Walk Through The Old Testament

I am choosing a key verse for every chapter of the OT. On this forum I will be posting the devotional for each of the key verses. I would love your feedback on any of the verses or my devotional thoughts.

If you would like to receive these devotionals by email, let me know at philjohn1558@yahoo.com

Will you join me this year in a deeper exploration of the "Bible Jesus read." ?

The verses for Genesis have been picked out. You can see them on the Memverse Blog. I would love to hear your thoughts on what should be the key verses for any of the chapters in the other 38 books of the OT.

I have suggestions for key verses for Exodus 1-10:

Exodus 1:12–But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.

Exodus 2:24–And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Exodus 3:15–God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Exodus 4:12–Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

Exodus 5:1–Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”

Exodus 6:6–Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

Exodus 7:2–You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 8:19–Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Exodus 9:16–But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 10:3–So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.

And here are suggestions for the next ten chapters of Exodus:

Exodus 11:3–And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

Exodus 12:13–The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Exodus 13:9–And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.

Exodus 14:22–And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Exodus 15:11–“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Exodus 16:12–“I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

Exodus 17:6–Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Exodus 18:10–Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Exodus 19:5–Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

Exodus 20:20–Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

I am with you Phil, but not sure where to put the info for the accountablility chart. God Created and here we are. Who better to look to for guidance than the one who created you. I really needed this encouragement and getting back memverse. Love the new learn section.
Lee

Since I am studying Micah I thought I might as well put my choices for key verses on here.

Micah 1:5 (KJV): For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

Micah 2:7: O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

Micah 3:8: But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

Micah 4:7: And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

Micah 5:2: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Micah 6:8: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Micah 7:18: Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Thanks for the EXODUS and MICAH nominations. I will respond to your picks soon. Lee, you can make your declarations here or on the blog page or by email to philjohn1558@yahoo.com

Here are the devotionals for Genesis 1-5. Would love your thoughts on any of these verses and/or devotional thoughts.

GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

"In the beginning, God…!" You and I, although we like to think of ourselves as important, are like grass, here today and gone tomorrow. (Read ISAIAH 40:6-8). God on the other hand, always has been, is now, and always will be the supreme ruler of our universe.

How big and powerful is your God as you begin 2011? The One you fear or mostly ignore? The One you are wholeheartedly pursuing, or are placing 3rd, 4th, or 57th behind little, temporal trinkets on planet earth? The One you obey and live to please, or the one you only tip your hat to on Sunday morning? The One you trust to run your life, or the one whose incompetence leaves you no other choice but to worry about your life and future? The One who supernaturally lives inside you, or the one you only agree to believe certain things about?

Modern astronomy helps us get a glimpse at how incredibly vast the universe is. Is your God, who listens to your prayers, actually the creator of the heavens? "The fool says in his heart, there is no God" (PSALM 14:1) Too many of today's church goers say, "Of course there is a god, but who cares? He is not as powerful as the Almighty Dollar, or as interesting or exciting as the pleasures of this earth." The Christian whose eyes have been opened to the truth says, "O God, my creator, who made all the vast heavens, what is man, that you are mindful of him? (PSALM 8:4) Why do you love me so much, when I am just a speck in your universe? You are my Lord. What do you want of me? Forgive my sinful, idiotic, pride. Teach me. Lead me. Transform me. I devote my life to pursue knowing you. What else can I do?"

GENESIS 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die

In the previous verse (Gen 2:16), God told Adam he was free to eat whatever he wanted. Now, God gives rules to guide this freedom. The Christian life involves absolute freedom (See JOHN 8:32-36; GALATIANS 5:1,13) with rules, guidelines and submission. This seems strange to us. How can we be free while being told what we have to do or can't do? It might help us to look ahead to our life in heaven. In heaven we will be completely free to do what we want (what we have been created for and longing to do), and we will always, only do what God wants and commands of us.

Here on earth, our sin and pride and deceptive perception of our rights and freedom actually causes spiritual death and makes us slaves to Satan and sin's power in our life. When we "do what we want" outside of God, we actually are playing right into the hands of the one who hates us and wants to "steal, kill, and destroy" our lives and the freedom God has in store for us. (JOHN 10:10)

GENESIS 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

Right after the first sin, in the midst of the judgement, we see this foreshadowing of the Messiah, the securer of our salvation. What comfort there is in knowing the cross and resurrection were not a plan B. Rather Jesus is the Lamb who was slain before the creation of the world (REVELATION 13:8) The all-powerful and all-loving God is working out His master plan. We who have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and adopted into His family can rest knowing we are on the winning side.

