January 7

Genesis 18:2 is the key to 18:18-19a. "Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him..." Why we ask? We find our answer a few verses earlier in verse 2. "He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground." God chooses humility.

Abraham was one of the richest men in the entire region. No doubt he had a reputation as a fierce warrior too, having previously (chapter 14) defeated 5 kings and their armies to rescue his nephew Lot (whom he is about to save once again, which is a powerful picture of grace). And yet here he is, on his knees in deference to strangers.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:3b, "...but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves."

How are we doing in deference today?

Pastor Fred

January 6

Genesis 16:1-3...husbands, may we heed this text! Listening to our wives' words is not enough; we must hear what is really being said, the cry of their heart. Let me take some liberty here and re-write what Abram (his name has not yet been changed by God to Abraham) should have heard...

"Abram, it is not fair that I have not been able to have children. God is against me. If He wanted, He could cause me to have children tomorrow and yet He has abandoned me. There is no hope for me in life. I know deep in your heart you despise the day you met me. Because of me, your hope to see the promise of a family fulfilled is ruined. Every day you are surrounded by women. Every day you see women who could give you the children you desire. Leave me and embrace them. I'm no good for you."

Abram, "Okay..."

Really Abram! Come on men! Let's be men! May we hear the hearts cry of our wives, may we hear beyond the words spoken, may we never add to their pain, may we be life unto them.

Pastor Fred

January 5

Isaiah in chapter 64, verse 6 reminds us that all our righteousness is as filthy rags. So when Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 20 that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we will not enter heaven, He is referring to the righteousness that we can only possess through grace. No amount of effort can secure a place in heaven for us. 1 John 2:1b-2, "...Jesus Christ the righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation (price paid, satisfying a debt) for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world." Are you covered?

But Jesus interestingly in that same chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, verse 19, acknowledges that within heaven, there are degrees of greatness. We all enter by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), but clearly, in Jesus' owns words, our efforts in obedience matter; we are graded. How great have you been this week? How great have you been this past year? If we went to heaven today, what would our greatness grade be?

Pastor Fred

January 4

My three sons...do you think Shem feels a little overshadowed? "Japheth...descendants became the seafaring peoples..." "Ham...ancestor to Nimrod who was the first heroic warrior...built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia...cities of Babylon...Ninevah..." "Shem...the older brother of Japheth..." Really! His identity first mention is through a sibling! Shem might have had some identity issues.

Do you feel this way? Do you feel like your identity is obscured by others around you? Don't dismay. God has a magnificent plan for your life, even when it feels dubious. Take Shem for example. Ultimately, Shem was the envy of Japheth and Ham. Travel through your Bible a few millennia and come to Luke chapter 3, finding the genealogy of Jesus...who is there...Shem!

Don't despise your obscurity! Every person with purpose, every purpose sacred!

Pastor Fred

January 3

In Genesis 8 we find the great contrast between the raven and the dove. Which are you, am I...some of each for most of us. The raven is the picture of a person who goes to a place prematurely and languishes there rather than remaining where one is and continue flourishing. The dove is the picture of a person who wisely waits and flourishes, recognizing that the time to depart has not yet come. The risk here is that the person might wait too long. Imagine if the dove had never left the ark. The ark that once was a refuge eventually became desolate and the flooded earth emerges as a paradise. Even when we see something in our future that proves to be a new source of flourishing, often replacing our present, the timing of God is always vital!

Pastor Fred

January 2

Some Cain questions that will serve us well when we are considering acts of generosity, our material response to Jesus.

First, is my gift sacrificial? Notice that Abel gave from his best and Cain just gave "some.". If there is no sense of material loss, then chances are we have only given a "some" gift and not a "best" gift.

Second, is my gift obedient? God has much to say about what we give and to whom. When God killed the first animals to create clothes for Adam and Eve, He was instituting the principle of a life sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, a prophetic moment for what Christ would be for us. So Cain's sacrifice was not in keeping with what God required, an animal sacrifice. Cain gave what he wanted to give instead of deferring to God's demand. We do not have animal sacrifices anymore but we do have a God who speaks! Are we listening, are we giving what He asks and to whom?

Finally, is my gift cheerful? Not only did Cain fail in giving sacrificially and obediently, but he gave begrudgingly. 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver. This great text in Genesis confronts us with the sobering reality that we are either being accepted by God or controlled by sin. The attitude of our hearts when we give is a key determiner of which path is ours, God acceptance or sin controlled.

Give well!

Pastor Fred

January 1

In reading Genesis 1-3 this morning, I was struck once again by the words God spoke of Adam and Eve that are known as the "curse of sin." We must not forget that the pain and hardship referred to by God are not merely physical.

The vulnerability of every woman, the Eve in her, still looks for relational affirmation elsewhere that only God can give. She seeks fulfillment in her children and husband that only God can provide. She strains relationships, demanding of them what they cannot supply, Creator love.

In the same way, man equally suffers. Our vulnerability, the Adam in us, still looks for purpose affirmation elsewhere that only God can give. We seek fulfillment in our tasks, our careers, our projects, our endeavors that only God can provide. We strain the manifold purposes of life, demanding of them what they cannot supply, Creator respect.

We may be vulnerable to the curse, but we can be free from its control... as devoted followers of Christ, we have been liberated from the power of the curse! Romans 7:24-24, "What a wretched man/woman I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Pastor Fred