From Genesis Again...Crazy Families!

Oh......My.......Goodness!!!!!

Deceit. Pride. Favouritism. Selfishness. Jealousy. Disobedience. Murder. Pain. Rage. Nastiness. Affairs.
The families whose stories we read in Genesis had it all...and more!

Sarah thought she'd never have a baby, so she gave her servant to her husband and then got jealous of the servant and treated her terribly.
Rebekah favoured one son over the other and helped him deceive his father and steal the family blessing.
Rachel stole from her Dad.
Cain murdered his brother.
Lot offered his daughters to evil men.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who then proceeded to lie to their father about what had happened for years and years and years.
Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law.
Laban tricked his son-in-law Jacob with the wrong wife at the wedding.
CRAZINESS!!!!

Makes me so grateful for my family.

And makes me realise that no matter how crazy things are or get in my family, God can still work His incredible plan and purpose for us, IN SPITE of us:))

Because it was from the line of Adam (who disobeyed God)...and Abraham and Jacob (who made more than a few mistakes) and Tamar and Judah (who received honourable mention above) that Jesus comes to us.


And it is through Him that we join an amazing family...of saved sinners and an awesome heavenly Father. CRAZINESS!

From Genesis 5

How timely that I read about Noah and the flood just days before the Qld flood disasters last week. In the midst of the mess, I had firmly in my head the picture of the rainbow and God's covenant with us....He will never again send a flood that will wipe out all living things. So even in the midst of sadness and loss, there was still hope. Hope in a good God who always keeps His promises.

And another thought from Genesis 5 is about the life of Noah himself and the example he is to us. We are told that Noah was a 'righteous and blameless man who walked with God.' He 'did everything just as God commanded him.' How hard that must have been for Noah. In many ways.

The work he was called to do was physically demanding. Long days...heavy work....splinters. You can imagine the sweat, the aching muscles and weariness at the end of the day. Yet he kept on going....there was a job to do.

It was emotionally demanding work. Noah was facing the unknown. Having never even seen rain, he was being asked by God to prepare for a 40 day and night downpour. He was facing a future that seemed clouded and unclear. And he was leading his family into the unknown. Yet he kept on going....all the while trusting in God and living in obedience to the call God was making.

It was socially demanding. Noah was questioned and ridiculed by his friends and strangers. He faced isolation and ignorance. He was not popular and his work, his values and his life were not admired or accepted. He was misunderstood and he was alone, apart from his immediate family and of course....God. Yet he kept on going.....realising that 'God + me = a majority.'

Trust and obedience. They are to be the obvious hallmarks of anyone who calls themselves a 'Jesus follower'. And while for you, they may not look anything like they did for Noah (I assume none of you has an ark taking shape in the backyard!) the command of God is nevertheless on our lives. Today He is calling us to be His earthly ambassadors. He wants us to love others...unconditionally. He desires for us to care for the poor. He needs us to help our husbands....cherish our wives......teach our children. His commands challenge us to be wise stewards of our finances and our time. He wants us to make wise choices about what we eat....watch...read....say. And He has specific jobs and ministries for us to be involved in.

Sometimes, He ups the ante with His call on our life. He may be asking us to care for an elderly parent.....walk through the trial of sickness or injury.....raise a child with a disability.....clean-up after a flood.....live with the grief of loss......endure the ill treatment of a work colleague.....keep on loving an unlovely spouse.....

No matter the circumstances or situation, God desires our trust and our obedience....but He never suggested that either would be easy. Some of what He asks of you may be physically demanding. Some may be socially or emotionally demanding. But like Noah, we can keep on keeping on. Because the reward will be great. Like Noah, I want it said of me....s/he 'found favour in God's eyes.' Don't you?

From Genesis 1-12

As I read thru the Bible again this year, I am going to try and keep an online journal (of sorts) with a few thoughts from what I read. Perhaps some of my thoughts might be relevant to you too...I pray that may be so....at least on some of the days.


As most of us know, the first book of the Bible - Genesis - is about origins or beginnings. But have you ever thought about what it is the beginning of? It's not just the beginning of the world, although there is that remarkable account of an awesome God planning and creating this magnificent universe. And to think, all He had to do was say it and it was...and it was GOOD!


So Genesis is also the beginning of life. It tells us how we got here. Life - including humankind - was created by a loving God. Logically then, life is precious. It is a gift. It is to be revered and valued. And we are to be grateful for it and thoughtful in how we treat and use it. The early chapters of Genesis remind us that we have been created in God's image...the only part of His creation that can claim this. I hope that as I live my life today, I reflect even a part of His amazing character.


Genesis tells of the beginnings of marriage....Adam and Eve together as a God-ordained couple. And a definition of what marriage should look like: Genesis 2:24 - For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. And we are also given the principles for a successful marriage.....walk daily with God and wives, be a helper to your husband. Someone who 'does him good.'


The early pages in the Bible also reveal other beginnings, not all good. There is the beginning of sin, as Eve and then Adam disobey God. They chose to live life - this life given by Creator God as a gift - on their own terms. And the result? Separation from Him and a legacy of sin and separation for all generations to come. The beginning of judgement....God cannot abide sin and as a just God, He needs to deal with it. And as we know from Romans, the 'wages of sin is death'.


But how incredible that Genesis also is the beginning of grace. God has made a way for us to be forgiven, reunited with Him and able to live life without fear of eternal death. And finally, we can read about the beginnings of covenant....solemn promises God makes with Noah and Abraham. Promises that still impact us today and particularly relevant as flood waters continue to rise and fall. (see: Genesis 9:9 and on)


To me though, one of the best bits about the book of beginnings is the fact that it tells us that God had no beginning. He always was and always will be. Beyond time and space, God existed....always. He is not limited in any way. He is limitless. Infinite. Exceptional. And He is the One in whom our hope and trust can find the firmest and most secure and fulfilling foundation. I have a small grasp of WHO He is and who He is makes all the difference when I consider WHO I am. A simple, but astounding, concept I heard at a conference once is 'Because He IS, I AM.' If God was not, then neither would I be. If God did not exist, I would not exist. Just a little reminder that you and I are not here by accident. There is a plan and purpose to our existence...and it's not just for the here and now, but for an eternity.


Finally, Genesis: it is the story of a good God and His good creation. It tells of man's role and outlines sin and its effects. It is the story of hope as we read about God reversing those effects and providing a future. Yes Genesis is about origins...but it is also about our destiny as well.....and when we faithfully walk with our Creator, that destiny looks VERY GOOD. 


(Credit where credit is due.....thanks to the Bible Society's Women's Devotional Bible for ideas for this post.)