Category Archives: Bible study

In The Beginning God…

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Genesis 1:1

Happy New Year, 2025. Praying that God will be glorified in you, and that you will know the joy that comes from an honest relationship with your Savior. What a privilege we have to know our Creator as our friend.

This year, instead of reading the Bible through, I’ve chosen to do a topical series of studies written by Warren Wiersbe known as the “BE Series.” I’m starting with “Be Basic,” a study on Genesis 1-11. Not sure what this will look like, or how often I’ll post my thoughts. But my plan is to read the study along with God’s Word every day, journal my thoughts, and meditate on the beauty of Scripture as led by Rev. Wiersbe.

Today I was challenged to considered the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God…”

What does it mean to me that God is eternal? I can’t wrap my mind around “always existed.” I think I can imagine eternity future, never ending. But eternity past? How long did God exist before He created anything? What did He do all that time?

And there’s my answer. Words like “always,” or “future,” “ending,” “past,” “before,” and “time” are words bound by time. God exists outside of time. He exists in a perpetual “now.”

It’s not that He was or will be. It’s that He is. He just is. He even identified Himself as such when He told Moses, “I AM.” The disconnect comes with me, with my finite mind, limited understanding.

It’s like standing inches away from the Mona Lisa, gazing at it through a paper straw. If I tried to describe what I saw, or tried to imagine the whole, I would fail miserably. I would only be seeing the painting in part, I would not be able to understand the beauty of it. I would be limited by the lens through which I was looking.

Right now we can only know God in part. Our lens is like that of a paper straw. I love what I see through that straw, in nature and in His written Word. But if what I see of Him is limited by time and space, the whole of Him must be spectacular!

Even in my limited view of God, I see Him as all-powerful, all-knowing, kind, compassionate, faithful, true, righteous, and holy, singularly worthy of my worship. I can face the New Year with confidence, not because of who I am or what I’ve accomplished, or how determined I am to become a better person. I can face 2025 with confidence because of WHO GOD IS!

I can stand on the truth of, “In the beginning God…” because it’s THAT God I depend on.

Stay On The Ship

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Acts 27

I was talking to my pastor yesterday about how easy it can be to believe a lie. If you take time to listen to people who reject God, you being to understand their point of view. That can be a good thing, and I hope we are all investing ourselves in people we love and who are rejecting God. But when our understanding of their viewpoint becomes acceptance, we have a problem.

Paul was heading to Rome to be tried for bogus crimes the Jews made up to get rid of him. The ship he was sailing on got caught in a hurricane-force storm that pummeled them for weeks. The soldiers did everything they knew what to do to save the ship from being torn to pieces. They naturally feared for their lives, so Paul encouraged them with a word from God:

But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. (Acts 27:22-25)

In other words, stay in the ship and God has promised me you will be saved. Some of the sailors panicked, however. In their minds, and from what they believed about ships and storms, they determined the better option was to escape to land by lifeboats. They began to lower the lifeboats with the intention of abandoning the ship, in opposition to the Word of God.

When Paul saw what they were doing, he said to the centurion guarding him:

Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved. (Acts 27:31b)

So the ropes were cut, the lifeboats dropped empty into the raging sea. And although the ship was lost, not one of those men lost his life.

I think the moral of the story is the Word of God. Do you believe it or not?

We must sift everything we hear through the words God spoke. We must shape our world-view, our morality, our stand on what is right and what is wrong, our definition of sin and its punishment, our understanding of grace and mercy and love, through the lens of Scripture.

We all hear things from time to time that sound reasonable, maybe even scriptural. And maybe we think: “Ok. I can see their point. Maybe they have something there.”

BUT WAIT!

Before you go any further with that thought you better ask yourself: what does Scripture say? Not just a random verse taken out of context. What does God really say, how did it play out in the lives of the Old Testament Jews, how did Jesus embody the words spoken by the prophets?

Dear ones, there is one Truth. Anything that veers from that Truth is merely opinion and is nothing to stand on. Anything that is not Truth is a lie.

There is one salvation. There is one ship. To attempt to save yourself any other way is death.

I can confidently say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one goes to the Father without going through Jesus. I can say you must be born again. I can say that faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I can tell you that Scripture is God-breathed and it is the first and final authority.

I can say those things unapologetically, having built my life on the truth of it, because those words are in the Bible and the truth of them is demonstrated in those precious pages, and in my life.

Again I ask you concerning to the Word of God: do you believe it or not? Your life depends on your answer.

I’m Excited

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The Gospels

Every time I start reading the Gospels I get excited. After nine months of reading the Old Testament, I finally arrive at what the prophets, the Law, even the lives of the Jewish people pointed me toward – Jesus!

As hard as it is to read parts of the Old Testament, I still love it. I love looking for pictures of Jesus in the day-to-day lives of the Jews, through the words of the prophets, and the poets. I think it’s an amazing part of the Bible and there is something to learn on every page. It provides the backdrop and helps us understand the significance of what we are about to read in the New Testament. – Jesus!

