just the result of his older brothers’ hateful actions. Joseph’s arrival in Egypt was God’s plan for him— as was Joseph’s rise to power. For without Joseph’s rise to power, the rest of the family, which was the nation of Israel to that point, would never have settled there.

And settling there was God’s plan for them long before it even happened.

God told Abraham that before that took place they would be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years, but that when their period of enslavement ended, they would become a people of wealth and would return to the Promised Land—the land in which Abraham was living. And that is exactly what happened.

The reasons God chose to enslave the Israelites are not really revealed. Humility? So they would truly understand the difference between wealth and poverty? So they would be more aware of God’s miraculous provision? Why doesn’t really matter, though? Not when living by faith.

Key Verses In Genesis

Every book of the Bible provides us with words of wisdom, instruction, comfort, encouragement, admonishment, warning, promise, and hope. Let’s look at some of what the Book of Genesis has to offer.

“Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” –Genesis 6:3

“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” -Genesis 2:18

“So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” –Genesis 2:21-22

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” –Genesis 2:24

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with ourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” -Genesis 45:4-5

“Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward, his brothers talked with him.” -Genesis 45:14-15

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the three of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” -Genesis 2:15-17

“To Adam, he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it/ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil, you will eat of it all the days of your life.” -Genesis 3:17

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” -Genesis 6:18

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” -Genesis 8:1

“The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” –Genesis 8:21-22

“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth….I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:11 and 13

“Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate ” -Genesis 3:13

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain ” -Genesis 6:5-6

Bible Verses Don’t Give Up Introduction

Life is too difficult to handle. A lot of struggles, sacrifices, and failed dreams that sometimes tend us to feel like giving up.

But be reminded that God loves you and wants you to live life to the fullest. God is good.

He will not harm you. He will do the best he can for you to be better. You are in good hands.

If you are struggling in life, don’t give up there are better things yet to come.

There are many things that demand your time and attention such as work, family, and friends but left behind those unhealthy jobs, friends, and habits. Fight for good. Do good. Fight for you and be you.

Use this bible verse about not giving up to find strength in God. Keep fighting and don’t give up!

Our life is like a race, we may encounter hurdles, obstacles, and other things that might stop our race but always remember that all races have a finish line.

We may not get the prize but the finish line is always there.

Our problem has an end and without giving up it will lead us to the finish line which means we can achieve our goal by not giving up the race in life.

God will help you, He is always there. Be courageous because He is always with you.

He is just like your biological father if you tripped, your father will give you his right hand for you to stand.

In other words, God will help you by giving you His right hand to make you stand so that you can continue your race.

God has a lot of plans for you. Maybe not now but in the future. Just keep on going. So giving up should not be on your list.

A lot of promises broke you but in God’s words, you must trust. So trust the process. Continue your life.

If you encounter problems, trust God that He will not let you be drawn to your problems.

He will give the solutions, maybe not in a miraculous way but He will use other people to uplift you and help you with your problems.

Trust In God Instead Of Man

Has God ever failed you? Has a man ever failed you? I believe the answer to the first question is “No” while the response to the second one is “Yes” for everyone.

We can use our experiences to conclude that it is far better to trust in God than in man. The Bible also supports this conclusion.

Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; (Micah 7:8).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! (Psalm 40:4).

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green.

Grief

Although we know that life culminates in death, the passing of a loved one is oftentimes received with pain and sorrow. There are regrets about missed opportunities and sadness regarding special moments that will not occur again in this life.

Still yet, there is a void that cannot be filled by another human being. Jesus understands our loss and wants us to mourn adequately, cherish the memories, and enjoy our lives.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

Peace I leave with you; the peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27).

There is a time to weep, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Joy

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

Our lives are not perfect, but God has been good to us and there are many things for which to be grateful, such as food, friends, family, and being a child of the King.

Therefore, we thank Him for His many blessings, and with our hearts filled with praise, we worship His holy name.

When we develop a habit of gratitude, we shift our focus from life’s problems to God’s blessings and opportunities for personal and professional development.

