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Posts Tagged ‘faith building’

Crossed Arms

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, God, God Stories, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, The Father, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 48-50, Crossed Arms. Throughout Genesis we see the “expected way” to be upended. The Law of primogenitor stated that the inheritance, birthright, and double portion of blessing belong to the firstborn male in the family. It was the accepted rule in the time of the Patriarchs and still exists today in many societies. Yet in Genesis, we see this “law” broken in almost every case. The list of firstborn sons who did NOT receive this place of preeminence is longer than those who do. Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Reuben, and today Manasseh are all passed over and a younger sibling is given the leading role.

Jacob is old and almost blind when he “adopts” Joseph’s two oldest sons – Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob is a younger brother to his twin Esau. We remember that Jacob used deception to steal his father’s blessing for the oldest son. Today in pronouncing blessing upon the two boys Jacob crosses his arms to intentionally bless Ephraim, the second son, with the blessing reserved for the older.

Two things struck me. First, the LORD has blessed me far greater than I deserve. The relationship He has drawn me into with Himself is truly life-giving and joy-inducing. Yet so many of God’s answers to my prayers have been different from what I expected. My prayers early in my walk included a good bit of instruction to God on how to meet the need I was praying about. God would answer, yet the path to His blessing was completely different than what I expected. And it was always better because of this. Second, the Bible refers to Jesus as our older brother, the firstborn from the dead. We know He truly exists in preeminence. Yet He passes on blessings to us, His younger siblings, in portions far beyond our merit. Grace, God’s unmerited favor, rests upon us because of Jesus’ death, resurrection and life.

Father, thank you for blessing us richly. You are no respecter of persons in the sense of entitlement. But you are the Lover of our souls, and you are at work wooing, training, and surprising us with grace upon grace. May we live to pass on your blessing to the people you bring into our lives… family, friends, and even the stranger we meet as we go through life.

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The Greater Blesses the Lesser

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, God, God Stories, Responsibility, Service, tagged , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 46-47, The Greater Blesses the Lesser. When Jacob and his family arrive in Egypt, Joseph brings his father in to meet Pharoah. Pharoah is the king of Egypt, the highest office in the land. While he has elevated Joseph to the highest administrative role in all the land, ultimate authority still rests with Pharoah. Yet when Jacob enters into Pharoah’s presence it is Jacob who blesses Pharoah… twice. From our perspective millennia later, we know that the relationship between Israel and Egypt has been a tumultuous one with slavery, genocide, war and general distrust, but in this case honor and blessing are given. It seems incongruous that Jacob is the one doing the blessing in the context of Israel needing deliverance from the famine and Egypt being the place of that rescue.

But in the bigger picture, God is already at work implementing His amazing act of cosmic deliverance. Through the cruel acts of Israel’s sons, Joseph was sent to Egypt to prepare for the famine. Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams and his wise accumulation of resources prior to the famine saved Egypt and Israel. God was working through Jacob’s family to deliver the Pharoah and his people. And God, who had wrestled with Jacob many years prior, spoke to Jacob at Beersheba, He was directing him to settle in Egypt in preparation for His next cosmic move. We know God’s work through Abraham’s descendants was just getting started but already we see worldly powers recognizing and submitting to God’s blessing through His people.

We are called to continue God’s blessing into the world we live in. We are not called to be uninvolved observers, but rather active participants in God’s redeeming work today. And we do that from the place of staying close to the Father and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

LORD, you have blessed us richly by drawing us into relationship with you. Teach us and lead us into divine conversations where you bless through our words and actions. May your mercy, grace, truth and love flow from our lives in such a way that others come to know you. Jesus, be lifted up. Jesus, be exalted. Jesus, be glorified in us and through us today.  

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Time and Waiting

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 41-42, Time and Waiting. Being a person inclined to activity, I have not always appreciated waiting. In fact, choosing between waiting quietly or finding something TO DO while I am forced to wait is not really a choice. The term “killing time” was invented for people like me. Yet, I recognize that I have not exactly aligned with God’s best in this. While God exists outside of time, He was intentional in placing us into the context of time. Much of what God desires to do in us is framed by time. In fact, much of His most consequential work is a product of His grace experienced over time. In today’s reading we see God’s use of time in the lives of Joseph, his brother’s, and even for the people in the ancient near East in Joseph’s day.

If God had not given the dream to Pharoah, had Joseph interpret the dream, and given seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine, the entire region would have suffered. As it was, there was grain enough for Egypt and the surrounding areas because the seven years of abundance was wisely used thanks to Joseph. This theme of using time wisely is subtle but important in Joseph’s story.  Joseph had been separated from his birth family for at least 20 years by the time his brothers came seeking to buy grain. In that time God had raised and blessed Joseph to the second highest official in the land of Egypt. We must remember that for 13 years of that time he was either a slave or a prisoner. That would be waiting of a rather mean and challenging sort. But God’s work in the intervening years also did a work in Joseph’s brothers. There seems to be real remorse on their part for what they did to their brother.

