Please don't misunderstand this scripture. Just because you have a burning desire for a new BMW doesn't mean that God will provide, in fact he probably won't. I read this verse as, "He will give you the desires He wants you to have and then fulfill them."

Why white??????

Some where between pasting the text and posting, the punctuation marks go wacky-doodle. I noticed the same wacky punctuation on another post here.

Reading 6
KNOW FOR A CERTAINTY
Genesis 15–17

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Gen. 15:1).

Faith is far more than mere hope that something unlikely may happen. It is a deep, internal certainty, rooted in our trust of what God has said. We return to the life of Abram, where we gain vital insights that can enrich our personal faith in God.

Overview

Childless Abram believed God’s promise that he would have a son, but asked how he could know (15:1–8). God entered into a binding covenant with His servant so he might “know for certain” (vv. 9–13). Yet on Sarai’s urging, Abram fathered a son with her maid, Hagar, leading to family conflict (16:1–16). Fourteen years later God renewed the promise and changed Abram’s name. The 100-year-old Abraham trusted God to give him a child through Sarah, and on God’s command circumcised his household as a sign of faith in the covenant promises (17:1–27).

Understanding the Text
“I am your reward” Gen. 15:1. The bumper sticker on my van says “Fishing isn’t a matter of life and death—it’s more important than that.” Here Abram was reminded that really, a relationship with God is what life is all about. God Himself was Abram’s shield and reward. All Abram had or hoped for was centered in the person of his God.

God is all we have too, and all our hopes are centered in Him. Faith in God’s promises helps keep us focused on the Lord.

“Abram believed God” Gen. 15:2–6. Despite the fact that he was growing older and was still childless, Abram believed God’s promise of countless offspring. The Bible says God “credited it [his faith] to him as righteousness.” We cannot offer God a sinless life. We have all fallen short, and will fall short again. All we can do is trust God and have confidence in His promise. In grace God accepts our faith—and writes “righteous” beside our name.

“How can I know?” Gen. 15:7–21 Abram did believe, but he wanted to know. God was not upset. Rather, God had Abram prepare the most binding of all forms of ancient covenants, the “covenant of blood.” Hebrews 6:17–18 tells us that God took this action “because [He] wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised.” So He “confirmed it [His promise] with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.” We believe. Because God is totally committed to us, we also know.

“Know for certain” Gen. 15:13. God knows and is in full control of the future. On this basis we, like Abram, need have no doubts when the Lord reveals His intentions to us. Abram knew on the basis of God’s word alone. We know, not only because God is the One who speaks to us, but because we can look back, as Abram could not, on fulfilled prophecy. The 400 years in Egypt, the slavery imposed on Abram’s descendants, the punishment of Egypt, and the Exodus deliverance are history today. Everything happened just as God said it would.

We do believe. And we do know.

“Perhaps I can build a family” Gen. 16:1–16. In biblical times, bearing children was viewed by women as giving meaning to their lives. Abram had believed God’s promise, but as the years passed and no children came, Sarai became impatient. Finally she urged Abram to impregnate her maid, Hagar.

According to the customs of those times this was not an immoral act. It was a recognized way to provide a childless wife with children she would then call her own. But in this case, Sarai—and Abram—made a tragic mistake. The error is expressed in Sarai’s thought, “Perhaps I can build a family.”

How foolish, when God had said He would build Abram’s family! And how foolish of us when we try to do God’s work in our own strength, or insist on imposing our timing rather than wait for the Lord to act.

“She despises me” Gen. 16:5. Sarai’s venture in self-effort turned out badly. Hagar did become pregnant. But Hagar then had, and showed, contempt for her mistress! Since she was pregnant by Abram, it was clear that the couple’s childlessness was Sarai’s fault.

Sarai hadn’t expected this result when she ventured out on her own. That’s our problem too. When we try to do things in our own way or in our own strength, things don’t turn out as we intend. The conflict that then dominated Abram’s tents reminds us to wait on God rather than going ahead without His guidance or direction.

Sarai reacted to Hagar’s contempt with predictable hostility. Again, according to ancient custom, Sarai had full authority over her servant. She used it to mistreat Hagar. Hagar finally ran away, returning only when God promised that He would bless the child she carried.

And so, when Abram was 86, his son Ishmael was born, only to become the ancestor of those Arab nations which live, even today, in perpetual hostility toward the descendants of Sarah, the Jews.

“Your name will be Abraham” Gen. 17:1–22. Names were especially important in biblical times. They were intended to make a statement about the character or essential identity of the person or thing named. Abram’s name meant “father,” and he was childless! What a burden that name must have been.

Now God appeared to him, and told him he was to be called “Abraham,” which means “father of many” or “father of a multitude”! Imagine, if you will, the snickers as, the morning after his conversation with God, the 100-year-old man announced to all his servants that, from now on, they were to call him “Abraham”!

Abraham’s assumption of his apparently ridiculous name was another measure of his faith. Abraham was willing, as Noah had been, to be “a fool for God.”

If you or I ever feel foolish when trying to please God, let’s remember that name, Abraham. And let’s remember too that Abraham was vindicated. Today he is honored by all as the spiritual father of a multitude beyond our capacity to count.

“He laughed” Gen. 17:17. Abraham’s first reaction to the divine statement that his wife Sarah would bear a child was laughter. It seemed so incredible.

But God stated again, “Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.” And Abraham believed.

You and I are seldom asked to believe the incredible. Or to follow a course of action that involves great risk. But when we are, we can remember that God’s incredible promise to Abraham and Sarah was fulfilled. What God says He will do, He can do. And what God tells us to do, He is able to do through us.

