Mon.’s Devo - The Day to Remember

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22; Psalm 25:16-22; Proverbs 6:12-15 God told them that this day was a day to remember. This was the day of their salvation that would epitomize salvation for eternity. When we are saved we come out of our own Egypt of sin and idolatry and we participate with Passover, the shedding of Jesus blood on the cross. We apply his blood to the door of our heart and we enter through his door and are saved from eternal death. We then start our walk with the Lord. During our journey with the Lord we move into the time of unleavened bread where we are cleansing our thoughts and motives to choose God’s. We call it sanctification. We are to continue on to justification which is to live totally free from sin. Few can get past condemnation to get there but true freedom is when we realize our sins were taken on the cross and we were crucified with Christ and he now lives through us. The people of Egypt represented the seed of Satan and their first born son had to die to kill Satan’s power over the world. Satan’s first born had to be defeated before God’s children could accept his first born. They both had to die. Satan’s had to die to pay their penalty for what Satan did in Eden and God’s first born had to die to cover the sins of God’s people. He was the sacrifice. God told Moses that the first born was his and had to be bought back. That is a picture of our lives. God gives our mother the ability to produce life. We have to be bought back and die to our sin before we can be born again of God and free of the penalty of sin. On the night that the death angel passed over and killed all the first born of Egypt, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and kicked them out of his land. He ironically told Moses to bless him as he left. The Egyptians also begged the Israelites to get out of town quickly. They gave them anything they asked for. The people had been instructed to ask for gold, silver, gems and clothes. They dressed their children in the wealth of Egypt and spoiled them. Exodus 12:38 says that a mixed multitude left Egypt meaning that not only Israelites but some Egyptians went with them. They had been in Egypt exactly 430 years. God gave Moses instructions about how to celebrate this festival every year. He said it would be like a mark branded on their hand on on their forehead. This is why Satan wants to mark his people with his mark on their hand and forehead. They were always to remember this day of deliverance. In Matthew, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die for us. He was met with two blind men on the side of the road as he left Jericho. They begged to be healed so Jesus healed them. They could now see to follow him. At Bethphage which is on the Mt. of Olives, Jesus asked for a donkey to ride into Jerusalem. He would enter the opposite side of Jerusalem from the path of the pascal lamb. Every year a perfect lamb chosen for the last sacrifice on Passover that would die for the nation. When it entered Jerusalem, all the people would shout Hosannah and lay palm branches at its feet. This is what they did for Jesus as he entered Jerusalem because he was truly the Pascal Lamb that would die for the sin of the whole world. Jesus went first to cleanse the temple then to heal the people. The religious leaders saw all the praise and adoration that Jesus was getting and were more jealous than ever. Jesus went back to Bethphage or Bethany to spend the night and in the morning he saw a fig tree that was not bearing fruit and cursed it. The fig tree represented Israel who was not ready for Jesus. It had rejected him so Jesus cursed it and it died. Now the kingdom would be offered to the Gentiles for a time. Lord, thank you for completely taking all our sins with you on the cross. Thank you that we can walk free of sin and in victory. Help us to remember our day of salvation.

Sun.’s Devo - The Last Plague

Read: Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28; Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11 God told Moses why he made Pharoah stubborn. It was so He could display his miraculous signs so they could tell their children and grandchildren about how God made a mockery of the Egyptians. Then they would know that he was the Lord. The plagues had destroyed every season of crops and all the leaves on the trees. Of all the plagues in their history there had never been plagues like these. After the hailstorm, Moses told Pharaoh that locusts were coming to take out what the hail hadn’t. Pharaoh asked Moses who he was planning on taking with him if he let him go to sacrifice to the Lord. Moses told him everyone. At the beginning, Moses had only asked for the men. Pharaoh could see right through that that they weren’t planning on returning so he said, NO! So, Pharaoh got locusts then darkness that they could feel. After that, Pharaoh called Moses in and told him he could take everyone but the livestock. Moses said, No. He told Pharaoh that the last plague would be the death of their firstborn sons. Moses was given instructions for what his people were to do to be saved from the last plague. The were to take a spotless lamb, kill it and smear the blood on the top and sides of the doors of their houses. They were then to enter the house, cook the lamb and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It was to be consumed that night. They were to eat it fully dressed with their shoes on and their walking staff in their hands because by faith they were leaving Egypt. God explained that this seventh month would now be the first month of their new year. They were going to be born again as a nation. They were given the practice of Passover as a picture of Jesus death on the cross which made it possible for us to leave our sinful lives (Egypt) and escape to freedom in Christ. Our day of salvation is our beginning of a journey out of Egypt into the promised land of rest and blessing. In Matthew, Jesus gave the parable about the wealthy landowner who hired people throughout the day and paid them the same at the end of the day. The ones who had worked all day had been told what their wages would be and had agreed to them but when they saw that the ones who worked only an hour got the same pay they were upset. The landowner told them that what he did was his right to do. He had the right to be generous. What a lesson to those of us who have been walking with the Lord for a long time. We cannot let ourselves get jealous when we see God pour out his favor on those who are new to the kingdom. It is God’s right to bless whoever he wants to. We should rejoice with them. Jesus was taking his disciples to Jerusalem and he wanted to share with them exactly what was about to happen. He was about to be handed over to the Romans, beaten, then crucified. But on the third day he would rise from the grave. Their reaction is priceless. The mother of James and John came and asked that her sons sit in places of honor in his kingdom. Jesus told them they didn’t know what they were asking because to be elevated in God’s kingdom you must face great spiritual warfare on earth. Satan is not just going to let someone have that place without a fight. Jesus explained that he was not the one who would choose those positions. They had been chosen long ago by God. Jesus told them that the way to become great in heaven was to be a servant on earth. Lord, may we learn to be servants here on earth and let promotions come from you in your timing to whoever you want to promote. Our reward is You.

Sat.’s Devo - The Plagues Have Begun

Read: Exodus 8:1-9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5 The plagues had started. They began with the Nile turning to blood. Pharaoh didn’t give Moses his request so it began a stream of plagues where Pharaoh was given another chance to do the right thing and refused. The second plague was frogs, the third was gnats and the fourth was flies. On the fourth one, God made a distinction between Goshen where his people were and Egypt where Pharaoh was. None of the plagues crossed the line anymore. They all stayed in Egypt just in case Pharaoh thought these were natural disasters coming on the whole land. The flies didn’t travel to Goshen. Their cattle weren’t killed in the fifth plague and their people and animals didn’t get boils in the sixth plague. The seventh plague was hail and it only fell in Egypt. Through all the plagues Pharaoh vacillated back and forth but in the end hardened his heart. These plagues were specifically against the gods of Egypt. They had a god for everything God touched. They had a frog-god, a Nile-god, a gnat-god, etc. The last god to be brought down would be Pharaoh himself as he believed himself to be a god. In Matthew, we get to see the personal side of Jesus who loved children and made it clear that he had time for them. Then he was approached by a very righteous man who addressed Jesus as “Good Master” and wanted to know how he could have eternal life. Jesus asked him why he addressed him as good when only God is good but he told him that if he wanted to enter into life he should keep the commandments. Jesus wasn’t talking about eternal life, he was just talking about living on this earth. Eternal life was not offered until he rose from the dead. The man then wanted to know which commandments he was talking about and Jesus gave him some of the Ten Commandments. He assured Jesus he had done those from a youth so Jesus then dealt with his heart. Jesus told him to go and sell all he had and come and follow him. The man turned away because he was very rich and his riches had his heart. Jesus told his disciples that it was very hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven but not impossible because with God all things are possible. Lord, may our hands and heart be pure and may we have a right relationship with you.

Fri.’s Devo - The War Begins 1-28-21

Read: Exodus 5:22-7:25; Matthew 18:21-19:12; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverbs 5:22-23 Moses went back to the Lord and complained. Things had not turned out quite like he had in mind. He thought it would be a one and done thing. He would tell Pharaoh what God said, Pharaoh would say no and God would show his power, then they would be on their way. But, it all had to take time. It takes time to confront evil and wage a war against it. That is where we are in history. We are waging war against the evil that we didn’t even know about until 2020. I will take time to confront it which is where we are, and see it gone which is what we are waiting for. But like in Moses’ time God doesn’t start a war he doesn’t intend on winning. God assured Moses that everything was going as he had planned. When God was through, Pharaoh would be forcing them to leave. God reminded Moses of the promise he gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised to give them the land of Canaan and he had not forgotten his promise and had no intention of not keeping it. First he was going to judge Egypt for their evil sins against his people. Moses tried to tell the leaders of Israel but they were not interested in hearing anything Moses had to say. God gives the genealogy of the first three sons of Jacob and stops because that is where they were in history. Every son represents a period in history. Reuben represented the age from Adam to Noah. Simeon represents the time from Noah till Moses and now Levi would represent the time of Moses and the giving of the law and establishing the priesthood of worship. God told Moses that he would make him seem like God to Pharaoh and Aaron his brother would be his prophet. Every time Pharaoh refused to let them go, God would bring down his hand of judgment on the land. When Pharaoh asked Moses for a sign, he threw down his staff which became a serpent. His staff represented his authority with God. It was what Moses leaned on and his blessing but to Pharaoh it was a curse. Pharaoh’s magicians could mimic Moses’ miracles but Moses snake ate theirs. Pharaoh refused to listen so Moses stretched forth his staff over the Nile and it became blood. It lasted a whole week. In Matthew, the disciples asked Jesus how many times they should forgive someone but Jesus answered with how they should forgive. “Seventy times seven” means “completely and thoroughly”. He then gave the parable to explain that they had been forgive their sins which was worth millions so shouldn’t they forgive a few dollars worth of offense. He goes right into his discussion on divorce to prove his point. Moses allowed divorce because of their hard hearts. He knew they would commit adultery not only with their spouse but also with Him. Divorce had to be made legal through a document to break the covenant. In Jesus day, they were not making their divorces legal so to remarry was to commit adultery because they were not legally divorced. God divorced Israel and Judah but he said that he would one day remarry them. Jesus explained that committing adultery breaks the covenant just like Israel and Judah broke their covenant with God when they committed adultery so many times with foreign gods. Lord, help us to forever stay true to our covenant with You. Give us strength to wait on You for your timing.

