Gen 16:7-16

I guess this is the first time that an angel of the Lord appears in the Bible (not counting the fallen one). According to the commentary, either the angel of the Lord or God is mentioned around 70 times. Still this is one for the ages, that God has come down to meet a woman and comfort her and assure her that she, in her own way, will be blessed, comforted and restored despite her being an Egyptian slave. God, through His power and wisdom, has given her the means and the incentive to go back and fulfill her role to Sarai. God was not promising that her life would be a bed of roses but rather that it will have challenges. She would be going back knowing that her place in history and her descendants would be secure and that she had the Lord as an advocate. The name of Ishmael was given to the baby by Abram to give validity to his role as a parent.What is also significant is the well that this all took place. God uses the well to symbolize a place of reconciliation and of promise. If you don't believe me, ask the Samaritan woman.

Looking forward to the end of this day and going home for the weekend. 'nuff said.

Praise for today: The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Ps 121: 7&8

Gen 16: 1-6

In this short passage, several character issues have arisen as we learn more about Abram and Sarai. Abram is weak as a family leader. Rather than trust God would have a remedy for his lack of heirs, he allowed Sarai to convince him that this was a viable way. The child that would come from him would be a special child and must come through the proper channels in order to funnel the nation of Israel and the Messiah. Additionally, Abram did not take the job of pleasing and protecting his wife seriously since Hagar was cruel to Sarai and gave her the responsiblity of handling it.  Sarai, also didn't trust God. I don't think that she had the same relationship with God since the Bible is silent as to any prior dealing that God might have had with her. She was a vengeful woman who once was unleashed became a living hell for Hagar. Sarai missed the boat when she thought that sex was the sole answer to a happy marriage since she blamed Abram for not being appreciative for her intents. Hagar was also a character in her own right with flaws given her ambitions and her malice towards Sarah.

Looks like the start of a either a sitcom or a precursor to the show Divorce Court. I think that total lack of understanding on the part of Abram of God's plan and his inability to ask starts this cascading snowball down the mountain. Still things and people have not changed even as we are versed in what happened thousands of years ago.

Today and tomorrow will be a horror show at work as quarter-end is approaching. I think the lesson learned and applied will be that it is out of my control and God is never going to give me more than I can handle.

Praise for today: But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Ps 3:3

Gen 15: 7-21

The covenant is something is that is sacred and everlasting or until death do them part. Here was a case where the covenant was not just for a man but his descendants and with God who is eternal. Unlike deeds and title that are written documents that one keeps in a safety deposit box, there was a ceremony that took a special twist. Abram had animals sliced in two and the Lord had a smoking pot between the pieces. Along with fire, the smoking pot passed between the two halves. The Lord laid the plans for the descendants of Abram, not just for the land they are in but in their time in Egypt.

Usually when a covenant is made, there are conditions on both parties. Here the driving force and the promises were coming just from God. Abram just had to trust God and He would do the rest. Our Christian life while is two-way often becomes just uni-directional as we often fail to keep our end of the deal. I often see that in myself and my shortcomings. I just pray that the Spirit leads me daily to come to Him and acknowledge Him in all my ways - every moment.

Praise for today: Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord is Holy. Ps 99:9

Gen 15:1-6

Apparenly, Abram was so against the King of Sodom that he chose not to align or support him in any way. By taking a reward would be tantamount to support so Abram refused to be a part of him and his "evil" empire. The chapter starts with "after that", which to most means that some time has past between 14 and 15. Abram chose God to be his reward and the period of faith and relationship between he and God has now brought him to a new point in his life. In this instance, God chose to be the initiator and called to him in a vision. God felt that the timing of the next phase of Abram's life was ready and that came with numerous testing and interaction that prepared him for this. After all of this, he asked God for a son to carry his name and lineage. While this seems bold, it was only logical and thus the plan for eternity was set.

