October 10 - Waking Up to God's Presence

Today's Reading:
Gen. 27:41-46; 28:10-22
"Jacob Flees and Dreams about God"

Focus Verses: Genesis 28:18-19
15 "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."

Insight:
Jacob's maneuvering and manipulation had provoked his brother Esau to the point of violence. Esau had begun to comfort himself with the thought of killing Jacob some time after his father Isaac died. In fear for his life, his mother sent him away to stay with her brother.

One night on his journey, Jacob had a dream. He saw a stairway extending down to earth from heaven. From the top of the stairs he heard the voice of the Lord--the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. The Lord promised to watch over him, protect him, prosper him, restore him, and above all to bless all peoples on the earth through him.

Jacob was amazed at the encounter with God. He realized God was present, reaching down to him, and willing to bless him. Jacob responded with worship and a commitment to give honor and thanks to God.

Response and Action:
It's an important day when a person realizes that God is present and reaching out to him. I'm thankful for a day I can remember when God impressed upon me the reality of his presence and his power to save. Like Jacob, that day was just the beginning for me; there have been many lessons and new realizations on my journey. And as he was with Jacob, God has been faithful and patient with me. He has led, provided, protected, and sustained me. Like Jacob, I want to live with reverence for God and to give thanks for every blessing. I will give a portion of all I have back to God as an offering of thanks and worship.

O God, thank you for reaching down to me. Teach me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Help me to be aware of your presence and blessing in my life--in every moment and in every place. Accept the offerings I give as an expression of my thanks and my trust in you to provide. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 10:2
"Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death."

New Testament for Today: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
In Context: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Resources:
How To Read Genesis
by Tremper Longman

October 9 - Fraud and Faith

Today's Reading:
Gen. 27:1-40
"Jacob Deceives Isaac"

Focus Verses: Genesis 27:18-19
18 He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing."

Insight:
The name, Jacob, could be translated "heel grabber." It's an appropriate name for him because he (like his mother) was a schemer and a scrambler. He wanted to be blessed by God, but seems to have thought he needed to scrape and trick his way into blessing. He couldn't just be who he was; he needed to pretend to be something he wasn't.

It seems like most people need to wrestle with this problem. It's hard to learn that cheating, manipulation, and pretense are absolutely inferior to trusting God and being honest about ourselves. Fraud and faith are opposed to each other.

Response and Action:
Who am I? Am I honest about who I am before God and others? Am I someone who humbles myself before God, who trusts God to lead and bless, or someone who thinks I need to scheme and scratch my way to get ahead. I want to live a life of integrity and humility. I want to be honest and humble before God and before others. I want to know God and to trust him for direction and blessing. Then I will be able to be honest with myself and with others.

O God, you are my God. I will seek you earnestly. I want to know you and trust you with all my heart. Help me to look to you for blessing and provision, instead of looking to myself. Help me to turn away from cheating and pretense, and instead live with faith and honesty. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 9:13, 16-18
"The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. 'Let all who are simple come in here!' she says to those who lack judgment. 'Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!' But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave."

New Testament for Today: Ephesians 4:22-25
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
In Context: Ephesians 4:17-32

Resources:
Birthright: Christian, Do You Know Who You Are?
by David C. Needham

October 8 - Born with Promise

Today's Reading:
Gen. 25:19-34
"Jacob and Esau"

Focus Verses: Genesis 26:23
23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

Insight:
God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation. God didn't choose a nation, he chose to make a nation. He started with an old man, Abraham, and his old barren wife, Sarah. Eventually they had a son, Isaac, who's wife, Rebekah, was also unable to have children. It's as if God were making it absolutely clear that the promised nation would only exist by his provision.

God answered Isaac's prayers, and Rebekah became pregnant with twin sons. With the birth of Esau and Jacob, the story then turns to the push and pull of which son would become the heir to God's promise Abraham. Jacob was a scrambler and a schemer who wanted more than his birthright. Esau was a outdoorsman who didn't really care or value his birthright.

The story of God's promise and God's people begins in the story of two little boys who become two very different men with very different futures. Who they become and what results in their lives is very much rooted in the attitudes they have toward God, toward God's promises, and toward each other.

Response and Action:
The future of a nation began in the nursery of twin brothers. I need the wisdom to see how my future is rooted in the small things in my life today. How will my attitudes and actions today impact the future of God's promise and plan for me? How will the beliefs and choices I have right now going to impact my family, my church, my community and my world. A faith and awareness of God's promises, and a commitment to pursue and value those promises, will make all the difference.