Thurs.’s Devo - What is in your Hand?

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-20; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21 God and Moses were having the conversation about returning to Egypt and setting God’s people free. Moses protested that no one would listen to him. God asked the question that is asked all through the Bible. “What is in your hand?” In other words, what have I already given you that you can use? Jesus asked the disciples the same thing when they had no food to feed the multitude. God asks us that question when we are up against problems. We already have what we are going to need or it is ours for the taking; we just have to reach out our faith and take it. Moses had a shepherd’s staff which seemed useless when facing a Pharaoh who despised shepherds and especially Hebrew shepherds. God gave Moses two signs to use: the snake and leprosy. Moses’ next argument was that he was not a good public speaker. So God reluctantly gave him Aaron to speak for him. Moses was to show the Pharaoh all his signs but God would harden his heart. Then he would tell Pharaoh that Israel was God’s first born son so he was to set him free to worship him. Pharaoh would refused and God would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son. The last event would be the killing of Pharaoh’s first born son. On the way to Egypt, the Lord confronted Moses and was about to kill him until Zipporah stepped in and knew what to do. She took their first born son and circumcised him. She proclaimed that now their marriage was sealed in blood. God spoke to Aaron to go and meet Moses at Sinai. Moses showed him his two signs and together they met with the elders of Israel. The elders believed they were from God and worshipped the Lord for seeing their misery and coming to their defense. Their devotion lasted until they met opposition, then they turned on Aaron and Moses. When Moses and Aaron met with Pharaoh he was not impressed. Moses and Aaron asked to take a three-day journey into the wilderness to meet and worship their Lord. If they didn’t go, the Lord would kill them with a plague or with the sword. Instead of letting them go, Pharaoh ordered more work for them. Now they had to gather their own straw to make bricks and make the same quota per day. The Israelites foremen went to Pharaoh to beg for better treatment but were denied their request. They told Moses and Aaron that this was all their fault. How quickly they changed their worship into a complaint. In Matthew. the disciples asked who was the greatest in the kingdom and Jesus brought them a little child. He said that the one who is humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Those who accept the humble will be accepting him but anyone who harms the humble will be greatly punished. The world tempts us to sin and the one who does the tempting will face hell. He warned them not to look down on any of the children or the humble because their angels are always in the presence of God. It is not God’s will that any of them perish. God gave them a formula to follow if someone sins against you. You are to confront them face to face. If they repent then you have won them back. If they don’t then you are to take two witnesses back with you to confront them again. If that person still refused to listen then you are to take you case to the church. If they won’t listen to the church then you are to treat that person as a pagan. He followed it with whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven and whatever we permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. So, to not confront a person’s sin in the church is to allow it both on earth and in heaven. Also, to agree with two or more believers concerning a thing causes God to move for you because when two or more believers meet, Jesus is with them. Lord, help us to agree about the right thing and oppose what you oppose. May we see what we have in our possession that you want us to use for your kingdom.

Wed.’s Devo - Moses’ Mission

Read: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14 Moses grew up in Pharoah’s palace but always knew he was an Israelite. One day he went out to visit his own people and saw how oppressed they were being treated. He witnessed an Egyptian beating an Israelite and when he thought no one was looking, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. When Moses went back to visit the Hebrews the next day he found that everyone knew what he had done. News quickly made it to the palace so Moses had to flee for his life. He ended up in Midian which means “strife and contention”. He saw that in his first encounter at the well. The contention was between the women shepherds and the men shepherds. Moses stepped in and rescued the women and drew water for their flocks. When the women who were seven daughters of the priest of Midian reported why they were back so quickly, their father told them to go back and bring Moses home. The fathers name was Reuel whose name means “friend of God”. Moses came and lived with Reuel and eventually was given his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. They had a son named Gershom which means “a stranger desolate” which was how Moses felt. One day Moses took Reuel’s sheep to pasture on Mt. Sinai. Reuel was also called Jethro which means “excellent remnant”. One of those names might have been his official title since he was the priest. Both names give us a great picture of who this man was and why God would choose him to nurture Moses and prepare him for his assignment. While on Mt. Sinai, God appeared to Moses in a bush that continued to burn. He told him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. God introduced himself as the God his father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God told Moses that he had seen the oppression of his people in Egypt and wanted to rescue them from Egypt and give them their own land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites now lived. Then he gave him the kicker…he was sending him to go lead them out. Moses protested but God told him he would be with him and bring him back to this very mountain to worship him. Not only did God bring Moses back to this mountain but he showed all of Israel his power through this mountain called Sinai. Here God would speak to them then give them his law and call them his people. When Moses asked God what to call him, God said his name was I AM. God told Moses to meet with the leaders of Israel first and tell them His plan. They would accept him but then they were to go to the Pharaoh who would not accept them. God would have to use his hand to strike the Egyptians with all kinds of miracles before they let them go. Eventually they would leave with the wealth of Egypt. In Matthew, Jesus was asked about the scriptures pertaining Elijah. The scriptures said that Elijah must return before the coming of the Messiah. The people actually thought that Jesus might be Elijah. Elijah did return on the Mt.of Transfiguration and Jesus explained that he did come through John the Baptist. In this we know that it was the spirit of Elijah that would come before the Messiah. Elijah in the Old Testament arrived on the scene during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. He confronted them and God’s people over their sin of idolatry. John the Baptist arrived on the scene during the days of the evil Herod’s. He exposed their sin and the sin of the nation also. He came to prepare the people’s hearts to receive salvation and the Savior. Jesus was brought a boy who was demon-possessed and the disciples had not been able to help him. Jesus rebuked the whole generation for not having faith. He wasn’t just talking about delivering the boy, he was talking about accepting him as the Messiah. Jesus had an interesting discussion with Peter over taxes. The discussion really had to do with living in this world with its rules when you are really a part of another kingdom where those things don’t apply. Jesus told Peter not to offend them and he provided the tax miraculously and had him pay it. We live in this world where we are bound to many of its regulations but our citizenship is in heaven where we are not slaves, don’t pay taxes and everything is free. It is tricky navigating through that matrix. The key is love. If we do everything out of a heart of love then we will bend when we need to bend and stand up when we need to stand. Lord, give us discernment and great wisdom to be in this world but not of it.

Mon.’s Devo - The Blessings of Jacob

Read: Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29:16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20 God had told Jacob that he would see Joseph again and that Joseph would close his eyes when he died. Jacob was dying so Joseph came with his two sons so Jacob could bless them before he left the earth. Jacob not only blessed them but he adopted them as his own and they were now counted among the tribes of Israel. Any sons born after this to Joseph would be his own. Jacob recounted the history of Joseph’s mother, Rachel. She had died in Canaan and was buried in Bethlehem - the place Jesus would be born. It came time for Jacob to bless Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob brought them to Jacob and they were so young they came to his knees. Joseph strategically placed them where Jacob would place his right hand on Ephraim’s head since he was the oldest and his left hand on Manasseh’s head. Jacob crossed his hands placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head. When Joseph saw this he tried to stop Jacob but Jacob knew exactly what he was doing. Ephraim would be greater than his older brother so the blessing of the first born would be his. With his arms he was making the sign of the cross. Jesus would come and cause us to forget our past and make us fruitful. Jacob blessed Joseph first and then his two boys. He said that their names would be synonymous with the word “blessing”. He told Josepth that his posterity would return to Canaan and told him that he was giving him an extra portion of the land that he took from the Amorites. That was true because Manasseh had land on both sides of the Jordan River. Jacob called all his sons and gave them their blessing. Each of them was blessed and prophesied over. Their prophecies stood the test of time. Jacob gave specific instructions about where his bones should be buried. He wanted them buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Leah’s bones in Hebron. In Matthew, Jesus returned from the area of Tyre and Sidon back to the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was there waiting with their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus healed them and taught them. He didn’t want to send them away hungry so he had them sit down. He told the disciples what he wanted to do - feed the crowd. He asked them what they had. They had seven loaves and a few small fish. Jesus did what he had done before. He blessed the food then broke it and gave it to the disciples. The disciples distributed the food and the 4,000 men and their families ate. The disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. Then Jesus sent the people home and crossed over to the region of the Magadan. The Pharisees came to Jesus and demanded that he give them a sign to prove that he was the Messiah. Jesus had given them so many signs they had to be blind to not see them. So, he told them that the only sign he would give them was the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then he left. I’m sure they had no idea what he meant. They didn’t know that like Jonah he would be in the belly of the earth for three days then resurrect like Jonah did. Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee and Jesus began to teach them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. They immediately though he was talking about physical bread and realized they had none. Jesus explained he was not speaking naturally but spiritually. The yeast of the Pharisees was their wrong teachings. The Pharisees had abandoned God’s laws for their own man-made laws. They made it impossible to be good enough to find God. Lord, help us to see with spiritual eyes and see beyond the natural. May we see as You see and walk in the supernatural with you.