As I ponder and pray this morning, my mind goes to many wonderful things God has done in my life over time. Thankfulness flows naturally. Then I consider the things I am still waiting for. Joseph’s story helps me to recognize that God is at work even when I don’t see immediate results. He is there in the midst of my waiting. He is ever present and He is at work. My faith is stretched in waiting. Knowing He has heard my prayers and met my needs before, I know I can trust Him with those that are still to be seen. And for this, I can wait.

Thank you, faithful LORD. We wait on you today.

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Wisdom to Stay Silent

Posted in Genesis, Holy Spirit, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 35-37, The Wisdom to Stay Silent. I have come to realize, through painful lessons of opening my mouth when it would have been best left shut, that there is great wisdom to staying silent and only speaking when it is appropriate. Mark Twain is credited with the saying, “best to be quiet and thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” There are a few times when this might have applied for me, but I am speaking of something a bit different. Having walked with the LORD for many years now and having experienced His grace and gifts in some pretty amazing ways, I have not always been as wise in talking and sharing about those gifts as I should. In fact, God’s blessings are wonderful to receive, but they do not all fall on us equally or at the same time. There is common grace which is available to every living being. But God will bless us beyond common grace, and it is often gifting to support our calling. The problem is that God’s gifts are received by us while we are still in the process of being sanctified. I don’t know about everyone else, but I know that I still have areas where pride, impatience, and greed have somewhat of a hold. And like Joseph, sometimes we can talk about things in a way or at a time that is not the wisest choice.

God gives Joseph two prophetic dreams. As the next to youngest son, he is very low in the pecking order of a house full of boys. Yet his dreams suggest superiority over his brothers (and even his parents!) Right there is when the alarm bells of pride should go off, and silence and contemplative prayer would be a good response. Instead, Joseph blurts out his dreams in the middle of the family meal (okay, I added the family meal part, but he makes sure everyone knows how special he is). His dad had already made Joseph a bit of a pariah among the boys by treating him with special affection. By bragging about his dream, Joseph unwittingly sets the stage for a being kidnapped and trafficked by his brothers. God, being sovereign and outside of time, knows all this is going down and He will work through it to bring those prophetic dreams to pass. I can’t help but think that silence and waiting on God’s timing would have resulted in a much less painful ascension for Joseph.

Father, our prayer is simple today. Help us to be silent when that is called for. Help us to speak when that is appropriate. And LORD, give us the wisdom to know the difference between the two.

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Christophany

Posted in God, Jesus Christ, God Stories, worldview, Trials, Bible Study, Genesis, tagged , , , on February 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 22-24, So many deep and rich nuggets embedded in today’s stories. What stood out was the moment when Abraham raised the knife over his son, his only son Isaac, and The Angel of the LORD stayed his hand. Scholars tell us that this phrase “the angel of the LORD” is much more than a messenger angel. They say this is a Christophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ in human form.

Understanding this I can’t help but think about the Son of God, who will one day hang on a cross as a sacrifice, in this day interceding for Isaac. What He did for Isaac, He will one day do for all humanity. But instead of a ram caught in a thicket it will be Him willingly offering Himself at the behest of His heavenly Father. 

Holy Lord, you did for us what we could not do for ourselves. You are the Holy Lamb of God and we worship you!

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Mis-taking God’s Promise

Posted in Prayer, God Stories, Marriage, Bible Study, Genesis, tagged , , , , on February 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 16-18, Today’s reading is full of God showing up and making promises. When God shows up in visible form it’s called a theophany. God had Abraham and Sarah in the center of His grand plan. Changing their names was a major event that creates a bonding and a sense of ownership that demonstrates God’s Lordship in their lives.

My conscience was pricked as I read Sarai’s attempt to fulfill God’s promise on her own. How many times have I taken a clear promise or prompting of the Lord and ran with it without waiting upon the Lord. Too many. But this is the beautiful thing, God still fulfilled His promise to Sarai, in His timing. While it would be better to obey perfectly, the Lord still works with us through our mistakes to bring about a maturing of our faith and obedience. Which is just another reason He is worthy of our worship.

Father, thank you that you play the long game in training us in faith. That you continue to work with us through our mistakes and impatience is so wonderful. Your grace is truly amazing. We submit to your loving correction anew today. We desire to live faithful and we know you are bringing this about day by day. To you be the glory.

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God Whispers

Posted in Bible Study, God, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Priorities, Spiritual Growth, Worship, tagged , , , on January 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

1 Kings 19:9-13, God Whispers. Interestingly, after writing this morning’s devotional, I joined our church’s 21 Days of Prayer online. I am traveling for work so I can’t be there in person. Jason, one of our pastors, did the lead in and used these verses to encourage us to be quiet and ask the LORD to speak to us as we meditated on Psalm 122. I was arrested by these verses, particularly the fact that there was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire that came before the whisper.

So many times, I can’t hear the LORD because of the wind, earthquake, and fire. The social media feeds, the never-ending news cycle, how my favorite sports team is doing, even the emotionally charged conversations I have in my head trying to figure out how to resolve a conflict, these are wind, earthquake, and fire. I cannot necessarily shut out all of these, but I can choose to place myself where I am ready to hear. I can choose to shut the doors where many of these enter in to steal my attention.

