Genesis
Jesus said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me. “John 5:30
When my family moved to North Carolina we lived in a wooded area and were blessed to experience nature in all its beauty. As a spiritual discipline we engaged in the Lord’s prayer and for that season focused on “Gods’ will.” It was transforming. Seeking Gods will, should be a habit or focus of every believer’s life yet the more we sought to do Gods will the more we wondered what we had been doing up to that point. Gods will is His intention for a believer and is formed through prayer and study. It cannot be discerned from a book or another’s life. It is not a one size fits all kind of thing. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that giving thanks is the will of God for our lives and that is the crux of it – not so much specifics but living in relationship with the God who calls us.
Doing a month-to-month study is time consuming. It requires over 3 years of intense word by word study. The first time I did it, I focused on each character in the Bible and what I could learn from their lives and mistakes. The second time I went through, I concentrated on Gods character and getting to know about Him through the narratives and books of scripture. It was my teenage sons who requested we continue the book-by-book study over the next three years. I was leaning toward doing a year plan, but they want to deep dive and understand it. Getting “through it” was not their goal. This is having an effect we did not realize.
The scripture that comes up as I pray over this year is this:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to COME to me to have life.” John 5:39-40.
More than doing a ritual, we need to hear the heart of God. More than “achieving” yet another badge of Christian accomplishment we need to become familiar with His ways. More than proving our scholarly skill, we need to know the Author of this book. It is a heart posture. In the scriptures we find God, we find life but if we do not moor our study to John 5:30 – doing Gods’ will, then our efforts are mere lists of checked off things to do. If the word does not bridge our hearts to Jesus, if the word does not oil the ligaments of our steps into a darkened culture, then it is just an exercise in reading literature.
In Genesis – what if we considered Adam and Eve attending our school? What insights could they bring? What if Noah visited our church with his family? Would he bring pets, and would we allow that? How do these characters impact our outreach? Our prayer?
One of the marvelous things we adapted from the Covenants in Genesis is this: The Lord longs for fellowship with us and His preference is to celebrate with us on a full 24-hour cycle. When we slow down and pause to thank Him and hear His voice it lets Him know we are still interested, still wanting to be in covenant.
My husband said he loved me on our wedding day and when we recently renewed our vows. I wear a wedding ring. I am in covenant with Joseph Roche. Our weekly dates let me know he is still interested, and his heart is still wanting to be with me. Covenant is a big concept in Genesis. We get to investigate many great men and women of the Bible and their covenants with God. But if we only study them, their strengths and weaknesses and never covenant with God for ourselves, it becomes a wasted lesson.
The God of the universe that made everything in it beckons us to not only come near, not only come close in relationship and delight, but He also invites us to be in covenant with Him. See the personal rest page on this website if you would like information on how to begin that covenant with God. He also invites us weekly to push out the world and come near in friendship. He gave us a world to live in, a son to love and see Him and gives us a way to covenant with Him through that son. Weekly we can renew that covenant through spiritual sabbath. We can renew that covenant through communion. We can refresh that covenant through prayer, but we cannot let it remain dormant – we must walk out that covenant with this living God.
This year – put aside the desire to get a “I read through my Bible” sticker, reject the notion that we are somehow more spiritual because we followed a reading plan. This year and for the next three, lets cognitively get to know this covenant maker and practically, experientially get to know this covenant keeper in every day, real life situations. Oh, His preference is that you let Him know somehow weekly or even daily that you love Him and desire to stay in covenant with Him.
He created it all and called it good, very good. (That includes you which is incredible). The One who flung the stars in the sky, thinks we are amazing and desires relationship (covenant) with us. What is He creating in your life, your sphere of influence, family, and neighborhood today? Be fruitful and multiply. John 15 reminds us of the way we do that is to stay connected (in covenant) with God.
Ask Him – what are you creating in my life Lord and how do I get in line with that? What do I need to take dominion over? His plan, purpose and power are in the beginning, a very good place to start. Covenant – its at the heart of Genesis.
Seeking with you, Renae Roche 2023
