Good morning! Today we finish the Book of Genesis. Even though this is my 8th time of reading the Bible all the way through, there is something even more special about knowing that you are reading it with me. I think Genesis ends on a really profound note but I'll save those thoughts for the questions to consider sections. What are your thoughts on Genesis? Let me know below!
Scripture to Read
Audio Bible
Questions to Consider
What does this scripture teach us about God?
What does it teach us about humanity?
What does it teach us about creation?
What does it teach us about the relationship between the 3?
My Thoughts - Genesis is a giant book of redemption contained with an even larger book (the Bible) of redemption and God's love prevailing. Genesis begins when with the creation of the world where there is plenty and the Garden of Eden is lush and ends with famine and God's people living among foreigners in a foreign land. For the last 50 chapters God has moved through flawed but well-meaning people and made them icons of the faith (Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph) and ends with God's promise to lift up the lowly (Joseph) and create a great nation (Jacob's family tree was 70 people long!) So, what I have learned from Genesis is that mistakes are not irredeemable, but they do remain on our record for a long time. Genesis also teaches me that redemption on God's time is longer than my time and that I need to be more aware of the small steps that I have gotten better and celebrate the small ways the world gets better rather than focus on the bad. We're one book down, but fortunately, we already know the end. God's going to win - it's just going to take a long time. I can look at myself in the mirror today and say the same thing and that leaves me with a smile on my face.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the gift of the Bible. Thank you for our meditation on the Book of Genesis and revealing to us that you're love and commitment to us never ends. It's amazing as we look back on all the shameful things that happened in Genesis that you still believe in our greater good. So God, today I want to think more like you when it comes to myself and others. I want to be a person of grace, hope, and peace. Help me to fulfill that desire moment by moment, day by day, month by month. In these things, we pray through Christ Jesus, Amen.
Get daily notifications, sign up for events, listen to messages and more by downloading our church app at www.chagrinfallsumc.org/app
Follow along in our journey of reading the Bible in a year by bookmarking www.chagrinfallsumc.org/blog or by subscribing to our email marketing.
Watch your favorite messages and share with your family and friends by visiting www.chagrinfallsumc.org/messages
Devotional prepared by Nicholas Gliha, associate pastor of Chagrin Falls UMC on September 28th 2020.