Genesis 9:1-17  God made a covenant with Noah and his sons.. and with everyone that followed.  In verse 10 it tells us that this covenant includes "every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth." 

God pledges to never again cut off all flesh "by water of the flood".  The earth will not be destroyed by a flood ever again. The sign of the covenant was the "bow in the cloud".  God tells Noah that when He sees the bow, He will remember His covenant between Him and all living creatures.  God sets the bow.. the rainbow in the clouds.. and He remembers His own pledge to not flood the earth again. 

The Lord also established certain laws for mankind after the flood.  He told Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply.  He told them that they would have rule over all the animals. He told them that they could eat meat and not just plants.  And, He told them that He would "require" the "lifeblood" from every animal or man that took a human life. 

Verses 18-28  Noah's three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  From these three sons all the population of the world would come. It doesn't take long until sin rears its ugly head.  Whatever it was that Ham did when he came across Noah, drunk and naked in his tent... was unacceptable and sinful.  Noah reacts to this violation by issuing a curse upon Ham's offspring, starting with Canaan, his grandson.  

Noah also issued a blessing.. upon his oldest son Shem and upon Japheth, his third son. ( More on that later!)

Noah lived another 350 years after the flood, so he was 950 years old when he died.  He was the last of any man to live such a long life. 

Father in heaven, teach us to walk in Your ways, to do Your will, and to seek Your face.  Help us to raise our children to love and praise You. Help us to be faithful in all we do, to give You first place in everything. Thank You for the Word that reminds us that You are a God who makes and keeps covenant with Your creations.  You will not forget any of Your promises!  We bless Your Name and cling to Your Truth.  In Your grace and goodness we rest ... for You are faithful!  Be glorified in all the earth we pray. In Jesus' name Amen. 

 Genesis 7-8  Noah and his family, along with the animals that God sent.. entered the ark on the second month and 17th day of Noah's 600th year.  It was 7 days later that the rains began, the floods came, and the whole earth was covered by the water.  40 days of rain!  

We know the amount of damage that Hurricanes Helene and Milton just did to our state and to North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.. and that was only a day or two of rain.. In Noah's time the waters covered even the highest mountains.  There was no dry ground left in all of the earth.  No one outside of the ark survived.  

For about a year, Noah and his family lived in the ark with all the animals.  Chapter 8:4 tells us that it was 5 months after the rain began that the ark landed on Mount Ararat.  Three months later, they could begin to see the tops of mountains. 

Finally God spoke to Noah.. and they were able to leave the ark. "Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you.. that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." (v17)

The first thing that Noah did was to build an altar to the Lord and offer burnt offerings.  God was pleased with Noah's offering and gave him a promise to never curse the ground on account of man.. and "I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done." (v21) 

God also made this promise:  "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." 

Father in heaven, all of creation is in Your hands.  You know the heart of men.. You know that evil has invaded Your creation.  Yet, You have provided salvation for those who will repent of their sins and follow Jesus Christ the Lamb who was slain that we might have forgiveness from our sin.  You have provided a Way for us to have life. Thank You. Help us to walk in Your Truth, to overcome those things that keep us from true faith and righteousness.  Fill our hearts with Your Spirit we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Genesis 6 The earth became populated with the descendants of Adam and Eve. Here we learn that there were some called the "sons of God" who also were part of the population. These men intermarried with the "daughters of men".   Another mysterious group called the "nephilim"  were also "on the earth in those days". They are called "giants" in the NKJV.  They also took the daughters of men and produced children. We are not told that they married the women.. so perhaps that tells us something about why the Lord does what He does next..

 " The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled." 

God decided to "wipe from the face of the earth the human race.. "  Plus birds, cattle, and all creatures.. everything that breathed.  

There was only one man that God found favor with.. Noah.  Noah "walked faithfully with God."  In a world of wickedness.. violence and corruption.. Noah stood apart.  "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." 

By grace, God gave Noah a command.. to build an ark.  By grace, Noah obeyed and made the ark just as God instructed him.  By grace, God brought Noah's wife, sons, and daughter-in-laws into the ark, along with pairs of animals.. and food for all of them.  By faith, Noah and his family and all the chosen animals entered the ark and the "Lord shut the door." 

