Our church is reading thru the bible is 2011. I can already see the fruits of the labor in myself, my family and my fellow church members. It is giving a community of people an amazing experience together. To read God's word, to ask questions and to ponder what God is trying to teach you.
I thought it might be fun to blog what I am getting out of each book of the bible as we read thru in 2011. Since I just finished Genesis this morning, I thought it was time to share what Genesis has meant to me or what I have learned that I want to share. (I am sure there will be many things that I need to leave between God & I; but who knows?)
- I had never thought to ask how old Eve was when she died. She just kind of disappears from the story.
- A funny "Troyism" was that we might have had other animals on earth when Noah came out the ark but he was hungry and who knows what he chose to eat? I got such a laugh from that.
- That very soon God noticed the fact that man could not be alone and created woman. He had a plan for marriage and the exclusiveness of relationships at the very moment that men were made. This just reinforces to me that God will always favor helping marriages succeed because this event was not a by-product of his creation. It was the plan!
- I love Genesis 4:7. I think for my children this is one the verses that I hope to impress upon their hearts. For me, I will live accordingly to this verse as much as I can. My favorite verse from the book of Genesis reads "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.”
- I was saddened by the number of times that God's heart was described to filled with pain or aching over humankind.
- That Abraham's request to "bargain" for his fellow man was honored by God. Encourages me to pray for the people in my life because God is willing to listen.
-I loved when Abimelech's & his people said "We saw clearly that the Lord was with you". Other stories tell of people seeing God's favor on someone but I wonder if it was always seen "clearly". I so want to live a life where people could say that they saw "Clearly" God was with me.
- It was interesting the Esau's wife was a source of grief for Isaac and Rebekah. This encourages me to pray for the future relationships with my children's spouses.
- I loved that when Jacob kissed Rachel he began to weep aloud. I felt that way with Kaleb in months to come; but I love that Jacob was so certain of his love for Rachel that he wept aloud.
- That the favored people of God did acquire wealth. When we are seeking God's will and not man's will God can bless us with worldly things also.
- That Schechem was willing to give any amount of money for Dinah but he did not value her enough to protect her virtue.
- That Joseph was able to forgive his brothers for selling him and attributed the events to God's greater purpose for him.
- That the Pharaoh (who was in charge of everything in Egypt) honored the fact that Jacob made Joseph swear to carry him home to be buried. He could have arranged for it to be done or told Joseph "not a good time" but instead he insisted that Joseph go and carry out the wish of his father.
For me, Genesis is wonderful in that from the very beginning there was a plan for the end. I don't know rather my time is closer to that of the end or that of Genesis but I am glad that God has a plan.