The change of focus releases the joy of the Lord which empowers us to achieve our goals. Furthermore, you will obtain greater satisfaction from completing tasks when you are joyful.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren.

Even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

A Light In The Dark

For little children, darkness can bring about feelings of anxiety and fear. Darkness can harm adults, too, making us lose our way and exposing us to danger.

I know hikers who have been forced to sleep out in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains after the sun quickly set and darkness engulfed any signs of a trail.

Those hardy souls who are adventurous enough to brave Alaska’s frigid winters encounter more than their share of darkness.

The sun doesn’t shine for days at a time, leaving hikers unusually vulnerable and bringing disorder to those huddled safely inside who are desperately trying to figure out if it is morning or evening.

Closer to home, even a brief power outage can turn a familiar room into a potential disaster area full of obstacles that seem to lurch out at your shins or your head.

And who among us hasn’t experienced the momentary frights that can occur when we are awoken by an unusual noise in the hallway during a pitch-black night?

A missionary I know once told me about a South American tribe whose members traveled only at night.

In order to keep from losing their way or falling off of one of their region’s many cliffs, the men and women of this tribe lit tiny candles that they carried on strings.

The candles provided enough illumination for only the next step or two, but that was enough.

Our lives often seem like pilgrimages on rough trails winding through dark and dangerous lands. But God’s Word is like a candle that clarifies our path and shows us the way to go.

There are many books in the world, but only one stands supreme. The Bible is God’s matchless revelation to us.

Since the invention of the printing press more than five centuries ago, the Bible has been the world’s best-selling book.

For millennia people copied its contents onto papyrus, parchment, and paper so they could share its wise words with others. Scholars and missionaries have translated its message into hundreds of languages.

Brave souls have risked their lives to spread its message or even gone to their deaths rather than deny its teachings.

Why have so many people made such a fuss about this one book for such a long, long time? As the verse from Psalm 119 suggests, the Bible is a source of certain light in an often dark and confusing world.

Psalm 119, which is the longest single chapter in the entire Bible, gives plenty of other reasons people throughout the ages have turned to this unique book.

Titled “In praise of God’s Word,” the psalm lists benefits that come from studying and applying the Bible: it helps us walk in accordance with God’s law; it encourages us to remain steadfast and pure; it teaches us to distinguish truth from falsehood and right from wrong; and it strengthens weary souls, bringing hope, comfort, and courage.

George Fox was an English preacher during the seventeenth century and the founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers.

In one of his many sermons, he told his listeners about the light of God’s love: “I also saw that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love which flowed over the ocean of darkness.”

God has given us the Bible, and with its illumination, we can conquer the darkness of our world.

God, thank you for sharing your Word with us. May its words find a home in my heart and light my way.

The Creator of All That Is

These familiar opening words of the Bible proclaim the most amazing of God’s many powers. He is the Creator of all that exists. And he created it out of nothing.

I find that truth difficult to comprehend.

My own life is full of incomplete tasks that are evidence of my inability to understand simple instructions, much less comprehend the magnificence of a God who made everything without instructions, raw materials, or others to help him.

As a young wife and mother, I decided to learn to sew.

My mother had been a wonderful seamstress, but I had been interested in more active endeavors and was seldom inside watching her craft the dresses and suits I loved wearing.

Her creations were touched with imaginative details and made from the most stylish linens and silks of the day.

When I walked into the fabric store I was hopeful that attempting much more simple styles would promise success, even to a novice like me.

The saleslady was helpful and assured me that with easy patterns I would be able to make darling dresses for my two little girls.

An hour later I left the store with all the supplies I needed and headed home to dust off the sewing machine that I had inherited from my mother.

It didn’t take long for frustration to set in.

Confusing instructions filled the flimsy pattern paper: “Cut on the bias,” “Gather the sleeve,” and “Match the notches on facings.” I did complete those early projects but the results were less than stellar.

Fortunately, there are other complex tasks I can comprehend and perform. And millions of people in our world have achieved greatness in their abilities to accomplish innumerable feats.

