Tag: God

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Just another amazing day

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 45.

You have to blame somebody, right? Your parents, noisy neighbors, politicians, the kids, lawyers, greedy CEOs, a spouse (current or ex), the liberals, the conservatives. Whoever.

Joseph says, “It was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:8).

After what his brothers did to him? They sold him to a passing caravan. He ended up as a slave, a prisoner, and finally got a decent job in Egypt working for Pharaoh.

But it wasn’t home. And it wasn’t his family. And it was out of his control.

But in hindsight, it was God. God was to blame. Or God gets the credit for working out a long range plan to save not just Joseph, but his whole family. In hindsight, it was only something God could do.

“Today” may seem to have little rhyme or reason. Purpose is often shrouded in everyday routines, chores, and appointments. What a blessing to stop and realize that God’s been working on “today” for a long time. It’s significant. It’s memorable. And it’s praiseworthy.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Joseph does well, considering

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 39.

It’s good to know that growing up in a dysfunctional family doesn’t limit your chances of success.

So far Reuben has slept with one of his father’s concubines. Simeon and Levi are violent and abusive. Judah sleeps with his daughter-in-law, who has dressed up like a prostitute. One by one Jacob’s sons are discredited.

However, Joseph is doing well. In fact, the Lord made all that he did prosper as a slave and a prisoner (Genesis 39:3,23). He didn’t get the job he wanted. He’s not living near family. But he got to travel and meet a lot of interesting people.

It’s good to know that neither your family nor your circumstances determine your future. Those are colors in the palette God uses to shape your life, use you, and introduce you to others along the way.

I’d say all families are dysfunctional in some ways. In some situations, it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s subtle. Just because you’re related doesn’t mean y’all get along. It just means you’re a family!

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Wrestling with God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 32.

I vividly remember wrestling with all of my three children. They were toddlers, and I would lie on the floor, hug them to my chest, and roll back and forth saying, “Wrestlin’, wrestlin’, wrestlin’!” Of course, I didn’t use even a fraction of my strength. I wasn’t in it to win, but to enjoy some silly dad time with them. The giggles were the best part.

“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” 

In the heat of the moment, Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

When it was all over, “Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'” (Genesis 32:24-30)

I think it’s fascinating that Jacob tries to wrestle a blessing out of God. Jacob’s life is filled with God’s blessing. He ran away from home with nothing, and returns with all kinds of family and flocks, plus the same covenant promises of God given to his grandfather Abraham.

The Almighty doesn’t use a fraction of his strength, and lets Jacob hold on all night. In the morning, Jacob realizes he’s been wrestling with God, and he lived to tell about it. That in itself is a pretty great blessing!

How often do I try to wrestle a blessing out of God rather than recognizing all the things he’s already given?

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

The deceiver is deceived

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by nikki gibson on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 28-29.

If you’re like me, you’re tickled to read how Jacob the deceiver is deceived!

“Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob had relations with her…So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah!” (Genesis 29:23,25)

Jacob works seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage. But on their wedding night, Laban pulls a fast one and has his older daughter Leah consummate the marriage. Jacob doesn’t realize it until the morning? That must have been one heck of a feast! It sounds more like a fraternity party where one of the brothers is so drunk he doesn’t even know the name of the girl he spent the night with.

We live in a world where we must be ever vigilant against scams. My spam folder is filled with emails from unknown sources who want me to click something or call a number so I can give up some personal information. Is that guy at your door peddling alarm systems legit? Is that really a piece of grilled grouper on your plate? How about that “American made” product assembled from parts imported from other countries?

Just be careful. Ask around. Do your homework. Read the fine print. Run it by a friend. Get some references.

At least make sure your best man is looking out for you!

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

“What are you doing here?”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sam Solomon on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 27 and 28.

“The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16).

I think it’s interesting that Jacob thought that he was leaving God behind when he ran away from home. After disguising himself as his Esau get his father’s blessing, his older brother is ready to kill him. Mom says, “Why don’t you go away until he cools off. You can go visit your uncle Laban.” (Genesis 27:43,44)

When Jacob wakes up from a vivid dream about angels, a ladder, and God himself, he’s amazed. “How about that? I never expected to find God out here in the middle of nowhere.”

When someone mentions a “house of God” I immediately think of a church building. But sometimes I talk to him while I’m out walking the dog. Yes, the dog will sometimes glance up at me like I’m crazy. I have to assure her, “Just keep walking; I’m not talking to you.”

I’ll chat with God in the car, imagining him riding shotgun. With the way other people are driving, I’ll often ask for a couple of extra angels to get me safely to my destination.

I’ve heard folks comment that they feel close to God when they are out walking through the woods or sitting out on the beach watching the ocean, or looking up into the night sky.

Jacob, however, wonders, “What are you doing here?” Rather than feeling blessed, Jacob’s deception has made a mess of his life. In moments like that, you might think that God really doesn’t want anything to do with you. But that’s never the case. Rather, he’s the one we can be certain will never abandon us.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Dressing up for a blessing

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jessica Rockowitz on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 27.

