He’s Back!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 35:1-15 TO CHEW ON: "Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." Genesis 35:14,15 Jacob and his family had spent many months moving around, living as nomads. One day God talked to Jacob again. He told him to go to Bethel and settle there. Jacob hears the voice of the Lord - by Frederick Sandys Jacob had been at Bethel before. 1. Why did he stop there the first time? (Genesis 28:11) 2. What happened during the night? (Genesis 28:12) 3. What promise did God make to Jacob the first time he was in Bethel? (Genesis 28:15) 4. Now, years later, Jacob had a large family. He was rich with servants and cattle. And he was back at Bethel. Had God kept His promise? (Genesis 35:14,15) PRAYER: You are a God who keeps promises. Thank you! Amen.MORE: PromisesBelow are three Bible promises. Choose one. Why is it important to you? You might also want to memorize it. • "When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through...

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Tags: promises memory verse map Jacob God’s presence Genesis coloring pages

Reunion

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 33:1-11 TO CHEW ON: “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.” Genesis 33:10 The day Jacob had looked forward to and dreaded was here. Today, after many years, he would see Esau again. 1.What happened when the brothers met? Genesis 33:42. Who of the brothers had done something wrong and needed to be forgiven?3. Who did the forgiving? The meeting of Jacob and Esau Seeing Esau again and knowing he was no longer angry was a big deal for Jacob. He compared getting Esau’s forgiveness to seeing the face of God. Are there broken friendships in your life? Be like Jacob and Esau, and mend them. PRAYER: Dear God, please help me forgive the people who have hurt me, and help the people I have hurt to forgive me. Amen...

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Tags: joy Jacob Genesis forgiveness Esau

God is Here

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 32:22-31 TO CHEW ON: "So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'" Genesis 32:30 Soon Jacob was a father, once, twice. three times... As he kept working for Laban, God blessed him with wealth and many children. But things were not going well. Laban and his sons were jealous of Jacob’s wealth. There was quarreling. One day God told Jacob to move back to his childhood home. He sneaked away from Laban with his family. Though Laban came after him, he didn’t make Jacob come back. Now Jacob and his family were really on their own. To get back home, he had to pass through Edom, where his brother Esau lived. This worried Jacob a lot. Was Esau still angry with him? Did Esau still want to kill him? He got ready to meet Esau by preparing a gift of animals and servants. He put the gift in front, with his own flocks behind that, and at the very back his wives and children. The night before they met, he spent time alone, praying and worrying about what the next day would bring. Then a man met him. They...

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Tags: true/false theophany Jacob God’s presence Genesis Esau

A Little Girl’s Big Love

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 5:1-14 TO CHEW ON: “Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.' ” 2 Kings 5:2,3 Suppose you were a little girl who, one day, was captured by enemy soldiers. They took you far away from home. Alone in a new country, you had to work for the people who captured you. This was what happened to the little Israeli girl who worked for Captain Naaman’s wife. One day she noticed her mistress was very sad. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “My husband has leprosy,” Naaman’s wife answered. Now the little girl could have been selfish. She could have thought, this man’s soldiers took me away from my parents. He deserves to be sick. But that wasn’t her attitude. Instead she thought about how she could help Captain Naaman. And she thought of prophet Elisha. He did amazing things. He had even raised a little boy from the dead. “If only my master could see the prophet who is in Samaria,” she said. “He...

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Tags: miracles love Israel God’s plan God’s help Elisha 2 Kings

A Kept Promise

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 9:1-12 TO CHEW ON: “'Don’t be afraid,' David said to him, 'for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.'” 2 Samuel 9:7 One day after David had been king for some years, he remembered a promise he had made. Years earlier he had promised his friend Jonathan that he would save and protect his family. Now he wanted to keep that promise – but how? He asked around and discovered that Ziba, a former servant of Saul, was still alive. David called Ziba to the palace. “Do you know if any of Saul’s family is still alive?” David asked. “There is Mephibosheth,” Ziba replied. “He is the son of Jonathan and is crippled in both feet.” Immediately David called Mephibosheth to the palace. Mephibosheth was frightened when he heard King David wanted to see him. It was the custom in those times that a new king would kill the whole family and all the servants loyal to the old king. In fact it was the day that Saul’s family ran from the palace after...