To be a follower of Christ, is to join Him in being in enmity against Satan, the world system around us, and our sinful nature inside us. Our culture is all about compromise. May we fully hate sin (especially the sin within) as God does, and rejoice in the cross and the victory Jesus secured.

GENESIS 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

God's law is right before us in the Scripture. In addition, as born again Christians, God has "put His law in our mind, and written it in our hearts." We know what it is to please the Creator of the universe, and the joy of being united with our God. However, as long as we are in our human bodies here on planet earth, we have plenty of enemies who hate God and don't want us or anyone else to enjoy His law.

Cain's issue with sin is not unique. ROMANS 8:7-8 reminds each of us that our sinful nature within is "hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." 1 JOHN 2:15-17 tells us the world system is against God, and we must choose to love one or the other. We can't love both. Closest to the language of today's verse is 1 PETER 5:8 which portrays Satan as a roaring lion, looking who someone to pounce on and destroy. May we diligently see the danger around and in us, acknowledge our need of God to protect us, and passionately put on the full armor of God found in EPHESIANS 6:10-18, praising God for His promise in 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

GENESIS 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

What a legacy. Enoch walked with God! Is there any higher calling for a human than to be in steady, close communion with his/her God? In my own life, I have had numerous times (in Scripture or prayer or experiencing His provision or looking back on His leading in my life) where I was especially close to God and would say something like, "God, you are amazing. From this point on, I am fully yours and desire nothing more than to stay close to you." More often than not, within a week or two, I would find myself drifting away from a passionate pursuit and/or close communion with God. In GALATIANS 3, Paul challenges the believers, "You started great with God, He gave you a new life of faith. Now live it, instead of going back to a godless life of rules, habits, and regulations."

The Bible is clear, the righteous don't live by religious code, trying their best to be good and do good things for God. The righteous live by faith, trusting a real God living inside them to lead, empower, and uphold them in each and every step as they get to know Him, His Word, and His ways better and better. May you walk with God today!!

Lee C NH Gen1:6
My favorite so far is Genesis 5:24 I have always loved this verse. To have that close of a communion with God is my desire.

tried to edit my post but didn't work. should have read
Lee C NH Gen1-6 Thanks

Here are the verses and devotionals for Genesis 6-10

GENESIS 6:9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

What courage Noah had! Today, we often lament how our culture is turning away from God and embracing evil. Sometimes we might be tempted to think, "If only I knew more strong Christians to encourage me, then I would…" or "If only our culture was more receptive to Christian truth, then I could…" Noah lived in a culture a lot worse than any of us live in today. The Bible states, "every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts were only evil all the time" (GENESIS 6:5) so much so, that God was even grieved that he had made mankind in the first place. (GENESIS 6:6) However, "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (GENESIS 6:8) and in that godless backdrop, he shines as one not afraid to trust God regardless of the plethora of ridicule, and one prepared to devote years of his life to obeying God.

Today, God is still searching the earth to find and strongly work in those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. (2 CHRONICLES 16:9) May we be found to be seeking Him, and courageous enough to face whatever persecution comes our way (2 TIMOTHY 3:12) knowing that the God honoring life is always worth whatever devotion or hardship involved. (LUKE 18:29-30)

GENESIS 7:23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Could a loving God really bring such devastating and consuming judgment? Everything destroyed. Nothing spared. In the New Testament, God's judgment on those who reject Him is explained even more severely. An eternity separated from God, "in torment day and night" where there is perpetual "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Do we believe in the reality of hell, and in the Scriptural teaching that the masses we see everyday are heading on the broad road towards hell? Are we confident and loving enough to pray for them and seek God-ordained opportunities to warn them?

Even harder for the world to accept than that they are on their way to hell, is that the hope for salvation is so narrow. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were saved. There was no other way. The Scripture is clear. Salvation is found exclusively in Jesus Christ. (See JOHN 14:6 and ACTS 4:12) He is the only one who can forgive us, and give us new Life. Sure the reality sounds harsh, and we can be intimidated into thinking that sharing the truth can make us appear unloving, close-minded, judgmental, etc. In God's strength, will we risk the possible ridicule and share the full truth of the Gospel with someone today? They may be eternally grateful.

GENESIS 8:22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

A covenant from Almighty God! Could anything be more sure? As we rejoice and praise God for the beauty, consistency, and reliability of His promise and provision in nature, may we all the more rejoice and praise God for His covenant of salvation.

GENESIS 9:16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

God's wrath poured out. Then a new everlasting covenant given by our promise-keeping God into a fresh new life. What a great picture and reminder the rainbow is of our salvation in Christ as believers.