Father in heaven, we know that sin and wickedness trouble Your heart. You see the wickedness of every heart.. and You also see the faith of those who walk with You like Noah did.  There are such mysteries here in Your Word.  We want to know all about things like nephilim and sons of God.. but it is more important that we know that there is another day coming "just as it happened in the days of Noah.. " when Christ will return and a final judgement will come. May we take notice.. may we "be on the alert" ready for that day, Lord God. May we be found faithful, like Noah, walking with You in faith.. in Your grace.. in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. 

 Genesis 5  This chapter gives us the 10 generations from Adam to Noah.

Adam

Seth

Enosh

Kenan (also spelled Cainan) 

Mahalalel

Jared

Enoch

Methuselah

Lamech

Noah

I find it interesting that Moses was given the ages of each of these men.. when they had the son mentioned.. and what ages they were when they died.  In fact, a while back I did some calculations and discovered that their lives overlapped quite a bit since they all lived such long lives. 

Adam was 869 years old when Lamech, the father of Noah was born.  He died when he was 930 years old,  just 121 years before Noah was born.  Seth was also still around to see the birth of Lamech and died just 14 years before Noah was born. 

Enosh lived to see Noah, but died before Shem was born.  His son Kenan also lived to see Noah, as did his son Mahalalel and his grandson Jared. 

Enoch was 365 years old when God took him. This was 69 years before Noah was born.  But, Methuselah saw the birth of Noah, his grandson and Shem, his great-grandson.  Since he was 369 when Noah was born and Noah was 600 when the flood came.. it appears he died the year of the flood.  

Lamech died 5 years before the flood at the age of 777.  Which means he was around to see Noah building the ark.  Verse 29 tells us that Lamech said this about Noah, " This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed." 

All of these men had "other sons and daughters".  They were responsible for the people that were multiplying "on the face of the land".  Ten generations.. from Eden to the flood.  The only ones who are said to know the Lord, after Adam,  are Enoch.. and maybe Lamech. But, then came Noah. 

Father in heaven,  Your word is a lamp for us to walk by.  You have a purpose for the record of these lives that we can learn from.  We live much shorter life-spans in our generation.. knowing only our grandparents or maybe our great-grandparents ( for some).. We often don't know their backgrounds, whether or not they were believers, or what they knew of their ancestors.  But, we do know how important it is that we teach our children and grandchildren.. and if possible our great-grandchildren.. about Jesus!  We don't want to fail at this, Lord, which is why we pray that You would open their eyes and their ears.. that they would put their faith in Jesus Christ and be saved.  Help us to be faithful to share Your Word at every opportunity You give us.  We ask this in the powerful and precious name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Genesis 4 Adam and Eve became the parents of Cain and then Abel.  The story is well known.. Cain worked the soil, Abel raised sheep.  Both brought an offering to the Lord. But.. God did not show favor upon Cain's offering. This made Cain angry.. which led him to take out his anger on his own brother.  As James wrote.. "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." ( James 1:14-15)

The Lord told Cain that "sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." Cain did not master sin.. but became its slave. 

Hebrews 11 tells us that Abel's offering was a "better sacrifice.. through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous."  What was it about Cain's offering that was not pleasing to the Lord?  Why did Cain take it out on his brother? And,  what do we need to learn from this?

 We know that the Lord looks at the heart of each person.. Cain's heart was not right with God.  Perhaps his offering was inferior.. not his first or best crop.. or he was just going through the motions of worship without recognizing that all he was bringing to God was what God had given him.. Perhaps he was proud.. or selfish.. or spiteful.. whatever it was.. God saw and called him out on it. 

.Cain was banished from the land where they were living. His skill as a farmer would never be the same for God said the the ground would "no longer yield its strength" to him.  He would be a "vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.."   Cain was distraught at this curse upon him.. and was afraid that he would be killed in revenge for killing Abel.  But, we are never told that Cain was sorry for his sin or that he sought forgiveness from the Lord. 

Cain went out into the wilderness and "settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."  He built a city and named it Enoch after his son. The generations following Cain brought many changes. 

Meanwhile, Adam and Eve had another son and named him Seth. Seth had a son named Enosh.  It is in his time that we are told, "Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord." 