“Every male among you shall be circumcised” Gen. 17:10–14. Circumcision is a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his descendants through Isaac. It was intended to demonstrate faith. Those Jews who in the coming millenniums considered their relationship with God through Abraham important would have themselves and their sons circumcised.

Christians have no single practice that is analogous to circumcision. But there are ways in which we can show that relationship with God is important to us. Our faithfulness at church. Our consistency in reading God’s Word. Our commitment to prayer. Our willingness to share the Good News of Jesus with others. Our generosity in giving. Our attempts to put what we learn from God into practice. None of these is the reality. None in itself establishes or maintains our relationship with the Lord. But each, like circumcision, is a sign. Each is a way we can express the fact that our relationship with God truly is important to us.

Reading 5
LEAVING FOR CANAAN
Genesis 12–14

"€œSo Abram left, as the Lord had told him" (Gen. 12:4).

The focus in Genesis now shifts from the race as a whole to a single man, Abram. The rest of the Old Testament is about Abram and his descendants. Abram is both a historical figure and an exemplar. We are to see in his faith response to God the key to a personal relationship with the Lord, which all are invited to experience in Jesus. Looking into Abram'€™s life provides insights for us that can transform our own walk with God.

Overview

Abram was given six promises, and then traveled to Canaan (12:1-€“9). His early adventures revealed both Abram'€™s personal weaknesses (vv. 10:€“20) and his great strengths of character and faith (13:1-€“14:24).

Understanding the Text



“I will” Gen. 12:1–3, 7. The theme of gracious promise continues, as God told Abram what He would do. There is no hint of conditions here. Abraham had demonstrated his faith by obeying God’s command to leave his homeland (12:1). Now God was free to shower unconditional gifts on His servant.

Some of the six promises to Abram have been kept. Others have implications that extend into the future. The six are:


I will make you a nation (12:2).
Abram fathered the great Hebrew and Arab peoples.


I will bless you (12:2).
Abram lived a full, rich life.


I will make your name great (12:2).
Jews, Christians, and Muslims honor Abraham as founder of their faiths.


You will be a blessing (12:2).
The Scripture and the Saviour came through Abraham.


I will bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you (12:3)
Nations have risen and fallen in accord with their treatment of the Jewish people.


To your offspring I will give this land (12:7).
This promise is viewed as the Jews’ title deed to Israel.


As God made great commitments to Abram, so He makes commitments to all who exhibit Abram’s trust in the Lord.

Ur of the Chaldeans Gen. 11:28. Excavations at Ur reveal that Abram chose to leave a wealthy city, then at the height of its power and influence. Gold sculptures and inlaid harps reflect Ur’s culture. Mighty city walls and public buildings reflect its strength. Records of business transactions reveal its prosperity. Let’s not suppose that Abram was some poor wanderer living in a tent when he heard God’s voice. He was a wealthy man, living in a city with almost modern sanitation and with houses constructed to cool hot summer air.

Yet the text says “so Abram left” (12:4). He did not know where he was going. But even at 75 years of age Abram was willing to go to a land God said “I will show you” (v. 1).

In a sense our relationship with God follows this same pattern. God calls us to abandon our concern with what the world holds dear, and set out on a personal journey of faith. Our guide on this journey is God’s own Word. What sustains us is the conviction that each day God will show us our next step. Like Abram, Christians who view life as a journey of faith can never settle down or call earth’s cities “home.” In the words of Hebrews 11:16, we are “longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” We know that God has “prepared a city” for us, and that the heavenly city is our true and only home.

“Abram went down to Egypt” Gen. 12:10. God had led Abram to Canaan. But when a famine struck that land, Abram went to Egypt to live. There is no hint here of divine guidance. What we sense is Abram’s fear and doubt as the drought in Canaan grew severe.

We need to remember that difficulties do not release us from obedience. Sometimes God wants us to remain where we are and trust Him through the dry times in our lives. We need a more direct word from God than circumstances can provide to show us His will.

“Say you are my sister” Gen. 12:11–20. Abram had faith. Yet like all of us, Abram too was flawed by sin. On the border of Egypt Abram asked Sarai to pass herself off as his sister. Fear motivated Abram to lie and, even more awful, to put his wife Sarai at risk. God delivered Abram in spite of these actions. And from Scripture’s totally honest portrayal of Abram’s weakness, we learn several important lessons.

· Even those with great faith can fail. Let’s not be shocked at our own or at others’ weaknesses.

· Personal failures affect others. What we do and are always has its impact on those around us.

· Only God can redeem our failures. Never let guilt or shame turn you away from God. He is the only One who can help.

· God does not abandon us when our weaknesses betray us. God can and will intervene for us when we turn to Him.

“Lot went with him” Gen. 13:1–18. Genesis 13 and 14 display Abram’s great character strengths, even as 12:10–20 display his weaknesses.

The first strength is shown in his relationship with his nephew, Lot. When the herds of each man increased so much they had to part company, the older Abram gave Lot his choice of the land. By rights first choice belonged to the elder. That Abram did not demand his rights showed a noncontentious spirit that has great value in God’s sight (2 Tim. 2:24).

Lot chose “the whole” of the well-watered plains, leaving his uncle only drier hill country. The choice was selfish. It may have appeared “good business.” But these plains were dominated by Sodom and Gomorrah, which had a population already noted for wickedness. Later, when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, all of Lot’s wealth would be destroyed along with the two cities (Gen. 19:15). Abram’s selflessness assured his future. Lot’s selfishness assured his doom.