The fulfillment of every word from Genesis to Malachi – Jesus!

I love reading the Old Testament. But I can’t help but get excited when I turn the page to the New. What a privilege it is to get to know my Savior through the eyes of people who knew Him!

I pray that God will open my eyes, draw me closer, challenge, convict, strengthen me, and reveal Himself a bit more as I spend the next three months in the New Testament.

I’m excited!

Someone to Confide In

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Psalm 25

Do you have someone you can confide in? Some you can tell your most intimate thoughts and feelings to, and have the confidence to know they will not betray you with that information? I hope you do. And I hope you are that to them as well.

Now here’s what blew me away today. Are you ready for this?

The Lord confides in those who fear him, he makes his covenant known to them. (verse 14)

Wow. God confides in us?

To me, that speaks of the precious, intimate relationship I can enjoy with God. But I never thought about it as a two-way street. Sure, I know I can go to Him and pour my heart out and be confident that He hears. I know I can trust Him with my most intimate thoughts.

I guess the question is: can He trust me with the same?

When I read His Word, do I listen to His heart? I can’t have a real friendship if I don’t. Intimacy isn’t the responsibility of just one party. It takes two to be intimate. It takes two to make a friendship.

If God confides in those who fear Him, can He confide in me? Do I fear, respect, honor, and obey Him so that He knows He can trust me with His heart? You don’t confide in, share your heart with someone who disrespects you or who doesn’t value you.

And, evidently neither does God.

God Is Good

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Job 5-10

I think if my picture of God was the same as Job’s, I might pray to die, too. He views God as a prowling lion ready to pounce; Big Brother always watching, hoping to catch us doing something wrong. He sees God as the ultimate bully, and says no one is safe from Him.

That’s such a sad way to look at our loving Heavenly Father.

Now, Job’s attitude might be understandable considering everything he went through. But it is not an excuse.

Job, as well as we, seem to judge God by how well we are doing. If I’m healthy, wealthy, and happy then God is a good God. But if bad things happen I question if God is truly good, and maybe wonder if He exists at all. Are we saying God is only worth worshiping in the sunshine?

No matter what our circumstances, God is good. No matter our health, our finances, our relationships, God is good.

As I was reading Job’s speech today I was reminded that it’s not my place to judge God. I can question Him. But in the end I can only surrender to Him, knowing no matter what…

God is good.

Know Your Enemy

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Genesis 36; 1 Chronicles 1:35-2:2

Reading these chapters can be tedious. Names hard to pronounce. People long gone with seemingly no relevance today. But if all Scripture is inspired by God, these chapters must be here for a reason. What does God reveal about Himself? What does He want us to learn?

First of all, I see a God who knows us by name. He knows the details of our lives like the guy who discovered hot springs, or the guy who had a sister.

Second, by listing these historical names we are reminded that Scripture is not a fairy tale. These are real people who lived real lives one real day at a time. They had hopes and dreams, and good days and bad. Some had happy homes and some had heartache. Some were rulers and some worked in the fields. The Bible is about people and their relationship with God. The Bible is true.

But here’s what struck me today. I can understand why God documented the genealogy of Israel. It was one way of proving the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham that the Savior would be his offspring. But why give equal time to Edom, the enemy of God’s children? Why should we care which evil person fathered which evil person?

Could it be God’s way of telling us we need to identify our own enemies? Someone has said, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Is that the message here?

I doubt it because God inspired Paul to tell us to run from temptation. But you’ve got to know that what tempts you is from the enemy. You’ve got to be able to recognize the enemy so you know what it is you are to be fleeing.

Thank you, God, for this reminder today. I don’t want to blow off any of my enemies. I want to look them in the eye and say, “Get behind me, Satan. Get behind me jealousy, anger, impure thoughts, selfishness. I see you. I recognize you. And I reject you in the Name of my Savior, Jesus Christ.”

I would challenge you to read God’s Word, not for the enjoyment or for the ease of it. Read it and ask God to reveal Himself, His truth, His will for your life. It’s in there on every page.

How Do You Know?

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1 Corinthians 11

I’m asking an honest question, the answer to which I do not know. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 gives instructions to men and women concerning worship, prayer, and hair. He clearly says women ought to be wearing hats. It would appear Paul is saying a woman shouldn’t be seen without a hat.

Paul instructs women to never cut their hair, and men to keep their’s short. So why aren’t we doing those things?

We insist women not teach men or be pastors because Paul instructed such. What makes 11:2-16 different? How do you know?

As I think about this, I don’t remember Jesus speaking to the issue of women wearing head coverings. And I can’t think of a time when He addressed the command that women remain silent. Do you know if there is anything in Scripture that explains why we take one of Paul’s commands literally, and it’s permissible to dismiss another?

I know we all have opinions about these things. I have my own. And I’m not promoting burqas or demanding we women stop cutting our hair. I don’t want to get into an argument about the role of women in the church. I just want to know why we treat the issues differently when Paul addressed them both in the same way.

