Bible

Genesis 39 – Life’s Ups and Downs

by

Everyone experiences ups and downs in life. You can’t avoid it. The key is staying consistent despite the ups and downs.
Joseph is one of two people in Scripture that lived an exemplary life consistently, despite the ups and downs he faced. (Daniel is the other.) Joseph faced some great highs and some great lows, and though I doubt he was happy with everything he went through, he maintained his spiritual and relational integrity through it all.
There are some things mentioned in Genesis chapter 39 that I need to remember when it comes to successfully making it through the highs and lows of my life. I need to remember:
  • In every circumstance, God is with me…even if He doesn’t appear to be.
  • In every circumstance, I can depend on God…more than on myself.
  • In every circumstance, God wants to work for my good…even in the bad circumstances.
Consistently remembering these three things will help you maintain your integrity, outlook, and witness…even when the ups and downs of your circumstances pressure you to take the path of least resistance.
In the midst of life’s ups and downs, we need to be more like Joseph, the world needs us to be more like Joseph, and God needs us to be more like Joseph. It won’t always be easy, but making God (rather than circumstances) the compass that guides our thoughts and behaviors will pay the biggest dividends in the end. (See Genesis 45-46.)
Are the ups and downs of life throwing you for a loop? What is it you most need to remember in the midst of your circumstance? Stop right now and ask God to make something good out of your difficulties, then start looking for it. (See Genesis 50:20.)

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 38 – Obligations

by
In Genesis chapter 38, Judah’s oldest son (Er) marries a girl named Tamar. But Er is considered by God to be wicked, and he dies before he and Tamar have a child.
In their culture, Tamar is to conceive a child with the next oldest son, Onan, and that child will be considered Er’s child. (This is for the purpose of carrying on a family name.) But Onan doesn’t like the idea that the child will not be his, so He sabotages the conception. God judges Onan for not honoring his obligation, and Onan dies.
Judah only has one son left…Shelah. Shelah is too young to conceive with Tamar, so Judah tells Tamar to wait until he is old enough. But when Shelah is old enough, Judah ignores the promise he made to Tamar. This leaves Tamar childless, vulnerable, and frustrated.
Sometime after Judah’s wife dies, he takes a trip to Timnah. When Tamar hears this, she dons a veil, disguises herself as a prostitute, and goes out to meet Judah by the roadside. Not recognizing her, Judah sleeps with her and leaves some of his possessions as a promise of future payment.
Tamar conceives a child from this encounter. Three months later, Judah finds out Tamar is pregnant and he is incensed that she didn’t wait for the youngest son. Judah makes plans to put her to death, according to the laws and customs of the day. Then Tamar reveals to Judah the possessions he had left with her when he thought she was a prostitute, and Judah is forced to admit that he had wickedly refused to fulfill his obligation to her.
It’s easy to get caught up in all the sex and secrecy of this story, but those are story elements to communicate a larger principle. We, like Judah, Er, and Onan need to remember that failing to keep our obligations, whether to God or other people, is a sin. (Ecclesiastes 5:4) (Romans 13:7.)
Have you made an obligation to a spouse, child, friend or employer you’ve not yet kept? Now would be a great time to take steps towards fulfilling that obligation.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 37 – Reflections of Someone Else

by
In Genesis chapter 37, we’re introduced to Joseph. The story of Joseph is the familiar and well-loved story of a young man who was given a special coat by his father, hated by his brothers and had God-given dreams of greatness.
Beginning in Genesis chapter 37 and continues on to end of the book, the whole of Joseph’s life is meant to serve as a reflection of the life of Jesus. The following are some of the ways you see Joseph’s life reflecting the life of Jesus:
These are all very interesting reflections, but what do they have to do with you and me?
Just as God used the life of Joseph to demonstrate the life of Jesus, God wants to use our lives to demonstrate Jesus also. Through the good and the bad of life, God wants to use us to demonstrate the love, grace, mercy, and salvation found in Christ to those around us.
When others view the story of your life, do they see you, or do they see Jesus?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 36 – Strangers

by
Genesis chapter 36 is one of those chapters you tend to skim over on your way to more powerful and meaningful chapters. After all, it’s just a long list of names of people you don’t know and will never encounter; not to mention a list of names you can’t pronounce.
So you glance over the chapter, occasionally taking in a name or two, much like the polite acknowledgment of a stranger you meet when you’re out somewhere. Then, once you’re past them, you forget them and their name.
It’s so easy to forget that all those names you casually glance over were intimately loved and sought after by God. They were as important to Him as the Adams, the Abrahams and the Moses. The difference is we don’t know their story. We don’t know what God has done in their life, how He has pursued them or how they have responded to Him. They are just a name in a list to us, but to God, they are unique and special people who He passionately longs for and pursues.
The same is true when we meet a stranger or read a name on some sort of list. At first, they may just seem like a face in the crowd, or another stranger on a list, but to God the are unique and special and passionately loved by Him. They are as important to God as you or I.
May we remember this the next time we read a list of names in the Bible we can’t pronounce or know nothing about. May we remember this the next time we read the name of a stranger on some sort of list. May we remember this the next time we meet a stranger and are tempted not to put much effort into getting to know them. To God, there are no strangers and every life matters.