Father in heaven, we have so many questions about those days!  What happened to those people ? They seemed to have lost that closeness to You that Adam and Eve had once enjoyed.. even after the fall.  You spoke to Cain.. You saw Abel's death.. Yet, things were different by the time Enosh was born.. Worship was different.  Life was different.  Yet, You do not change and Your Truth does not change either.  Help us to have a heart of righteousness, like Abel, to come into Your  Presence in obedience and love and sincere worship. Help us to resist sin and temptation and the devil.. and to call upon Your Name.. with reverent expectation and true humility. In Jesus' name we pray.Amen. 

 Genesis 3  Good and Evil.  These both existed before Adam and Eve knew and experienced them. Up until that fateful day, they had experienced only good.  They walked with God every day in the garden. They had all they wanted.. food to eat and life to share.  When the serpent came to Eve he was able to deceive her into thinking that life could be better if she knew more.. if she knew what God knew.. if she knew evil. She couldn't have been more wrong!

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked... "  The consequences of deliberate sin were both immediate and long term.  The first thing they experienced was an awareness of their nakedness.. what had been normal and innocent.. was now something that made them want to hide, to cover themselves, making loin coverings from fig leaves.  Then they heard God coming and they hid themselves from Him.. "afraid". 

Shame and fear. Two consequences of sin that we have all experienced. Two conditions of mankind that plague our society.. We see it in the addicts, in the abusers, in the depressed, in the desperate.. in the young  and in the old.. in the rich and in the poor. 

The Lord God knew the culprits in this disastrous event.. He called them out, one by one. 

Adam had the greatest responsibility for he had received the command first hand, before Eve was in the picture.  He confessed that he ate the fruit, but blamed Eve for giving it to him. 

Eve also confessed to her part, but blamed the serpent for deceiving her. 

The serpent never confessed anything, but was condemned to go about on its belly, eating dust all the days of his life. There would be "enmity" between him and the woman.  There would be hostility between his "seed" and the woman's "seed".  The long term consequence of sin was brought to a head in the conflict between Christ and the enemy. Christ conquered sin and death and the enemy on another fateful day!  Hallelujah!

God put in place other long term consequences for the sin of Adam and Eve... "pain in childbirth".. "thorns and thistles" in the ground. And.. death.  "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." 

God covered Adam and Eve with "garments made of skin". Then He exiled them from His beautiful garden. No one could now enter this sacred place and take from the Tree of life.. for it was and  is guarded by the cherubim and a flaming sword.. "which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life."   

Thankfully, there is One who is "the Way".. and that day will come when all who call on His Name will be saved and will not perish but have "everlasting life." 

Father in heaven,  You have reminded me once again that You see the beginning and the end.. You saw the failure of mankind and the lies of Satan.  You also saw the way to redeem us.. the shedding of blood.. to bring forgiveness from sin. Thank You for making a Way when there was no other way! Thank You for Jesus Christ who has bruised the head of the enemy and will one day soon bring that final judgement upon him.  We look for that Day when sin will be no more!  Jesus, come quickly! Amen!

 Genesis 2 Day 7   With all of God's "work" completed.. "He rested on the seventh day.. " God initiated a holy day.. a day that is "Blessed" and "sanctified".  It is a day that He will later on give to His people as a day set apart.... a beautiful gift that reflects on the One who created all things and Who shares His goodness with those who call on Him. 

Verses 4-25 give an "account" of the creation with more details regarding the beginning of human life.  We have certain facts that are important for us to understand:

First of all, we need to know that God "formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."  There is absolutely no other explanation for the creation of a human body than this.. God "formed" man. The amazing wonder of how our bodies work.. each organ and muscle.. bone and blood.. brain and heart.. a soul and spirit.. only a great and mighty God could think of such a thing.. and bring it into reality with His own hands!

We need to know that God set apart a certain place.. a garden He called Eden. This was home for Adam.. a place filled with trees and a river that flowed out to other lands. 

We need to know that the Lord gave Adam the first command.. "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." (v16) God set the standard right here.. He issued the command and man would either obey or die.  The God who separated light from darkness and the sea from land..now gives to His creation a choice.. two separate paths to take..to make a decision to obey or to disobey.  He has not changed His mind on this.. He still gives us the same choice to make.. 