And rather than me spouting my opinion, I need help finding Scripture that backs up what Paul is saying. How do we know, according to Scripture, when to hang our hats (pun intended) on a few verses, and when to ignore them?

I love how God continues to challenge me in my walk with Him. I know He’s doing the same for you. And if we can help each other, according to Scripture, we are living the Church. So let me ask you again,

How do you know?

Tender Urgency

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Luke 22; John 13-14

Jesus’ last moments with His disciples before He went to the cross is filled with tender urgency. Like a dad who taught his son how to drive a car gives last minute instructions as the boy leaves to take the test, or a mom who raised her daughter to be a loving, supportive, and godly wife speaks words of encouragement on her wedding day, Jesus wants to be sure his disciples have learned everything He’s taught them. He wants to send them off with one more lesson, one more word of encouragement before they take the next step in their relationship with Him.

What does He tell them? Be a servant. Believe in Me no matter what happens. Love me. Obey what I have taught you. I’m not abandoning you. One day I’ll come back for you.

There are so many intimate words from Jesus to His disciples as they sat around the dinner table in the upper room. This would be their last meal as a family before everything changed. And what Jesus told them was important.

These chapters are pure gold. I hope you read them and hear God’s tender urgency as He speaks to your own heart through the Words of Jesus at the Last Supper.

One Serious Job Description

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Matthew 10

Would you, after reading the job description for a disciple, sign up? God describes what he’s looking for in a disciple here in Matthew 10.

A disciple:
1. will be taken to court
2. will be beat up
3. will be dragged before governors and kings
4. may be turned into the authorities by their brother, father, or child
5. may be executed
6. will be hated
7. will be persecuted
8. will be saved in the end because no one can kill the soul.

Well, at least number 8 sounds good. Anyone who says being a child of God translates into good health and hefty bank accounts is lying.

The Gospel of Jesus is offensive, and if you proclaim it there will be people who hate you. The Gospel reveals our sin, our depravity, and our hopelessness. The Gospel tells us we aren’t enough, that we will never be enough. And friend, no one likes to hear that.

“But hang on,” Jesus says. “Endure to the end!”

The Gospel is worth it. Jesus is worth it. Jesus promises that when we believe in Him we are saved. Scripture says when we confess our sins we are forgiven. We’re promised that when we are weak HE is strong. When we don’t have the words, HE gives us the words. When we are helpless, HE is able.

These disciples signed up, went on a mission trip, performed miracles, told the Truth, and came back excited about being disciples. They no doubt faced opposition, but it prepared them, strengthened their faith, and in the end eleven of them went to their deaths proclaiming Jesus as the Savior of the world.

So, Christian, are you ready to put feet to your faith? Read the job description carefully. Then sign on the dotted line. You’re signing up for war. It won’t be easy. But it will be blessed beyond what you imagine. In the end, you will face Jesus and hear Him say, “Well done, my faithful servant, my warrior. Come home!”

Just You

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Ezekiel 13-16

Some of us need to hear the bad news. Are you ready?

You are going to be judged.

I’m not talking about the judgments of trolls in social media, or people you know who think differently than you. I’m not talking about that mean girl at work, or the neighbor who complains because your lawn isn’t manicured to his standards. You, my friend, are going to be judged by Holy God.

You will stand before Him, totally exposed, totally vulnerable, totally guilty, and know His verdict will be totally what you deserve.

It won’t matter if you went to church, gave to charity, had a godly mother who prayed for you. It won’t matter if you hung out with Christians and never cheated on your spouse. God won’t compare you to other people. He will compare you to Himself.

God told Ezekiel to tell His people that His judgment was coming, and that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were right there among them when judgment came, only Noah, Daniel, and Job would be saved. Every person would be judged according to his own righteousness. Every. Single. One.

What did the righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job look like? It looked like the righteousness of God! You see, those three had put their faith in God. They weren’t perfect in and of themselves. Read their stories for yourself. But because they had submitted to God, God saw His own righteousness in them, and they were saved.

Same with us. If we think we can stand before God and compare our righteousness to His, we are fooling ourselves. If any of us think we will stand before God and have anything to say in our defense, we are fools.

Your salvation and mine depend solely on the righteousness of God. The Apostle Paul put it this way:

For our sake he (God) made him to be sin who knew no sin (Jesus), so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I don’t know about you, but when I stand before Holy God, I don’t want Him to judge me based on anything I’ve done. Nothing! It would be like me standing before Simone Biles and asking her to compare my gymnastic ability to hers because I did a cartwheel in the backyard once, or putting myself in the same league as Albert Einstein because I got an A on my math quiz in second grade. Ridiculous!

When I stand before God, I want Him to judge me based on what Jesus did when He took my sins upon Himself hanging on the cross. And you know what? That’s exactly what is going to happen, because I have submitted myself to God, accepted Jesus as my Savior. I am saved, not by what I have done, but what Jesus has done on my behalf. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Noah, Daniel, Job, and I will stand before our Judge with no fear. We each have put our faith in God, and He will declare the guilty, NOT GUILTY! I pray you can add your name to the list.