Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
As I was reading commentary on Gen 4 this morning, I was caught off guard when I read “It is likely Eve thought Cain was the seed that God promised, the deliverer who would come from Eve (Gen 3:15).” I totally missed the promise of a Savior in that verse. And the name Cain is so synonymous with evil and murder that my head is spinning just a bit.
Gen 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
I have held a newborn in my arms, heart swelling with pride and promise of all the child might become, yet I have never thought of the Cain who cold-bloodedly killed his brother as a newborn full of untapped potential. And it has never occurred to me that Eve might have held said newborn in her arms thinking, mistakenly, that she was holding the Savior of the world. Did that thought, that hope, translate into how she raised him? Did she show Cain, intentionally or otherwise, favor as he grew? Did she somehow pass on to him an air of entitlement that later translated into pride, arrogance, and anger when God accepted Able’s sacrifice and not Cain’s?
Gen 4:4-5 …The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this new layer of understanding, these new questions and thoughts. I’m not sure what to do with these pieces, Lord. They don’t fit into my religious paradigm, but I know You have placed them before me for a purpose. Help me to sit with this information, to ponder the implications, to lift all of it up to You in prayer and praise. I want to know You better, Lord. I want to praise You fully. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 4:5b …So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Have a blessed day.
Fierce love and tender care…. (devo reflection)
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent…said to the woman, “Did God really say…?”
One verse earlier, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed in the Garden. And just like that, the serpent introduced temptation. But the serpent is wily, just like temptation. He doesn’t try to convince Eve that she should eat the fruit. He just introduces doubt. “Did God REALLY say….” That doubt took hold and led to disastrous consequences. All the snake did was ask a very pointed question and step back to watch.
Gen 3:11-13 …”Who told you that you were naked?…” …”The woman You put here with me—she gave me some fruit….” … “The serpent deceived me….”
We all make bad choices in life, some more frequently than others. One thing that I know at this point in my life is that when I make bad choices, I need to take responsibility for those decisions instead of deflecting blame. No one in the Garden wanted to do that. Adam deferred blame to Eve. Eve pushed the blame onto the serpent. I’m sure the serpent would innocently claim all he did was ask a question. And yet, together, they brought about consequences for all mankind.
Gen 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this reminder. Thank You that even when we are disobedient, Your loving care is still present. It boggles my mind that after You are directly disobeyed, after no one will take responsibility for their poor choices, after You have to clean up the mess that You had safeguards to avoid, after all of that, You still love and care for Your children so much that You make them garments to cover their nakedness. Thank You for Your fierce love and tender care, Lord. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 3:19 …for dust you are and to dust you shall return.”
Have a blessed day.
Wisdom from Genesis 2…. (devo reflection)
Gen 2:2 …so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.
The beginning of Gen 2 caught my attention because the Creator of the universe took time to rest. It made me wonder how long it has been since I truly rested? Set all my cares to the side, put schoolwork and housework and any other work aside and just breathed? Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever done that. There is always something that needs doing, something that feels so pressing that it just can’t wait. Jesus, Help me.
Gen 2:25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The end of Gen 2 caught my attention because of the lack of shame. Shame feels almost like a second skin in this life. I’m ashamed of my pudge and my stretch marks. I’m ashamed that I can’t accomplish everything I set out to in a day. I’m ashamed that no matter how good I try to be in my Christian walk, I fail daily, multiple times a day. Jesus, Help me.
Gen 2:7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that we are to rest in You, truly rest, to be still and grateful in Your presence. Thank You for calling us to feel no shame in You, even though we are so ridiculously human and fallible. I want more than anything to live a life that is pleasing to You, to shine Your light for all to see. I want others to see Your glory, grace, and mercy, and not my humanity. Show me how, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Have a blessed day.
God created…. (devo reflection)
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created….
I love the image of God as creative artist. In my mind, I see Him with a colorful artist’s smock and maybe a beret tipped rakishly to one side. Paintbrush in hand, loaded with color, He approaches His canvas with confidence. He is the Master. He is creating a masterpiece. In my mind’s eye, I see Him creating joyfully, with reckless abandon. He is having fun. There is joy in His brushstrokes. He is pleased with His work.
