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we (my lovely wife and i) are going through the Bible in a year with the rest of our church. i am always wonderfully bewildered by the stories in genesis. there was no Bible, no law…there was only personal revelation. even then, the Lord did not always appear to each person. to Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, yes…but so many others had pure faith.

these men and women of God had a simple and profound faith in their Lord. they had no formal training…they had no distinguishing education. all they had was a heart to follow God.

i am so moved by joseph’s words in genesis 50:

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (genesis 50.20)

what depth of understanding of the loving heart of God. how theologically sound and complete that statement is.

my favorite words from the first book of the Bible as we move into exodus are these:

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (genesis 47.9)

these simple shepherds fully understood a life of Godliness. they knew that their life, their worship, their service, their entire being was a pilgrimage. they knew it deep in their hearts long before moses ever said:

The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. (leviticus 25.23)

or before the psalmist so beautifully wrote:

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. (psalm 84.5)

i want to journey with God today…even if it is only a few small steps.

we worship a romantic God.

blessings and maranatha

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bibling, in general, something to read | January 20th, 2007