Genesis
Now we see the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah, the benchmark of all that is depraved.
v26. Carrying on from yesterday with what we often do when God warns us, here we see that Lot's wife looks back. This is one of the biggest dangers of the Christian life, that we return to our old way of life.
v31-36. Here we see how much the family had been corrupted by their time in Sodom, notice too how even though they had escaped, they seem to have obtained wine very quickly.
v36-38. Just like the descendants of Ishmael, the descendants of these sons will also become enemies of Israel.
Lot finishes up losing everything, all because of his love for the world. Heed the warning.
20:1-7. Here God intervenes to prevent Abimelech from interfering with God's plans. Sarah had not yet conceived, but as we see later was about to do so. Imagine the incredible doubt there would have been in the rest of Israel's history if sexual union had taken place.
11. Abraham's reply that he knew the fear of God was not in the place, was not actually true of himself. If he had feared the Lord in the true sense of trusting God for everything, he would not have taken some of the actions he did. He would not have trusted in his own efforts. Often we act ourselves in trusting God. It is a hard lesson to learn, I have painful experience & still live with consequences of my lack of faith & trust in God.
v17. Here is a demonstration of the new testament kingdom in operation. Here Abraham prays in the name of the Lord for healing.
21:9-10
Here are a couple of verses which actually give a nutshell answer to the trouble in the Middle East. It is all about inheritance, although it was God's plan for the inheritance to go through the line of Isaac. The descendants of Ishmael (the Arabs), feel that they have a claim to Israel as their inheritance.
Of course God still intended to bless those people & this is why Jesus came to bring salvation to both Jews & Gentiles.
Matthew
13-14. These 2 verses are quite profound. I think that these are verses which only the Holy Spirit can truly apply to us. Gates represent a way to enter into God's presence & these verses do not refer to the end of our lives but to our present life. I really wonder sometimes how easy salvation is - true it is purely by grace & not of ourselves, but to truly enter requires real effort & a complete change of heart & mind - that is true repentance. It is a seeking with all of our hearts, mind & will not just a bit. We can easily miss the gate is the message.
15-20. We are to bear fruit. That is why we are here. His kingdom brings fruit of lives set free. Unless we are truly born again we will not bear fruit
21-23 We can call ourselves Christians but yet be unknown by Jesus. These are some of the most frightening verses in the whole Bible. Unless we have a personal relationship (greater than that of our spouses or best friends) we will not be known by Him. This can only be developed by trusting in Him, making Him our Lord, doing His will & most importantly worshipping Him.' Do you truly have a personal relationship with Jesus?
24-29 A famous story but the importance is that only where we make Him Lord of our lives can we truly say we have the right & solid foundation. If we are off course, with Jesus not at the helm we are building on sand.
8:1-4. The law said that to touch a leper would make a man unclean. Here Jesus demonstrates the kingdom in that He touched the leper & healed Him. Jesus was here to set the captives free, He was not afraid to show compassion to what were in His day the outcasts of society.
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