We need to know that it was the Lord who said "It is not good for the man to be alone.." That He decided to provide a "suitable helper" for Adam. 

We need to know that God took a piece of Adam to form Eve.  That He made them "male and female".  That He had a purpose for forming two (and only two sexes..) "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." 

Father in heaven, wonderful Creator and Sovereign King, we worship You in the beauty of Your majesty! You are a good Father  and all Your ways are perfect.  Father, we know that we are formed by Your hand.. each of us knit together in our mothers' wombs. We are given the choice to follow You or to disobey Your Word.. and we have all failed at one time or another. Thank You for the forgiveness for sin that You provided through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who paid the price for our transgressions. Oh that we would be holy and pure before You.. unashamed.. as they were in the garden before the fall.  We long for that day that is coming when all this will pass away and we will be with You for eternity.. in the glorious Light of Your Presence forever! Amen.

 Genesis 1:24-31 Day 6!  Every part of creation up to this point has been prepared for this amazing day.. First God creates "beasts.. cattle.. and everything that creeps on the ground.."  Each animal is made to reproduce "after their kind".  Each was fashioned according to His plan for His purposes. ".. and God saw that it was good." 

"Then".. the final creation.. the plan put into motion.. the beginning of man's history.. "God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; "

God made mankind to "rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."   He had a purpose for mankind that was far more than we can grasp.  Created in the "image" of God.. to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the  earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish.. the birds.. and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

God provided all that was needed so that man could fulfill his greatest purpose. The plants and trees grew to provide food. The animals and man thrived on this food.  There was no need for hunting or killing. All was "good".  

If only the story ended there.  If only..  but God had more in store for His creation.  He knew what would happen next. It was not a surprise to Him. Isn't it amazing that He could still stop and look at what He made and call it good. 

Tozer wrote about the Eternity of God in his book The Knowledge of the Holy.  He talks about "time".  That time "dwells in God"..and He is not effected by it as we are. Time began in God and it will end in Him, Tozer writes.  Here is the statement that the Genesis story makes me think of: " That God appears at time's beginning is not too difficult to comprehend, but that He appears at the beginning and end of time simultaneously is not so easy to grasp; yet it is true."  God said, "I am God.. and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning."  Tozer wrote, "He sees the end and the beginning in one view."

How great is our God! There is none like Him. On that day.. when God made mankind..  He saw the beginning and the end and He called it "Good"..

Father in heaven, You are good.. You are holy.. You are above all.. and worthy of our praise and devotion. We seek Your face.. to know You more; that we might worship You in every way we can.  We pray that You will lead us in Your Truth today and every day.  We give thanks for Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, who came to lead us into Your Presence.  Have Your way in us today we pray. Amen. 

 Genesis 1:20-23  Day 5  The first "living creatures" that God makes are the sea creatures and the birds.  He filled the sea and the sky. Then He "blessed them saying, ' Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on earth.' " 

It seems that the Lord took a special effort to form the "sea monsters"..   Psalm 104:25-26 says "There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, animals both small and great. There  ships move along, and Leviathan, which Thou hast formed to sport in it." 

 He says to Job.. " Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose? Or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make supplications to you? Or will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you?  Will you take him for a servant forever? Will you play with him as a with a bird? Or will you bind him for your maidens? Will the traders bargain over him? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay you hand on him; Remember the battle; you will not do it again! Behold your expectation is false; will you be laid low even at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him... 

Who then is he that can stand before Me?

Who has given to Me that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the heaven is Mine."  ( Job 41:1-11) 

Some say this Leviathan is a whale.. others interpret it as dragon or sea-serpent... perhaps even a plesiosaurus.. an aquatic dinosaur. Whatever it was or is.. the Lord took care with it.. enjoyed it, even boasting of its strength and power..  and reveals His own greatness over all His creation!

Father, we stop to think again of the wonder of Your creation. We marvel at how magnificent You are.. You made the seas teeming with all kinds of fish.. the sky filled with all kinds of birds.  There is such variety and beauty to be found in the sea and in the sky.  Each creature formed by Your Word...by Your wisdom... for Your plans and purpose. We join the psalmist as we "praise the Lord!"   