Sun.’s Devo - God’s Provision in Egypt

Read: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19 Jacob went to Beersheba where Abraham and Isaac both made covenants with Abimelech and with God. There, God spoke to Jacob and told him not to be afraid to go to Egypt and live because God was orchestrating this move. They would become a great nation and God would be with them and one day bring them back to Canaan. Next we have a list of all the 66 of Jacob’s descendants that came out of Canaan to go to Egypt. One of the things that stood out to me as I read the list of names was the fact that Dan only had one son - Hushim. Hushim means “haster”. Dan was the last son to receive his allotment in the Promised Land. His tribe became so idolatrous that they were called the degenerate tribe. They were like Judas of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Dan was not mentioned in the list of tribes in Revelation as if they didn’t make the cut in the end. Dan means “a judge”. When they got to Egypt they added Joseph, his wife and two sons making it 70 of Jacob’s family in Egypt. Jacob settled his family in Goshen. He had a happy reunion with his father. Jacob said he could now die in peace after seeing Joseph’s face. Joseph presented his father and five of his brothers to the Pharaoh. He had instructed them to tell the Pharaoh that they were farmers so they would be isolated in Goshen and not have to be corrupted by Egypt and its idolatry. It worked perfectly and they were given Goshen, the best land to be fruitful and multiply in. Jacob lived 17 years in Goshen but made Joseph promise that when they returned to Canaan, they were to take his bones with them and bury them in the land of his ancestors. He would be buried in the field with Abraham and Isaac. God provided the best for them in Egypt. Our Egypt is this world and even in this evil world, God provides for our every need and wants us to have the best of the land. That is our inheritance. In Matthew, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who were trying to trick him by asking why Jesus’ disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating. This was a man-made law of the Pharisees and had nothing to do with Moses’ law. Jesus answered them with a question. He asked them why they caused their people to neglect God’s law of honoring their parents to give their money to them instead. The Pharisees had made it legal for the people to give to the temple the money they should have spent taking care of their elderly parents. They taught that it was more honorable to give great amounts of money to the treasury at the temple than to care for their parents. Jesus said that these people honored him with their lips but they hearts were far from him. Their worship was a farce for they taught man-made ideas as if they were God’s commands. Then Jesus addressed their issue about eating with unwashed hands. He said that it wasn’t the food from unwashed hands that went into their bodies that would defile them but it was the words that came out of their mouths that would defile them. Our words come from our hearts. When we speak words it either blesses us or curses us. A Gentile woman came to Jesus and wanted him to have mercy on her and deliver her daughter from the demons that tormented her. Jesus ignored her and the disciples wanted to tell her to leave Jesus alone. When she returned and begged again, Jesus spoke to her. He was sent to the house of Israel first. She replied that even dogs were allowed to earth the scraps from the master’s table. Jesus told her that her faith had gotten her request answered. Her daughter was healed at that moment. Lord, may our faith get your attention and your favor. May we walk in the light of your word and your countenance.

Sat.’s Devo - The Last Test

Read: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13 When it was time for Joseph’s brothers to go back home with the grain they had bought, Joseph gave specific instructions to his manager. He was to hide Joseph’s silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. As soon as the men were out of the city, the manager was to chase them down and arrest them for stealing his cup. Needless to say, they were appalled to find that the cup was in Benjamin’s bag. It was Judah that stepped up again to plead his cause. Judah had been the one to offer up his two sons as a payment that they would return with Benjamin and now it was Judah that stood up and made the defense on his behalf. No wonder it was the tribe of Judah that Jesus chose to come through. Judah laid down his life for his younger brother that was not his whole brother. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us, the Gentiles? This had been Joseph’s ultimate and last test for his brothers and they had passed it. He could no longer keep his secret and let them know that he was their brother, Joseph. I can’t imagine their faces and the thought processes they went through at this moment. After thinking this leader was a tyrant who was playing with them - mad at one moment and then feeding them a feast the next. They finally accepted that this was indeed Joseph and were elated that he was alive. He told them the famine would last another five years and they must move their families to Egypt and live in Goshen to stay alive. God had used him to keep their family alive. Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us just like Joseph did for his family. The land of Goshen was green and the best land. They would be fed from the king’s table…in the time of famine. That is our promise from God. We live in this world, but really are citizens of heaven also. Our real home is there. In the middle of the greatest famines, pandemics, whatever comes, we are protected in a safe place in the Lord. When we make God our source he takes care of all of our needs. Jesus had just found out that John the Baptist had been beheaded and went off by himself to be alone. He didn’t get too much alone time before the crowd found him. He saw their great needs and was filled with compassion. He put away his mourning to heal the sick. As the day came to an end, his disciples begged Jesus to send the people away so they could go and eat. Jesus told them that it wasn’t necessary for him to send them away, they should feed the crowd. Can you imagine their thoughts? They only had five loaves of bread and two fish between the twelve. This was a teaching moment for the disciples. Jesus took what they had, it wouldn’t have mattered what they had, and had the people sit down and all witness the miracle. Jesus took the food and blessed them then started breaking the bread and fish and giving them to the disciples. They fed 5,000 men and who knows how many women and children. The disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. As soon as the eating was over, Jesus put his disciples in their boat and told them to cross the lake and sent the people home. He went up on the mountain to pray. In the middle of the night, a storm arose on the lake and the disciples were in peril. Jesus was crossing the lake at the time when the disciples saw him. They cried out for him to help them. They were terrified at the storm and now even more afraid when they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them. They thought it was a ghost. Jesus told them not to be afraid and when they heard his voice they calmed down. Peter wanted to come out to him and walk on the water also. Jesus called him to come and he did until he looked around and saw the waters and was afraid. Then he started to sink. Jesus rescued him but rebuked him for his lack of faith. As soon as Jesus climbed into the boat the waves stopped. They were soon at the other side. The last time they had been there, there had been another storm and they had delivered the Gadarene of his demons. The people of the city had been so afraid of Jesus that they had driven him out of their town. Now that the man who had been filled with demons had had time to prove to the people that he was a changed man, all the people wanted Jesus to touch them and heal them of their woes. Lord, help us to walk on the water and not see the storms as something to fear. We put all our faith and trust in You.

Fri.’s Devo - Guilt

Read: Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16:36; Proverbs 4:7-10 On the third day of their day in prison, Joseph came to see his brothers and told them their fate. They were to choose one of them to stay and the others could return to Canaan. To prove that they were honest men, they must return with their other brother and then they would all be free. Reuben spoke and defended himself. He told them he had told them not to harm Joseph and now all this was a punishment for what they had done to Joseph. Little did they understand that Joseph was standing among them listening to everything they were saying. Joseph chose who would stay and he chose the next oldest to stay. Since Reuben was innocent he chose Simeon, the second son. The nine of them headed for home and on the way one of them discovered that their money was still in their sack. Instead of seeing this as a blessing, they were afraid. Their guilt kept them from seeing the blessing. Everything Joseph did was a test to see if their hearts had been changed. The fact that they felt guilty for what they did for Joseph and now were afraid that they had not paid for their grain showed that they had changed. When they returned and told Jacob all that had happened, he was very upset. He would never part with Benjamin. But, as the famine continued they ran out of the grain and begged their father to let them return to buy more. Judah told his father that he would put up his two sons as collateral for Benjamin’s safety if he would just let Benjamin go with them. Jacob finally let Benjamin go. When they arrived in Egypt, they were immediately taken to Joseph’s house and were told to wait. They told the manager that their money had been returned in their sacks and they had brought it back with more money. The manager was not concerned about their money and even said that God must have put the treasure into their packs. They were full of fear that they were going to be made slaves and never return home. Instead, Simeon was released to them and they were given a feast. Joseph seated them in their birth order and gave them food from his own table. Benjamin was given five times as much as the rest of them. In Matthew, Jesus gives one last parable about the Kingdom of Heaven and the end of time. In the end, a big net will gather everyone to heaven where the angels will separate the good fist from the bad (the righteous people from the evil ones). Jesus finished his teaching and returned to his home town. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and taught and performed miracles. The people who had known Jesus as he grew and knew his family had a hard time believing that Jesus was special let alone the Messiah. So Jesus declared that a prophet was not honored in his home town and left. Meanwhile, back in the kingdom of government. Herod Antipas was the ruler of Galilee and he heard about Jesus and was afraid he might be John the Baptist raised from the dead. He had had John killed when he was tricked by his new wife he had stolen from his brother. John had spoken out about how wrong it was for him to have his brother’s wife which made the wife, Herodias really upset. One night at a party, her daughter had danced before Herod and he offered her a request. She had been told by her mother to ask for the head of John the Baptist so that was how John died. Now that Herod had heard about what Jesus was doing, his guilt was catching up with him. Both of our stories have to do with the guilt caused by sin which lead to the consequences of the sin. Lord, thank you that you took our guilt as well as our sin on the cross and bore all our shame for us that we might walk in freedom and victory.

Thurs.’s Devo - Pharoah’s Dreams

Read: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6 Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams of seven thin cows eating seven fat cows and seven plump grains being replaced by seven withered grains. Joseph explained that the seven had to do with timing. For seven years, the land would prosper but after that seven years of famine would eat up all the prosperity of the seven years. Since God was telling the Pharaoh in advance he would be able to plan and Joseph told him exactly what he must do. Once again Joseph’s gift of administration shone through. Pharaoh recognized that Joseph was gifted and put him in charge of doing exactly what he said needed to be done. He would be in charge of storing up during the good years to be ready for the bad ones. Joseph had been put in charge of Potipher’s house, then the royal prison and now the whole land of Egypt. Everything in Joseph’s life up to now was to prepare him for this job. Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife who gave him two sons, Manasseh which means “causing to forget” and another one he named Ephraim which means “fruitful”. God had caused him to forget the cruelty of his brothers and his life up till then and caused him to be fruitful. This is what God does when we come to him for salvation. He causes us to forget our past and the pains of walking through life with out God and he causes us to bear fruit and prosper in Him. Joseph was given an Egyptian wife. Think of all the great men of the Bible that married Gentile women. Moses married Zipporah, Abraham married Sarah, Isaac married Rebekah, Jacob married Leah and Rachel. Even though some of these women were from Abraham’s family, we have to remember that Abraham’s father was a priest of another god. Abraham was called out of his family to be a chosen people separate from his father’s gods. Samson married Philistine women, David married many foreign wives as did Solomon, Boaz married Ruth who was a Moabite. Jesus will marry a Gentile bride. They are all pictures of his love for all people. Jacob heard that Egypt had grain as the famine had reached Canaan. He sent his ten sons to go to Egypt and bring back grain. He could not part with Benjamin as he was the last of Rachel’s sons and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, too. The sons arrived in Egypt and had to buy grain from Joseph. Joseph had a shaved head and looked like an Egyptian. They didn’t recognize him but he recognized them. He put them to a test to test their hearts. They told him they had another brother who had stayed home so Joseph put them all in prison and told them they must choose one to go home and bring back the other brother to prove that they were telling the truth. They stayed in prison for three days. They got a little taste of the treatment they had given Joseph. Jesus began teaching his parables and then he explained them to his disciples. The farmer in all the parables is Jesus. He is the one who plants the good seed. The field is the world and the harvesters are angels who will harvest the world in the end. Satan is the one who plants bad seeds in the world. These bad seeds are his people that he disguises as good people. It is the angels’ job to get rid of them at the end of time. The last two parables he gave talk about a treasure found in the field. Psalm 135:4 says that The Lord took Jacob and Israel for his peculiar treasure. We are the Lord’s treasure. Our treasure is all the things the Lord gives us to store up in our heart. Isaiah 33:6 says that wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure. The world’s treasure is their possessions and the things they esteem highly. We are to esteem righteousness, wisdom, understanding, knowledge of God and God’s love as our treasures. A rabbi would explain the treasure to be the Jewish nation and the pearl to be the Gentile nation. God chose to buy the whole world with the blood of his son to purchase the good seed in it - those whose hearts would be turned toward the Lord. Lord, help us to guard the treasures of wisdom and understanding that you have given us. May we be the pearl of great price that brings you glory and honor on the earth.

