Day 2-- My Brother's Keeper

Day 2—Genesis 4-6

Main People:

Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Seth, Methuselah, Enoch, Noah

Key Points:

*Okay, this may be just me, but I’ve always thought Cain and Abel were twins because it never says that Adam ‘knew’ Eve again before she had Abel. I could be wrong (and really it doesn’t matter. They were brothers and Cain was the oldest no matter what)

*Cain gave something because he had too: Abel gave the best because he wanted too. You can see two very different ways of thinking there. Sometimes I’m a Cain—I give, write, post because I *have* too. Honestly, I might as well not even do it. If it’s not my best, God isn’t pleased. Does that mean we have to be perfect? No. It means to the best of our abilities, we give/do to God. Have a deadline or something faith related that you HAVE to do, but don’t really want to? Pray about it. Focus on the positive instead of the negative. Then when it’s time to give/do, you’re heart will be in the right place.

 I want to be an Abel—giving the best. Not a Cain (which I feel like sometimes)

Are you a Cain or an Abel when it comes to giving/doing for God?

*Enoch was one of the two people in the Bible who didn’t die.

*Sin broke God’s heart—and it still does today. Big sin, little sin—all sin hurts God. Thankfully, when we ask for forgiveness, God forgets our sin and doesn’t hurt from it any more (until we inevitably sin again…)

Verses that Jumped Out at Me:

4:7—By FAR this verse jumped out at me. I wrote it down and need to remember it. Yesterday, we learned that the first step to temptation/sin is looking. Today, we learn how sneaky sin is. God talking to Cain—“Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

4:6-7—If someone points out your sins/wrongs, don’t get defensive. Pray about it and see if they have a point.

4:8-10—A small sin has a way of growing out of control like a drop of food coloring in a glass of water. Eventually the pure water is discolored.

4:19-26— Left to ourselves (without praying/asking God for direction), people tend to get worse instead of better.

6:3— Do you let others influence you (in bad ways) or do you influence them?

6:15—Did you know that the arc was six times longer than wide—the exact same dimensions shipbuilders use today? I thought that was cool J

Questions:

Who was Methuselah’s father?

(Bonus: because I’m curious.  No right or wrong answer): ‘Sons of God’ had babies with human women. Those became the giants (Goliath was a descendent of them). Who do you think the ‘Sons of God’ were?

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 7-9

*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 questions or discuss what we are reading.

There will be an ‘official’ announcement later today, BUT I wanted to let you know first-- my second book, SAINT SLOAN, is coming out February 28^th, 2013 from Astraea Press! It is a young adult/inspirational romance with a lot of suspense/mystery. Very excited about it J

~Kelly

P.S. WE WILL HAVE A GREAT BLOG POST LATER TONIGHT FROM THE AWESOME WENDY! SHE IS A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR AND I LOVE HEARING FROM HER!! :)

Also.... My friend, Tracy, has started a new blog that's launching TODAY! It's called Encourage 24/7. If you have time, head over and show her some love :)