God rewarded Abram with a reminder. All he could see in every direction from his position atop the hills was given to him and to his offspring—forever. Lot’s momentary possession of the richest land paled to insignificance when compared to the covenant promise made by Abram’s God.

“They carried off Lot” Gen. 14:1–16. Archeologists have traced the route taken by military forces traveling from the north into Palestine. Many armies marched south to attack the cities of Syria-Palestine even in the centuries before the events described here.

A consortium of four kings attacked and defeated Sodom and Gomorrah, and carried off all their goods and food as booty. In early biblical times most warfare involved raiding for booty rather than an attempt to invade and control additional area. Lot and his goods were carried away with those of the other residents of Sodom. When Abram heard, he mustered his own small force and pursued. Attacking at night, Abram routed the larger enemy force and freed not only Lot but also the others.

Here Abram displayed the traits of loyalty and courage.

Melchizedek, king of Salem Gen. 14:18–20. Biblical names often have great significance. Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and Salem means “peace.” The text says this king was a “priest of the Most High God,” one of the descriptive names the Old Testament uses in speaking of the Lord.

Even though Abram must have been aware of his own significance as one called by God and given unique promises, Abram accepted the blessing offered by Melchizedek. This act speaks of Abram’s humility, for in Old Testament times the greater person blessed the lesser, and to offer a blessing involved an implicit claim of superiority. In this we see another of Abram’s strengths: he remained humble despite his special relationship with God.

The New Testament treats Melchizedek as a theophany, a visible representation of God as a human being. Only Jesus, with a human nature supplied by a human mother, has a claim to be God enfleshed.

The Book of Hebrews sees Melchizedek as the model for Jesus’ unique priesthood. The Old Testament is silent both about Melchizedek’s origin and demise. With typical rabbinical insight, the author of Hebrews argues that Christ, whose origin is in eternity and who will now never die, is a Priest “in the order of” this person rather than in the line of levitical priests established by Moses.

“I will accept nothing belonging to you” Gen. 14:21–24.When the king of Sodom offered Abram the booty he had won back from the invading kings, Abram refused. His reason is clearly stated. He would accept nothing, lest people later say that the men of Sodom had made Abram rich. In this Abram had in view the glory due to God. Abram wanted only that which came so unmistakably from God’s hand that others would be forced to say, “God has blessed His servant.”

This is yet another of Abram’s great strengths. He now was ready to depend fully on the Lord, and to give God the glory for any blessings he might receive.

We can appreciate these strengths in Abram’s character and turn to him as a model of unselfishness, loyalty, courage, humility, dependence on God, and readiness to publicly give God glory for what He does in our lives.

DEVOTIONAL

As the Lord Told Him
(Gen. 12:1–9)

More than one commentator has suggested that God’s promises to Abram were conditional promises. They say that the condition was obedience to God’s call to leave Ur. After all, if Abram had not left, none of the things God promised could have come true.

This view distorts both the biblical text and a vital truth about the spiritual life. God’s promises are not activated by our obedience. Our obedience is activated by the promises of God.

Sometimes you and I make the mistake of thinking that God is like the electrical wiring in our houses. There is tremendous power in those electrical wires. And you and I are the ones who cause the power to work! We activate the power by flipping a light switch, turning on a TV, or pushing in the control knob on our clothes washer. God too has tremendous power. And some Christians assume that they can turn that power on and off by what they do. If they flip the right switch, God acts. If they turn the dial to the right channel or push the control into the right setting, God will come through on call. But this is not what happens in our lives at all!

What happens is that faith establishes a relationship with God, the ultimate source of power. Faith maintains that relationship. It is an active trust in God and His promises that causes us to obey.

We see it so clearly in Abram’s life. Because Abram believed God’s promises, he abandoned Ur and its wealth to live a nomadic life in a new land. The promise of God activated Abram’s obedience. His obedience did not activate the promises.

Later, in the land, Abram took his eye off the promises and became afraid. He feared the famine, and he feared what might happen if the Egyptians saw and wanted his beautiful wife. Because Abram forgot the promises, he disobeyed. Yet even then God was faithful to His commitment! He got Abram out of the mess his departure from Canaan and his lies had created, and brought Abram safely back to the Promised Land.

There Abram again fixed his gaze on the promises. He was unselfish in his relationship with Lot because he believed God had granted him the whole land. He was loyal and courageous because he believed God’s promise to bless him. He was humble because he knew that with God on his side he had nothing to prove. He was unwilling to take the wealth offered by the king of Sodom because he wanted all to see clearly that God alone was the source of all the good that he received.

It was the promise, and faith in the promise, that freed Abram not only to obey God, but also to become the unselfish, loyal, courageous, humble, and straightforward kind of person we can all admire.

It must be this way with you and me too. We can keep on thinking that we must do this or do that to merit God’s favor—and wonder why, when we push the right buttons, the power doesn’t flow. Or we can simply keep our eyes fixed on God and on His promises to us, and let His overflowing grace enable us to obey.

Personal Application

“Lord, as I keep my heart fixed on You and Your promises to me, make me the kind of individual that Abram became.”

Quotable

“Often, actually very often, God allows His greatest servants, those who are far advanced in grace, to make the most humiliating mistakes. This humbles them in their own eyes and in the eyes of their fellowmen. It prevents them from seeing and taking pride in the graces God bestows on them or in the good deeds they do, so that, as the Holy Spirit declares: ‘No flesh should glory in the sight of God.’”

Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort

This is a question I have pondered over for quite a while. Our average life span is increasing in many parts of the world but do not come near those of the folks named in Genesis. In Gen 11:10-26 we see 200+ years. As time went on these life spans decreased with a few notable exceptions. Couples were having babies in their 90's. Is it beause when God created Adam he was immortal (to a degree) sin caused him to experience death. Did it just take time for that divine nature we were created with to be slowly destroyed by our sinful natures??

This is one of those useless questions, but then I like useless facts also.

A little early to make for being so late.

Reading 4
NEVER AGAIN
Genesis 9–11

“I now establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature” (Gen. 9:9–10).

Noah and his sons carried the seed of sin with them into the new world. But now God introduced another theme which, with that of Creation, sin, and judgment, echoes through the Old Testament. It is the theme of promise; of a divine commitment to human beings made despite what we are rather than because of what we are.

Overview

God permitted man to prey on the animal kingdom, but not on other human beings (9:1–7). He made the rainbow a sign of His promise never again to cut off all life by a flood (vv. 8–17). Yet the act of Noah’s son Ham shows that sin was still imbedded in human nature (vv. 18–29). The roots of ancient nations are traced (chap. 10), and the origin of differing languages explained (11:1–9). A genealogy draws attention to a man who will be pivotal in God’s grand plan of redemption—Abraham (vv. 10–32).

Understanding the Text
“I will surely demand an accounting” Gen. 9:1–6. In this brief but critical paragraph, God makes society responsible for individual behavior. Men are responsible to enforce God’s prohibition against murder. The words “whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” supports proponents of capital punishment by commanding society to execute murderers. The rationale, “For in the image of God has God made man,” is stated. Human life is of such ultimate value that no lesser penalty for taking life can signify how important each individual truly is.

The same paragraph lays the foundation for human government. Lesser powers (such as making regulations that promote well-being) are implied in the “accounting” God requires of us for punishing murderers.

This is me.
For anyone thinking that jesus abolished the death penalty for murderers, please hold onto that tought until later in the year when we get to the Gospels.

Covenant Gen. 9:9. This vitally important Old Testament word indicates a formal, legally binding commitment. God’s promise to never again destroy all life with a flood was not lightly made.

“Saw his father’s nakedness” Gen. 9:22. Here the NIV interprets. The Hebrew original reads “uncovered his father’s nakedness.” Just what this phrase suggests is uncertain, but the seriousness with which Genesis treats the event indicates that Ham did more than catch a glimpse of an uncovered body. The delicacy with which Shem and Japheth treated their father (vv. 23–24) is a reminder to us of the modesty with which Scripture treats sexual matters.

“Cursed be Canaan” Gen. 9:24–27. The “curse” uttered here did not cause Canaan’s future condition, but predicted it. Old Testament curses and blessings are often predictive, though pagan peoples considered curses magical utterances which could cause harm to enemies.

There is no suggestion here that Canaan participated in his ancestor Ham’s act. Yet the moral flaw seen in Ham developed through the centuries into the gross immorality practiced by the Canaanites, who practiced ritual prostitution by both sexes as a part of their religion.

Let’s open our lives totally to the cleansing power of God. He can remove even the small flaws that might otherwise be magnified in the lives of our children.

“This is the account” Gen. 10:1–32. Genesis uses both language and land areas to identify ancient peoples. While exact identification is difficult now, many of these names of peoples and nations have been found on ancient inscriptions.

“Settled there” Gen. 11:1–4. Most agree that the tower built at Babel was a ziggurat, a stepped structure which in ancient times was often topped by a temple. Perhaps the words “reaches to the heavens” implies the early institution of idolatrous worship. Yet the text suggests a different sin. The tower was to be a symbol of racial unity, so man should “not be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (v. 4). But God had specifically told Noah and his sons to “fill the earth” (9:1–7). It may have seemed like a little thing. Yet it was important to God’s plan for man to multiply. Here too is a lesson for us. All that God says to us is important. We need to be sensitive to every command.

Me back again:
Here is a question. A group is set a task to go out and witness to every person on specific streets. John goes to the first 5 houses on his street and is able to witness and is rewarded with five families giving their lives to Christ. James and 5 others go to each and every house on their assigned streets and are disappointed with no conversions and many doors slammed in their faces. Who does God bless?

OK not me anymore.

“Confuse their language” Gen. 11:5–9. What an indication of God’s sense of humor. Can you imagine the next morning, one of the workers saying, “Hand me another brick, will you?” And his friend hearing, “Xpul Kodlyeme kakkadoke, seppulvista?” And can’t you see the people, milling about in search of others they can talk with and understand? Soon the speakers of different languages found each other, and each group drifted away to settle in its own territory. In this gentle way “the Lord scattered them over all the earth.”

God often responds this way to our disobedience. He sends no lightning bolt, causes no great suffering. Instead He gently and sometimes humorously changes the direction of our lives.

It’s hot in Dallas in the summer. One young couple, feeling a call to the ministry, enrolled in the seminary I attended. They arrived in August, and were greeted by a heat wave in which temperatures reached 112 degrees. After two days, the young man’s “call” melted away, and they left town. How God must have chuckled. Like the confusion of tongues, His heat wave had “scattered” a couple who were not where they were supposed to be.

Perhaps you can look back too and see gentle ways God has redirected your life. How gracious God is. How good God is not to break out in anger every time we wander from His intended path.

“Became the father” Gen. 11:10–32. Genealogy was vitally important to the Hebrews. In Hebrew genealogies “became the father” often means “was an ancestor of.”