O Lord, help me to see the potential and promise you have for me. Help me to value and treasure the birthright you have given to me in Christ. Help me to trust you and follow you with all my heart. Give me a strong faith and grant me the wisdom to choose and act in accordance with my faith. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 7:2
"Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye."

New Testament for Today: John 1:12-13
12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
In Context: John 1:1-18

Resources:
Birthright: Christian, Do You Know Who You Are?
by David C. Needham

Reading Schedule for October 8 - 13

Oct. 8 - Gen. 25:19-34
Oct. 9 - Gen. 27:1-40
Oct. 10 - Gen. 27:41-46; 28:10-22
Oct. 11 - Gen. 29:1-30
Oct. 12 - Gen. 29:31 – 30:24
Oct. 13 - Gen. 31:1-21

You're invited to read through the Bible with Dave Burkum. Six readings each week will take you through key scripture passages from Genesis through Revelation. Click here to download your copy of the Useful Breath Reading Schedule for 2007-08.

October 6 - A Faithful Servant

Today's Reading:
Gen. 24:1-30; 50-66
"A Wife for Isaac"

Focus Verses: Genesis 24:26-27
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."

Insight:
When the time came for Isaac to have a wife, Abraham sent his most trusted servant to find a wife from among the kinsmen Abraham had left behind. The servant was extremely faithful to Abraham. On his journey, he displayed responsibility, focus, honesty, and faith, and he was continually in prayer. God blessed his way and gave him success.

Response and Action:
I want to be a faithful servant--faithful to God and to others. I want to approach the tasks and responsibilities God has given me with a whole heart. I need to avoid distractions, pray continually, and be faithful and honest. I want to approach my days, my tasks, and my challenges with a prayerful attitude and with eyes ready to see how God is providing.

O Lord, help me to be a good steward of all you have given me. Grant me the wisdom and the will to guard my heart, feed my spirit, stimulate my mind, and care for my body. Help me, by faith, to do the good things you've prepared in advance for me to do. To be fruitful, faithful, and effective as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, neighbor, pastor and colleague. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 6:23
"For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life..."

New Testament for Today: Matthew 25:23
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
In Context: Matthew 25:14-30

Resources:
How To Read Genesis
by Tremper Longman

October 5 - The Provider

Today's Reading:
Genesis 22:1-19
"Abraham and Isaac are Tested"

Focus Verses: Genesis 22:13-14
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Insight:
Abraham and Isaac believed that the God they followed and worshiped was the only true God. The devotion they had for their God was no less than the devotion the pagans around them had for their false Gods. If those worshiping pagan deities were willing to sacrifice their children to demonstrate complete devotion, Abraham was willing to do the same. But the one true God proved himself to be nothing like the false Gods of the pagans. Those false God's were takers who demanded satisfaction, but the true God, the God of Abraham and Isaac, was and is a provider. He doesn't hurt and take away; he gives and protects.

God demands my all and asks me to lay down my life, but it is actually God who has given his Son, Jesus, to save me and give me life. Even as I surrender my all, God provides more than I have to give.

Response and Action:
Like Abraham, I want to be willing to give up anything for God. I want to demonstrate that my devotion to God is as whole-hearted as anyone else's devotion to anything else. I want to seek God above all else. I do not want anything or anyone to be a rival for my commitment to God. I am grateful that God is a giver. I rejoice that God is a giver and a provider, not a taker who diminishes me. Instead, as I offer him my all, he provides and blesses me and makes me more than I could ever be on my own.

O Lord, you are good and gracious to me. Thank you for Jesus who emptied himself for me and for all humanity. Help me to become like him in my attitudes and actions toward others. Help me to give grace more than I seek it; to love others more than I seek to be loved; to forgive others more than I ask for forgiveness; to understand others more than I seek to be understood. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 5:21
"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths."

New Testament for Today: 1 John 4:9-10
9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
In Context: 1 John 4:7-21

Resources:
How To Read Genesis
by Tremper Longman

October 4 - Grace for Broken People

Today's Reading:
Genesis 21:1-21
"Isaac's Arrival - Ishmael's Departure"

Focus Verses: Genesis 21:1-2
1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

Insight:
The goodness and grace of God is what strikes me most about this passage. The joy and miracle of Isaac's birth is sadly marred by the bitterness and strife in Abraham's house. Hagar mocks Sarah. Sarah is bitter toward Hagar and determined to get rid of her and Ishmael. Abraham is happy about the birth of Isaac but worried sick about Ishmael. Only God is good, gracious, and faithful to everyone involved.