Man-made inventions and human discoveries reveal the wonders of the mind and spill into our lives at a pace that’s dizzying.

Even so, none of them even begin to compare with what God has done, and we all can see our own limitations when measured against his handiwork.

We stand in awe of the complexity of the world in which we live and believe the truth of Genesis 1:1.

But not everyone believes as we believe. Numerous explanations appear in textbooks and claim superiority over the assertion that a power we know as God called life into being.

Finite and rational minds grapple with the complexities of the world around them and seek ways to explain definitively how our world began.

But we who believe him and the biblical account of creation marvel at the power and majesty of our Creator.

Our acceptance doesn’t diminish the wonder of God’s work but leaves room for its mystery.

Father, we worship you with amazement as we bask in the beauty of your creation. Thank you for all you have done.

Be Ready

Christians have argued for centuries about when and how Christ is going to return to the earth and usher in the end of time—a scenario a number of books in the Bible have predicted.

“This generation is going to see the climax of history as predicted by the prophets,” said a man named Hal Lindsey, the most famous end-times author of the twentieth century.

Lindsey’s 1970 book, The Late Great Planet Earth, has sold 30 million copies and helped put the fear of God into many readers who wondered if they were ready for Christ’s return.

Over the years, end-times authors have developed an amazing number of schemes for trying to figure out what complex passages in the Old Testament Book of Daniel and the New Testament Book of Revelation mean.

For Lindsey, the Armageddon clock began ticking in 1948 with the creation of the state of Israel. He originally predicted that the second coming of Christ would occur no later than 1988.

Lindsey wasn’t the first person to pick a specific date for the Second Coming.

Over the years, detailed predictions have come from the Shakers, Alexander Campbell and the Disciples of Christ, William Miller and the Seventh-day Adventists, Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith, television evangelist Jack Van Impe, and author Edgar C. Whisenant, who wrote a book entitled 88 Reasons the Rapture Will Be in 88.

And many Christians thought the Y2K computer glitch would usher in the end of the world.

USA Today reported that “as many as 100” end-times books and novels would be published in the year leading up to January 1, 2000.

Somehow we’re still here, and all the end-times authors are busily revising their dates.

But if anything, interest in the end times has only grown. The bestselling Left Behind novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have done more than their share to inspire a whole new wave of apocalyptic speculation.

The novels show the chaos and confusion that could result after Christians have been “raptured” (or taken from the earth) and sinners try to survive in a world now dominated by the Antichrist.

(Some Christian thinkers have criticized the books’ interpretation of theology, but that hasn’t slowed their massive popularity.

According to Tyndale House, which publishes the series, the Left Behind novels and related books have sold some 50 million copies.)

But many of the well-meaning Christians who have focused so much time and attention on the Second Coming seem to have missed one important point. Christ himself told us that we should concentrate not on the day and the hour of his return but on the state of our souls.

Keeping watch means living our lives in such a way that if Christ returned today, he would find us pleasing in his sight.

If I knew I would face Jesus before the sun went down, I think I might start by confessing my sins to God, my family, my co-workers, and my next-door neighbors, seeking their forgiveness for past wrongs.

I would make some phone calls to loved ones to express my concern for them and share the message of Christ’s love.

If time allows, I might even examine my checkbook to make sure I have fulfilled financial commitments made earlier to churches and charities.

It means doing everything we can with the time, energy, and resources we have to extend the kingdom of God—both through sharing the gospel of Christ with others and working to see our culture embrace godly values of justice and righteousness.

And it means being faithful to Christ on a moment-by-moment basis, regardless of whether Christ comes back the next minute or long after we have died.

Father, help me avoid end-times paranoia and instead develop full-time preparedness for your return.

The Greatest Commandment

Jesus doesn’t call people to a social or political movement, or even to a life of religion or ethical living. More than anything, he calls us to love God—a call that the laws of Moses first stated.

Repeatedly throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus called this the greatest commandment.

Centuries later, Protestant theologians restated this simple call to love God. “What is the chief end of man?” asked the 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

Throughout Christian history, many disciples of Jesus have described the immense love of God.