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Tags: promises generosity discussion David 2 Samuel

A Keepsake Meal

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 22: 14-20 TO CHEW ON: “...do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 Do you have a collection of special keepsakes? Suppose in your collection you have a teacup from your grandma, a baseball hat from when you were little, and a trophy. Those keepsakes wouldn’t be special to someone else, but they are to you. Why? Because each one is a picture or symbol of someone or something important to you. The teacup might remind you of grandma and the interesting stories she told. The baseball hat could remind you of the friend you played with when you wore it. The trophy reminds you of your team and how hard you worked to win the tournament. Jesus, during his last meal with His disciples, gave them just such a way to remember Him. He took a piece of bread, said grace over it, tore it apart, and handed the broken pieces to them. He told them to eat it and when they did, to remember Him and how His body would be nailed and pierced (broken) for them. "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - 1498 Then he took a cup of wine. Again he asked a blessing on it, handed...

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Tags: storytelling Luke Jesus Holy Spirit God’s plan Christ’s passion

A Job Well Done

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 40: 1-16, 34, 35 TO CHEW ON: "Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Exodus 40:34,35 After Moses had cleaned up the golden calf, God rewrote the smashed tablets of stone. Then Moses asked the people to collect things for building the tabernacle. People brought gold jewelry, beautiful cloth, colorful thread, dyed animal hides, gem stones, spices, incense and oil. Soon there was enough. Israelites bring treasures for the Tabernacle - Artist unknown Next God told Moses which talented artists and builders to put in charge of building the tabernacle. They organized and taught volunteers who made all the parts of the tabernacle and its furniture and tools. Finally the tent church and all its furniture was built. On the first day of the first month God told Moses to put up the tabernacle. He also told him exactly where to put each piece of furniture along with each utensil and tool. God told Moses to dress Aaron and his sons in the special priest clothes. As they stood...

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Tags: tabernacle perseverance Moses God’s presence giving generosity Exodus

A House For God

TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Kings 5:1-7 TO CHEW ON: "I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God as the Lord told my father, David, when he said, 'Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my name.'” 1 Kings 5:5 When Solomon had been king for four years, he decided it was time to keep the promise he’d made to his dad and build a house for God. He contacted King Hiram of Tyre to get permission to cut down huge cedar and pine trees. He called up thousands of men to work. Some felled trees. Others worked in quarries cutting boulders into square building stones. Many moved the wood and stone blocks to Jerusalem. Still others worked in Jerusalem, putting the temple together. After the gigantic stones were in place, workmen covered the walls with wood. They made floors, so that the temple was three stories high. They made the sanctuary – the room where the ark would sit – extra special, covering all the walls and ceiling with gold. Workmen carved beautiful decorations of fruits and flowers for the temple and made fifteen-foot high angel statues to decorate...

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Tags: worship Solomon puzzle God’s presence 1 Kings

Tricked!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 29:15-28 Jacob falls in love with - Artist unknown TO CHEW ON: "When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?'" Genesis 29:25 Jacob eventually found his mother’s relatives in Haran. There he got work with his uncle Laban. He also fell in love with Laban’s beautiful daughter Rachel. Laban told Jacob he could marry Rachel if he worked for him seven years. Seven years pass quickly. Now it was the wedding day. But after the party was over, Jacob found his uncle had married him to Leah, Rachel’s older sister. (In that time women’s wedding clothes included veils to hide their faces.) “Why did you deceive me?” Jacob asked his uncle. Now Jacob found out how Esau felt when he was tricked. Jesus said, “Whatever measure you use will be used towards you and even more than that.” (Mark 4:24 Phillips). As Jacob discovered, the way we treat others becomes the way others treat us....

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Tags: trickery marriage Jacob Genesis consequences

Alone - but not alone

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 28:10-20 TO CHEW ON: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15 Have you ever run for your life? That’s what Jacob was doing. After he tricked his father into giving him Esau’s blessing, Esau wanted to kill him. Rebekah told Jacob to go to Haran, where she grew up. Jacob set out alone How do you suppose he felt as he walked away from his family and the only home he had ever known?- Nervous about being attacked by robbers and wild animals?- Worried about losing his way?- Lonely and wishing he had someone to talk to? When it got dark, he stopped walking. He pitched his tent, unrolled his sleeping bag, blew up his air mattress – NOT! He had no tent, sleeping bag, or air mattress. Instead he lay on the ground, under the stars with a stone for his pillow. After he fell asleep, he dreamed. What things were in his dream (Genesis 28:12-13)...