 

Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 35 – The 4 Truths About Worship

by
“Is your worship contemporary or traditional?” “Are the lights up or down?” “Do you use hymnals or read words off a screen?” “Are the instruments electric or acoustic?” “Do people raise their hands?” “Is there a choir?”
These are questions people often ask about a church’s worship in order to determine if it’s worship they can relate to.
Genesis chapter 35 opens with Jacob worshiping God, and in the first 6 verses, you can find four truths about worship.
  1. We are called to worship. (v.1) Worship is not optional. It is the commanded response to an Almighty God.
  2. We are to prepare for worship. (v.2) We are to clear our hearts and minds of all sin and contaminants in order to make room for God to enter in.
  3. We are to be focused on worship. (v.3) We are not to worship broadly with wandering minds. We are to focus like a laser on the One True God Who has chosen to communicate and connect with us.
  4. We are to be active in worship. (v. 6) Worship is not a passive activity. Worship demands our active involvement. This can include singing, praying, taking notes, lifting your hands and bending your knees. The demonstration of worship may vary, but active involvement in worship is a must.
As you can see, worship is not something you go to, but rather a response to a person you go to. We know from Jesus’ words that true worship is dependent on the person and their participation; not the place and the patterns. (John 4:19-24.)
In light of these four truths of worship, how often do you truly worship?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 34 – Where’s God?

by
Genesis chapter 34 is a bleak story. While Jacob and his family were sojourning through the land, a Hivite prince named Shechem became infatuated with Jacob’s daughter, Dinah. Shechem forced himself on Dinah and raped her. He then asked his father, Hamor to negotiate a deal with Jacob for the right to marry Dinah, setting a precedent for intermarriage between the two peoples.
When Dinah’s brothers heard of her rape, they were furious. They struck a deal with Hamor, agreeing to intermarry with Hamor’s people under one condition…that all the Hivite males agree to be circumcised. Believing this was an opening to economically take advantage of Jacob, Hamor agreed.
But, when all the Hivite men were recovering from their circumcision, two of Dinah’s brothers came into the city. They slaughtered the Hivite men, looted the city, and retrieved Dinah. The chapter ends with Jacob’s fear of retaliation.
All of the ugliness of mankind is found in this chapter. There are Shechem’s “I-want-it-now” attitude and his violently wanton sexual appetite. There are a people who are willing to over-look wickedness for the sake of closing a deal. There’s Jacob, who seems more concerned about keeping the peace than standing against wickedness. There are two groups of people plotting behind the scenes to take advantage of each other. And perhaps the most disturbing thing of all…there’s no mention of God anywhere in the chapter.
The parallels between this story and today’s world can easily leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. After all, when it gets so bad that God isn’t even mentioned, what can we do?
But therein lies the key to change. We must bring God back into the story, in order to interrupt the falling dominoes of wickedness in our world.
Can you think of one way you can acknowledge God and bring Him back into the story of your life?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 33 – Coming Clean

by
In Genesis chapter 33, Jacob is very fearful at the thought of meeting his brother, Esau. After all, Jacob had cheated his brother out of his birthright and his blessing, and now Esau had the power and right to make Jacob pay for all he had done.
Then comes the moment of truth, as Jacob sees his brother Esau in the distance running toward him. Jacob assumes his life is over and braces for Esau’s anger. But Esau, his judge, and jury, receives Jacob with open arms and a heart of forgiveness. Jacob had braced for the worse only to receive the best.
The same was true for the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. The prodigal son threw away his life and his father’s inheritance on partying and despicable things. Finally, when he had nothing left, he left the far country and came home, ashamed and embarrassed. He deserved the father’s worst but received the father’s best. He deserved the father’s lash but received the father’s love.
We, like Jacob and the prodigal son, have done our own thing. We have hurt others, been selfish and demanding, and we deserve the worst. But when we humble ourselves, leave our far country, confess our wrong, and ask for mercy, we will receive God’s best…not His worst. Though we deserve judgment, we receive mercy. Though we deserve death, we receive life. When we are willing to trust our lives to Christ, we become family. We’re no longer the enemy. (Gal. 3:26-29) (Gal. 4:6-7) (Eph. 1:5-8)
Does the thought of facing God raise your fear or your faith? If you will come to God and submit yourself to Him, He will receive you with open arms and an open heart.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 32 – The Wrestling Match