Also, Hebrew genealogies often skip generations, just naming significant ancestors. There is no way to tell from genealogies like this how many generations or how long a time passed from the first person named in a list to the last. Instead the genealogy points us to the truly important persons in Bible history, here preparing us to meet Abraham.

If you are looking for a perfect man, sorry He sacrificed Himself and sits at the right hand of the Father and will come back someday to take us all home. Christians screw up and sin and don't always follow God's Word or Plan. Paul admitted numerous times of this very problem in himself. Finding it easier to do what is wrong than what is right.

A man or woman who will accept nothing less than perfction in others is going to be very lonely. As that great philosopher Groucho Marx said, "I would not join any club who would accept someone like me."

Sorry for the delay. 2 things on was dog o the vet and the other was internet.

Reading 3
THE CLEANSING FLOOD
Genesis 6–8

“I will wipe mankind… from the face of the earth” (Gen. 6:7).

The bright promise of God’s original Creation had been blighted by human sin. Now Genesis introduced a theme which echoes throughout Scripture. God is moral judge of His universe. God will not shrink from His responsibility. God will surely punish those who sin.

Overview

Freed from restraint, men dedicated themselves to evil, and a saddened God determined to cleanse the earth (6:1–8). Noah, earth’s sole righteous man, obeyed God’s command to construct a gigantic ship (vv. 9–22). After Noah’s family and breeding stock entered this ark, God caused a Flood which wiped out all other people and animals (7:1–24). A year later Noah’s family emerged on a cleansed earth (8:1–20). After Noah worshiped, God promised not to destroy all life again—until the day of final judgment (vv. 20–22).


This next part is me.
It is an interesting fact that there have been fish fossils found way up high in mountains in different places.

Understanding the Text



“Nephilim” Gen. 6:4. The meaning of the term is uncertain. Some take it to mean giants, produced by a union of fallen angels (“sons of God” being His direct creations) and human women. While verses 1–2 and 4 are obscure, the thrust of the passage is clear. Human wickedness reached new heights until “every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time” (v. 5).

DEVOTIONAL

Blameless among the People of His Time
(Gen. 6:9–22)

Noah is one of the most impressive men of the Bible. He lived in a totally corrupt society. Yet he himself was committed to godliness and succeeded in living a blameless life. Even more impressive is the fact that when told by God to build a giant ship in a time when rain was unknown (2:6), Noah immediately set out to do so!

Noah and his sons cut and shaped ton upon ton of beams to form a keel and skeleton. They sawed uncounted thousands of planks for siding. They planted, gathered, and stored crops to serve as food for themselves and the animals God would bring when His time was right. And all the time they must have suffered the ridicule of their neighbors, who came to listen to and scoff at mad Noah’s predictions of water about to fall from the sky and destroy them all.

How long did Noah and his sons labor? Genesis 6:3 tells us. When God made His decision to judge, mankind was given 120 years. It was during that time Noah and his sons accomplished their herculean tasks. And during all that time Noah bore the jokes made at his expense. He ignored the loud whispers he was intended to hear. And he kept on working, surrounded by the tittering laughter of his neighbors. Despite it all, Noah remained faithful. He had heard God speak. And Noah “did everything just as God commanded him.”

Chris, the teenage son of our pastor, Richard Schmidt, can understand the pressure on Noah. In the locker room he was ridiculed for his determination to remain sexually pure. “It’s what I believe,” he said, “and it’s what I’m going to do.”

Probably you can understand too. There are so many in our modern world who laugh at people who have heard God’s voice and try to do “everything just as God commanded.” Imagine! Noah knew just that pressure, from everyone, and for 120 years! Yet Noah remained faithful. And you and I can remain faithful too.

Peter gives us a special insight into what Noah’s faithfulness meant. Yes, Noah’s faithfulness to God’s word meant deliverance for himself and his family. But 1 Peter 3:19–20 suggests that by the agency of the Holy Spirit Christ Himself spoke through Noah in the long decades that “God waited patiently” for Noah to finish his assigned task.

How important our faithfulness is. As we like Noah bear up under the pressure brought on us, Christ by His Holy Spirit speaks through us to the very persons who laugh and doubt. And this time, they may respond!

Personal Application

Our faithfulness when others jeer speaks more powerfully than the words of the most gifted preacher the world has ever known.

Quotable

“Sin is first pleasing, then it grows easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed; then the man is impenitent, then he is obstinate, then he is resolved never to repent. And then he is ruined.”

Bishop Leighton

Me again. Sounds like some I know and me many years ago.

Since this single post topic is going to get really big. What if I post a new one each day and name it Bible (date). It would increase the number of posts but would also make it easier to see and comment if desired. Please feel free to comment, criticize, question, clarify. I don't want this to be a sermon, more of a discussion. It has been my experience that more is learned when people qustion what they don't agree with or undersand. All I ask is that we all be civil and respect each other's opinions regardless of what we think about them. Who was it who said "you can catch mor flies with honey than with vinegar"?

Jan 2
With everyone's approval, I will try and shorten the post by not including the actual verses from the Bible but only the commentary. That way ythe post will be shorter and easier to deal with. You can use any version of teh Scriptures that you are comfortable with and there are many free online bibles also.

Reading 2
THE ENTRANCE OF SIN
Genesis 3–5

“I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Gen. 3:10).

One of the great mysteries that puzzles philosophers is solved in Genesis 3. Sin is no unexplained remnant of humanity’s supposed rise from beastiality, but a heritage flowing from Adam’s fall. Yet the focus in these two chapters is not on the fact of sin, but on its consequences.