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Tags: storytelling science promises Jacob God’s presence Genesis dreams angels

Deceit and Trickery

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 27:1-41 TO CHEW ON: "But he said, 'Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.'" Genesis 27:35 Isaac was old and knew he would soon die. He asked Esau, his favorite son, to catch some wild game and make his favorite food. Then he would say a blessing over him. Rebekah heard this. She didn’t want Isaac to bless Esau. Jacob was her favorite son. And hadn’t God said to her at the birth of Jacob and Esau, “The older will serve the younger”? Here’s what happened next. But one of these things is not true. Which one? 1. Jacob brought Rebekah two young goats and she prepared food for Isaac.2. Rebekah dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes and covered his hands and neck to smell and feel like Esau.3. Jacob took Rebekah’s food to Isaac and Isaac ate it.4. Isaac blessed Jacob after he smelled his clothes and felt his skin to make sure it was Esau.5. Esau brought prepared food to his father.6. Isaac told Esau he had already eaten and spoken a blessing – on someone else!7. Esau didn’t care that Jacob had stolen his blessing.8. Esau vowed to kill Jacob as soon as their father died. By tricking Isaac in...

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Tags: trickery Rebekah puzzle Jacob Isaac Genesis faith Esau

Now - or Later?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 25:19-34 TO CHEW ON: "Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.''Look, I am about to die,' Esau said. 'What good is the birthright to me?'" Genesis 25:31-32 Though Jacob and Esau (sons of Isaac and Rebekah) were twins, they were far from identical. What things do we know about them that show how different they were? (Genesis 25:27-28) Esau1.2.3. Jacob1.2.3. One day when Esau came back from hunting, Jacob was making stew. When hungry Esau asked Jacob for some stew to eat, Jacob used his cleverness to get Esau to promise him the birthright in exchange for a pot of stew. A birthright was a big deal. It was what the oldest son in a family inherited. As firstborn of the twins and the oldest son, Esau’s inheritance was twice as big as Jacob’s. The birthright also brought with it the job of being the family leader next to Isaac. But in one reckless moment, Esau said, “What good is a birthright to me if I die by hunger anyway?” Then he promised Jacob his birthright if he would give him a bowl of stew. Later he regretted this decision with all his heart. PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to make decisions based on wisdom,...

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Tags: wisdom Rebekah patience Jacob Isaac impatience Genesis Esau choices

God, I need help!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 24:12-20, 57-61 TO CHEW ON: "Then he prayed, 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.'" Genesis 24:12 Abraham sent his servant on an errand. He was to find a wife for Isaac among Abraham’s relatives far away. This was a hard job. As the servant traveled he wondered how would he ever find Abraham’s family, let alone know which was the right girl. When he got to the faraway land, he still didn’t know what to do. He found a well and sat there to rest. As he rested he prayed, "God please help me find the right girl. May it be the girl that when I ask her for a drink, she'll offer to water my camels too. If that happens, I'll take it as a sign that she's the right girl." Before he finished praying beautiful Rebekah came to the well. Unscramble the words to find out what the servant said and how the girl answered him (Genesis 24:17-19) Could this be the right girl? It turned out Rebekah was also one of Abraham’s relatives. When the servant explained his errand to Rebekah’s family they asked her, “Will you go?” and...

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Tags: work prayer memory verse Isaac Genesis Abraham

A Heavenly Sight

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 4:1-11 TO CHEW ON: "Day and night they never stop saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'” Revelation 4:8 Have you ever seen an angel? Have you seen Jesus? God? Heaven? Most of us haven’t. But God gave John a peek inside heaven. As we read his description, we get the feeling heaven is so incredibly magnificent, John had a hard time finding words to describe it. An Angel comes to Mary - Artist unknown Look in Revelation 4:1-11 and then list: 1. Some of the sounds John heard:2. Some of the sights he saw:3. Some of the characters he watched: But no matter how amazing everything else was, God was the center of heaven’s attention.4. Where was God and what did he look like?5. How did those who lived in heaven worship Him?...