God is gracious to Sarah and faithful to keep his promise to her. He is good to Hagar and Ishmael and is faithful to keep his promise to them. God is reassuring and comforting to Abraham and is faithful to both of his sons.

Conflict among people is a sad fact of life. We have trouble getting along and often fail to look out for the best interests of others. God is above our differences and our conflicts. He doesn't take sides but instead works graciously for the good of everyone. Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love and grace for everyone.

Response and Action:
I am thankful for God's grace and goodness to me. I need God's help and guidance to navigate through conflicts and differences with others. I want to draw near to God and learn to rise above selfishness and disputes. I want to put aside selfishness, be less concerned about my own interests, and more concerned about the good of others.

O Lord, you are good and gracious to me. Thank you for Jesus who emptied himself for me and for all humanity. Help me to become like him in my attitudes and actions toward others. Help me to give grace more than I seek it; to love others more than I seek to be loved; to forgive others more than I ask for forgiveness; to understand others more than I seek to be understood. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 4:18
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."

New Testament for Today: Philippians 2:14-15a
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe...
In Context: Philippians 2:1-18

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

October 3 - God's Way to Safety

Today's Reading:
Genesis 19:1-29
"Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed"

Focus Verses: Genesis 19:15-17
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." 16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"

Insight:
Sin leads to destruction. Lot was living dangerously by living among sinners who had no regard for God and clearly no regard for Lot or his family. Lot was disturbingly willing to compromise with wicked neighbors and give in to their demands. In mercy, God came to Lot and his family to save them from the coming destruction. Yet Lot hesitated, the husbands of his daughters considered his warnings to be a joke, and his wife (even as they fled for their lives) turned back toward the city as if she didn't want to leave.

Response and Action:
I need to take sin seriously. I do not want to compromise with sin. I do not want to share my living space with sin. Instead, I will flee for my life. God, in his mercy, has given me a way to escape sin and destruction through Christ. I want take that way of escape and not turn back.

O Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. Do not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. Thank you for your faithfulness to provide a way of escape for me when I am tempted. Help me to turn away from sin and destruction and, instead, be led by your Spirit toward eternal life. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 3:25-26
"Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared."

New Testament for Today: Galatians 6:7-8
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
In Context: Galatians 6:1-10

Resources:
Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer
by John White

October 2 - Praying for Justice and Compassion

Today's Reading:
Genesis 18:16-33
"Abraham Pleads with God"

Focus Verses: Genesis 18:25-26
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Insight:
God is both just and righteous. He does not punish the wicked at the expense of the righteous. In fact, he is willing to withhold judgment against the wicked for the sake of the righteous. Abraham interceded for the righteous and trusted God to do what is right.

Response and Action:
Only God is able to be "the Judge of all the earth." Only God can understand the complexities of good and evil, sort out the victims from the perpetrators, and administer justice with righteousness. I need to live with a commitment to righteousness and justice. I need to pray for those who are suffering at the hands of evil. I will appeal to God to set things right. I will trust God to act and intervene in human affairs with justice and compassion.

O Lord, help me to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. Thank you for your mercy and compassion. I trust you, O God, to work in my world to bring about justice and to set things right, and to do it with righteousness. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 2:21-22
"For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it."

New Testament for Today: John 3:17
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
In Context: John 3:16-21

Resources:
Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer
by John White

October 1 - Nothing Too Hard for God

Today's Reading:
Genesis 18:1-15
"God Appears to Abraham"

Focus Verses: Genesis 18:10-14
10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Insight:
Though Abraham and Sarah were very old and long past the age of having children. God promised them that Sarah would give birth to a son within the year. The thought was so outrageous to Sarah that she laughed out loud at the thought of it. From her limited human point of view, God's promise seemed laughable, but from God's point of view, nothing is too hard.

Response and Action:
I will trust God to keep his promises no matter how unimaginable they seem to be from my limited point of view. God can do more than I ask or imagine. I will put my complete trust in him.