Wed.’s Devo - Joseph’s Trials

Read: Genesis 39:1-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35 Joseph was taken to Potiphar’s house. Potiphar means “my affliction was broken”. His affliction was broken when Joseph came and everything in his house was blessed and turned around. Joseph had an enemy which was Satan. He was there to discourage and fight everything God was doing. But God was using every failure to mold Joseph into the leader he needed him to become. God had a funny way of promoting Joseph. He would test him and Joseph would end up in prison. Joseph would use his gift of administration and be promoted again. Everywhere Joseph ended up God was with him to bless him. It was all preparation for the greatest job of all. Joseph’s life was a picture of Jesus’ life in so many ways. Jesus, like Joseph learned to obey God by the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Joseph was rejected by his own brothers because of their jealousy of his favor from their father just as Jesus was rejected by the Jews for his talk of his relationship with his Father. Joseph was wrongly accused by Potipher’s wife just as Jesus was wrongly accused of doing his miracles by the power of Satan. Both were being prepared to reign over nations. Both grew in the favor of God. Apparently the king found out that someone was trying to poison him and there were two people who could do this. One would be the one who gave him what he drank - the cup bearer and the other was the one who baked his food - the baker. They were both put in prison till the plot could be investigated to find the guilty one. God gave them both a dream on the same night and when Joseph heard the dreams, God gave him the interpretation. The baker was guilty and ended up hanging on the third day. The cup-bearer was innocent and was exalted to his rightful position on the third day. This is a picture of judgment day when all of the sins of the world will be revealed and brought to light. Those covered by the blood of Jesus will be declared innocent and we will reign with Christ in his Kingdom. Those who are guilty of sin will go to their destiny in hell. The cup-bearer completely forgot about Joseph until two years later when the Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. Joseph was brought out of prison and brought before the king. Joseph made sure that the Pharaoh knew that only God in heaven could interpret his dream. In Matthew, Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were outside and wanted to speak with him. Jesus made sure that they understood that everyone was on the same level with God. They could all have the status of his mother and brothers. Jesus taught the people in parables which were stories that had hidden meaning. To understand the meaning you had to meditate on them and want to understand. Jesus did this to cull out those who were just there for the miracles and not for their love for God. The parable about the seed and the soil was the parable of all parables. If you understand it, you will understand the others. The seed is the Words that Jesus spoke and that are written in the Bible. If they land on hearts that are fertile they will grow and produce fruit, but if they fall on shallow hearts, they will not stand when persecution comes. If they fall on hearts that are full of sin, they will be choked out by the sin. Jesus chose the disciples he chose because all but one of them had the right kind of hearts. Thank you, Lord for choosing us and putting your Word and your Spirit in us. May we grow to produce much fruit for your kingdom.

Tues.’s Devo - Joseph’s Humble Beginnings

Read: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32 Jacob settled in the land of Canaan. Joseph was now 17 and Jacob loved him the most since he was Rachel’s son and probably reminded him of her. All of Jacob’s sons knew that Jospeh was the favorite and to make matters worse, Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph. Joseph was a dreamer and had a dream where his brother’s bowed down to him. This made them even hate him even more. He had another dream where his mother and father bowed down to him also. Jacob took note of this dream. One day, Jacob sent Joseph to find his other sons who had been gone for a while with the flocks. When Joseph finally found them in Dothan, they plotted to kill him. Rueben came to his rescue and convinced them to throw him in a well instead. He had planned to rescue him later. (I wonder if he wanted to use this to get back into his father’s good graces after sleeping with his concubine.) Whatever the reason, it backfired on Rueben but ended up saving Joseph. A caravan of of Ismaelite traders passed their way and they decided to sell Joseph to them. They bought him and took him to Egypt. Joseph’s brothers covered up their crime with the blood of a goat to make their father think that Joseph had been eaten by wild animals. They smeared it on the coat they so envied and took it to Jacob. He mourned Joseph’s death and refused to be comforted. The brothers had to live with the guilt and lies. Meanwhile, the Ishmaelite traders sold Joseph to Potiphar who was an officer to the Pharaoh in Egypt. Judah left his father’s household and moved to Adullam which means “a testimony to them”. The people of the land would see how God works with his people. Judah married a woman whose father was named Shua, meaning “depression: a pit”. He would have two evil sons with her named Er and Onan. Er married a woman named Tamar. God killed Er because he was so wicked. Onan was suppose to marry Tamar and have a son for Er but he refused so God killed him, too. Judah had a third son named Shelia but he was afraid that if he gave him to Tamar then he would also die. He was not understanding that it was not Tamar’s fault they were dying, but the wickedness of his sons. When Tamar saw that Judah had no intention of giving her Shelia, she devised her own plot to have a son. She veiled herself and played the harlot with Judah. He took the bait and gave her his seal and staff to have sex with her thinking she was just a prostitute. Tamar got pregnant and when Judah found out he wanted to stone her till she gave him the evidence of who the father was. There was no way Judah would kill his own offspring. He realized that Tamar had been more righteous than him. Tamar had twins and when it came time for her to deliver, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife put a scarlet thread around his hand but the other son came out of the womb first. This was all prophetic of these two sons. The would be called Perez who came out first and Zerah who was born with the scarlet thread. Once again we see the picture of the firstborn being earthly and the second born being bought with the blood. Jesus knew the heartbreak of seeing his own house divided. He came to the Jews, God’s chosen people, his family on the earth, and they rejected him and wanted nothing to do with who he was and his mission. They said he was of Satan. Jesus explained that a tree is recognized by its fruits and so are we. Our fruit determine our roots. The Pharisees were suppose to be the keepers of God’s laws but they undermined, perverted and misrepresented God to the people. They always wanted to see signs so Jesus would give them the sign of Jonah. They would see that Jesus would die and be in the belly of the earth for three days then rise from death to live in heaven. Jesus described their generation as evil. It would just get more and more evil because they had rejected Christ. He had cleaned out the evil spirits but they would return and their state would be worse than when he came. Lord, may we walk in your light and become more and more like you every day.

Mon.’s Devo - Jacob’s Travels

Read: Genesis 35:1-36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Provers 3:21-26 Jacob told all his family and servants to get rid of their idols because they were going to Bethel where God had spoken to him and there they would build an altar to the Lord. (I wonder if Rachel got rid of the idols she stole from her father’s house.) Jacob took these idols and buried them under a great tree near Shechem. This tree appears time and time again throughout the Bible story. The oak tree was deemed a consecrated tree, to bury these idols at its root was to deposit them in a place where no hand would venture to disturb the ground. They continued on to Bethel where Jacob built an altar. God appeared to him and reemphasized to him that his name was not Jacob the Supplanter anymore but Israel, the one who, along with his descendants, would rule as God on the earth. He gave him the land he had given to Abraham and Isaac. Jacob set up a pillar to mark the place God had spoken to him then poured wine over it and anointed it with olive oil. He named it Bethel meaning “house of God”. He traveled to Ephrath (“fruitful”) where Rachel went into labor and died delivering Benjamin. Benjamin means “son of my right hand”. Ephrath became named Bethlehem where God’s right hand son was born. On to Migdal-elder (“tower of the flock)” where Rueben had sex with his father’s concubine, Bilhah. Bilhah had been the mother of Dan and Naphtali. This was a terrible sin and showed that Rueben, Jacob’s first-born had no respect for his father. The first-born is a picture of our being born of the flesh. We will die in our sins unless we are born again (second-born). Jacob returned to live in the land with Isaac, his father. This land was Hebron which became a city of refuge. Esau’s line is given and it is the bad seed with could not produce any good fruit. His descendants became the inhabitants of Canaan that God would tell Joshua to completely kill and get rid of. The ones who remained alive only brought curse and sin upon the earth. Jesus came and offered to all freedom from the bondage of sin. In Matthew, Jesus gave a great demonstration to show what would happen when God’s people get hungry enough. They will break the law to get fed. What good is the law if you are dying? Jesus showed them how nonsensical their laws had become. They would deny a person healing because its process would break their man-made laws. We have laws right now in our land that go against common sense and we comply because we have put our trust in sinful lawmakers and politicians who only have their pockets in mind. We have to break man’s laws to follow God’s when man’s laws defy God’s. Jesus didn’t stop healing because it upset the government of the day. He knew God’s government and it was the government he was following. Lord, thank you that You are our security and You will keep our feet from being caught in a trap. Give us discernment for today.