On any given day, one of my granddaughters will be dressed as Cinderella or another Disney princess. Another will have her legs wrapped in a mermaid tail. With an apron around his or her waist, another will be my waiter at a pretend food diner or ice cream shop.

Who doesn’t like to dress up?

I chuckle when the bible tells us of the time Jacob pretended to be his brother Esau. Esau was a hairy guy who smelled like a field. So Jacob puts on his older brother’s clothes and ties goat skins to his hands and neck so that his father, Isaac, whose eyes are failing, will think he is Esau. Amazingly, it works! Isaac blesses Jacob with the words Esau should have received. (Genesis 27:15-29)

How many of us pretend to be someone else to get approval or recognition? Social media makes this very easy to do. If you post pictures of the happy, fun, and adventurous moments of your life, everyone will like and envy your adventurous, fun, and happy life.

How’s that working out for you? Are you feeling blessed? Are you happier? Is your life an amazing adventure? Maybe for a moment or two. Then it’s back to reality. Back to real life.

Why don’t we want to be ourselves? That’s easy. Someone else is happier, having more fun, and is better liked. I want to be like them.

We’ve just learned that artificial sweeteners are actually much worse for us than sugar. The real thing, sugar, in moderation, is OK after all.

What if the real you is better than anything you could pretend to be? After all, no one can be you better than you.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

“So how did you two meet?”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 24.

When I’m getting to know new neighbors or folks I meet at church, I’ll often ask, “So how did you two meet?” More and more the answer is, “Actually, we met online.” Not surprising, since we live a lot of our lives in a virtual, digital world.

Imagine asking Isaac, “How did you meet your wife?” He would answer, “Well, my dad’s servant brought Rebekah home from my Uncle Laban’s home.” It was a very different world. No dating. No courtship. No engagement. Isaac and Rebekah met on their wedding day. (Genesis 24:62-67)

God is the primary matchmaker in Genesis 24. Abraham assigns his servant the task of finding the right wife for his son. Talk about pressure! The servant prays for help in finding the right woman to bring home for Isaac, and God answers in a big way.

I like the idea that God has a hand in bringing couples together. He does so in some very creative ways, too. That’s why it’s always fun to ask, “How did you two meet?”

I met my wife when I was studying for pastoral ministry at the seminary. Her older brother was a classmate of mine, and we met when she came to visit him. It was pretty much the last place I expected to meet my spouse. Forty years, three children, and nine grandchildren later, I’m grateful God brought us together.

Posted in Devotions, Grace, mercy, Through the Bible Devotions

You want me to do what?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Angel Balashev on Unsplash

A “through the bible devotion from Genesis 22.

God says to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you”(Genesis 22:2).

That is a big ask. It seems so unlike God. Why would he ask Abraham to do such a thing? And why would Abraham even consider doing it?

There is only one answer, and it’s the one Abraham vocalizes. “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (v8).

It’s too much to ask. The cost is too high. The sacrifice is unthinkable. God is the only one with the resources to redeem a life. He’s the only one who can redeem my life.

We have the advantage of seeing how the whole story plays out. God will provide the ultimate sacrifice, his son, Jesus. He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Of course there is a lesson in all of this. Unless we walk the path of obedience, like Abraham did, we won’t get to experience what God provides.

  • Moses, you’re going to have to throw down that staff if you want to see it turn into a serpent.
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can’t bow down to an idol if they want to encounter the Son of God in a fiery furnace.
  • The priests had to take that first step into the Jordan river to see God stop it’s flow so the nation could cross into the promised land.
  • A widow didn’t experience God’s provision until she baked that last loaf of bread for Elijah.

Letting my light shine makes the world a brighter place. Asking opens my eyes to the ways God provides. Confessing my sins opens a door for grace. So does forgiving someone. Praying for someone I don’t like changes my attitude towards them. Imitating the Good Samaritan and helping someone unleashes mercy in a cruel and heartless world.

What do you think God will provide today?

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Suddenly you’re second fiddle

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Joel Wyncott on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 21.

A friend of mine played violin with a number of symphony orchestras. At family gatherings, they would ask her to play for them. The problem is, she played second violin. None of the music she knew was a recognizable melody, just harmony.

But you’ve got to have those parts. An orchestra is filled with strings, brass, and reeds who are playing second, third, and fourth parts. It’s all those harmonies that really bring the melody to life.

As soon as Isaac is born, Sarah wants Hagar and her son Ishmael out of the house. Now that he’s second fiddle, he’s no longer welcome. But God is faithful, and promises that Ishmael will also be the father of a great nation, too. (Genesis 21:18) After all, he is Abraham’s son.

Every high school and college graduates someone who is ranked last in their class. It might not be something to be proud of, but you still get a diploma. I’ll bet a number of them go on to be successful.

Paul considered himself as the least of the apostles, the foremost of sinners, and the least of all the saints. And yet grace was given to him, the chance to preach Christ!

So what if you’re not the GOAT. You’re still important to God.