From Eden to Egypt- Day 32

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. - Genesis 26: 1 (KJV)

Issac experienced a "famine in the land" similar to what his father experienced.  It drove him away from home.  God warned him to not go to Egypt in verse 2.  He ended up in Gerar.  He ended up in a similar situation to the one experienced by his father during a famine, and he ended up doing something similar to his father in how he handled it.

We have to see that what Abraham did as Abram had a legacy effect on his son.  Did he share about his challenges during the famine? Did he tell his son that things got mishandled when he told his wife to say that she was his sister? I don't know.  Commentaries may make assumptions, but I truly don't know.  Theologians may take a stab at some hermeneutic line of inquiry, but we were not there and we don't know.
What we do know is that Isaac repeated his father's flaws.  Isaac repeated his father's faults.  Isaac repeated his father's failures.

He may not have been his father, but he didn't have to repeat it.  It wasn't something that he had to do.  We all could use our parents and their human fallacies as an excuse for our mistakes.  The truth is that excuses do not excuse us.  We have to take ownership of our choices.  We have options.  We need to be diligent with exercising our options.

From Eden to Egypt Day 17

Then they said to each other, “Let’s build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth.”- Genesis 11:4 (NCV)

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other.- Genesis 11:7 (NCV)

The place is called Babel since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.- Genesis 11:9 (NCV)

I believe James the brother of the Lord said it best in his epistle: "But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, “If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:14-15, NCV).  Perhaps, as I think on it, we can begin to see how the Word compliments and confirms itself.

God has a will.  We can either be in it or out of it.  There is no middle of the road or fence to straddle when it comes to His will.  To be in His will, you experience an abundant joy that seems to permeate and radiate from deep within you beyond normal understanding.  To be out of His will, it feels as if you are constantly condemned and perpetually punished.  You feel forgotten and forsaken when you find yourself outside of God's will.

God doesn't intend for you to go there, but you have that option.  You see, He endowed you with a free will.  You make choices.  You make moral choices, life decisions, and those have impacts and sometimes even consequences. 

These people started out simple with a shared idea, and then it grew into something totally different that became about them and not God.  It was about gaining notoriety and fame, not giving God the glory and praise.  It was all about them with little to do with God.

See where God stepped in.  See how God stepped in.  Learn the lesson.  In His will = good.  Out of His will = look-out time.  He has something ready for those in either category. 

Where are you with God? In His will or ...?

With or Without God

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.- Judges 17:6; 21:25

Which way will we go? Will we go with God or go out on our own? Which way will we go? Will we stick with God or strike out on our own pathways? Which way will we go?

The Bible speaks of instances where the children of Israel lost their way and lost sight of God as their source and supplier, the sustenance of their very existence. In fact, the Bible assesses and addresses such attitudes as foolishness (Proverbs 21:2; 30:12). The prophet Isaiah simply said: All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6, NASB). The tendency to go out our own rather than going on with God results in us living wayward lives that are out of the very will of God Almighty.

When we go out on our own, we go in our own strength. The blessing of God is not with us. We find ourselves operating in our own strength and essentially gaining no ground. We experience detours, delays, doubt, drought, and even disaster and destruction. We take shortcuts and end up stumbling, straying and even struggling.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.- Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

Let God lead you. Position yourself as one led by the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Follow Him as one leading you to green pastures and still waters. Simply let Him lead you and follow in obedience.

Which way will we go?

Forgive and Forget

Those who say they will forgive but can't forget, simply bury the hatchet but leave the handle out for immediate use. -Dwight L Moody

The Bible speaks of god forgiving our sins so much that it as if he casts them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When it comes to Christian forgiveness, I covered a lot in "Forgiven People Forgive" and I got a whole lot of flack for that. I wanted to address some of the overall and underlying issues related to forgiveness, especially the concept of forgiving and forgetting.