Like the psalmist said, “I quiet my soul like a weaned child”. I think this imagery is intentional. As we mature, we no longer have the same needs of an infant in the faith, yet we will never lose the need to sit quietly with our heavenly Father and receive from Him what we truly need. And many times, it comes as a gentle whisper…

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Turning the Corner

Posted in Bible Study, God, job, Orphans, Responsibility, Spiritual Growth, Trials, worldview, tagged , , , , , , on January 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Job 29-31, Turning the Corner. Our time in Job thus far has been bookended by accounts of Job’s righteousness. In chapter 1 God speaks of Job’s righteousness so we know Job is truly a good and righteous person. In chapter 31 Job goes on to list all the things that he does that are good and right. Job’s righteousness is impressive and puts me in my place by comparison. Which, when I think about it, is possibly a good thing for both Job and me. It is good for Job because it uncovers an area of his life, pride and entitlement, that are NOT character traits that endear us to God. It is good for me because I still have a way to go to even measure up to Job’s righteousness AND I can receive the warning from Job’s pride. It is the slippery slope that comes when our reputation supersedes our relationship with the Father.

But everything is about to change. Job’s three friends have run out of steam. Their accusations and false help have not stuck. And Job’s heart is laid bare with all of his goodness peeled back to reveal an area of need. God loves Job just like He loves us. What seemingly started as a dare between God and Satan has become a tool God uses to reveal to Job his need that he would never have seen without his suffering AND the interactions with his friends. And God will use this to bless not just Job, but his friends too. I am excited to see where God takes us in the coming days.

Father, you love us too much to let us remain stuck. In Isaiah you call out righteousness laid over pride as filthy rags. You desire that we act right towards others, but you desire that to spring forth from our ever-growing relationship with you. So, we bend our knees and lay all our ambitions and motivations before you now. You know them already. We ask that you help us to see ourselves rightly and live surrendered. We offer ourselves to you that you might transform us. We are your children and our desire is to live as faithful men and women of God. Be glorified, our Lord and our God!

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Beginning of Wisdom

Posted in Bible Study, God, Spiritual Growth, The Father, Trials, Vision, worldview, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on January 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Job 24-28, Beginning of Wisdom. Unlike most of scripture, the only way to properly read Job is in its entirety. The Bible is amazing in many respects. One of those is that it encompasses a variety of literary styles. In telling Job’s story and capturing the dialog of Job and his three friends, we see descriptions of God and His character that are opinions and not hard facts. The mixture of truth, half-truth, and misunderstanding about God is combined in a way that emphasizes foundational truth about God and His ways, but only when we read the entire story. If you are like me, it has taken multiple reads to get to the point that I can see this and not get tied up in the warped theology espoused by Job’s friends and, to a degree, but Job.

When we get to Job 28:28 I cannot help but release a big sigh. In my mind I have been trying to parse out the truth versus misunderstanding in each person’s dialog. Even Job speaks at times with more emotion and less faith than I am comfortable with. As an engaged reader it is a mental and emotional roller-coaster. But then I read a verse that I can hang my hat on. ‘And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”’ I find this truth throughout scripture. I find this truth in evaluating the world on a macro level. And I have found this to be true in my 65 years on earth.

LORD, you are the source of all wisdom. When things don’t make sense, when evil seems to triumph, we know we can trust you and trust your heart. You have made all things – seen and unseen. You exist outside of time – the past, present, and future are all now to you. We bow to you, acknowledging our great limitations and your limitless nature. That out of all this, that you love us and desire what is best for us, we humbly, reverently, give you thanks and offer you our lives. It is in the mighty Name of Jesus that we pray,

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Patience in Pain

Posted in Bible Study, God, job, Spiritual Growth, Trials, worldview, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Job 14-16, Patience in Pain. As an engineer I see most things in a cause and effect paradigm. Having experienced God’s grace in many tangible ways, I fully count on His sovereignty to win the day and outcomes to be good, eventually. There are many Biblical promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 that point to this. God’s past actions and His present promises provide the framework for my belief that my current pain will be transformed into future blessing. Grief, suffering, and heartache are not to be denied, but they can be tempered and endured with the knowledge that the One who has been faithful will remain faithful.

I read the story in Acts 5 yesterday where the Apostles were beaten for preaching the Gospel. Their response to suffering the beating was rejoicing. How could they rejoice when their backs were bruised and bloodied? Because they were able to look beyond the pain to the wonderful work the Holy spirit was doing. They could see the kingdom of God growing. As I type, I get a glimpse of the millions of martyrs through the ages, and I realize that there has never been a tear shed or blood spilled by one of the Lord’s saints that hasn’t resulted in the kingdom expanding. What the enemy means for evil, God turns into good. That’s why we can have patience in the pain.

Father, we are so thankful that you walk with us through life, even carrying us when it gets overwhelming. Job’s friends could not see past their paradigm that had only an earthly cause and effect perspective. We know that you move in heaven and earth and sometimes we won’t see the great good you are doing until later… sometimes much later. We simply ask today that you will help us to grow in faith to exercise patience in the painful times. That includes not just our times of pain, but that of our friends, neighbors and people we meet. May your grace flow through us today. In Jesus’ Name.

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