May we respond with all proper fear, respect, and love to our Almighty Creator who not only made us, but now has provided the perfect sacrifice to die in our place that we may step into all the blessings of God

GENESIS 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD."

Genesis 10 lists the sons of Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Little is said about all of them, but Nimrod distinguished himself as one to be written about. He built the mighty city Nineveh which Jonah later preached against. Many speculate that he was a mighty ruler that secular history records, but there is no consensus of which one.

I don't know if the phase "before the LORD" implies a favorable relationship with God, or would simply be stating his status as a created human under God's sovereign hand, regardless of how mighty others considered him on earth. I would welcome insights anybody wants to share on this verse and/or Nimrod.

GENESIS 11:4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

What does Pharaoh (EXODUS 5:2), Nebuchadnezzar (DANIEL ch 4), and Herod (ACTS 12:22-23) have in common with the builders of the tower of Babel in today's verse? Answer: They all found out that "God opposes the proud" (1 PETER 5:5) and that "those who walk in pride He is able to humble" (DANIEL 4:37) With today's technology, medicine, entertainment, and wealth, it sometimes seems like we can live a pretty good life without a humble dependence on Almighty God. However, Jesus is clear. Without Him, we can do nothing!! (of real value or eternal significance). On the other hand, being rightly connected to Jesus bears fruit in our life every time. (See JOHN 15:5-8)

The Biblical God is still our Creator (who also created billions of stars in the universe) and our sovereign Judge who we will answer to. May we learn from the tower of Babel and others throughout history and not play the fool (PSALM 14:1) Rather may we sincerely humble ourselves under His mighty hand, that He may lift us up in His time. (1 PETER 5:6)

GENESIS 12:4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

God said "Leave your country and Go" (GENESIS 12:1) and Abram left, even though he didn't know where he was going. This is faith in action. A simple belief that says, "God has the right to call the shots. I will obey whether I understand or not." As a result, Abraham is known as the father of faith (Read ROMANS 4:11-21) and praised for his faith in HEBREWS 11.

I get a lot of comfort from the fact that Abraham was 75 years old when called. Our church culture often seems obsessed with retirement. "Do we have enough money saved? What if our health fails, or if unexpected expenses arise? Will we be comfortable in our old age? Will we have enough money to travel?" What a great thought to be available to be used by God throughout our years, until He is ready to call us home to our true eternal retirement.

In a way, we could call our years from 60 till death our pre-retirement. I am not against some planning (not driven by fear of the unknown that might drive those who don't have an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-resourceful Father in heaven) for these pre-retirement years, but our true focus is to be available to and serving God every year of our life on earth, while thrilled and trusting in our eternal retirement where our Creator God claims to have all our retirement details worked out for us. (JOHN 14:1-3)

GENESIS 13:17 "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

What a promise! Abraham's days were to be days of discovery, finding out step by step just what God had in store for him. Joshua is given the same promise in JOSHUA 1:3. The physical "promise land" Abraham and Joshua were given the privilege to explore is a picture of the much more substantial "God filled Life" that is available to every believer. He gives us so many promises!! We would be a fool to sit around acting like people who do not know the God of the universe, or equally a fool to look outside of God for our main fulfillment, peace, security or enjoyment in life. God calls us to "work out our own salvation" (PHILIPPIANS 2:12), stepping out in faith in pursuit of knowing our God and daily discovering God's amazing power at work in and through us. (PHILIPPIANS 2:13; ACTS 1:8; 2 PETER 1:3)

GENESIS 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,

This mysterious King, Melchizedek proclaims a divine blessing on Abraham from God Most High. HEBREWS chapter 7 makes a big deal out of Melchizedek, saying His name means "King of righteousness" and his position of King of Salem makes him a "King of peace." His ancestry, birth and death is never mentioned, which also contributes to him being seen as a type of Jesus Christ, One who reigns over an eternal kingdom with no origin or end.

GENESIS 15:5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

What an outrageous promise to give an old man with an old wife! "Not only will you miraculously have a son, but your descendants will be immeasurable, like the stars!!" What do you do with a promise like that? Unless you completely reject the promise, one automatic response is to get to know the promise maker. Who can dare promise something like that? How does He know me? Does He really know the future? Maybe even determine the future? Who is this all-powerful God and why is He so interested in me?
In the next verse, scripture says, "Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." This becomes the trademark for what saving faith is all about, as it is quoted in ROMANS 4:3; GALATIANS 3:6 and JAMES 2:23. 
 