"Praise the Lord from the heavens
Praise Him in the heights.

Praise Him, all His angels;

Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;

Praise Him, all stars of light!

Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He has established them forever and ever;

He has made a decree which will not pass away. 

Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all the deeps...." (v1-7)

Amen!

 Genesis 1:14-19  Day 4.  "Then God said, ' Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years..' " 

Verse 16 tells us that God "made the two great lights".. the sun and the moon "to govern" the day and night.  These luminaries or light-bearers were God's handiwork and had two purposes.. one is to "rule" or have dominion and the second is to "divide the light from the darkness."  

Jeremiah 31:35 "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name: If this fixed order departs from before Me,.. the the offspring of Israel also shall cease form being a nation before Me forever."   God has appointed the sun and moon to this "fixed order".  It will continue to follow this pattern until He chooses to stop it.. when that day comes, Revelation 21: 23 tells us , "And  the city has not need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb." 

Paul wrote in Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.. "  

 David wrote in Psalm 19:1 "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."  In Psalm 97:6 the psalmist wrote, "The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory." 

Psalm 145:5 "On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness." 

Did you see the full moon last night?  Did you marvel at the majesty and spendor of God's creation?

Father in heaven, our Creator and Lord, we stop today to meditate on the wonder of Your creation.. on the glory that You have made visible to us, but that we take for granted.. We are so grateful for the power of Your Hand and the faithfulness of Your promises.  May we truly be ready for that coming day... when we will no longer need the sun and the moon.. for we will be in Your everlasting Light forever and ever.  Oh, Shine, Jesus, Shine! You are our Awesome God and we praise You! Shine through us today, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Genesis 1:6-13   Day 2 of creation.  On the first day, God separated the light from the darkness, on the 2nd He separated the waters.. that which was on the ground and that which became above the ground.   Two distinct expanses.. two vital sources...  " And God called the expanse heaven." 

It is the in-between... in the space dividing these two expanses.. that we live. The oceans on the surface of our planet never run dry.  They are vital to our existence.  The clouds above us provide the rain.. necessary for plants and animals.. and mankind.  Right now we are recovering from too much of this good thing.. but, the lack of it is also devastating.  

As an elementary school teacher, I taught the water cycle to my students. It is one of those basic science lessons that I still find quite remarkable.  The water evaporates.. traveling upwards into the heavens where it condenses back into drops of water that join together until it is ready to fall down to earth again as precipitation.  Only God could devise such a perfect recycling system!  God prepared the earth for what He would do next.. 

On the third day, God moved the waters again.. and let dry ground appear. "And God called the dry land earth and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good."

Then, God filled this earth with vegetation.. grass and trees that would reproduce through fruit and seeds.  And "God saw that it was good." 

Without the light, without the water, and without the soil.. there would be no plants. And without the plants.. there would be no food for what God had in store next!

Father, all wisdom resides in You. The beauty of creation is one thing.. but the wonder of how everything works.. how we have air to breathe and water to drink, food that grows in the soil .. these things we take for granted so often.. are all evidence of Your greatness and goodness, Your power and Your sovereignty.. Father, You are worthy of all praise.. from every creature.. here below and in heaven above.  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen

Genesis 1:1-5  There is such beauty in the creation story.. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."   There is a man.. a theologian, I guess.. ( I've seen the video on facebook) ..  who explains that this verse gives us something that no theory of evolution can explain.. It tells us that "In the beginning" = time; "the heavens" = space; and "the earth"= matter. Together.. time+space+matter.. all come from God in one Word.  We have a Mighty Creator. 

The Presence of God moved over the surface of the deep of this "formless and empty" and dark planet.  Was there a calmness.. a sense of expectation as God hovered over His creation?  The Hebrew word "moved" has a surprising definition... according to Strong's lexicon it means to brood; to be relaxed; to flutter; move, shake.  He knew all that would come to pass on this planet.. He saw what His creation would become.. and how it would all end. Yet, He did it anyway. 

V3  " Then God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light."   God did not need light, for He is Light.  The psalmist wrote " Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee." ( Psalm 139:12)  God chose to separate the light from the darkness.. He called the light "good".  He named it "day"; He called the darkness "night".  He made a distinction between the two. Right from the beginning. 

