Read Genesis 15, Nehemiah 4, and Psalm 14. This devotional is about Nehemiah 4. Nehemiah lived and led Jerusalem as a civic leader at the same time that Ezra was leading the people spiritually. As we read the book of Ezra, we saw how the temple was rebuilt, worship was reinstated, and God’s word was […]
Genesis 14, Nehemiah 3, and Psalm 13
Read Genesis 14, Nehemiah 3, and Psalm 13. This devotional is about Genesis 14. I mentioned yesterday that Abram and Lot had a close relationship. Although the wealth of each man, and the conflicts that wealth created, led to them to live separately (Gen 13), Abram still cared about Lot and his safety. It was […]
Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, Psalm 12
Read Genesis 13, Nehemiah 2, and Proverbs 1:20-33. This devotional is about Genesis 13. Abram and Lot must have had some kind of close personal relationship. Genesis 11:31 told us that Lot was Abram’s nephew. The fact that Lot went with Abram (12:4) when Abram left Ur suggests a close, personal friendship between Abram and Lot, […]
Genesis 12, Nehemiah 1, and Psalm 11
Read Genesis 12, Nehemiah 1, and Psalm 11, This devotional is about Genesis 12. Every large nation, every big, extended family, every large church or institution or corporation once started out as something small. Even if it scaled up quickly, it began with the idea and ambition of one person or a small group of […]
Genesis 11, Ezra 10, Psalm 10
Read Genesis 11, Ezra 10 and Psalm 10. This devotional is about Psalm 10. In this song, the psalmist wondered why God did not judge the wicked (v. 1), called on God to judge the wicked because of how they have victimized the weak (vv. 12-15), and affirmed his confidence in God to care for […]
Genesis 9-10, Ezra 9, Psalm 9
Read Genesis 9-10, Ezra 9, and Psalm 9. This devotional is about Ezra 9. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Sometimes you don’t get a choice; Ezra didn’t get one. Things were going well in Jerusalem, finally. God’s people were back in the Promised Land, they were rebuilding God’s temple […]
Genesis 8, Ezra 8, Psalm 8
Read Genesis 8, Ezra 8, and Psalm 8. This devotional is about Psalm 8, specifically verses 3-9. We look back at people who lived in Old Testament times and think they were primitive. They didn’t have electricity, indoor plumbing, or climate controls. The tools they had were crude and they spent an inordinate amount of […]
Genesis 7, Ezra 7, Psalm 7
Read Genesis 7, Ezra 7, Psalm 7. This devotional is about Ezra 7. Isn’t it interesting that this book of the Bible is named after someone who doesn’t appear until chapter 7? And, the book of Ezra only has 10 chapters, so the man Ezra is absent from most of it. And yet, it is […]
Genesis 6, Ezra 6, Psalm 6
Read Genesis 6, Ezra 6, and Psalm 6. This devotional is about Genesis 6. I don’t think that a greater contrast could exist between Noah and the rest of the world around him. Noah “was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (v. 9b) while the […]
Genesis 5, Ezra 5, Psalm 5
Today we’re scheduled to read Genesis 5, Ezra 5, and Psalm 5. This devotional will focus on Genesis 5:21-24. The genealogy in this chapter follows a clear pattern. A man lives for a number of years, has a son, lives for many more years while also having “other sons and daughters.” Then his total lifespan […]