In context, we notice that Abraham, the "father of faith", did not have a perfect, no doubt, 100% positive faith. In fact, Abraham doubts God's promise many times and in many ways over the next few chapters. However, he works through his doubts, learning more about God each time, and sees his faith become more and more refined, until he could hold a knife over his promised son Isaac and in obedience be ready to kill him in full confidence that one way or the other, his miracle working God meant what he said.
 
Today each of us are given promises more outrageous than Abraham was: Recipients of a love so great that God sent His son to die in our place; Absolute forgiveness of our sins by a powerful, fear-inspiring, holy God; Undeserved full adoption into the family of God even to the point of being joint-heirs with Jesus; A blessed beyond our wildest imagination eternal destiny in heaven. May we not accept today's"trivial gospel" that asks us to flippantly declare we are 100% positive all these, and whatever else God says is true, as long as we don't have to concern ourselves with, or act on these truths while on earth. Rather, may we fully embrace how outrageous these promises God makes are. Either they have come to us from a liar, or from a God we dare not ignore. May we work through our doubts as God Himself builds our faith and may we wholeheartedly pursue getting to know, love, serve and worship this "outrageous promise making" God.

lee c nh genesis 1-10

Lee, thanks for being the 2nd one to join the accountability chart. I think some of those getting the daily emails, but not on memverse, are memorizing. I will try to get some of them on here as well. I trust you are enjoying the daily OT Scriptures.

Saved By Grace, please forgive my extreme delay in getting back to you. Thanks for taking the time to share your list. To be honest, I have Exodus 1-11 pretty much picked out with some draft devotional thoughts already written.

I matched your pick with 4:12 and 10:3 and am seriously considering switching my 2:25 to the 2:24 you suggested. Several other times I was in the same context as you and just picked a different verse. I love your picks and will save this list in case I do a 2nd run through either 3 years from now, or later. I especially love your chapter 8 and 9 picks, but also love my picks which I will probably stick with. Here are the verses I picked.

EXODUS 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.

EXODUS 2:25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

EXODUS 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you."

EXODUS 4:12 "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

EXODUS 5:23 "Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

EXODUS 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.

EXODUS 7:22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

EXODUS 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

EXODUS 9:20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.

EXODUS 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me."

Thanks for this list of suggestions for Exodus 11-20. I have not picked any verses out for 12-20 and will give these strong consideration. I love your 12:13 and 15:11, but will also see if God leads me to a different verse in those chapters. Thanks again. Keep any more lists coming. Are you memorizing the Genesis verses with us, or do you want the daily devotional emails?

Matthew, please forgive my delay in responding. Great to get picks from someone currently studying the book.

A couple years back, I tentatively picked MICAH 1:16;  2:3;  3:11;  4:5;  5:2;  6:8;  7:18. I have not written any devotional thoughts on any of these yet.

We match for 5-7 and I will save your other 4 picks for consideration when I am ready to write the Micah devotionals (possibly summer of 2015)

I figure that 6:8 has to be in there. Any verse that starts with

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,"

is a verse we dare not ignore and one that would probably good to memorize to have sharp in our minds and hearts. (This also applies for Deut 10:12-13 and Matt 22:37-38 and possibly others)

Would love any other picks you have.

I'll probably be posting a few more of my ideas for key verses soon; I'm glad that you liked the last ones. :) And yes, I am memorizing the Genesis verses (though not at a very fast pace so far…), but I will have to say no to getting the emails. I don't have my own email account, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to have access to it very often anyway. :( I'll just have to stick with the great devotionals you're posting on this forum! :)

OK Glad you are memorizing some of the verses. Look forward to your future ideas for key verses. Feel free to let us know when you get to 10 verses memorized to join our accountability chart if you would like.

GENESIS 16:13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

In today's verse, Hagar is on the run, with no friends, no hope, and no future. What a comfort to know that God sees all!! No accident, or disaster, or even personal failure on our part, can be beyond His loving providence. Hagar was ready to face any trial that lay ahead knowing that the Creator of the Universe was in complete control, saw everything, and cared enough about her to let her know. In any trial we face, may we also look to the "One who sees us" and trust Him to act in our situation. (See ROMANS 8:28)

GENESIS 17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

God's promises and His blessings pass on from generation to generation. We have a faithful, covenant keeping God. Many of us, myself included, are rich beneficiaries of our father's and fore-father's deep relationship with God. Our culture is molding us into a "only think about me" society. Have we counted the cost the next generation will pay when we, as professing believers, put our own personal agenda and comfort above God and treat our most worthy God so trivially in front of our children? I pray that Phil Walker Jr. and any other children God may bless us with will see Jesus powerfully alive and at work in and through his parent's lives. And I pray the same thing for your children and others in the next generation we are impacting either for or against Almighty God.