I looked up the word light in my Bible app search.. there is so much that God has to say about it.  Several verses that strike me come from Isaiah..  45;6-7 "That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me, I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these."   And Isaiah 60: 19 " No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory. " 

It is not until the 4th day that God makes the sun and moon and stars.  His light is enough. It is more than enough. It is everlasting. He does not need it.. but He gave it for us.  By His Word.. by His Son through whom and for whom all of creation came into being.  Jesus, the Light of the World.

Father, Almighty Creator, The Lord of heaven and earth.  We bow before You in awe of Your greatness. I am without words.. except to praise You and worship You with a thankful heart.. for You sent the Light to me.. Oh hallelujah. What a Savior. Amen. 

II Peter 3  Peter wants his readers to remember... remember the Word, and to remember that Jesus is coming again. The world doesn't believe that there is a day of judgement.. a time when we are held accountable for all that we have done. They mock our faith.. not knowing that it the patience of God that keeps them from being destroyed right now.  "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." ( v9)

What a wonderful truth! Our God is patient.. wanting our salvation.. giving us time to grow "in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."   

But, there will come a day.. when the heavens and the earth will receive judgement.  And that day will come, "like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." ( v10)

 Again, Peter reminds us to be "diligent". ... Eagerly desiring to be ready for that day when He returns. " Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness." (V11) He has promised us a "new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."  He wants us prepared.. spotless and blameless.. steadfast in the truth.

Father, help us keep our eyes on You... not forgetting that this world is only temporary.. our bodies are only temporary... for Your plan for us is greater.. it is eternal.. it is perfect.. it is marvelous!  Father, thank You for patiently waiting for us.. for us to find salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. We pray for those who have not believed yet.. asking for Your mercy that they might hear the Word and believe.. and receive Life eternal through Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

 II Peter 2 This is a hard chapter.. for Peter describes those who are headed to destruction.  False prophets, false teachers... the greedy, sensual, corrupt, and sinful mankind.  Those who refuse to walk in Truth.. who do not live "by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".. . Those who have corrupt desires, who despise authority, are self willed.. who revel and carouse.. who are full of adultery "and that never cease from sin". ( v10-14)  These, Peter asserts, are "accursed".  They will stand before the Judgement throne. "These are springs without water, mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved." ( v17)

The problem is universal.  False teachers lead others away from the Truth into "destructive heresies". They "malign the Master". They exploit others. And they will not be spared from judgement. 

We must we aware.. firm in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  We can stand in faith, for "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for a day of judgement." ( v9). 

Father in heaven, keep us in Your Light.. shine Your Truth into our hearts, fill us with the Living Water by Your Spirit.  May we walk in righteousness and never turn away. Oh Lord, in Your mercy, turn hearts back to You.. rescue the perishing.. save the rebellious... bring salvation to the lost.  Let the Word, the Truth of Jesus Christ fill this land. We ask this in the Mighty name of Jesus Christ.. who came to set prisoners free.. Amen. 

 II Peter 1:12-21  Peter exhorts his readers to be diligent..to keep growing in faith.. by grace.  He wrote this letter to remind us of the Truth of Jesus. He was ready to go to be with the Lord, but he wanted to leave behind these words.. "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales..."  he testifies..but, "we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

Peter heard with his own ears when God, the Father spoke, saying "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased."  He read the prophets who spoke of the coming Messiah, and saw first hand how Jesus fulfilled those prophesies. 

Knowledge..of the Word leads to more knowledge of Jesus...a building block of faith. For faith comes by hearing..and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Father in heaven, let Your Word dwell in us richly, that we might know You more ..that we might abide in Christ our Savior, adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance,godliness, kindness, and love to the gracious gift of faith we have through Him. Amen

 II Peter 1  What kind of faith did we receive?  Peter says that it is the same kind as his (NASB)..  a "precious faith" (NIV).. a faith of great value and honor.  It is a faith that we obtained through "the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."  It is a "divine allotment".   As Paul wrote in Romans 12:3 "For though the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to thing more highly of himself than he out to think but to think so as to have sound judgement as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." 

