Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Friday, January 4, 2013

Day 4-- Where He Leads I will (maybe) Follow...


Day 4: Genesis 10-12

Main Characters:
Descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth; Family of Terah, Abram, Sari, Lot, Pharaoh

Key Points:
*Just like Abram, when you lie, your problems stack up.

*We tend to think of the Bible people as larger than life. We put them on a pedestal and imagine they are more than we could ever be. Truth is, they sinned just like us. Abram gave Sarai to the king because he was scared he would be killed. It shows that godly people can have a moment of weakness and we aren’t too ‘bad’ for God if we do. That said, we need to try our best to be ‘good’ and do the right thing. If we don’t (and we won’t always), we need to pray and ask God’s forgiveness.

Verses that Jumped Out at Me:
Entire ch. 11—Story of Babel. With translators and everything, we are close to living in a world that doesn’t have any speech barriers again. Wonder what will happen then?

11:4—What are the ‘towers’ in your life? What things do you think are greater than God?

11:31—God told Abram and his family to go to Canaan, but they stopped in Haran for a number of years. Sometimes, God puts transitions in our lives, and we don’t want to see them as a good thing. Sometimes we aren’t ready for everything we are supposed to have… sometimes we need to learn a lesson or two before we get to the finish line. It’s hard and we question it a lot, but like Abram, we need to make the most of it, but don’t forget the finish line. We will get there eventually (in God’s time)

12:2—Don’t let being comfortable keep you from doing what God wants. This is a hard one. Abram had a good live in Haran and no one would have blamed him for staying—no one but God who had told him to leave. What a hard thing to do! We all fall into a comfort zone whether we know it or not. Anything outside of that comfort zone is scary. We like to think we can plan ahead and know what will come next, but in reality, we have no clue. If God is telling us to do something, we need to at least consider it (actually, we need to do it, but I’m struggling with it right now and I can’t say ‘you have to do it’ when I’m working through it myself ;) ). We SHOULD go in faith and know it’ll be okay. Pray about it (I know I will)

12:8—Introduction of the city of Ai. Judges/Joshua are 2 of my favorite books. Ai plays an important part in one of my favorite bible stories (foreshadowing)


Questions:
Who was Nimrod?

Has God told you to ‘move’ or do something totally outside of your comfort zone? How did that work out for you? Is it something He’s dealing with you about now?

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 13-15

*To find the reading plan I’m doing, click on the “Our Reading Plan for 2013” tab. You don’t have to use the same plan I am for this year. You don’t even have to leave a comment or check in, though I’d appreciate it—especially if you want to answer the question.


~Kelly

8 comments:

  1. Nimrod was a great and mighty hunter before the Lord.

    And I'm still waiting for God to something out of my comfort zone. But I wait with a patient heart ready for anything.

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    1. :) Mike It's good to be ready. I know when it happens, you'll be ready to pray :)

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  2. Nimrod was Ham's (Noah's son) grandson. He instigated a "religious" building program on the plains of Shinar near Babylon. Though Nimrod was given exceptional skill as a hunter, he was not a God-fearing man. Archeological evidence suggests the tower was a place built specifically for the practice of astrology.

    "Josephus, the Jewish historian, places Babel in the days of Nimrod. Babel was a pointed rejection of God's instruction to "replenish the earth". It was a flagrant example of the corporate pride and willfulness of man."

    The tower of Babel was an attempt to build a "temple of heaven" which worshipped things like the sun, moon, stars and planets. Remnants of the tower have been uncovered to reveal signs of the zodiac engraved in it.

    "This is why the Bible everywhere pronounces a curse on those who consult the sun, the moon, and the stars of heaven." Dr. Barnhouse

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    1. Thanks for this, Rebecca :) I had no idea they found the zodiac signs in Babel.

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  3. Nimrod was the grandson of Ham and the great-grandson of Noah. God asked me to quit a job I had about 6 years ago...a very good job making great money. I struggled with the decision, but finally did as He asked. He kept speaking Jeremiah 29:11 into my ear and that is where my blog was born!!!

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    1. Whoa! That is a massive leap of faith, Debbie! Wow, I assume everything has turned out alright for the most part? Wow, I've wondered what I'd do in a similar situation (or more specifically what my husband would do)

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  4. Nimrod was the son of Cush, the grandson of Ham, and the great-grandson of Noah. About 4 months ago, God pushed me to lead a Bible study group. I had no idea what I was doing, but I jumped in anyway. It worked out great, and I am so glad I obeyed. I have met some really amazing women, and learned a new way to study the Bible as well.

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    1. Oh that sounds fun :) Usually when we obey we get more than we ever expected.

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