Category Archives: Uncategorized

There is no way around the fact that the character of Jacob as we see him portrayed in Scripture is not one we would point to as an example of a godly life. Jacob lied, cheated, stole, schemed, and ran away constantly. Even in our passage today we begin with him lying to his brotherContinue reading “January 14: Genesis 33-35; Matthew 10:1-20”

Many times when we face a crisis in our lives, we feel that we are fighting against someone or something. Maybe we can’t quite put our finger on it, but we know that the challenge is more than just a puzzle to solve, but is rather an opponent to be overcome. Many times those challengesContinue reading “January 13: Genesis 31-32; Matthew 9:18-38”

One of the characteristic features of modern Western society is the simultaneous rise of the concept of sin alongside the rejection of forgiveness for the sinner. While society would define “sin” differently than the Bible, and probably wouldn’t even use that term because of its Christian overtones, there is a definite sense among the cultureContinue reading “January 12: Genesis 29-30; Matthew 9:1-17”

Have you ever thought that if only people could see the power of Jesus in action, they would be completely persuaded to follow Him? We all experience God’s power in our lives on a daily basis. Sometimes He works in subtle ways, but at other times all we can do is look at what HeContinue reading “January 11: Genesis 27-28; Matthew 8:18-34”

Isaac has become a kind of afterthought to many Christians as they read through Genesis. Abraham is the great man of faith, the one to whom God promised the land of Canaan and descendants too numerous to count. Jacob’s story is one of intrigue, deceit, manipulation, and attempts to get God on his side. InContinue reading “January 10: Genesis 25-26; Matthew 8:1-17”

When Christians speak of the standards set out by God in the Bible, people will often come back at us by saying, “You don’t have a right to judge me! Jesus says ‘Judge not!’” It’s not surprising that people take this tack, since none of us like to be reminded of the ways we fallContinue reading “January 9: Genesis 23-24; Matthew 7”

Genesis 22 is one of the most puzzling passages in the Bible. The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote an entire book about it, in which he rewrote the ending several times. People have questioned why God would ask for a human sacrifice, and why Abraham would be willing to do it. Everything about this storyContinue reading “January 8: Genesis 20-22; Matthew 6:19-34”

Maintaining a relationship with Jesus requires significant spiritual “conversation” time. One aspect of that is listening to God by spending time in the Word. We need to hear God speak to us through His revelation, so we need to read, study, and meditate on what the Bible says. The other aspect is speaking to GodContinue reading “January 7: Genesis 18-19; Matthew 6:1-18”

The American humorist Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” While there are many passages that are difficult to grasp, hard to understand, or culturally opaque to us, there are also many places in Scripture where weContinue reading “January 6: Genesis 16-17; Matthew 5:27-48”

I suppose it wouldn’t take long for you to come up with an example of a disagreement or even an argument you’ve had recently. As humans living in a fallen world, there are many areas we disagree on, even in the church. A quick look at the news shows us that disagreements can very quicklyContinue reading “January 5: Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-15”