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Tags: worship visions Revelation John heaven God’s presence God’s holiness

The Big Test

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 22:1-19 TO CHEW ON: “...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:18 Imagine Abraham’s horror the day God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Perhaps he had some of these questions and thoughts: - Did I hear God right?- Why would God make me wait all these years to have a son, only to ask me to kill him?- Didn’t God forbid human sacrifice?- God can do anything. Maybe He is planning to raise Isaac from the dead. Whatever Abraham was thinking, he didn’t argue with God. Instead, he took Isaac, the stuff they needed for the sacrifice and they went to the place God told him. Using Genesis 22:9-12 as a guide, put the rest of the story in order. An angel stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac - Artist unknown Abraham’s faith was tested to see what he believed in. God was testing him to see whether he believed in what his mind told him God would do, or whether he believed in God, even though he didn’t understand. Abraham’s actions showed he believed in God. He passed the test!...

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Tags: sacrifice puzzle obedience Jesus Isaac Genesis faith angel Abraham

A Clay Jar

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 4:6-12 TO CHEW ON: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7 Perfume in a plastic spray bottle or crystal glass? Which would you choose?- a book with a torn paper cover or one with a mint-condition hard cover?- chocolates in a plastic bag or packed in a fancy box?- perfume in a plastic spray bottle or a crystal glass bottle?- a gift wrapped in newspaper or one wrapped in tissue and a bag? No one would be surprised if you chose the second thing in every case. Even in small things, we tend to look at containers and choose the prettiest and richest-looking. In Paul’s time, clay jars were the plain everyday jars people used in their kitchens. There was nothing special to make people choose them. But they were important in the kitchen because of the water, juice or milk inside them....

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Tags: serving Saul/Paul God’s presence craft 2 Corinthians

A Can-do Attitude

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 13:26-33 TO CHEW ON: "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.' But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.'” Numbers 13:30,31 The Israelites had been traveling through the desert for a long time. Now they were near the land God had promised them. To prepare for going in and settling there, Moses sent twelve spies to explore their new home. For forty days these men went from place to place in Canaan, secretly checking out the country. When they got back, they told of the amazing orchards and farms. They brought back grapes, dates and pomegranates to prove how rich the land was. But they also told of huge walled cities and people who looked as big and strong as giants. Ten of the spies didn’t think they would ever be able to live there. “The cities are too protected,” they said, “and the people are too tall.” But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, didn’t agree. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we certainly...

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Tags: trust storytelling promises Numbers Moses God’s plan God’s help fear faith

Promises, promises

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 21:1-7 TO CHEW ON: "Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him." Genesis 21:2 I’ll play with you after school today.Never tell a soul– promise?Wait till summer; then I’ll take you fishing.We’ll go to Disneyland next year - it’s a promise! Our lives are full of promises. Do we keep all the promises we make? Do others keep their promises to us? Probably not. But there is Someone Who does keep every promise He makes. God promised Abraham and Sarah they would have a son. In fact He said it over and over. Now at last, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 years old, the baby was born. 1. What did Sarah do? (Genesis 21:6)2. Abraham and Sarah named the baby Isaac. What does the name "Isaac" mean? God kept His promise. What a happy time! PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the joy of kept promises. Amen. MORE: God's promises to you The Bible is full of God's promises to you. Read the following promises and solve the crossword puzzle below. 1. Eternal life: (John 11:25) "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will...

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Tags: puzzle promises names joy Genesis faith

God as Judge

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read: Genesis 19:12-29 TO CHEW ON: "The two men said to Lot, 'Do you have anyone else here...? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.'” Genesis 19:12,13 When the two angels got to Sodom they met Lot at the city gate. He invited them to stay at his home for the night. But even there the visitors didn’t escape the violence of the city. Soon a crowd of men was banging on Lot’s door. They wanted to abuse the two angels - who they thought were ordinary men. When Lot went out to calm them, they threatened him. They were about to break down his door when the angels pulled him into the house and made the men go blind. “Do you have anyone else here that belongs to you?” the angels asked Lot. He talked to the young men who were engaged to his daughters. But when he told them God would destroy the city, they thought he was joking. Before dawn the next morning, the angels pulled Lot and his family out of bed. “Hurry! Get...

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Tags: sin judgment God’s holiness Genesis consequences

A Book Like No Other

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 19:1-14 TO CHEW ON: "By them your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:11 What is your favorite book? Why do you like it? If we could have asked David what his favorite book was, I’m sure he would have said, “God’s Word” – even though books in those days were rolled up strips of parchment or animal skin called scrolls, and even though God’s Word wasn’t the Bible we now have. When David lived, God’s Word was made up mainly of the writings of Moses. They are our books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 1. David called God’s Word by many different names. What names does he call it in Psalm 19? 2. What words does David use in Psalm 19 to describe and praise God’s Word? After David tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem and Uzzah was killed, he could go back to God’s Word. There he could read how the ark was supposed to be carried. If he took God’s warnings seriously, he could grow wise and avoid making the same mistake again....