Sun.’s Devo - Defeating Shechem

Read: Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20 Jacob didn’t know what to expect when he met Esau since the last time they were together Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob strategically positioned herds ahead of him to be gifts to Esau to soften his anger. After all the gifts had gone, Jacob took his wives and children across the Jabbok River along with all his possessions. He was left alone in the camp when an angel came and wrestled with him until dawn. The angel begged to let go of him but Jacob refused until he blessed him. He man asked Jacob what his name was and when he told him it was Jacob, he changed it to Israel which means “he who will rule as God”. Jacob had fought with God and with men and won. Jacob wanted to know the angels’ name but he never told him. Jacob was injured in the battle and limped from that time on. Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men and went to meet him. Esau met him with open arms and they wept on each other’s shoulder. Esau was introduced to his wives and children and saw all the wealth that Jacob had. Esau wanted Jacob to travel with him but Jacob explained they needed to travel too slowly because of the children. Instead, Jacob traveled to Shechem and set up a camp outside of the town. He set up an altar to the Lord and named it El-Elohe-Israel. Jacob’s daughter Hagar was violated by one of the local princess from Shechem. Once he violated her he wanted to marry her. Jacob found out what had happened and so did his sons. The leader of Shechem wanted to make a covenant with Jacob so that they would share in one another’s wealth. Jacob’s sons devised a plan to deceive the men of Shechem to avenge the violation of their sister. They told them they would make a covenant if the men would circumcise themselves. The monetary gain was worth the pain so they agreed to do that. When they were sore from their surgery, Jacob’s sons attacked the town of Shechem and killed everyone and took their possessions. Jacob found out what they had done and was upset because they had made his name a stink among the people. As John’s disciples went to tell John how Jesus had responded to his question about if he was the Messiah, Jesus addressed the crowd about John. He asked them why they had gone to see John. He explained who John was a big part of God’s plan. He was the one who was sent to prepare the way for him. He was the Elijah spoken of by the prophets and much of what they had said led to this very time. Jesus rebuked their generation because no matter what God did, they were not satisfied. Jesus had done miracles and they complained that he hung out with sinners. Jesus embodied God and yet no one wanted to know him because they didn’t truly want to know God. Lord, help us to truly seek your face and want to know your will and your ways.

Sat.’s Devo - The Battles of Life

Read: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:24-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Provers 3:16-18 Jacob left secretly from Laban’s land and was gone three days before Laban was told they had escaped. Laban found out they had not only left but stolen his household gods. He was enraged and went after them with an army of men. When he met up with Jacob, he hotly questioned him about why he left without telling him and then he got to the main reason he was mad…they had stolen his gods. Laban was not a man who took lightly being tricked or stolen from. He was the one who was used to ending up on top and now Jacob had won. Jacob pronounced a curse of death on the one who stole the gods not knowing it was Rachel and the curse would take her life. These household gods were idols. How sad that Rachel would succumb to idolatry instead of trusting God. Laban and Jacob told each other just how they felt about everything that had happened. Laban had been warned by God not to harm Jacob so he piled up stone for a covenant instead. They made a covenant to stay on their side of the line and not pass it to harm the other. Laban called on the God of Abraham - Jehovah and the god of Nahor which was probably Baal to witness this covenant. Jacob took the oath before the God of his father Isaac. Laban left the next morning after blessing his family. When Jacob left that place angels came and met him. There were so many of them that he called the place Mahanaim - camp of angels. Next, Jacob sent messages to his brother Esau with a friendly greeting. He learned that Esau got the message and was headed his way with an army of 400 men. Jacob was afraid. He divided his household into two groups and sent the first one ahead hoping that if Esau attacked it, at least the second group could escape. Jacob got alone with the Lord and reminded him of his promise to him that if he returned to his own home, he would bless him and cause him to become a powerful nation. In Matthew, Jesus explained that they would be treated even worse than he had been treated became no servant was greater than the master. They were not to be afraid of the evil people because their sins would be revealed for all the see one day. They can kill our body, but no one can take our soul - it is eternal. Earth is the battle field so we are always at war with Satan and his servants. Our reward is not here but in heaven. The disciple went out and taught and preached in the towns through the region. John the Baptist heard about all Jesus was doing and sent a message asking him if he was truly the Messiah. Jesus send word to John to test him by his fruit. Lord, may we produce fruit that will remain.

Fri.’s Devo - Leaving Laban and Going Home

Read: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-23; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15 Rachel and Leah were not without drama and sibling rivalry. To make things worse they were married to the same man and the way to have status in their day was to have sons. Rachel was the one who was pretty and loved by her husband but Leah was the one who could produce sons. They both caved to what Sarah did by throwing in their concubines to help their own status. In the end, twelve sons would be born between the four women and they would all have Jacob’s seed, Isaac’s seed and Abraham’s seed. Jacob was not without his own drama. He had tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing and then went to live with the greatest trickster of all - Laban. God used Laban to humble Jacob. Jacob worked hard for Laban and worked all his deceit out of himself. When he had had all he could take, God told him it was time to go back home. Jacob had learned through his animals that you become what you behold and he did not want to become like Laban. God appeared to Jacob and reminded him of the vow he had made to the Lord at Bethel that he would return to his own homeland one day. It was time to do that. His wives were in agreement to leave because their father had also tricked them out of any inheritance they would receive. In Matthew, we have the list of Jesus’ disciples just like we had a list of eleven of the twelve sons of Jacob in Genesis. Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and that the Messiah had come in the body of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They were sent to the Jewish people only because it was to them first. They were the offspring of Abraham and they had the opportunity first to come into the kingdom. The disciples were to depend on the Lord to provide for them. Those who received them would receive a blessing and those who refused them would receive a curse. Jesus warned them from the beginning that they would be persecuted like him and it would not be easy for them. He would return before they had reached all the towns of Israel. Lord, thank you for the trials we face because we know that they are working to produce a finished work in us. May we submit to your discipline and learn from our mistakes. You never leave us or forsake us. You are on our side.

Thurs.’s Devo - Leah’s First Four

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12 Isaac sent Jacob to his wife’s family where Abraham was from to find a wife. He told him to marry one of Laban’s daughters which is exactly what he would do. Esau heard about what his father did and how he didn’t like the Hittite women so he married one of Ishmael’s daughters. On Jacob’s way to Laban’s house he stopped to spend the night in the wilderness. He found a stone for his pillow and step. He dreamed of a stairway that reached to heaven and saw angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top stood the Lord. He introduced himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac. He told Jacob that the land he was lying on belonged to him and descendants. His descendants would be great and be a blessing to the whole earth. He took the rock he had used for a pillow and made an altar to the the Lord. The place he was in was called Luz which means “perverse” but he changed it to Bethel which means “house of God”. Jacob promised that if God would go with him and provide his needs and if he returned safely to his father’s house, then the Lord would be his God. The altar he made would stand as a place to worship God and Jacob would tithe to the Lord. Jacob continued traveling east till he came to a well where a few shepherds had gathered with their flocks. Jacob asked if any of them knew his uncle Laban and they did. They told him that his daughter was walking toward them. It was Rachel and when Jacob saw her, he removed the heavy stone from the well that usually took all the shepherds to remove. He watered all of Rachel’s sheep then kissed her and explained that he was her cousin, the son of Rebekah, Laban’s sister. Rachel ran to tell her father. Laban came and welcomed him and brought him to his house. He worked for Laban for a month when Laban asked him what he wanted for his pay. Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel so he offered to work for him for 7 years for Rachel. Laban agreed and Jacob worked for 7 years. After the 7 years Jacob asked for his wife. Laban threw a great feast but the night of the wedding, he gave Jacob Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob didn’t find out till the next morning when the sun came up and he could see. Jacob was outraged at Laban. Laban explained that in his culture, the oldest daughter had to marry first but if Jacob would finish his wedding week with Leah, he would give him Rachel if he would agree to work seven more years for him he would get Rachel also. Jacob agreed so he got both Leah and Rachel though he loved Rachel the most. Rachel and Leah each came with a servant: Zilpah and Bilhah. Rachel was barren but Leah was fertile and soon became pregnant. She had a son and named him Reuben which means “see a son”. She thought it would get Jacob’s affection for her. She had a second son and named him Simeon which means God hears. She believed that God heard her cry for love from her husband and blessed her with this son. Her third son was named Levi which means “attached”. Leah had hoped that this son would bind her husband’s heart to hers. Her fourth son was named Judah which means “praise”. Leah worked through her pain of rejection and finally was able to praise the Lord through it all. In Matthew, Jesus had just finished explaining about how you had to have new wineskins to be able to put the new wine God was pouring out during this time. Then a man came to him whose daughter had just died. He asked Jesus to bring her back to life. They would need those new wineskins to be able to believe Jesus could bring someone back to life. Before Jesus could go to see this young girl, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of his shawl and was healed. Jesus went to the man’s house and told the mourners that the girl was just sleeping. They thought he was crazy till he raised her from the dead. Then, Jesus healed two blind men and told them not to tell. Instead they went out and told everyone. A demon-possessed many who was dumb was brought to Jesus who delivered and healed him. The Pharisees declared that his power did not come from God but from Satan. Jesus traveled through the area proclaiming the good news about the Kingdom of God. He told his disciples to pray for more workers in God’s fields. Lord, thank you for sending us as workers into your field. May we see the kingdom come to earth.