Peter prays for "grace and peace" to be multiplied.. "in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."  Several times he points us back to the source of grace and peace.. and faith.. the "true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." 

Jesus has granted to us His "precious promises".. so that we can be "partakers of the divine nature". It is His power at work in us that enables us to live a life of godliness.  He has called us to Himself.. to His glory and virtue.. and freed us from "the corruption that is in the world.. " so that we can really know Him. 

In light of this truth, Peter tells us to apply "all diligence".. to earnestly, eagerly strive after these godly qualities.. adding to our faith.. moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.  "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

To lack these qualities.. Peter writes.. is to be "blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from  [our] former sins."  Be diligent.. he tells us again.. "make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." (v10-11)

Father, thank You for the precious faith that You have given us. Thank You for grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Savior.  Thank You for making us partakers of His divine nature.  Thank You for delivering us from the corruption of this world.. from sin and death.. from the reign of darkness.  Thank You for the precious promises that we find in Jesus, our Savior.  Father, help us to be diligent to know You more.. let this be our goal.. our purpose.. our striving.. to know You and Jesus Christ our Savior.  May we walk in the light of Your Truth.  May our lives exhibit the qualities of true faith in Jesus.. virtue, godliness, knowledge, self-control, kindness, and love. Help us to persevere in this walk of faith.. filled by Your Spirit who teaches us all things.  May Jesus Christ receive all glory and honor and praise. amen. 

 I Peter 5  Peter tells the "elders" to "shepherd the flock of God".  They are to serve voluntarily.. with eagerness.. as examples.  They are not to lord it over the flock... nor seek "sordid gain". They serve as Peter, himself served.. to the glory of the "Chief Shepherd", Jesus Christ, who is coming again.. 

Peter exhorts everyone.. to "clothe yourselves with humility toward one another" .   He emphasized this in verse 6 "Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you."   

The life of a believer is not easy.  There are many challenges that come our way.  Peter is teaching the followers of Christ how to live Christ-like lives..  In humility.... and in constant awareness that God has it all in His control.  God sees the adversary who wants to devour the flock.  He sees the suffering.. and the temptations that we face. He wants us to remember that we have a "Living Hope".. and an eternal inheritance.. 

"And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." 

"To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen". 

Father in heaven, we are Your children, called by Your will, made new through the blood of Jesus Christ who suffered and died as the atonement for our sins.  We have not suffered as He did... but we do suffer, for life presents us with trials and temptations. The enemy harasses us and the world hates us.  But, You are for us. We can cast every care upon You, because You care for us. We come before You humbly, knowing that we are not worthy of anything that You have promised.. but so thankful that Your grace is so much greater than our sin.  Thank You for the powerful salvation that we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord and King.  May all glory and honor be given to Him.. forever and ever. Amen. 

 I Peter 4:12-19   Suffering.. it is part of our human experience.  Right now we are aware of many who have suffered from a devastating hurricane.  There has been great loss.. loss of homes, loss of belongings.. and loss of life.  We have all faced some kind of loss in our lives at one time or another.  We have all faced suffering and we know that we are not immune from it.  Peter tells us in verse 12 to "not be surprised.. " at this.  But, we need to be aware of our perspective on suffering. 

First of all we need to know that "to the degree that [we] share the sufferings of Christ"  we can keep rejoicing.. for there will come a day when He will be revealed and we will "rejoice with exultation". 

We need to know that if we are "reviled for the name of Christ"... it is evidence that we "are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon" us. 

If we are suffering as a Christian, Peter tells us, we need not feel ashamed.. but give glory to the name of Christ.  If we suffer for wrong doing, we have no right to rejoice. But, if we suffer for doing right, then we can be assured that we can "entrust our souls to a faithful Creator." That is worthy of rejoicing...

There is a judgement that will begin with "the household of God".  What will be much worse is the judgement that will come to those who do not know Him. "And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?" 

We may suffer.  We will suffer. But, in our suffering, we can identify with Jesus, our Savior. We can trust God's plan to use our suffering for His glory. It is not easy, but it is true.  We need to pray for those who are suffering. Both believers and non-believers.  Pray that God will be glorified in the suffering of the believer. Pray that God will use the suffering of non-believers to bring them into His marvelous Light. 