Perhaps none did so as eloquently as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), a Cistercian monk who was both an intellectual and a mystic and whose French monastery had a worldwide influence.

Bernard’s most famous work is On Loving God, which contains the following words of wisdom: You want me to tell you why God is to be loved and how much.

I answer the reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of love due to Him is immeasurable love. Is this plain?

We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable.

When one asks, Why should I love God? he may mean, What is lovely in God? or What shall I gain by loving God? In either case, the same sufficient cause of love exists, namely, God Himself.

Bernard argued that God is entitled to our wholehearted affection:

For although God would be loved without respect of reward, He will not leave love unrewarded. True charity cannot be left destitute, even though she is unselfish and seeketh not her own (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Love is an affection of the soul, not a contract: it cannot rise from a mere agreement, nor is it so to be gained. It is spontaneous in its origin and impulse; true love is its own satisfaction.

It has its reward, but that reward is the object beloved. For whatever you seem to love, if it is on account of something else, what you do really love is that something else, not the apparent object of desire.

God could have created robots that would “love” him on com¬mand, but he didn’t. He gave us hearts and free will to do as we please. Still, as Bernard told us so eloquently, love is our only appropriate response to God.

I love you, Father. Help my love for you to grow.

We Are on Dry Ground

Perhaps many young moviegoers today have missed Cecil B. De- -Mille’s 1956 cinematic depiction of the parting of the Red Sea as the Israelites fled from Pharaoh’s army.

Were they to see The Ten Commandments in one of its numerous television reruns, they might wonder how this movie received an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Charlton Heston as an aging Moses holds an outstretched arm over the parting water as the sea rolls up into two huge waves on either side of the Israelites.

While the superimposed images of the tumultuous waters don’t generate the Wow! response viewers experience in so many movies today, they do convey that a miracle was taking place.

I saw The Ten Commandments several times, and I always marveled at the parting waters and never once took notice of the dry ground Exodus 14:22 mentions.

Why does the Bible even give us this information?

I think we, like the Israelites, often forget that God has placed us on a firm foundation.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. He was in the course of taking them out of Egypt and into the promised land, but they started complaining as soon as they saw Pharaoh’s army pursuing them.

How soon they seemed to forget the terrible slavery they had suffered under the hand of Pharaoh.

Despite their grumbling, God took the Israelites safely to the other side of the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh’s army by causing the waves to collapse on them. The Israelites had traveled on dry ground.

Imagine thousands of people, animals, carts, and wagons struggling through the muck had God not supernaturally dried up the seabed. Their progress would have been slow and perhaps altogether impossible.

I think the reminder for us in this verse is that God’s power holds us firmly on the dry ground of his love, no matter what is happening in our lives. We may feel threatened by the waves of life.

We may not feel as if we are secure, but we are. Our spiritual feet may feel mired in the slush of uncomfortable circumstances, but God’s presence in our lives keeps us going.

Just as the Israelites were God’s people, we who believe in His Son are his people. Sometimes his power is evident in our lives in spectacular ways as the parting of the Red Sea was in Exodus.

At other times, we experience God’s power in almost unnoticeable ways, such as the ground being dry when the Israelites crossed it.

God’s most dramatic rescue in my own life unfolded in the years immediately following my first husband’s death. I was thirty-four years old with two daughters, ages seven and ten.

My husband and I went to high school together, and I couldn’t remember what it felt like to live without him.

Many of my friends remarked that they fully expected to see me carried into my home on a stretcher when returning from the scene of the hot-air balloon accident that claimed his life.

Instead, the evidence of God’s grace and provision was amazing. I experienced a confidence that God would “part the waters” for us and was able to focus on our future in ways that can only be explained as miraculous.

I went from being a homemaker who relied heavily on my husband to being the sole adult in our household. Like Moses, I stepped into the water and God dried up the muddy ground.

Whether we notice it or not, the power is there. Whether we feel it or not, we are on dry ground.

Father, thank you that we rest on the firm foundation of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

God’s Purifying Stream

Shame on you!”