Wed.’s Devo - Wells and Wine

Read: Genesis 26:17-27; Matthew 9:1-17; Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10 Isaac moved back to the land of Abimelech in the Gerar Valley. This was where he had reaped 10iˆ0-fold before. He began unearthing the wells Abraham had dug and the Philistines had filled. He renamed them the names Abraham had given them proving they were their wells. The shepards of Gerar claimed it to be their well and Isaac gave up and called it Esek which means “strife”. The next well they argued over, Isaac renamed Sitnah which means “hostility and accusation.” The third well he dug proved to bring no contention so he named the well Rehoboth which means “open space”. Finally he had a place to live. Isaac moved on to Beer-sheba where God had appeared to him on the first night. This was also the well which had been a well of contention years earlier with Abraham and Abimelech. They had made a covenant and given it back to Abraham. Hagar would find that well and it would be her and Ishmael’s salvation. Not only had Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant, but God had made a covenant with Isaac telling him that he would bless him and his descendants and they would multiply on the earth. Abimelech, his advisor and his army commander (an intimidating party) came to pay Isaac a visit. They wanted to make a treaty with Isaac since they didn’t think they could fight him they decided to join him. It would be a peace treaty to leave each other alone. Isaac agreed and they made a treaty and they left. Isaac’s servants found a new well so Isaac named the well Shibah which means “oath. They built the town of Beer-sheba there. Esau married two of the Hittite women which brought Isaac and Rebekah much woe. When Isaac became old he wanted to pass on the blessing to his first born. Esau had given up his right as the first born and Rebekah wanted the blessing to go to Jacob, the one who treasured the right of first born. She concocted a plan to deceive Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau and it worked. Jacob received the blessing and Esau received the curse. This made Esau want to kill Jacob so Rebekah came to his rescue again. She convinced Isaac to send Jacob to her brother Laban’s house so he wouldn’t marry a Hittite. Isaac agreed to let him go. In Matthew, Jesus spent his whole life trying to make new wineskins so he could put his new wine into them. The only way to make new wineskins was to change their way of thinking. He did miracles to help them with this switch. He forgave the man’s sin that had kept him paralyzed because that is what sin does. It paralyzes us. People were amazed that God would give such authority to humans but God wants to give us that same authority. Jesus did such things as eat with tax collectors explaining that it was people who recognized a need for a savior that he came to save. Lord, may we honor you so that our barns will be filled with grain and our vats overflow with good wine.

Tues.’s Devo - The Twins

Read: Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8 When reading today’s story, I notice how Rebekah’s brother Laban seems to take the place of the father. He and the mother get the gifts from Abraham’s servant and they make the decisions for Rebekah. But, ultimately, Rebekah made the final decision to leave right away and go back with him to meet her new husband. Isaac was at least 20 years older than Rebekah which was the custom of the day. Isaac had been meditating in the very place where Hagar had met the Lord and he rescued her from death. She had named the place Beer-lahai-roi - “well of the Lord who sees me”. From that place Isaac looked up and saw his bride for the first time. Rebekah saw him too and covered her face. Isaac heard the whole story of how the servant chose Rebekah and took her into Sarah’s tent and loved her. She was a great comfort to him after losing his mother, Sarah. Abraham remarried a woman named Keturah. She had six sons. Abraham left everything to Isaac when he died but gave gifts to his other sons and sent them east to settle and multiply. Isaac went to live in Beer-lahai-roi. Ishmael had 12 sons who settled east of Egypt and like the prophesy said, they lived in open hostility to their relatives. Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah. Rebekah was barren and Isaac prayed earnestly to the Lord to open her womb. God answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah was blessed with twins. The twins fought even in the womb and when Rebekah asked the Lord what was happening in her womb he told her. She was bearing two rival nations. One would be stronger than the other but the older son would serve the youngest. When Rebekah delivered, the first son was red and covered with thick hair. They named him Esau, which means “shaggy’. The second son was born holding on to his brother’s heel. They named him Jacob which means “supplanter”. He would supplant his brother in every way. Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born. Isaac was partial to Esau because he loved to eat the venison that Esau killed. Rebekah was partial to Jacob because he loved to stay home. One day, Esau came home starving after being on a long hunt. Jacob was cooking stew and bargained Esau’s birthright for some stew. Esau despised his birthright and gave it up for the stew. A severe famine came to the land so Isaac moved his family to Gerar where Abimelech livd. God told Isaac and told him not to take his family to Egypt but to stay there and God would bless his descendants and make them as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars in the sky. In the very land where Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife, now Isaac lied about Rebekah being his wife. Abimelech, (probably the son of the one who Abraham knew) found out Rebekah was Isaac’s wife and called Isaac in. He rebuked him for lying to him. He put out a law of protection around Isaac and his wife. That year, Jacob planted and received 100 times what he planted as a return. He became so rich that the Philistines were jealous and filled up his wells so he couldn’t water his cattle These were the wells that Abraham had dug. Abimelech called Isaac in again and told him it would be better for him to leave because he was becoming too powerful for them. This story shows the power that we as Christians are suppose to walk in. The devil and his people should be afraid of us and our wealth. I believe that this day is coming. In Matthew, Jesus made it clear to those who wanted to follow him that they were not promised a comfortable life but it would cost them everything. As Jesus was in the boat with his disciples crossing to the Gentile side, a storm arose in the sea. Jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat and his disciples wakened him in a panic. They told Jesus that they were going to drown if he didn’t save them. Jesus asked them why they had so little faith. He rebuked the wind and the waves and there was instant calm. The disciples were amazed. Satan did not want Jesus to reach the other side because his principality was dwelling in a man who lived in the tombs and was violent. Matthew’s account says that there were two of them. They met Jesus screaming at him wanting to know why Jesus was interfering with their mission and wanted to know if he had come to torment them before their time. They begged to be cast in to the pigs that were near them. Jesus allowed them to go into the pigs who plunged over the cliff into the lake of water below. (What a picture of Satan and his demons being thrown into the lake of fire in the end.) The men who herded the pigs ran into town telling everyone what they had seen. The entire town came and begged him to leave them alone. They would change their tune later and welcome Jesus back. Lord, it is obvious that living for You will cost us everything and that your way is so misunderstood by the world. May we not miss our destiny by trying to please others. You are our hope and our reward.

Mon.’s Devo - A Wife for Isaac

Read: Genesis 23:1-24-51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6 Sarah lived to be 127 years old and died. Sarah was 90 when she had Isaac so she got 37 years with him. Abraham had no land of his own to bury Sarah so he bought his first piece of land in Canaan to bury his wife and their descendants. All of the patriarchs would be buried here and even Joseph’s bones were brought back to this field and buried. He bought it from Ephron of Zohar for the full price of 400 pieces of silver. “Ephron of Zohar” means “he of dust - whitening”. In 4,000 years Jesus would come and make man, made of dust become white as snow. It was now time to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham didn’t want Isaac to marry a Canaanite so he sent his servant to his homeland to find a wife. He specifically told him that she must be willing to leave and come to Canaan because Isaac was never to return there. It would be his son, Jacob that would return and live there and come face to face with himself. When the servant got to the land of Abraham’s birth he prayed for help from God. He asked that the woman who came to the well, and when asked for a drink, would offer to give water to all his camels. She would be the one. Before he could finish his prayer he noticed a beautiful woman walking to the well. She was Rebekah and she was the one. When she finished watering his camels he learned that she was Abraham’s youngest brother’s (Bethuel) daughter. She had a brother, Laban who was very crafty. When he saw the bracelets and rings the servant had given Rebekah, he ran to meet him first and invited the servant to his house. He would be the father-in-law to their offspring, Jacob. Laban and his father, Bethuel both approved of Rebekah being taken to Canaan to be Isaac’s wife. In Matthew, a man came to Jesus who had leprosy. Leprosy had never been healed except for Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5. The man with leprosy approach Jesus and knelt before him proclaiming that he knew Jesus could cleanse him and heal him. Jesus agreed and took him who was made of dust and made him white as snow. Jesus told the man to go to the priests and show himself so they could also pronounce him clean and do the ritual of leprosy over him as according to the Law. Next, a Roman officer came to him and pled with him to come and heal his servant who was paralyzed and in terrible pain. Jesus agreed to come to his house, but the officer humbly told him that all he had to do was to speak it from where he was standing and he knew that his servant would be healed where he was. Jesus was astounded that this officer understood so well how prayer worked and and had so much faith that God would act for him. Jesus told the crowd that this man was just a forerunner of the Gentiles that were going to come into the kingdom and possess it when many Jews would end up in eternal judgment for not having faith. Jesus told him to go home because his servant was indeed healed. Jesus went home to stay with Peter and his mother-in-law was in bed sick. Jesus went in and touched her hand and she was healed. That evening many demon possessed people were brought to Jesus and he delivered them and healed the sick. Lord, thank you that you are no respecter of persons. You heal and save the Gentile and the Jew, the rich and the poor. In spit of our failures you have a plan.

Sun.’s Devo - Tests

Read: Genesis 20:1-22:24; Matthew 7:15-29; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 2:16-22 Abraham moved to the southern border of Canaan and then to Gerar. Abraham deceitfully introduced his wife as his sister to protect himself since Sarah was so beautiful. The King Abimelech sent for Sarah and had her brought to his palace for his harem. That night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told her that he was a dead man because he had taken a married woman. Because he was innocent, God told Abimelech to give Sarah back to Abraham and Abraham would pray for him because Abraham was a prophet. Early the next morning, Abimelech obeyed and gave Sarah back to Abraham demanding to know why he would do such a thing. Abraham told him it was to save his own life. Abimelech gave him some of his sheep and goats, cattle and servants. He gave Sarah back to him and He also gave him his choice of land and 1,000 pieces of silver to pay for what he did. Abraham prayed for Abimelech and blessed him and his family. God had caused his family to be sterile until Sarah was returned. It must have healed Sarah’s barrenness to pray for their bareness because this was the time that she finally became pregnant. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old. He circumcized him on the eighth day. This time Sarah laughed out of wonder and true happiness. Isaac means “laughter”. Isaac threw a big party when Isaac was weaned but Sarah noticed Ishmael making fun of Isaac and threw a fit. She wanted Hagar and Ishmael to leave. Abraham went to the Lord because he loved Ishmael. God told him to do what Sarah said to do because his descendants would be counted through Isaac, not Ishmael. God would make Ishmael and great nation also. The next morning, Abraham prepared food and water for Hagar and Ishmael and sent them away. When they ran out of their supplies, Hagar sat Ishmael under a bush and went a distance away to cry. She didn’t want to see Ishmael die. God spoke to her and told her that he heard Ismael’s cries and came to save them. Ishmael would become a great nation. Then God showed Hagar a well full of water which gave them strength. Ishmael became a great archer and they settled in the wilderness of Paran. He married a woman from Egypt. Abimelech came to visit Abraham and saw how blessed he was. They made a covenant to be allies. Abraham told Abimelech about a quarrel that both of their servants were having over a well. Abraham claimed that the well was his. They made a covenant and Abraham got the well. He called it Beersheba which means “well of the oath”. God tested Abraham and asked him to sacrifice Isaac to Him. Abraham was to take Isaac to the land of Moriah and offer Isaace as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. It is believed to be Mt. Gerizim. This is where the threshing floor of Ornan (2 Sam 24:24, 25; 2 Chr 3:1) was and where Solomon built his Temple. We all know this story. God tested Abraham to the very core. He found that he could trust Abraham and that Abraham had learned to trust Him. Because Abraham passed this test, God told him that his descendants would multiply like the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. All the nations of the earth would be blessed by his descendants. Abraham learned that his brother Nahor had been blessed with eight sons. The last son was Bethuel who was the father of Rebekah who would become Isaac’s wife. Nahor had four sons from a concubine making his sons total 12. In Matthew Jesus told his followers to beware of the false prophets who appeared to be good but were wolves instead. They would show their true colors by their fruit. In the end, God would testify against them. Jesus’ words are our foundation and if we stand on them we will stand through any storm. Lord, we do stand on the Word of God as our foundation. Help us not to faint but to pass our tests for your glory.