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Tags: wisdom Psalms obedience God’s word David

A Big Dream

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 2:1-10 TO CHEW ON: "The king said to me, 'What is it you want?' Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, 'If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.' ... And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my request." Nehemiah 2:4&8 “Jerusalem is a mess,” Hanani said. “Its walls are broken down and the gates are just charred rubbish.” Nehemiah was shocked and sad to hear this news from his brother Hanani. Though Nehemiah had lived in Persia all his life, his heart was with his people in Jerusalem. He wished there was something he could do. He thought of going to Jerusalem and getting to work on that wall. But that could never happen because King Artaxerxes had said that Jerusalem should not be rebuilt. And Artaxerxes was his boss. He would never let him leave his job for such a reason. Yet over the next four months, Nehemiah couldn’t forget his dream of returning to Jerusalem. Every day he imagined...

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Tags: promises prayer Nehemiah memory verse Judah God’s help

A Bible Journal

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 23:1-6 TO CHEW ON: "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6 Do you keep a journal or diary? Have you ever read someone else’s, like The Diary of Anne Frank? You can tell a lot of things about someone by reading their journal. You can tell whether they’re mainly a happy or sad person. You can tell how they feel about others like family members and friends. And you can tell the things that make them scared, excited, discouraged or hopeful. David, the boy Saul anointed king, kept a kind of journal. We still have it today. His journal was made up of poetry or songs called psalms. Many of David’s writings are found in our Bible book of Psalms (though not all the psalms in it are written by David). Since we know that David was someone who pleased God, it’s a great thing to have these personal writings of his. Like most journal writers, David wrote about everyday things familiar to him. He was a shepherd and knew about sheep and looking after them. In Psalm 23 he wrote...

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Tags: write worship Psalms prayer David

Ask and Ask Again

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read: Genesis 18:20-33 TO CHEW ON: "Abraham said, 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?'He said, 'For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.'Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?'He answered, 'For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.'” Genesis 18:31,32 One day three men came to visit Abraham. He welcomed them, washed their dusty feet and fed them a hot dinner. As they talked, Abraham realized that these visitors weren’t ordinary men. Two of them were angels and one was God Himself, in human form. After their visit, as Abraham walked down the road with them God turned to him and said, “I’m going to tell you what I’m planning to do.” Then He explained how He had heard that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were sinful and violent. He said if the angels found that to be true, He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Immediately Abraham thought of Lot. He had moved near Sodom. So Abraham begged God to spare the city if there...

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Tags: theophany prayer perseverance Genesis faith angels Abraham

More than a Promise

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Read: Genesis 17:1-10 TO CHEW ON: "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations." Genesis 17:4 Twenty four years after God said to Abram “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you,” Abram still didn’t have even one son, let alone a nation of sons. By the time he was 99 years old, can we blame him for thinking God had forgotten His promise? Abram listening to God - Artist unknown But now God came to Abram again and told him, “I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.... You will be the father of many nations.” God gave Abram more than a promise. He called it a covenant. It is the strongest promise anyone can make. Circle the things a covenant IS (look it up in the dictionary if you need to)....

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Tags: puzzle promises names Genesis faith covenant Abraham

Can’t Wait

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read: Genesis 16:1-9 Abram looking at the stars - Artist unknown TO CHEW ON: “'Your slave is in your hands,' Abram said. 'Do with her whatever you think best.'” Genesis 16:6 What promises had God given Abram? Genesis 12:2 Genesis 15:5 If Abram was to be a nation and have as many children as there are stars, he would first need at least one child. But year followed year and still Abram and Sarai had no children. They were old when they first moved. Now they were very old. We can’t wait any longer. God needs help with this, thought Sarai. So she gave her servant Hagar to Abram to have a baby for her. Though this was a legal thing to do at that time and place, it was not God’s way. Hagar got pregnant. But now she scorned Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram. Abram told Sarai to do as she liked with Hagar. So Sarai sent Hagar away into the desert. An angel comforted Hagar. He told her she would have a son, Ishmael, but he wouldn’t get along with his brothers. And the angel told Hagar to go back to Abram and Sarai. What the angel said to Hagar about Ishmael came true. Ishmael became the...