O Lord, help me to believe your promises. Give me a heart that fully trusts in you. Strengthen me with power through your Spirit in me. Help me to trust you with all my heart and to not lean on my own understanding. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 1:33
"...whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

New Testament for Today: Ephesians 3:20-21
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
In Context: Ephesians 3:14-21

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

Reading Schedule for October 1 - 6

Oct. 1: Gen. 18:1-15
Oct. 2: Gen. 18:16-33
Oct. 3: Gen. 19:1-29
Oct. 4: Gen. 21:1-21
Oct. 5: Gen. 22:1-19
Oct. 6: Gen. 24:1-30, 50-66

You're invited to read through the Bible with Dave Burkum. Six readings each week will take you through key scripture passages from Genesis through Revelation. Click here to download your copy of the Useful Breath Reading Schedule for 2007-08.

September 29 - The One Who Hears and Sees

Today's Reading:
Genesis 16:1-16
"Hagar and Ishmael"

Focus Verses: Genesis 16:13-16
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Insight:
Hagar was brought front and center into the story of God's plan when Abram and Sarai struggled and stumbled with understanding God's promise to give them a son. They took matters into their own hands and tried to produce an heir through Sarai's maidservant. Not surprisingly, things went sour between Sarai and Hagar. Sarai wanted Hagar's child, and Hagar despised Sarai.

God, however, looked with compassion upon all concerned. He did not back away from his promise to Abram and Sarai, but neither did he disregard the needs and future of Hagar. Instead, God promised that her son, Ishmael, would also become a great nation--though not the son of the covenant he had made with Abraham.

God is compassionate toward his people even as they struggle to understand how to live by faith. Even when they fail, God's faithfulness and grace abound. Even their mistakes are redeemable by God. The name Ishmael means "God hears." The name Beer Lahai Roi means "the well of the One who sees me."

Response and Action:
I need to remember that God is full of grace and compassion. Even if I fail, he will be faithful to me and redeem my failures for good. God gives direction and hope to all who look to him in faith. I will trust God because he hears me and sees me.

O Lord, provide for my needs and protect me from discouragement. When I fall, please pick me up. Redeem me from my sins and mistakes as I stumble in the way of faith. Protect me from the failures and sins of others. Be my strength, my savior, and my guide. I pray through Christ Jesus, my Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 29:13
"The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both."

New Testament for Today: 1 John 5:14
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
In Context: 1 John 5:13-21

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

September 28 - Believing God

Today's Reading:
Genesis 15:1-21
"God's Covenant with Abram"

Focus Verses: Genesis 15:6
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Insight:
Abram believed God's promises, but this did not stop him from asking God the honest questions he had in his heart and mind--"How can I have an heir if I have no children?" (v.5), "How can I be sure that I will possess the land?" (v.8).

In answer to these questions, God instructed Abram to take animals and sacrifice them for a covenant ceremony. In the ancient tribal world, when two parties made a solemn promise to each other, they would cut animals into halves. The person making the promise would then pass between the pieces of the sacrifice. The meaning of this ritual act was essentially, "If I don't fulfill this promise, may I be torn into pieces as these animals."

God used an ancient ritual Abram was accustomed to, and entered into it. Abram had a vision of God's presence (represented by "a smoking firepot with a flaming torch") passing between the pieces of the sacrifice. This solemn vision strengthened Abram's confidence that God would fulfill the promises he had made.

Response and Action:
Even as a believer, I will not hesitate to lift up my questions and doubts to God. In order to know and understand God's promises, I will commit myself to read and apply God's Word. I will ask God to confirm my faith through the everyday ways he blesses, protects, guides, and sustains me.

Where is my faith? Do the choices and actions of my life indicate a trust in God? What are the questions I have about God's promises to me? What has God done to bolster my confidence in the promises of the Gospel?

Even as a believer, I will not hesitate to lift up my questions and doubts to God. In order to know and understand God's promises, I will commit myself to reading and applying God's Word as it is given to me in the Bible. I will ask God to confirm my faith through the everyday ways he blesses, protects, guides, and sustains me.

O Lord, I believe. Help me grow in my faith. When I have honest doubts and questions, remind me to offer them up to you. Show yourself to me, O God, and teach me your ways. With every step I take in following you, increase my confidence to take the next. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 28:14
"Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."

New Testament for Today: Romans 4:23-24
23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
In Context: Romans 4:13-25

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

September 27 - Worship and Trust

Today's Reading:
Genesis 13:1-18
"Abram and Lot Separate"

Focus Verses: Gen. 13:8-9, 14-17
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? 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." - - - 14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

Insight:
The account of Abram and Lot going their separate ways begins and ends with Abram building altars to the Lord and looking to God. His worship and his trust go hand in hand. Faith in God is strengthened by a life of devotion, worship, prayer, and thanksgiving.