by
As young children, we exercise our independence by saying, “Me do it!” As adults, we may not stomp our feet, stick out our lip and loudly proclaim, “Me do it!” but our bent is still to do things ourselves.
Prior to Genesis chapter 32, Jacob spent his life giving a nod to God but then scrambling to make things happen on his own. Amazingly, God remained faithful to Jacob despite his “Me do it!” mentality.
But in Genesis chapter 32, rich with wives, children, and property, Jacob leaves his Uncle Laban and returns to Esau…the brother whom he cheated out of his inheritance and birthright. As Jacob gets closer to home, he begins to fear Esau’s great anger, so Jacob sends wave after wave of people, gifts, and property to try to pacify Esau.
Finally, Jacob is left with nothing left to give and nothing else he can do. Then, an angel comes and wrestles with him throughout the night and Jacob refuses to let go of the angel until God blesses him.
God’s wants us to stop relying on our own efforts and instead rely on Him. To do that, God will allow us to scramble in our own efforts until there is nothing more we can do. Then, when all our efforts have come up short, we learn to hold on to God and God alone.
Like Jacob, we all wrestle with a tendency to work independently of God. When this happens, we need to remember:
  • God alone is the source of our blessing and protection.
  • We can’t hold onto God when we’re using all our energy to grasp for other things.
Have you learned these lessons, or are you giving a nod to God, but scrambling to make things happen on your own?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 31 – Center Stage

by
It’s so easy to exaggerate our self-importance and take center stage in life. We can be quick to focus on our interests, elevate our contributions, and downplay our faults.
In Genesis chapter 30, Jacob and his uncle Laban are caught in a battle for center stage. Both manipulate and deceive, trying to get the best of the other while crying foul over any perceived injustice.
But in their desire for center stage, they miss two important realities…
First, they miss the fact that they are both guilty. Neither sees that their problems as connected to their own sin. Each is so focused on the other they fail to see they’re just as bad as the other.
Second, they’re so focused on pointing out the other’s fault they miss the fact that the God of all creation is doing something in their midst! They each claim God is on their side. They each use God to threaten the other and get their way. Yet they fail to see the bigger picture of what God is doing in their very midst.
What about you?
Do you tend to blame others for your problems, rather than come clean about how you’ve contributed to your problems? Do you ask God to show others how they are wrong more than you ask God to show you how you are wrong? Do you turn to God to make your situation “right,” rather than to make you “right?”
If so, you’ve taken center stage and need to…
  • Ask God to make Himself greater and you lesser. (John 3:30)
  • Ask God to show you your own sin and be grieved over that sin. (Ps. 51:3-4)
  • Ask God to help you focus on changing yourself more than changing others. (Matt.7:5)
We all need to remove ourselves from center stage and put the spotlight back on God. When we humble ourselves before God and others, we’ll more clearly see God and His designs on our life. (James 4:6.)
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.

Genesis 29-30 – Striving

by
Everyone wants to feel significant. Often we attempt to find that significance through acquisition and accumulation. We strive to acquire the right partner and the right career. We accumulate more things, more money, and more activities. We do all this in an attempt to feel good about ourselves.
In Genesis chapters 29 and 30, you find Jacob and his wives doing the same thing. In these chapters, Jacob strives to acquire the “right” wife and to accumulate more wealth. Jacob’s wives strive to acquire his favor through the accumulation of more children, hoping to be the favored spouse.
Jacob and his wives reaped the consequences of their misdeeds in the form of deception, favoritism, and manipulation. But God still blessed them, not because of their efforts to acquire and accumulate, but because it is God’s nature to bless us…despite who and how we are.
Nothing has changed since the days of Jacob. Even in our modern day of multiple marriages and wearable technology, we’re still trying to squelch our insecurity through acquiring the “right” relationships and accumulating the “right” stuff.
We need to stop striving. (Ps. 46:10) We need to remember that our blessings are a part of God’s nature and not our wages. We need to remember our significance is in our Creator, not in our acquisition and accumulation.
Ask yourself the following questions…and be honest with yourself.
  • Am I striving to acquire and accumulate in life?
  • What’s driving me to do this?
  • Am I trying to prove something to myself, or others?
  • Am I trying to earn God’s favor?
  • Is this why I’m so tired, worried, discouraged, or frustrated?
You will never realize your significance by acquisition and accumulation. You will only realize your significance by accepting what God has already done for you in Christ.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.