Daily Devotional from Genesis 28--Verses 16 & 18“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it….” Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it and named the place Bethel…”I wonder how often after this moment Jacob stopped and looked at this marker. Did his children know th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 27--Verse 35But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” NLTThis is a wild story. Jacob stole Esau’s blessing and went on to be Israel…THE Israel. It’s crazy! Why would God allow him to experience the blessing when it wasn’t even rightfully his? He didn’t deserve this honor; he didn’t deserve this name. Why couldn’t God ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 26--Verse 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.”Isaac was not a perfect man; we see this in the text. But he learned from his father to trust the Lord. Instead of going to Egypt, he followed God’s direction. And throughout this passage, we see the Lord promising to bless him, and fulfilling His ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 25–Verses 32-34Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.In the Old Testament, birthright was a privilege of the first-born son to one ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 24--Verses 12-14And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 23—Verses 19-20After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.Abraham was living as a foreigner in the land that God had promised him. But here, in this little scene where...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 22--Verse 14So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son - the miracle son that God had promised him – is an example of complete trust in God.Sometimes God asks us to go somewhere we don’t know, or do something that seems scar...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 21--Verse 17What troubles you, Hagar?People may abandon you or kick you to the curb, but God never will.Take Hagar for example. After getting tangled up in a sticky situation, she and her son get dumped in the middle of a wilderness with only a loaf of bread and a skin of water. Discarded and rejected. No comforting voices, no encouraging touches. None but one…What tr...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 20--Verse 6Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” There have been many times in life when I have made a plan to do this or that, and something has gotten in the way, preventing me from doing it. I can recall times ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 19--Verse 26But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.I could see this happening so easily in America. Judgement is on the way and Lot’s family is dithering and delaying. The sons-in-law thought it was a joke (verse 14), Lot was dragging his feet (verse 16), and now we see Lot’s wife casting her eye back to what used to be. It’s like the...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 18--Verses 3-5aAnd [Abraham] said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves…”Abraham humbly offered hospitality in the form of water to wash their feet, rest under the tree and a bite ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 17--Verse 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless…"“Be blameless,” said God Almighty to Abram. Blameless is defined by Strong’s Concordance as without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.Did Abram succeed a...  Read More