When their families and possessions become to large to manage together, Abram offers Lot the first choice of where he would like to go. Lot seems to grab for himself what he thinks will be the best and most promising option. Abram trusts God to provide for him, and God does not disappoint.

Response and Action:
My time spent in worship and devotion to God will strengthen my ability to trust in him. Living out trust my trust in God is an act of worship. Trusting God to provide for me helps me avoid conflict and petty quarreling with others. I don't have to fight and grab for my own interests if I truly believe God is watching out for me.

O Lord, help me to trust in you with all my heart and to not lean on my own understanding. May my worship before you become the solid foundation for the way I live. Instead of clawing and grabbing for myself, teach me to trust in you for the things I need. Help me to acknowledge you in every circumstance. Make my paths straight, and help me to live in peace with others as I believe you are watching over me and will be faithful to provide for me. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 27:19
"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."

New Testament for Today: Philippians 4:6,7
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In Context: Philippians 4:2-9

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

September 26 - The Road of Faith

Today's Reading:
Gen. 12:1-20
"God Calls Abram"

Focus Verses: Gen. 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Insight:
In the story of the Tower of Babel we saw the human tendency to band together for safety, power, and self-preservation. God's call to Abram asks him to do act against this natural tendency--to do something new, go to a place he doesn't know, put himself at risk, and trust God to protect and bless. God promised to show Abram where to go, to bless him, to turn his descendants into a great nation, and ultimately to bless "all peoples on earth" through him.

The road of faith was bumpy for Abram, there were many unknowns and fearful encounters with powerful people. Abram, like all of us, struggled to learn how much God can be trusted to keep his promises. When Abram looked to himself for safety, God's promise was in jeopardy (it's difficult to be a father of a great nation if your wife is given to someone else). When God intervened to protect Abram and Sarai, the path to God's promise for Abram was restored.

Abram fumbled along the way as he learned to trust, but God was faithful through the stumbles and falls. Abram had true faith in God, so God was faithful to help him learn to live out his faith.

Response and Action:
God calls me to trust and follow him. His blessing in my life is part of his larger plan to bless all people. His way may not be the safest or most comfortable, but it is the way of faith and promise. When I take my life and safety into my own hands, I am in danger of losing God's plan and promises. If I trust and obey him with my whole heart, his blessing and destiny for me is secure. Even if I stumble, God will be faithful to help me learn to live out my faith.

O Lord, thank you for the love, promise, and blessing you have for me. Teach me to follow you and to live for you in faith. When I stumble, pick me up and deepen my trust. Make my path straight as I acknowledge you in every day and in every way. As I answer your call and walk in your ways, us my life to bless others around me. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 26:12
"Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

New Testament for Today: Romans 4:16
16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
In Context: Romans 4:16-25

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

September 25 - Selfish Ambition

Today's Reading:
Gen. 11:1-9
"The Tower of Babel"

Focus Verses: Gen. 11:1-9
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Insight:
The motivation of those who were building the tower was centered in themselves--"Let's make a name for ourselves." They were trying to preserve the power and strength that comes with numbers, but their motive for strength and power was selfish. As language and dialects diversified and humans spread out and scattered into different regions of the world (languages leading to scattering--scattering leading to more languages), the struggle for power and dominance was scattered too.

God had promised Noah to never destroy mankind again, and now God intervened at Babel to decentralize humanity's power and knowledge (v.5), and slow down the self-destructiveness of "progress" rooted in a selfish grab by a few for control of the many.

The human tendency to selfishly work for power and control over others is alive and well today. It's easily seen in the top news stories of every hour. While the barriers of different languages and cultures are often seen as an obstacle to human potential, I wonder how many times in the course of human history those "barriers" have actually worked to save humanity from itself! How many tyrannical rulers and despotic regimes have ultimately fallen because languages, people groups, and cultures are just too scattered and too complex for any one person or nation to take absolute control?

Response and Action:
I need to be on guard against selfish grabs for power. I do not want to be guided by a desire for control or selfish gain. I want honoring God to be my motivation, not "making a name for myself." I want to serve the best interests of others, not control others to serve my own selfish interests.

O Lord, thank you for all the times you save us from ourselves. Help me, like Jesus, to be willing to lower myself to serve and to save others. Help me to always humble myself before you and to trust that you will lift me up in the times and in the ways that are the best for me, and the most honoring to you. Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 25:6
"Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men..."

