Genesis 8

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (v22). When the flood waters receded, God told Noah and his family to “go out” with all the animals and to “be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (v17). Noah’s family had a real future, and so did the entire earth. Even though God knew that humanity had a bent toward sin (v21), He re-covenanted with Noah’s family to allow life to continue. God, the creator of

Genesis 7

“Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals ...” (v1-2). The all-pervasive evil on the earth had reached a breaking point, and the consequences were catastrophic. Yet, the Lord preserved life, and He told Noah to protect an abundance of “clean animals” used for holy sacrifice. This was a sign that God’s desire was for men and women to one day worship Him ag

Genesis 6

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (v5). The beautiful, good world God created had become completely polluted through sin. Humanity’s constant violence, evil, and suffering “grieved” God, and He decided to wipe the earth clean (v6, 11). He chose not to eradicate humanity completely but instead to restart the population with Noah, who was “righteous, blameless in h

Genesis 5

“Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (v29). Humanity was enduring the broken relationships and grinding, hard labor that resulted from Adam and Eve’s tragic attempt to be like gods. But God was not absent. Noah, whose name in Hebrew sounds like ‘rest’ or ‘relief’, symbolized hope for his parents, and Enoch walked closely with God (v21-23).

“When God created man, he made him in the l

Matthew 3

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v2). John, following the Old Testament prophetic tradition, called Israel to repentance. He urged them to turn from sin and open their hearts and lives to God’s righteousness, revealed in the Messiah Jesus. John warned the Pharisees and Sadducees (v7,9) that being Abraham’s descendants was not enough. The Messiah’s kingdom was for those willing to leave behind their pride and self-justification in order to embrace God’s salva

Psalm 2

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” (v3). This psalm reminds us that the raging of humanity against God will ultimately fail. The “kings of the earth” (the rebellious, the winners, the arrogant) have no power to block God’s plan, which is to redeem the world through the Son: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (v7). In Acts, when the authorities threatened the church, believers quoted this psalm and remained confident that the Holy Spirit’s powe

Genesis 4

“And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door ...” (7). In this sin-darkened world, the new reality was that humans struggled against many temptations. Cain fell immediately into competition and envied his brother Abel, leading to murder (8). He could not “rule over” his own impulses, emotions, and desires, and his lack of control harmed his brother (7). Cain faced terrible consequences – banishment, estrangement - yet God also showed him extraordinary mercy (15

Genesis 3

“What is this that you have done?” (13). The rebellious actions of the first humans brought a darkness into the world that was not God’s intention. Because they wanted to be like God, rather than serve Him, they soon faced the consequences: work and child-bearing poisoned by trouble, broken relationships, and, worst of all, separation from intimacy with God (8, 14-19). However, rather than turning away from this mess, God came looking for them. “Where are you?” (9), God as

Genesis 2

“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat ...” (16-17). God gave humans a world teeming with plants and animals, rivers (10), and minerals (12). He even gave them access to the “tree of life” (9). The only thing God prohibited was the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil”. Determining good and evil was for God alone; humans, with all their God-given gifts, are still creatures.

“Then the Lord forme

Genesis 1

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (1:27). The creation story displays God’s character and explains that humans are made in His image. By His own will, God created a world of abundance: “let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures” (20). He created a world of joyful life and growth: “Be fruitful and multiply ...” (22). Above all, God made a world intended to reflect His character of goodness a

Matthew 2

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (v2). The wise men sought Jesus eagerly, but Herod’s response was murderous fury. From the time of Christ’s birth, there were those who rejected Him and sought to destroy Him, and those who welcomed His arrival.  Matthew records King Herod’s response when he heard of Jesus (v1-3), sought to destroy Him but failed (v4-15), and gave vent to his hatred and anger by having all the male babies in Bethlehem under two years of age

Matthew 1

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v1).  The author of Matthew, the first New Testament book, begins his account with a genealogy that roots Jesus in history. The most critical element of faith in Christ is that it is grounded not in feelings, religious fads, or charismatic individuals, but in reality.  Jesus was God in flesh. His birth, life and teachings, His death on the cross, and His resurrection are real history,

Psalm 1

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water ... he prospers” (v3). The psalmist declares that there are only two possible life paths: to “prosper” (v3) or to “perish” (v6).  The wise person commits wholly to God and His ways, delighting in God’s law, day and night (v2). The foolish person dismisses God and His ways and instead takes his cues from the wicked, the sinner and scoffer (v2).

Many voices claim to tell us how to find the good life.  But the only way to experien

Malachi 3-4

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” (3:2). Malachi cautioned those who thought that ancestry or residence in Judah gave them permission to sin. God’s judgment, like a refiner’s fire, was coming against “sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers ... those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless. and deprive the foreigners among you of justice” (3:5). God called out to them to change their ways (3:6).

“Su

Malachi 1-2

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’" (1:2). Amid the slow work of rebuilding their small nation, Judah’s returned exiles wondered about God’s love. God reassured them of His faithfulness, yet through Malachi explained that His covenant of love was also a calling to an obedient life. God was “wearied” by their empty words. Their self-centered tears could not cover up their unacceptable sacrifices, partnerships with idol-worshipers, or t