GENESIS 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Is our God really willing and able to do absolutely anything He wants on our behalf? In today's self-reliant and technologically advanced society it is hard to believe that a God we can't see is more powerful, more beneficial, or more to be trusted than computers, science, modern medicine, money, etc. As a result it is common to take the stand, "I like to sing about God being the greatest, most loving and most powerful, but just in case He doesn't exist, I will make sure I've got my bases covered." This isn't faith! (See HEBREWS 11:6)

Obviously there is a fine line between fully trusting in God's never-failing goodness and supernatural power on the one hand and foolishly presuming on God to grant our every request exactly the way and the time we want Him to. I don't recommend running out in the rain with papers that would be ruined if they got wet, declaring, "God is Lord over the rain. He will keep me dry." I do, however, strongly encourage all of us to get to know our Creator God who can be fully trusted to act lovingly and powerfully in our day to day lives; a God who sees straight through mere lip-service faith and will judge accordingly (See MATTHEW 7:21-23).

Against all hope, Abraham believed in the God "who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." (ROMANS 4:17-18) As a result of his authentic faith, Abraham was called God's friend (JAMES 2:23) Those who God finds trusting Him (See LUKE 18:1-8) will for all eternity experience and rejoice in God's heaven which dwarfs any man-made glory here on earth.

GENESIS 19:26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

What was Lot's wife looking at? The familiar, the comfortable, the memories… God was delivering her from the judgment poured down on everything in her past. She was to move forward and discover all the new life a good, loving God had in store for her. Rather, she looked back. This is a common theme throughout Scripture. God miraculously saved the Israelites from the misery of slavery in Egypt. Yet when faced with new trials and the unknown in front of them, they wanted to go back to the familiar, the comfortable, and the memories they had when they were in slavery!

1 PETER 4:3 tells us, "You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do…" God never intended to fix up our old life. Rather, the gift of God is a new Life, walking by faith into uncharted waters step by step with the Holy Spirit, God's promises and our fellow pilgrims.

Perhaps Scripture's most graphic teaching of this principle is PROVERBS 26:11 "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." A dog doesn't just return to its vomit. It eats its vomit! I remember vomiting. Something had made me sick, and there was no way in the world I would ever have returned to eat again what I had just vomited. O God, may I realize how sick you feel at my sin. May it make me sick, and may I never return to "eat" of it again, or even longingly look back at it. Give me a faith in your goodness and in the reality of your promises that keeps me looking straight ahead in anticipation of what you will bring every new day.

GENESIS 20:11 Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'

Abraham was right in thinking that heathen countries might not know his God the same way Abraham did. However, Abraham's actions showed that he himself did not fear God, but rather feared that people were stronger than God and could somehow thwart God's purposes and cancel His promises.

Abraham will always be honored as a great man of faith who left all to follow a God he barely knew (GENESIS 12:1-5) and who in the end trusted God to the utmost to be all-powerful and all-loving in his life. (See GENESIS 22:1-19 and HEBREWS 11:17-19) It can be a comfort for us to know that it took Abraham time and several failures to build his faith in God. It is fascinating to see that God protected and even blessed Abraham in the midst of his failures. God's blessing in our lives has much more to do with God's character and our covenant relationship with Him, than with our actions. May we, like Abraham, fight through our doubts to get to know this promise keeping God more and more.

Sin is powerful. Abraham committed this particular "lack of faith in God" sin twice. The exact sinful habit also passed onto his son Isaac. (See GENESIS 26:1-11) May we never treat sin lightly. However, may sin we do find in our lives drive us to praise God all the more for His mercy, love, and power over all sin.

Hey everybody! How is your memorizing going? I am really enjoying memorizing a verse from every OT chapter. I've been trying to keep up the pace of a verse per day, but am starting to fall behind a little. Are all you other HAKOTS team members still plunging away at the verses with me? I haven't seen much activity on this forum or the blog about it lately.

Matthew G, NY Genesis 1-20

I was wondering if any one else is still doing the Walk Through the Old Testament challenge. Mr. Walker gave us the memory verses up to the middle of Exodus. I finished those quite a while ago and have continued further, choosing verses myself from each chapter. It has been a great project and I've been learning a lot about the first five books of the Bible! I encourage any of you who started this project to pick it up again and keep at it. Or if you haven't started yet, consider trying it!