Gen 1:10 …And God saw that it was good.
I think about my own artistic attitude, so very different. I am hesitant, often reluctant. I don’t want to mess up the canvas. Instead of reckless abandon, I paint with trepidation and anxiety, and I’m creating a literal canvas, not the sweeping brushstrokes of the world. Regardless, I think He would want me to bring more joy to my work, more reckless abandon in the form of prayer and praise to Him. This isn’t a grim task set before me. It is a joyful opportunity.
Gen 1:27 So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them….
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this reminder. Thank You for Your joyful exuberance in creating and for wanting us to experience that same sense of joy and wonder. Help us to put aside all that hinders us and to completely and joyfully give ourselves to the tasks You set before us. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good….
Have a blessed day.
Suffering produces perseverance…. (devo reflection)
Rom 5:3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance….
I doubt that anyone likes to suffer. I know I certainly don’t. But I will be quite honest and tell you that my faith is stronger because of the suffering that I’ve encountered. It doesn’t make me want to throw a party to celebrate those trials, but I certainly appreciate how my faith has grown and matured, how my trust in my Savior has deepened, through those trials.
Rom 5:4 …perseverance, character; and character, hope.
It seems that from the moment of birth, we are on this crash course to prove that we can handle life by ourselves, that we are self-sufficient and self-reliant. But that attitude produces hubris and pride, which are useless in God’s kingdom. Through trials, He takes me to the end of myself, to the limits of my self-reliance, and reminds me that I cannot, in fact, do this on my own, but that I don’t need to because He’s with me, He’s got me, He is in control.
Rom 5:5a And hope does not put us to shame….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are my strength and my refuge. This world wants me to feel weak if I can’t do it on my own. You use the suffering in my life to remind me that as Your deeply loved child, I can rest in You, knowing that You hold me securely, no matter the trial, that You are working all things for my good and Your glory, even when the world seems upside down. I love You, Lord. I need You. I trust You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Rom 5:5b …because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Have a blessed day.
Flashing neon signs from God…. (devo reflection)
Acts 9:6 … “Lord, what do You want me to do?”…
I’m a big fan of flashing neon signs from God: “Beth—THIS is what I want you to do.” As you can probably imagine, those don’t usually happen. More often, I pray and fret and wait, and agonize over whether I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, and pray and fret and wait.
Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it….”
And then there are the times when the only way to go is glaringly obvious—forward, through the pain, through the fear, through the chaos and confusion. Those are the times when I struggle—Why, Lord? Why this? Why us? Why now?—but they are also the times when I cling most closely to His promise in Matt 28:20: “…And I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, Your guidance and direction. Thank You for understanding how difficult life can be and for giving us strength, wisdom, and discernment to understand Your will for us. Thank You for Your willingness and ability to use everything, even our missteps, for our good and Your glory. Draw us closer. Amen.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Have a blessed day.
On barriers and intimacy…. (devo reflection)
Matt 7:2 “Do not judge, lest you should be judged.”
This morning I had to get my oldest to his team bus before they left for a meet. At bedtime last night, after promising McD’s if he’d get on up and out, I realized his running shoes were in my classroom, which meant they had to be retrieved before we made it to the bus. And the drive-thru line was moving at a sloth-like pace. And the lady who ordered AFTER me in the other drive-thru lane did NOT let me into the queue first, as etiquette dictates. So when I saw her church magnet on the back of her car, I had some not-too-Christian thoughts about the state of her relationship with Jesus in light of her cutting me off in line. Jesus, Help me.
Heb 13:1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
I saw a 3D bar graph yesterday on social media: Sin as humans see it, reaching like skyscrapers into the city skyline, bigger sins being, obviously, taller, and sin as God sees it, from the top, exactly the same, all barriers to an intimate relationship to Him. This morning, as my son was disembarking, on time, to board the bus, it hit me how much of a barrier MY attitude had just been. I was stressed, worried about getting everything accomplished before time to be at the bus, and MY attitude, so far from loving and charitable, caused a huge barrier between me and my Savior. Jesus, Help me!