Overview

Eve succumbed to temptation and induced Adam to disobey God (3:1–6). Overcome by guilt and shame, the pair ran from the Creator God who loved them (vv. 7–10). God found them and explained the consequences of their act (vv. 11–20). God Himself offered history’s first sacrifice (v. 21) and led them from the Garden (vv. 22–24). Adam and Eve lived to see sin’s consequences in their own family as Cain killed his brother Abel (4:1–16). Lamech, Cain’s descendant, represents the sinful society that emerged (vv. 17–24).

Here lies the foundation of the Christian doctrine of “total depravity.” Man is not as bad as he can be. But mankind, separated from God, is as bad off as it can be.


I would like to insert a thought here. Adam was he head of the family and held the spiritual responsibility for the well being of that family. Eve succumbed to temptation but, adam failed in his duty as head. I think that if he had chastened his wife (not beat or verbally abuse). Then went before God with her at his side and confessed to God his own failure and that of his wife's we would not be in the dung heap we are today.

Understanding the Text



“He said to the woman” Gen. 3:1–6. Satan’s approach to Eve is a classic model of the reasoning that leads us into sin. God’s command not to eat of one tree in the Garden (2:17) established a standard. Satan attacked this standard in three ways.

Satan questioned the existence of the standard: “Did God really say?” (3:1)

Satan cast doubt on God’s motives for establishing the standard: “God knows that when you eat… you will be like God” (v. 5).

Satan denied the consequences of violating the standard: “You will not surely die” (v. 4).

Yesterday I saw a debate over pornography on CNN’s “Crossfire,” and saw Satan’s arguments marshalled once again. An ACLU lawyer ridiculed the idea that even gross pornography is wrong. He claimed censorship of pornography would deny readers their rights and pleasures. And he claimed that no harm would come through filling the mind with pornographic images.

Our only protection against evil is the belief which Eve abandoned. We must affirm what God has said. We must be convinced that His standards are not intended to deny us pleasures but to protect us from harm. And we must realize that tragic consequences will follow violating God’s standards of right and wrong.

“Die” Gen. 3:4. In the Bible “death” is an all-encompassing term. It describes the end of biological life. But it also describes man’s psychological, social, and spiritual state. When God warned Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit, He explained, “When you eat of it you will surely die.”

Adam’s sin brought “death” in all four of its meanings. Biologically the process of aging began when Adam sinned; a process that led to the death of the first pair and to the physical death which stalks every human being now. Psychologically Adam and Eve were stricken with guilt and shame, expressed here in their sense of nakedness (3:7). Socially Adam and Eve were set at odds, blaming each other for their act. The harmony they had known was broken by strife (vv. 11–13). Spiritually Adam and Eve were alienated from God, and this created a sense of fear. The God of love had suddenly become an object of terror (vv. 8–10).

No human being is as bad as he or she might be. But all human beings, the victims of sin’s legacy of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual death, are as bad off as they could be.

We’re familiar with all these aspects of what the Bible calls “death.” Each is a witness—a billboard—announcing loudly that sin is a reality with which we must deal.

“They sewed fig leaves together” Gen. 3:7. The phrase portrays man’s first, futile effort to deal with sin. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves. Yet they knew their attempt to deal with sin was a failure. How do we know? When Adam and Eve heard God nearby, “they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the Garden” (v. 8). Try as we may to deal with sin by our own efforts, deep down we human beings retain a sense of guilt and shame that witnesses to our lost condition. There never has been, and never will be, a human being saved by his or her own works.

“God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife” Gen. 3:21. This simple statement is filled with symbolic significance. It is referred to as “history’s first sacrifice.” God Himself took the life of an animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve.

Note that God made the garments. We cannot deal with sin. God Himself must act.

Note that blood was shed. Here, as in Mosaic Law’s system of sacrifices, several lessons are taught. Sin merits death. Yet God will accept the death of a substitute. There was no merit in the blood of bulls and goats slain on ancient altars. Animal sacrifice was God’s visual aid, preparing humanity to recognize in the death of Christ on Calvary a substitutionary sacrifice that does take away sins.

“God banished him from the Garden” Gen. 3:23. Driving out Adam and Eve was an act of grace, not of punishment. The first pair was banished lest they “take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” It would have been horrible beyond imagination for Adam and Eve to have lived on through the millenniums, forced to witness the wars, the injustice, the suffering that flowed from their original act of sin. How appropriate Isaiah’s words might have been, engraved over the forbidden entrance to Eden: “The righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death” (Isa. 57:1–2).

“Cain was very angry” Gen. 4:1–16. Adam and Eve could not avoid observing this evidence of the spiritual death they unleashed on their descendants. When God accepted the sacrifice of Abel and rejected Cain’s offering, Cain was filled with anger. Cain lured his brother “out to the field,” where he attacked and killed him!

What a heartrending experience for Adam and Eve! One dearly loved son killed by another. And they knew that ultimately the fault was theirs! Adam and Eve had themselves introduced into history the sin that expressed itself in Cain’s hostility and murderous act.

The story of Cain and Abel raises several questions. Why did God reject Cain’s offering? The rabbis concluded that Cain offered God rotting fruit. A better explanation is that Abel, in making a blood sacrifice, followed a prescription that God had given Adam and Eve when He first clothed them in skins. In offering produce Cain suggested that his best was good enough to offer God. God’s reminder, “If you do what is right” (v. 7), supports this interpretation. Cain knew the right way to approach God, but was unwilling to do so.

Why did Cain kill Abel? Anyone who sins and refuses to accept responsibility is likely to seek a scapegoat and be hostile toward that person. The truly good person is most likely to attract the hostility of the wicked, for his or her very goodness reminds the wicked of their sin.