How often are we timid or bold when we approach the throne of God? Do our requests seem outlandish or noble? Do they mirror the will of God or of ourselves? After reading the Great House of God by Max Lucado, I am convinced that every prayer is precious to Him and He alone will sort out the selfish from the noble. It is our prayers that stoke the furnace and makes His house our home.

Prayers still for my peeps and for Irene who just went through root canal surgery yesterday. I am also praying for the ailing and the lost.

Praise for today: May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. Ps 119: 172

Gen 14: 13-24

Interesting that Abram is now referred to as "the Hebrew". While he by trade was not a physically trained man of combat, he had the means to recruit 318 men that were born in his household to rescue Lot and his family with their possessions. It seems that the 318 had help since there were a bunch of neighboring kings that he defeated. Perhaps the most interesting was the encounter with the King of Salem, Melchizedek - who met him with the communion elements and Abram in turn, gave him a tithe. Apparently, he was more of a priest than a king. The best was the facial that Abram gave the king of Sodom.

Decent but extremely tiring weekend. Leadership meeting, paying respects at the funeral home, Lion King in 3D, church on Sunday and the drive down was worse when you are not feeling well (runny nose, coughing, etc).

Praise for today: Blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand - Gen 14:19

Gen. 14: 1-12

Here was a case of enlightened self interest as friend of mine likes to say. With the areas being controlled by kings of small regions, they often got together to defeat a larger enemy or to plunder an area to maintain their own people. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah banded with a few other kings to form their allegiance and they were attacked by the other four kings. The land was so scattered that there were a lot that fell between the cracks when it came to aligning with a kingdom(s) for protection or support. Abram fell in this case and since his allegiance was to his nephew's welfare he got involved upon knowing that Lot would be affected.

I feel much like Abram when it comes to stuff like that. I don't get involved in the office politics and try just to do the "right thing" except when my peeps get affected. The same is true with politics in general whether it is on a local or national level. Don't get me wrong, I do vote at nearly every election I can and encourage others to do so as well. Perhaps my attititude is based upon apathy or trust that God is still in control and I have very little influence on the matter, after all - I do click "like" on FB to show my opinion... Isn't that enough? ha!

Prayers for Johnny, Pearly, Preston and Mabel as they are going through a tough season. Johnny's dad passed away and I'll be paying my respects tomorrow. Mabel, the baby, has some respiratory issues which required a hospital stay yesterday.

Praise for today: That our Lord restores us, makes His face shine upon us so that we can be saved. From Ps. 80: 19.

Gen 13

A tale of two men - Lot and Abram. Abram had it all - wealth and the Lord on his side. Lot had much too and with their combined wealth, their entourages clashed. It got to the point where "this town isn't big enough for the two of them". So rather than fight it out, Abram did the noble thing and gave Lot the opportunity to branch out on his own and go whereever he wanted. Rather than consult the Lord, Lot chose what was perceived as the "greener pastures". God assured Abram that he would not get second best and what was more important would be with him every step of the way. The man trusted and obeyed and built an altar to the Lord as a sign of faith and appreciation.

How often do we get tempted by the "greener pastures" whether it is a house, job, car or even location, spouse, etc. It is our greed that drives us and our perception rather than our trust and obediance to the Lord. We (and I) need to realize that our God will never give us second best and He will meet all of our needs. Beauty is truly skin deep when measured against the standards of eternity. The other aspect that I think should be mentioned is contentment - are we content in the Lord, or are we trying to "assist" the Lord along the way? I pray that I do trust and obey as well as be content in the Lord and seeking His ways.

Interesting day at work - 3 banks that were downgraded along which was BofA. The significance in that is my small pension is attached to that (via ML) and hopefully that will still be intact when I am ready to retire and draw upon it. The Fed also chose not to follow a path of lower interest rates on excess reserves which would have put a anvil in my industry and maybe my job down the road. Thankful and praiseful.

Praise for today: Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Ps 55:22