Heb 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that I need to make sure MY heart, MY attitude are right, regardless of how others are acting. You want all of Your beloved children to share a close relationship with You. Help me to live and love in such a way, even in times of stress, that I don’t hinder that intimacy. Draw me closer. Amen.
Luke 6:37 …Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Have a blessed day.
Completely His…. (devo reflection)
Psalm 91:14a “Because he loves Me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him….”
I am deeply human, which means I am often ridiculously fallible. The struggle from yesterday’s devo reflection is a prime example. Thankfully, my Savior doesn’t hold perfection as a criteria for love, grace, and mercy. I love Him deeply, even through my mistakes and missteps, and He knows my heart. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 91:14b “I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.”
In a world where the spoils usually go to the fastest, the strongest, the most cunning, I’m a huge fan of the underdog, the one who is so utterly under-matched for the competition but has such heart, such courage and determination. I think God is, too. He asks us to love and acknowledge Him. We don’t have to be the best, we just have to be completely His. Thank You, Jesus.
Psalm 91:15 “He will call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your grace and mercy. Thank You that You don’t reserve Your love for those who deserve it, that You can take a fallible yet devoted heart and use it for our good and Your glory. Thank You for listening to and understanding our hearts, Lord. Help us to praise You always. Draw us closer. Amen.
Psalm 91:16 “With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Have a blessed day.
A way through my bitterness…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 43:18 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.”
I’m a planner, which can be a wonderful thing. It takes time, dedication, planning—obviously. When things go according to plan, it’s beautiful. But when they don’t, especially if it is because of someone else—making decisions without asking me, dragging their feet, etc, I am left with bitterness. All my planning. All my effort. Wasted. It is frustrating and utterly futile, and I KNOW it doesn’t bring me closer to God, yet bitterness is something I’ve struggled with for years. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 43:19a “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Bitterness, which is at the root of my disappointment when life doesn’t go as I’ve planned, places a huge barrier between me and my Savior. It’s hard to be grateful when I am bitter. It’s hard to be loving and kind. It’s hard to perceive the new ways in which God is working when I am so stuck on what *I* wanted to happen. My precious Savior, who loves me deeply, is waiting to pour out HIS blessings into my open hands, but I am so focused on MY way, MY anger that all I have to offer is clenched fists and a bitter, frustrated heart. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 43.19b “I am making a way in the wilderness….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the realization that I am dealing with bitterness and that I can choose to let it go or I can choose to let it separate me from You. That choice is a no-brainer, Lord, and yet I still make the wrong choice, embracing my bitterness and disappointment instead of my Savior. Help me, Jesus, to let go of all bitterness so that I can wrap myself in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven….
Have a blessed day.
To know and rely on the love God has for us…. (devo reflection)
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? I tend to focus on the negatives—the lines and wrinkles, the blemishes and gray hairs. There is good there, surely, but it doesn’t jump out at me. When God looks at me, however, it’s an entirely different story. He loves me deeply and fiercely. He sees my promise and potential. But more than that, He sees me exactly as I am, His child, and it’s utterly enough for Him. He created me, and, therefore, He loves me immeasurably. That kind if love is so far beyond the norm of this world that it is truly hard to wrap the mind around.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love….
The first part of 1 John 4:16 says that we both KNOW and RELY ON the love God has for us. I know that’s an area I personally need to work on, and I know I’m not alone. I tend to discount myself, see myself as less than, but that means I’m discounting His amazing love for me. Instead of relying on His love, to discount it means that I somehow see myself as an exception to His love. Even as I type it, I know that it’s a lie. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves me deeply. Jesus, Help me to know, trust, and rely on Your love. Always.
1 John 4:16 …Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this message. Thank You that I am not an exception to Your love. None of us are. Help me to fully accept Your great love for me. I am Your beloved, not because of who I am, but because of who You are. Help me to feel Your love in my bones, regardless of my circumstances, and to rely on Your love. Always. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Have a blessed day.