Where did Cain get his wife? If Adam and Eve were the only humans, and Cain and Abel their only children, where could Cain obtain a wife? The answer, of course, is that Cain and Abel were not Adam and Eve’s only children. Genesis 5:4 says they “had other sons and daughters.” Cain and Abel are the only two mentioned in Genesis 4 simply because the story is about them! We can assume from 5:4 that a rather large community of Adam’s children, and perhaps even his children’s children, existed before Cain attacked his brother.

All these questions, however, divert us from the emphasis the writer of Genesis intends. The death that God announced would follow disobedience has struck not only Adam and Eve, but has been inherited by their children! Sin has corrupted the race of man, and we all live with the tragic consequences of Adam’s fall.

“I have killed a man for wounding me” Gen. 4:23. Genesis 4 continues to trace the consequences of sin. A descendant of Cain named Lamech violated the divine order for society by marrying two women. He then justified murder, explaining that the man he killed had wounded him. One woman was no longer viewed as a man’s partner, but women had become subservient, objects for a man to use. Injustice was rationalized, and murder was viewed by the proud as fair recompense for insult. In this passage we see society itself being torn from its moral foundations.

There is more than a touch of irony here. Genesis 4:19–22 describes achievements of Lamech’s sons. One gained control over the animal kingdom (v. 20). Another introduced those aesthetics we humans associate with “culture” (v. 21). Another learned to wrest metals from the earth and shape them to man’s use (v. 22). Is there any invention, are there any heights, that humanity cannot achieve?

Today we live in an amazing world. We send men to the moon, unmanned probes to distant planets. We focus radiation to destroy cancer cells, and flood the market with medicines that prolong life. We fill the airwaves with music, hurtle along highways in machines that are complex beyond our ability to understand. Yet despite all our achievements in the material universe, our society remains marred by suffering and sin. Cigarette companies responsible for the early deaths of 380,000 persons a year freely promote their product. The drunk and drug-impaired crash those complex machines into other human beings. Major free-world corporations help terrorist nations to construct chemical warfare plants. Child abuse and murder, wars and rumors of wars, fill the pages of our newspapers. Yes, man can achieve wonders in the material world. But humanity is spiritually dead, unable to overcome the pull of sin or to avoid its awful consequences. Again, we are not as bad as we might be. But, without God, we remain as bad off as we could be.

All this is taught and demonstrated in Genesis 3 and 4.

I will not post one tomorrow AM since I already did. I see there is some work to be done in polishing up the copy/paste discrepencies. God Bless all who read this and have a Happy and Joyous New Year.

Here is a sample of what to expect. First is the raw verse and then the commentary. The Bible used is the American Standard Version, you might ask "why this one". Simple it is the one that Parsons Technology chose to link to the commentary so it is easier to share with others.

Genesis 1
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: 15and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. 23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: 30and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so. 31And God

Genesis 2
1And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.

4These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven. 5And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground; 6but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. 11The name of the first is Pishon: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him. 19And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him. 21And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: 22and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis



Introduction

Genesis is the first of five books written by Moses during the Exodus period, about 1450–1400 b.c. Using as sources direct revelation from God and the written and oral traditions of his people, Moses surveyed history from the Creation to his own day.
Outline of Contents
I. God’s Dealings with the Human Race Gen. 1–11
A. Creation Gen. 1–2
B. The Fall Gen. 3–5
C. The Flood and aftermath Gen. 6–11
II. God’s Dealings with Abraham’s Family Gen. 12–50
A. Abraham Gen. 12–25
B. Isaac Gen. 22–27
C. Jacob and Esau Gen. 25–36
D. Joseph Gen. 37–50

The Book of Genesis is divided into two parts. Genesis 1–11 tells of God’s dealings with the whole human race from Creation to the time of Abraham, about 2100 b.c. Genesis 12 introduces a vital theme. God makes a covenant with one man and with his descendants. God will work through this man, Abraham, and his family, Israel, to reveal himself to humanity and ultimately to provide a salvation available to all.

Overview

God created the heavens and the earth (1:1). The orderly process described here moves from formation of a unique setting for life (vv. 3–19), to populating earth with animal life (vv. 20–25), to the creation of beings in God’s own image (vv. 26–27). Man, the crown of the completed Creation, is destined for dominion (vv. 28–31). Genesis 2 returns to examine more closely these beings intended to be the crown of God’s Creation.

Understanding the Text



Create Gen. 1:1. The Hebrew word bara’ does not mean to “make something out of nothing.” It means to begin or originate a sequence of events. Genesis affirms that God is the cause of all that exists. God, not chance, originated all life and uniquely shaped human beings. Contemplating God as Creator is a source of great comfort.

“Formless and empty” Gen. 1:2. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that, left alone, any system will decay. Yet our earth contains life-forms that are highly organized and complex, far from the “formless and empty” state this universal law of nature predicts.

In Russia Dr. Boris P. Dotsenko, then head of the nuclear physics department in the Institute of Physics in Kiev, began to think seriously about the nature of the universe. “It suddenly dawned on me,” he wrote later, “that there must be a very powerful organizing force counteracting the disorganizing tendency within nature, keeping the universe controlled and in order. This force could not be material; otherwise it too would become disordered. I concluded that this power must be both omnipotent and omniscient. There must be a God—one God—controlling everything” (Larry Richards, It Couldn’t Just Happen [Fort Worth: Sweet, 1989], p. 17).