These three simple words still ring in my ears decades after they were shouted my way.

I don’t remember the innocent adolescent behavior that led to my being scolded.

But I know I’ll never forget how I felt when one of the more rigorous older members of my church pointed her gloved finger at me and humiliated me in front of what seemed like the entire congregation.

These words of harsh judgment inflicted painful wounds. Worse yet, my pain caused me to make the following fateful pledge: I will never again tell anyone about any of my faults or failures!

From that point on, I began being less honest when I hurt someone, broke something, or fell short of a goal. I kept everything to myself and put all my energy into covering up.

Unfortunately, covering up my problems only added to my feelings of failure, inadequacy, and guilt.

It came as a great relief to read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

At first glance, the whole process seems simple: we confess; God forgives, and everyone lives happily ever after.

But real life isn’t so clear-cut. Why does the promised freedom of forgiveness often seem elusive?

Why does guilt continue to haunt and taunt us? Why do we confess the same sins again and again only to remain entrapped by them?

Perhaps we have misunderstood what John meant about confession. Real confession is more than a hurried recitation of our flaws and failures.

It is work. It hurts. It demands self-examination. It transforms a trite utterance into a sorrowful awareness of the many ways our sinful behavior grieves the Holy Spirit.

Growing up, I felt closer to my mother than my father. Mom was firm and she taught me that my actions had consequences, but she always balanced punishment with love for me as a person.

Dad was a different story. Any wrongdoing on my part seemed to ignite his already short fuse, leading to a barrage of anger and un¬kind words that caused me to shrink in shame and fear.

God isn’t like my father. When I expose my sins to God, my confession opens up the door to his forgiveness and cleansing.

Instead of hiding my woundedness, I offer it up to him who brings the healing balm of forgiveness and purification. It is this forgiving power that can change us from within.

Father, thank you for the grace and forgiveness that motivate me to share my sins and failures with you instead of hiding them deep in my soul.

Opening the Book of Nature

In the last few decades of the twentieth century, people around the globe began to realize that humanity was hurting the earth. Some of these people joined the environmental movement, which sought to slow the pollution of the world’s air and water.

But respect for the earth is an ancient concept that dates back to the dawn of human history. That’s because Christians and Jews believe that a loving Creator God formed the cosmos.

And as Paul indicated in the Romans passage, we can see characteristics of the Creator in all that he made.

No one saw this connection between Creator and creation more than a humble thirteenth-century saint named Francis of Assisi.

Francis saw God’s fingerprints all over the world, and he believed that even the animals were designed to praise the Creator in their own powerful way: “Every creature in heaven and on earth and in the depths of the sea should give God praise and glory and honor and blessing.”

The Italian holy man was named the patron saint of the environmental movement.

One day, Francis and some of his brothers were out walking when they came across a large tree full of doves, crows, and other birds.

As one of his biographers reported, “Francis left his companions in the road and ran eagerly to the birds” and “humbly begged them to listen to the word of God.”

The biographer even recorded a portion of Francis’s brief sermon to his winged friends: “My brothers, birds, you should praise your Creator very much and always love him; he gave you feathers to clothe you, wings so that you can fly, and whatever else was necessary for you.”

Today, the image of Francis caring for birds appears in paintings, sculptures, and thousands of backyard bird feeders.

And every fall, on the Sunday closest to Francis’s October 4 feast day, churches around the world host a “blessing of the animals” ceremony.

These churches turn into temporary zoos as members bring their birds, dogs, cats, and even horses to receive a blessing in the name of the saint who cared so deeply for creation.

In the centuries since Francis, poets and other writers have written about our spiritual connection to the world God made. “Nature has some perfections to show that she is the image of God,” said seventeenth-century French thinker Blaise Pascal.

And Elizabeth Fry an eighteenth-century English Quaker, wrote these words after attending a worship service: “After the meeting, my heart felt really light and as I walked home by starlight, I looked through nature up to nature’s God.”

Father, what a glorious world you have created. Help me to be more aware of your fingerprints throughout all of creation.