Sat.’s Devo - The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Read: Genesis 18:16-19:38; Matthew 6:25-7:14; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 2:6-15 The angels had just spent time with Abraham telling his God’s plan for him and his family. They decided they would share with him their mission since Abraham was such a big part of what God was doing on the earth. They told him they were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because it was so wicked. Abraham knew that Lot lived in Sodom so he started negotiating for their survival. He whittled it down to 10 righteous people hoping that Lot had at least 10 righteous people in his family or servants. The angels agreed not to destroy the city if they could find 10 righteous people there. The angels met Lot when they entered the city and he invited them to stay with him. The angels told Lot that they would spend the night in out in the city square. Lot convinced them that that would not be safe so they came home with him. That night the evil men of the city came to assault the angels and Lot offered them his virgin daughters instead. The angels had to rescue Lot and make all the men blind so they could not get them. Then they told Lot to get his daughters fiancés and flee because they were going to destroy the city at daybreak. They were to run and not look back. Lot tried to convince his future sons-in-law but they only laughed at him. Lot, his wife and his two daughters were the only righteous people in the city so they escaped. His wife turned to look and was incinerated. The angels had told Lot to escape to the mountains but Lot was too afraid to live in the mountains so he convinced the angels to let him live in Zoar. That was a mistake. Zoar and the wicked people there were saved and after living there for a short time, Lot realized they were no different from the people of Sodom so he took his two daughters to the mountains after all. His daughters didn’t trust God and took their future into their own hands. They thought God would not be able to bring them a husband so they got their father drunk to have sex with him. They both became pregnant and the oldest gave birth to Moab who became the nation of the Moabites and the other gave birth to a son named Ben-ammi who became the nation of the Ammonites. Both of the nations became enemies of the Israelite nation. In Matthew, Jesus tells us not to worry about things that deal with our everyday life. We are now part of a heavenly kingdom with a heavenly bank account. God is our provider who will take care of us. We don’t have to worry about tomorrow and what might happen. God is in the future waiting for us with everything we need. He tells us not to judge others because we have enough to worry about in our own lives. Usually what bothers us in another person is the one thing we are blinded of in our own lives. When we get rid of that in our lives, we will be more compassionate of others who struggle with the same issues. Jesus tells us not to waste what is holy on people who are unholy. This is where we have to have discernment to know who the unholy are and who are the prodigal sons. The Holy Spirit is the one who knows and he will show us if we are asking. The next thing Jesus said was to keep on asking and seeking and knocking. We will reap if we don’t give up. God will answer our prayers. He gives the example of a child asking his father for bread. Surely that father will not give his son a stone. He will give him bread. Even evil people give their children good gifts so our heavenly Father who is good will give us good gifts because we are his beloved children. The way to God’s Kingdom is narrow because Jesus is the door - the only door to God. Lord, thank you for Jesus and his atoning sacrifice for our sins. Thank you that we can come boldly before your throne of grace and receive mercy and grace. We trust in you.

Fri.’s Devo - Ishmael to Isaac

Read: Genesis 16:1-18:15; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5 God and Abram had the conversation about an heir and then years went by and Abram had to wonder if God had forgotten his promise, but Sarai didn’t forget. She convinced Abram to take her servant, Hagar and have a son through her. When Hagar became pregnant, she began to treat Sarai with contempt. It upset Sari so much that she complained to Abram. He told to that Hagar was her servant and she could do what she wanted. Sarai was so mean to Hagar that Hagar fled into the wilderness. God found her on the road to Shur. “Shur” means “a place of observation” and it was there that God observed her. God sent an angel to ask her where she was going. The angel told her to go back to Sarai and be submissive. God had put a son in her she was to name Ishmael. He would be wild and be against everyone and everyone would be against him. He would be openly hostile to his own relatives. When Ishmael was born, Abram was 86. Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram and announced himself as El-Shaddai, “God Almighty.” God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that he would be the father of many nations and that kings would come from his line. God told him to circumcise his sons and male servants as a covenant. He would give him the whole land of Canaan and Sarai would be now called Sarah - from “princesses” to “a princess”. She was not just one of many women, she was significant and called out for this purpose. She would have a son and they would name him Issac. God’s covenant would be with him. As soon as the angel left, Abraham did exactly what he was told to do. He circumcised the men in his care. A few days later an angel came back and Abraham ran to have a meal made for him. While they were eating, he asked about Sarah. He told her that he would return about the same time next year and Sarah would have a son. Sarah was listening from the tent and laughed because it was so unbelievable. The angels asked why she laughed and Sarah denied it. The angel told her that she did laugh. He told her, ‘Is there anything too great for the Lord?’ Let’s let that be our theme this year…Is there anything too great for the Lord? Jesus continues his sermon on the mountain. He warned us not to do our good deeds to be seen of man but let God be the one to reward us. When we pray, do it in private so God can be the one who satisfies us. Jesus gave a simple prayer for us to use as an example. We begin by acknowledging who we are talking to. Then we pray his will to be done on earth like it is being done in heaven. He told us not to store up treasure here on earth but know that our treasure is Jesus and he is storing up treasures for us in heaven. We are to pray for daily needs and forgive others. We should pray to not be led into temptation but for the Lord to rescue us from the evil one. It is paramount that we forgive others so we will be forgiven. When we fast we do it in secret. What we put before our eyes will affect our hearts so to stay spiritually healthy, we need to be always looking at the light of Christ. He will enlighten and heal our mind, soul and body. Lord, thank you for your Word that is a light unto our path.

Thurs.’s Devo - Victory

Read: Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33 As Abram and Lot traveled and their crops and possessions grew, their shepherds began to quarrel over wells and green grass for their herds. Abram and Lot met and discussed the problem. Abram told Lot they needed to separate and go different directions so they would have enough land and the quarreling would stop. Abram gave Lot his choice of land. Lot chose the green fertile land of the east which had wicked cities and civilization. Abram would go west. When Lot had left, God told Abram to look in all the directions because He was giving Abram all the land…even Lot’s. Abram settled in Hebron near the oak grove belonging to Mamre, the Amorite and built an altar to the Lord. War broke out with nine of the wicked kingdoms. Five of the kings had been subject to King Kedorlaomer of Elam and they decided to rebel and stop paying him. King Kedorlaomer and his five allies faced the other four in the area by the Dead Sea and defeated the four. Lot lived among the four defeated kingdoms so he and his family was taken captive. One of the captives escaped to tell Abram. Abram gathered his family of 318 men and his allies Mamre with his relatives Eschol and Aner and went to fight King Kedorlaomer. They caught up with them at Dan and attacked the king from Elam. Abram won and recovered Lot and all the people and spoils of their war. The king of Sodom, where Lot was from, and Melchizedek, the king of Salem, met in the valley of the Kings. Melchizedek was not only the king of Salem (heavenly Jerusalem) but also God’s High Priest. He brought bread and wine and he and Abram had communion. He blessed Abram with God’s blessing and blessed God for giving Abram victory. Abram gave Melchizedek one tenth of his spoils. Then Abram negotiated with the King of Sodom. The king of Sodom wanted his people and told Abram he could keep the spoils. Abram refused to take anything of his lest he take credit for Abram’s success. He did ask that his friends Mamre, Eschol and Aner be paid out of the spoils. Later, God told Abram that He would reward Abram greatly. Abram lamented that a reward was useless without an heir to give it to. Right then his heir was his servant . God said that he would give him an heir and it would not be his servant but a son from his own loins. Then God told him to look up into the sky and count the stars. That was how many descendants God would give him…enumerable. Abram asked for a sign and God told him to make kill a three-year old heifer, female goat and ram plus a turtledove and a young pigeon. He was to cut them all down the middle. As the sun was going down, Abram went to sleep and God spoke to him. He told him that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years as slaves. Then God would bring them out with great wealth. After four generations his descendants would return here to this land. God would punish the nations that enslaved them and they would someway with great wealth. As it grew dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. God made a covenant with Abram. He told Abram that he had given this land to his descendants all the way from the border of Egypt to the rest Euphrates River. It was the land of Canaan. (Remember when God cursed Canaan and gave Shem his land. This is the result.) Jesus continues his sermon in Matthew. He is going through the Ten Commandments giving the spiritual side to it. God’s laws are not just physical acts but to truly obey you must have your heart in the right place. Our actions flow from our hearts. Committing adultery is not just an act but it starts with the heart. Jesus said that if your eye (what you are putting before you) causes you to sin, then get rid of it. In their day, men were putting their wife away without giving them a writ of divorce, a legal document of divorce. This caused her to commit adultery if she remarried because she wasn’t legally divorced from the first husband. Jesus gives a different twist to fairness. He told them to not try to be fair but give more than what was required and don’t be upset if you get treated unfairly. He told us to love our enemies and those that persecute us because anyone can love those who love them back. Jesus loved those who crucified him. He was our example. Lord, help us to love and forgive and endure unfair treatment for your sake and your name. May Your name be glorified.