Later, in Canada for further studies, Dr. Dotsenko picked up a Bible. There he met the God he had decided must exist, and became a Christian.

“The first day” Gen. 1:5. Christians debate the implications of “day” in Genesis 1. Some believe “day” is used loosely to indicate an age. Others, noting the “morning and evening” mentioned in the text, conclude a 24-hour day is intended. Even here there is debate. Were the 24-hour days consecutive? Or might they have been separated by millions of years?

Scripture does little to satisfy our scientific curiosity. Why? Perhaps because it is “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb. 11:3). Even if the details were known, those without faith would scoff and still hold fast to their fancies.

But there is another reason as well.Genesis calls us to look beyond the material to the immaterial—beyond the Creation to the Creator. Nothing should distract us from the reflection of God that we see in what He has made.

“Let there be” Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, etc. All but one of God’s creative acts was accomplished by the simple expedient of speaking the word. The psalmist picks up this theme and cries, “He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps. 33:9). The echoes of God’s speech still are heard in the creation that then sprang into being. Psalm 19 says that “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” It adds that “there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard” (vv. 1–3).

Creation’s witness to the existence of God is a cornerstone of Paul’s argument that human beings have wandered far from God. In Romans 1:20–21 Paul says that “since the Creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” They are without excuse because “although they knew God, they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to Him.”

What a reminder for you and me. As we walk by the seashore, gaze in wonder at the stars, or smell the fragrance of a flower, we are to sense God speaking to us through His creation. And, seeing Him, we are to worship and give thanks.

“Let them rule” Gen. 1:26. The concept of dominion stated here is not a “right to use” but an “obligation to guard and protect.” Modern man’s responsibility for earth’s ecological well-being is stated here in Genesis, long before “advances” in modern science threatened the balance of nature.

“Let them rule” Gen. 1:26. The concept of dominion stated here is not a “right to use” but an “obligation to guard and protect.” Modern man’s responsibility for earth’s ecological well-being is stated here in Genesis, long before “advances” in modern science threatened the balance of nature.

“Good” Gen. 1:10, 12, etc. The Hebrew word used here has a wide range of meanings, from attractive and pleasing to beneficial and useful. God created our universe for a purpose. As it was originally constituted, the universe and all in it were ideally suited to display God’s glory and to accomplish His purposes. The tragedy of sin, introduced in Genesis 3, has warped original Creation. Even so, the beauty and value God invested in it can still be seen.

“Let Us” Gen. 1:26. Some suggest the plural word, Elohim, used here of God, is a “plural of majesty.” As human royalty at times speaks of “we” when “I” is intended, so God is said to refer to Himself as plural. Christians, however, see in this earliest expression evidence that Scripture’s one God exists in the three Persons fully unveiled only in the New Testament.

“A Garden in the east” Gen. 2:8. The Genesis description of Eden is significant. God not only designed Eden for beauty (v. 9), but also to occupy the time and the talents of the beings God intended to place in charge. The Garden reflects the fact that man truly does bear God’s image. Like God, Adam could accomplish meaningful work (v. 15). Like God, Adam had a capacity to create (v. 19). Like God, Adam also had freedom of moral choice (v. 16). God did not plant the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” to trap Adam, but to give him the opportunity to choose that which was right and good, even as God chooses to do good.

“Suitable helper” Gen. 2:20. The phrase does not imply inferiority, for the same Hebrew word (‘ezer) is used to identify God as man’s helper in Psalm 33:20 and several other passages. Surely God is not inferior to man because He offers us help!

Actually “suitable helper” teaches the full equality of women with men. It indicates that in Eve, in contrast with all in the animal kingdom, Adam found a being who fully shared his nature and thus could relate to Adam physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

“From the rib” Gen. 2:22–25. The Jewish rabbis early noted that the mode of woman’s creation is significant. If Eve had been made of the original clay, Adam might have viewed her as a secondary and inferior creation. By shaping Eve from Adam’s own substance, God affirmed the full identity of men and women as persons who bear the divine image. Adam saw the implications immediately and accepted them fully. Eve was welcomed as “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.”

What a lesson here for Christians to take to heart!


back to my words. As you can see this is quite an extensive post nd there are no replies or quotes. The previous is all from my copy of Quick Verse 2005. So it is not the latest and greatest.

I will try and get the current verses on line in the AM Central Time, along with a commentary. I will not add any thing of my own until a discussion comes up later. If for some reason I am unable to post a day I will make it up by doing a double. My ISP is not 100% reliable. If I am going to be gone I will try to remember to download he days to my Kindle so I can post.

I pray that it works. I did this about 3 years ago and it is selfish in a way because I have to do it not just for me. You folks are my compliance officers. I will be using the NASB and The 365-Day Devotional Commentary. The reason is simple, my copy of Quick Verse uses them and I can cut and paste

The only difficulty I see is that the single post is going to get really long especially if there is discussion also. Any ideas???? Do you think a separate post each day would work???? The title would just be Bible 1,Jan etc. I am open to any and all suggestions.

There was no Google in 1969

Is anyone intersted in doing a one year Bible reading in this forum? I have some excellent commentaries from Quick Verse that would facilitate the readng and would gladly post the verses for each day along with a partial commentary.

You can answer through this forum or to me directly. If enough are interested we would start 1, January 2014.

Mine is on my Kindle along with the bible. easier to carry.

Ditto

Las Fuentes, Jalisco
Morelia, Michuacan
Nuevo Laredo
Oaxaca
Puerto Punesco
Quiterra
Riberas
Sierra Leon
Tlachachilco

Kissimee, Fl