Father, this is our prayer.  May Christ be seen in us.. in every trial.. in every crisis.. in all our suffering.. to the glory of His Name. Amen. 

 I Peter 4: 1-11 Peter once again speaks of God's purpose.. As he wrote in chapter 1, it is God who "caused us to be born again to a living hope.." to "obtain an inheritance which is imperishable".  He redeemed us by the "precious blood.. of Christ".  He chose us to be "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession".. SO THAT we would "proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] our of darkness into His marvelous light."   He has called us to "do what is right"..to follow in the steps of Jesus. Our calling is for the "very purpose" of living a life of blessing.. of harmony and sympathy.. of kindness and humility. ( 3:8-9)

 Peter writes, " Therefore since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin."  Peter is talking about laying down our lives.. our fleshly lives...our sinful lives.. putting to death, as Paul wrote to the Romans, " Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11)

Peter says, ".. no longer (live) for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."  This is why the gospel has come.. "even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God." 

Everything we do, then, is for His purposes, and not for our own.  So, as Peter exhorts us, let's "be of sound judgement and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer." ( v7)  Pray that we would be "fervent in love.. hospitable.. without complaint.. serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God..."   Pray that we will speak as God gives us the words, serve as God supplies the strength.. "so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

Father, may it be so! Amen!

 I Peter 3: 13-22 Peter has described for us what a life of godly living should be... knowing that the world will not always accept us because of our faith.  "

And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?"   We know well that some will cause harm to us...  and many believers suffer around the world for just that reason.  Peter tells us, "But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness you are blessed.." 

We are blessed because we are following in the steps of our Savior.   Let us then "sanctify Christ as Lord in [our] hearts."  What exactly does that mean?  It means that in our souls, our minds... our innermost  being.. we revere and respect Christ as our Lord, the supreme authority in our lives, the Master, the Sovereign Ruler.. the One who "died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God.. " 

For Him.. we stand ready to "make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." 

For Him.. we aim to keep "a good conscience"  and  maintain "good behavior"  so that  when we are accused..  we have nothing to be ashamed of.. in fact the accusers will be the ones put to shame. 

For Him.. we will rejoice in our troubles.. even when we suffer for doing what is right. 

He was "put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit"..  He is at the right hand of God, "having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him." 

Father in heaven, give us understanding and enable us to live godly lives as Your Word has taught us.  Help us to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts.  Help us to live for Him every day and in every way.  We have a Living Savior who has been given all authority in heaven and earth.. may we revere Him and give Him all our praise and thanks.  In His name we pray. Amen. 

 I Peter 3 : 10-12  This quotation from Psalm 34 is the answer to David's question, "Who is the man who desires life, and loves length of days that he may see good?"  David calls to the children, "Come.. I will teach you the fear of the Lord..." 

Peter is continuing to describe what godly living looks like in a real person.. a wife who has inner beauty and gentle ways.. a husband who cares for and honors his wife.. a family that lives together in unity and are kind and compassionate to each other..  A church that exhibits brotherly love, humility, and that blesses others.  He adds the words of Psalm 34 to emphasize the godly character of believers in Christ Jesus...

Keep your tongue from evil.. as I remind my grandchildren.. words matter!  May we be conscious of what and how we speak, whether at home or out in public.. 

Keep your lips from speaking "guile" or deceit... don't lie, don't try to fool others, don't be evil !

Turn from evil and do good.. seek peace and pursue it.. Let the focus of our actions and words be filled with God's grace.. so that others may see Him. 

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears attentive to their prayer.."  The psalmist goes on to say "The righteous cry and the Lord hears... "  He is "near to the brokenhearted, and saves those crushed in spirit.."  He is our Deliverer and Redeemer.. He is our Refuge and Help.. 

" O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." ( Psalm 34: 3)

In the Light of His greatness and love for us.. we can turn from every evil way and seek to do good.. in words and in actions. We can do this because He hears our prayers and draws near to us.

Father, how we thank You for loving us so!  May Your Name be exalted in all the earth, Lord God.  May this world filled with darkness and evil turn from wickedness and seek You.  May Your Light, the Light of the world, flow through Your children as we follow Him. Make us more like Jesus today we pray. Amen.