Category: Uncategorized
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Rejected (Genesis 35-37, Psalm 12, Mark 14)
As we read through Genesis (and in fact the rest of the Bible), its helpful to ask where are we in relation to the promise God made to Abraham. In Genesis 12 we saw God promising to make Abraham into a great nation (people), give him a land to live in (place), and bless him…
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“The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” (Psalm 145:18)
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him.” This is a wonderful truth and as I read it this morning it got me thinking about the great sermon I heard on Sunday evening. We were looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and considering how He graciously shows us our sin and…
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Fruitful? (Mark 11)
As we come to the end of another Lord’s Day, has your day been full of frantic activity, or could it be described as fruitful? In Mark 11 we have a very strange incident of Jesus cursing a fig tree because it didn’t bear fruit. Was Jesus ‘hangry’? That’s unlikely given he went 40 days…
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How do you get God’s blessing? (Genesis 26-27, Mark 10)
Rebekah thought you had to grab God’s blessing or you might miss out. Jacob thought you need to trick and deceive to get it. Isaac thought he could give the blessing to whoever he wanted (Genesis 27). The disciples thought God’s blessing was just for the important people.The rich young man thought he could get…
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How long…(Genesis 24-25, Psalm 4, Mark 9)
It would be easy to think that Isaac’s prayer was answered immediately. Rebekah was barren, Isaac prayed, and along came the twins! (Genesis 25:21). However, notice that Isaac is 40 when he gets married (Genesis 25:20) and the twins don’t arrive until he’s near retirement (25:26). The Lord is once again not in a hurry.…
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The Lord kept His promise! (Genesis 21-23, Psalm 107, Mark 8)
What joy for a couple who had been waiting so long! We don’t know how long they had been trying for, but we do know it was 25 years since God had made the promise! What joy, what laughter. And then God asks Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son (Genesis 22). How can God ask…
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Don’t linger
Imagine you knew your townland was going to be destroyed today, would you hang around? A man called Lot heard from God that his city was going to be destroyed and yet “he lingered” (Genesis 19:16). Why did he linger? Perhaps he doubted the judgment would come, maybe it was because he loved the place…
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God is working His plans out
What is God doing in the world? Do you ever wonder that? For many years Abraham and Sarah struggled with the pain of childlessness. For years they had the pain of everyone else seeming to have no problems conceiving, there was an emptiness, a bereavement without actually having lost anyone. Where was God? Well, for…
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Are you listening? (Genesis 9-11, Mark 4)
The disciples were caught in a terrifying storm, it did not seem light and momentary! They thought they were going to drown. When you’re in the middle of a crisis it can be hard to get perspective, you just need a way out. Thankfully, they had Jesus in the boat and with just a couple…
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What makes Jesus angry? (Gen 6-8; Psalm 104; Mark 3)
If you want to know how good a children’s Bible is, see what they do with Genesis 6-9. That’s my wife’s advice and I think it’s wise! It is amazing how many people can make a cute story about fluffy animals about a horrific account of man’s sin and God’s judgment. We reach a point…