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Tags: Sarah promises impatience Genesis consequences Abraham

First Choice

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Genesis 13:1-17 Abram and Lot - Artist unknown TO CHEW ON: "So Abram said to Lot, 'Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me.... Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.'” Genesis 13: 8,9 Abram did take one member of his family along – his nephew Lot. Lot also had flocks and servants. Soon their servants were fighting over the same pastures. Abram didn’t want fighting. He had a meeting with Lot. “I think it’s time for our families to part,” he said. Abram was the leader and the respected older person on this trip. He could have told Lot to graze his cattle on the scrubby hills while he (Abram) took his cattle to the green valley. Instead Abram let Lot have first choice about where he’d go. What an easy decision for Lot. Of course he picked the lush green valley for himself. Besides being the best pasture land, it was near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah where his wife could shop and he could get supplies. If Abram was sorry about his decision to let Lot pick first, it wasn’t...

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Tags: selfishness memory verse giving Genesis generosity Abraham

Faith Adventure

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Genesis 12:1-7 Abraham journeying into the Land of Canaan by Gustave Dore TO CHEW ON: "The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you....” So Abram went as the Lord told him." Genesis 12:1,4 People move from one home to another for many reasons. Sometimes they move to find work. Sometimes they move to be close to family. Sometimes they move to experience life in a different city. And sometimes they move just because God tells them to. One day God talked to a man named Abram. (He was a man who was alive at about the same time as Job.) God told Abram to move – and he did, just because God said so. He had to have a big faith in God to leave the country he lived in, the city he knew, and even his family. He was 75 when God asked him to do this. That's older than your grandparents! To make it even harder, God didn’t give him a map or a moving truck. He just told Abram and his wife Sarai to pack their stuff and go wherever He would show them. Abram...

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Tags: storytelling prophecy promises obedience Genesis courage Abraham

Questions Answered?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Job 42:1-16 TO CHEW ON: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.... Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job 42:2,3 After Job and his friends had spoken, God talked. He asked Job questions.- “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4 Simplified Living Bible)- “Have you found the springs from which the seas come?” (38:16 SLB)- “Do you know where the gates of death are”? (38:18 SLB)- “Where does the light come from and how do you get there?” (38:19 SLB)- “Who gave the heart wisdom? Who gave knowledge to the mind?” (38:36 SLB) ...and on and on. Do you know the answers to these questions? What would you have said if you were Job? Actually, Job didn’t have much to say. “I am nothing,” he said. “How could I ever find the answers?” (Job 40:4 SLB). By questioning Job this way God wasn’t asking him questions because He didn’t know these things. He was showing Job (and us) that as the creator of the world, He sees the big picture of beginnings and endings. He understands more than we...

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Tags: trust true/false Job God’s omniscience

Why? Why?? Why???

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Job 2:1-13 Job and his friends - Artist unknown TO CHEW ON: "When Job’s three friends Eliphaz... Bildad... and Zophar... heard about all the troubles that had come upon him they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him." Job 2:11 At the next heavenly council meeting, Satan suggested that God should take His protection away from Job’s body. If he got sick, Satan was sure Job would curse God. God gave permission. Soon Job was so ill his friends who came to comfort him hardly recognized him. Job’s friends thought it was his fault he was sick. When Job insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong, they argued, “God always punishes sin. This sickness is your punishment for something bad you did. Confess your sin and you’ll get better.” Finally a young friend, Elihu, spoke. He said maybe Job’s sickness wasn’t because of something bad he did. Maybe God was just trying to teach Job a lesson....

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Tags: trust problems Job friendship faith discussion

Job’s very bad, terrible, no good day

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Job 1:6-22 TO CHEW ON: "At this Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: '. . . The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'” Job 1:20,21 Sometime after the flood, a man named job and his family lived in the land of Uz. Job was a happy man. He had a wife and a large, healthy family. He was also rich with donkeys, sheep, oxen, camels, and servants. Then one day his good life fell apart. Match Job’s possessions with what happened to them: (Job 1:13-18) What a horrible day for Job! One after the other, his servants came to him with news of robbers, fire, wind, calamity and death....

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Tags: puzzle problems praise Job drawing


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