Wed.’s Devo - The Beginning of God's Family

Read: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28 All the earth spoke the language of Noah since they all came from him. Ham’s line had gone to the land of Babylonia and settled them. They began to build bricks for stone which was clay hardened in the fire. They used slime or bitumen for cement. All of these elements represent hell. They wanted to build a great city with a great pyramid and be infamous on the earth. God came down to inspect what they were doing and knew it was being done for evil purposes. They were literally building a portal to heaven for Satan’s benefit. God came up with a plan to stop them. He confused their language so they couldn’t agree. God knew that the power of agreement is very strong. They ended up scattering all over the world and stopped their building of the city. The city became known as Babel which means “confusion”. Shem’s family became the Jewish nation that Abraham came from. “Shem” means “a name” and God put his name on their family. Terah was a descendent of Shem who had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot. They lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans worshipped fire. One day Terah took Abram and Abram’s wife Sarai and his grand son Lot and moved away and was headed for Canaan. He stopped short in Haran and stayed there until Terah died. God spoke to Abram to continue his father’s plan to go to Canaan. God had told Shem that he would rule over Canaan and God wanted Abraham to begin that process. When Abram got to Canaan, God told Abram again that he would give him that land. Abram built an altar and dedicated it to the Lord. Abram continued through the land and built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord. A famine struck the land of Canaan forcing Abram to go to Egypt. There he was tested. He told his beautiful wife, Sarai to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt that she was his sister so he wouldn’t be killed. Sarai did and was taken into the harem of the Pharaoh who compensated Abram richly. God protected Sarai and sent a plague on the Egyptians. They figured out that the famine was because they had taken Abram’s wife. Pharaoh gave Sarai back to Abram and sent them from his country. Abram left with all his possessions. Abram was rich in livestock and gold and silver. Abram went back to the second altar he had set up and worshipped the Lord there. It was between Bethel and Ai. In Matthew Jesus preached that the blessed are those who are poor and realize they need God, those who mourn, who are humble, who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful and work for peace. He also blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. A reward is waiting in heaven for all who are persecuted on this earth. Jesus calls his followers the salt of the earth. “Salt” means “prudence’. We must stay innocent and pure to be useful on the earth. He also tells us that we are the light of the world so we need to not hide but let our light shine on the earth. Jesus came to fulfill all scripture and everything the prophets foretold. Obeying God’s law is important. It is the law of the Kingdom. Jesus took the law and explained that it was not just something you did but a law to your heart. For example, you can murder people with your mouth which is just as damaging as if you actually killed them. Even being angry with someone and calling them names can put you in danger of the fires of hell. When we have aught against our neighbor we need to be reconciled with them before we can approach God with a gift of our hearts. In other words, our relationships with others reflect our relationship with the Lord. It is better to settle our differences out of court than to let the courts decide our fate. Lord, thank you that you are our adversary and our peace. You enable us to be the salt of the earth because You are in us. You enable us to be the light of the world because it is your light in us. May we reflect you today.

Tues.’s Devo - Noah’s Landing

Read: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 When the flood had done its work, God turned on his heavenly blow dryer to dry the earth. The flood had lasted 150 days or five months. The ark rested on Mt. Ararat which means “the curse reversed.” It was the 17th day of the seventh month. Another 2 and a half months went by and then 40 days later Noah opened the window and released a raven and a dove. The raven was the picture of Satan’s spirit and it did just what Satan does - it went to and fro through the earth. Noah also released a dove which represented God’s spirit. The dove came back to show that the waters were still on the earth. Noah water 7 days and released the dove again and it came back with an olive leaf in her mouth to show that it was almost dry. After another 7 days, Noah released the dove again and it didn’t return so Noah knew it had found a place to live. It was exactly one year from the time they had entered the ark. Noah waited 2 more months and then the earth was dry. God told him to leave the ark and release all the animals so they could be fruitful and multiply. Noah built an altar and sacrificed the animals he had brought seven of. God was pleased with his sacrifice and told him that he would never again curse the ground because of man or destroy all living things. God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to be fruitful and multiply. He told them that he was putting fear between the animals and the fish because now they were allowed to eat them. But they were never to eat them while they were still alive. God would required the blood on anyone who killed another person. God gave them a sign of his covenant which was the rainbow in the clouds. It was to remind them every time it rained that it would not be a rain to destroy them. The whole human race was formed from Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth. Noah planted a vineyard and when it had produced grapes, he made wine and got drunk. Apparently Canaan did something with his grandfather that Ham found amusing and told his brothers. They didn’t find it amusing and went in and without looking at their father in his naked state, they covered his body. When Noah was sober he found out what happened and cursed Canaan to be a servant to his relatives especially to Shem and his descendants. Shem means “a name”. Canaan means “humiliated”. Noah blessed Shem to rule Canaan’s line and Japheth with great expanded territory. He blessed both Shem and Japheth with prosperity. Noah lived 350 more years. As we read the genealogies of the three sons we see that Japheth did indeed expand his territory to the seas. These are the countries of Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxine. Ham settled to the south and had some very evil sons like Nimrod who hunted men for food. We recognize the kingdoms of Babel, Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah and all the “ites” of Canaan. The Bible is the story of Ham’s line. Shem’s people went to the north and settled into what we know as Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria. One of his descendants was Eber who was known to be a righteous man. He had two sons Peleg and Joktan. There was an earthquake during their lives which divided the earth. Peleg means “earthquake” and Joktan means “he will be made small”. One of Joktan’s sons names was Hazarmaveth which means “village of death”. So this was how the earth was divided by these three sons. In Matthew John was arrested. Jesus went back home then to Capernaum. This was the land of Zebulun and Naphtali where many Gentiles lived. Jesus preached to the Gentiles to repent and turn to God for the Kingdom of Heaven was near. That was the same message John the Baptist preached to the Jews. Jesus began gathering his disciples. His first two were brothers: Peter and Andrew. They were fishing when Jesus called them and they dropped their nets and followed him. The next two were also fishermen and brothers: James and John. Jesus traveled the ten towns in Judea and preached the kingdom and healed and delivered the people from demons. People as far as Syria heard about him and brought their sick and demon possessed to him to be healed. Lord, may our descendants be blessed and prosper in Spirit and in truth.

Mon.’s Devo - As in the Days of Noah

Read: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19 Adam was the name that God gave human beings. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 it says that the first man Adam was made a living soul but the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. “Living soul” in the Hebrew means “breath”. Humans were given life. A”quickening spirit” in the Hebrew means “a current of air; Christ’s spirit”. Jesus changed our human composition from just living beings to spirits that are fully alive. Back to our story. Adam’s son Seth was made in Adam’s image. His name means “put, i.e. substituted.” He took the place of Abel just like we take the place of Christ on the earth because he was killed. We have his spirit and allow him to live again through us. That is a very sobering thought. Adams’ seventh son was Enoch who was taken from the earth because he walked with God. Hebrews 11:5 says that God translated Enoch because he pleased Him. He is a picture of the rapture. Noah was the tenth son and represented those who will go through tribulation and God will literally carry them through it in his ark. Genesis Six is one of the most important chapters for us to understand because in Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus tells us that it will be like the days of Noah before he comes back. So we need to know what it was like then to compare it to what is going on in the earth now. Genesis Six tells us that the “sons of God” (which here denote the fallen sons of God), saw the human women and wanted them. They broke the laws of heaven and came down to earth to cohabitate with them. These women had offspring that were half demonic/half human. Satan has been out to change the DNA of human beings because he was so jealous that God would make them with his own DNA. These offspring were blood-thirsty and ate other human beings for food. This is all recorded in the Book of Enoch. God had to do something to save his creation. He found Noah whose DNA had not been contaminated with the demonic DNA and chose him and his family to carry on the human race once he destroyed them. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The rest of the earth was corrupt and violent. God told Noah to build a boat in the middle of the wilderness and gave him the blueprint for it. He told Noah that he was going to bring a flood on the earth to destroy all flesh. He would save them to carry on the human race. God sent two of every living thing and told him and his sons to gather food for them and the animals. Noah obeyed. Noah was instructed to take seven of the clean animals because they would be used for sacrifices. He told Noah that in seven days it would rain for 40 days and nights on the earth. Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters began. The earth will be 6,000 years old when God destroys it with fire in the end. After those seven days God opened the flood gates of heaven and also released the waters on the earth to rise. (Remember on the second day how God separated the waters and sent some up and some down, well now they are converging.) All living beings on the earth died in the flood except those in the ark. Water stayed on the earth 150 days. We can look at this as God’s baptism of the earth to cleanse it from its filth. How does this relate to us today? Mankind has been infiltrated with beings that are not human but look like humans just like the fallen sons of God took on the appearance of man to rape the women of the earth. Satan is working hard to change our DNA and mix it with his. He is doing this through vaccines, chemicals they put in our foods, the air, and in medicine. It is all around us. The only way to stay pure it to walk with God like Noah did and just obey him. Don’t act out of fear but totally trust in God for your health, safety and supply. God will take care of us just like he did for Enoch and Noah. John rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for thinking that just because they were descendants of Abraham that they would be saved from God’s judgment at the end of their lives. They might be the root but God was bringing his axe to the root if they refused to produce good fruit. John was baptizing with water but he told them that someone who was greater than them would come and baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He would burn up all their works to see if anything remained. Jesus came to John to be baptized. John didn’t feel qualified to baptize him but Jesus told him that he had to to fulfill God’s plan. John then agreed to baptize him and when he did he saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descend like a dove and settle on Jesus. A voice from heaven spoke saying, “this is my beloved son, who brings me great joy.” Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted for 40 days first and then he met his adversary. Satan tried to make him turn the stones to bread but he answered with Scripture. “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then Satan took him to the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem and told him to jump because Scripture says that God’s angels would catch him. Jesus responded. “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Lastly, Satan took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and told him he would give them to him if he would just bow to him. Jesus told him to leave because God says to worship him only. The devil left and God sent angels to take care of Jesus. Lord, give us discernment to walk through these days. May we be like Enoch and Noah that chose to walk with You and obey what You say to do.