New Testament for Today: Philippians 2:3,4
3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
In Context: Philippians 2:1-18

Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman

September 24 - Living the Rainbow

Today's Reading:
Genesis 9:1-17
"God's Promise to Noah"

Focus Verses: Gen. 9:12-16
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Insight:
As God had instructed Adam in the beginning (Genesis 1), he now instructed Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. In the Garden, God had given every plant for food, but here in the account of Noah's new start after the flood, God gives every living thing for food (changing the relationship between humans and animals).

God warns against the taking of human life because "in the image of God has God made man." One who takes another's life will lose his own.

God makes a covenant with Noah and all life on earth, to never again destroy them. The rainbow is a constant reminder to humanity and to God of this promise.

Response and Action:
All life is precious. Human life is especially precious because it somehow reflects the very image of God. A rainbow is a reminder of God's promise of good will toward all life on earth. As a person made in God's image, the rainbow should remind me of my responsibility and good will toward all life. I should have a reverence for human life and a sense of respectful stewardship for all living things.

O Lord, thank you for life. Shape and guide my attitudes and actions that I might truly value, with reverence for you, the lives of all people as they are made in your image. Direct my heart and mind to respect and care for all living things, as all life is precious. Thank you for the salvation and life you have offered to all people through Christ. Thank you that you are reconciling all of creation to yourself through Jesus. It's in his name I pray, Amen.

Proverb for Today: Prov. 24:17
"Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD."

New Testament for Today: Colossians 1:19,20
19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
In Context: Colossians 1:15-23

Resources:
Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship
by Fred Van Dyke, David C. Mahan, Joseph K. Sheldon, and Raymond H. Brand

Reading Schedule for Sept. 24 - 29

Sept. 24: Gen. 9:1-17

Sept. 25: Gen. 11:1-9

Sept. 26: Gen. 12:1-20

Sept. 27: Gen. 13:1-18

Sept. 28: Gen. 15:1-21

Sept. 29: Gen. 16:1-16

Download the Useful Breath Reading Schedule for 2007-08. Six readings each week will take you through key passages of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation by August of 2008.

September 22 - Worship and Humility

Today's Reading:
Genesis 8:1-22
"Back on Dry Land"

Focus Verses: Gen. 8:20-22
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. 22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

Insight:
In reverence before God, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifices. No doubt, he was very thankful for being saved from the flood, but he was also very likely humbly recognizing that even though he had been saved, he too was a sinner. Though God was pleased with Noah's act of worship, the reality of the human inclination toward evil could not be ignored. God, however, determined to never again destroy all living creatures or curse the land because of the sins of humankind.

Response and Action:
Through worship, I can demonstrate my gratitude and humility before God. I need to be honest about the ways my heart is inclined toward sin. I need God to save me from the consequences of sin. Even more, I need God to change my heart so that it is inclined toward righteousness. I will worship God and thank him for salvation. I will humble myself before God and ask him to transform me.

O Lord, thank you for the many ways you save and preserve my life. Help me to offer myself to you as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you. Don't let the world squeeze me into its mold, but instead, by your grace, transform and renew my heart and mind, that the life I live (my attitudes, words, deeds, and choices) might be a spiritual act of worship. Amen

Proverb for Today: Prov. 22:4
"Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life."

New Testament for Today: Romans 12:1
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
In Context: Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 11:1-7

Resources:
The Life You've Always Wanted
by John Ortberg

September 21 - Starting Over

Today's Reading:
Genesis 6:1 - 7:24
"The Flood"

Focus Verses: Gen. 6:5-9
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Insight:
We've barely gotten a start in the Bible's account of mankind's beginning (the genesis) and the creator is ready to start over! The wickedness of humanity had so quickly become so great that God was grieved to have created them. Noah, however, stood out among the people of his time and found favor with God. He walked with God, turned away from the evil around him, and pursued righteousness.

Response and Action:
What are the inclinations and thoughts of my heart? Do I grieve the heart of God? Do I turn away from the wickedness? I need God to flood my life and wipe out the wickedness in me. I need to be made new and walk with God in righteousness. Even though evil is so prevalent in my time, I can be different and pursue righteousness. Jesus Christ has made a way for me to have new life!

O Lord, I do not want to grieve your heart. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. Thank you for giving me a new start through Jesus. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen

Proverb for Today: Prov. 21:29,30
"A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways. There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD."

New Testament for Today: 1 Peter 3:18
18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
In Context: 1 Peter 3:18-20; Romans 6:1-4

Resources:
How To Read Genesis
by Tremper Longman