Moody's quote deals with our human tendency to not feel settled with all that God does with others. We seem fine with what God has done with our sins, but we want justice for what others have done. We want God to do more with them than us. Unfortunately, that's not what we are called to do.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

- Matthew 6:15 (NIV)

Jesus did not ask for us to judge others (Luke 6:37). He said we should forgive the sins of others. Our duty and obligation is to offer grace as it has been given to us as well as mercy as it has been given to us. Let God be the judge. If it doesn't seem to be working out with someone, turn it over to God. Let it go. If you really had things the way you think they should go, you would have to call for yourself going through the same measure that you would measure others (Luke 6:38).

Forgive and forget. Leave the rest of it in God's hands. He can handle it much better than you.

Answering a Fool

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.- Proverbs 26:4 (NIV)

Yes, it is true that Jesus said that we are not to call our brother a fool. The caveat to that teaching is a study of context that speaks about the anger in which we use such words rather than simply inserting some euphemism that says what we meant in code. Jesus was teaching about judgment and anger in Matthew 5:22. However, the Proverbs are clear about identifying the foolish actions that separate the fool from the wise and prudent. Obviously, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, we see it as a duck. If it acts foolish and sounds foolish... It is what it is.

The words of Solomon teach us that fools act differently. In fact, Solomon teaches us through Proverbs that a fool is wise in his own eyes. Answering a fool according to his folly requires you to get on that fool's level. In other words, what you are doing is addressing the fool by the same foolish ways that he uses. I picture it like this: a wise man and a fool get into a verbal argument, hurling insults at one another and calling each other fools. How do you identify the wise man from the fool? Exactly! The precise problem is what it projects to others, especially the fool himself. You just justified his argument to some degree by what you did in response to him. Such actions on our part kill the power of our witness.

With those who choose to go about things foolishly, I say simply show them another way by example. If they are foolish, they'll keep doing what they've always done just for the sake of it. If they have any degree of common sense, they'll see how you go about things differently and at least inquire of what makes you different. Keep in mind that you can win someone over by killing them with kindness, showering and smothering them with lovingkindness. Catch more flies with the sweet honey of your lips rather than poisoning them with the venomous vinegar.

Scriptural Self-Talk

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.- Psalm 43:5 (ESV)

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.- Psalm 42:11 (ESV)

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation- Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

I talk to myself. I have done so for years. Oftentimes, I even talk out loud to myself. It drives my wife and kids crazy. I find myself talking to myself more often when I am troubled or disturbed. I am just trying to sort out my thoughts it seems. But I am talking to myself...

Look at these two Psalms. The writer is speaking to his "soul." In other words, he is speaking to who else but himself. If you ever want to ride an emotional roller coaster, get on board Psalms as your daily devotion. Somewhere between sharing about the man who delights in the Law and the praise of the Lord through thanksgiving, this repetitive verse emerges in two back-to-back Psalms full of self-talk. That's what the motivational psychologists and feel-good pundits and propagandists call talking to yourself these days.

Feel free to exercise your freedom of speech. Speak out loud and speak loudly. Use your voice to get yourself back on track. The psalmist did so. He used this expression of self to get back in focus. His focus was to be centered on the Lord, His Savior. Regain your focus. Talk it up and talk it out.

I see the value of talking to myself. I see that it helps me sort some things out without losing it entirely. I think I am going to keep talking to myself, even if it drives the rest of the house crazy from time to time.

If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run.

- Proverbs 4:12 (NLT)

Do not do as the wicked do or follow the path of evildoers.

- Proverbs 4:14 (NLT)

We all need could use some good counsel. Our youth could use good counsel as well, especially those whose parents have been distracted or detoured with drugs, incarceration, substance abuse, and other issues. Some youth just haven't been disciplined by their parents in this day and age. They haven't been exposed to positive role models, especially by those adults who are supposed to take care of them day after day. Good counsel that comes from godly wisdom is the prescription for the condition that is ailing those who stand at the crossroads of life about to wander down the wrong path.

There is a way that will keep you from stumbling or falling prey to life's many obstacles and obstructions. Also, there is a way that is ascribed to the "wicked"and "evilddoers." You have the power of choice, a free will to choose your path in life. Your options can be viewed as limitless or limited, but you have the choice. Either you can accept good counsel and godly wisdom or you can reject it, going the way of the wicked or the foolish. No matter which you choose, the choice is yours.