Today, I’d like to zero in on just one verse: Genesis 30:22, “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.”
Let’s break this down.
Then God – When I read these two words together, I think that other events had to take place first, before God took action on Rachel’s behalf. The ten sons born to Leah and the two maidservants had to be before Joseph and later Benjamin were born to Rachel. There was a purpose to the waiting. If Joseph had been born before his brothers, he would have had more clout in the family and probably wouldn’t have been sold off as a slave by his brothers and ended up working in the house of Pharaoh.
Remembered Rachel – According to my Bible notes, “remember” doesn’t imply that God forgot. It implies that God expresses concern and He acts with loving care; He shows favor.
He listened to her – Apparently, Rachel never stopped asking God for a son. She believed that it was possible for God to grant her this request, even though many years had gone by.
So what does this mean to us?
God’s timing is perfect. More than likely something needs to take place before our heart’s desire becomes a reality. Maybe it’s a sequence of events or maybe it’s a change in attitude. Whatever it is, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing.
God hasn’t forgotten about you. “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Have Big Faith and keep talking to God. Keep seeking after Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Many Blessings,
-Bethany Ligon
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove August 1, 2016)
Reflection Questions
Looking back on your life can you think of a time when you discovered purpose in the waiting?
I have never seen a beautiful piece of wall art with the words “Family Isn’t Everything”. I’ve never seen it on a Mother’s Day mug or bookmark, t-shirt, keyring or tombstone. Rather, we are all very familiar with the motto “Family IS Everything”. Whether it’s from the Walmart aisles, Etsy and Pinterest sites or President Biden’s farewell address, we’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, we’ve lived it. It’s a societal norm or expectation. Those who can’t say Family Is Everything might have really really bad families or really screwed up priorities. OR – they just might be listening to and obeying God and working hard at keeping God and God alone first place in their life. I have a feeling we wouldn’t find Abraham wearing the “Family is Everything” t-shirt. And God blessed him for it.
No doubt Abraham loved and cherished the family that God gave to him. Can you imagine waiting 100 years for the child you could keep? Today’s reading also describes his heartache over losing/sending away his firstborn son Ishmael. Being a parent is hard. Being a godly parent is also not easy. But I am reminded, perhaps as Abraham was, of the purpose God had in giving Abraham a child which was recorded in yesterday’s reading. In Genesis 18:19 God said, “For I have chosenhim, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” In teaching Isaac to keep the way of the Lord, Abraham needed to live it out himself – not by doing what the world says is right (“family first”), but listening to and following through with what God says, even when we don’t understand why.
And Abraham did. When God said “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” – Abraham did – “and he rose early in the morning” and got moving. (Genesis 22:2,3 ESV). I admire not only his actions but his speed and timing in listening and obeying. He got going and followed through. He also had a three day journey in which he could have changed his mind, turned around and decided family is everything. But he didn’t. He continued onward to the exact place that God told him to go. At the start he knew he was heading toward the region of Moriah and God would tell him which mountain to go to. I read online that some say the mountain God sent Abraham to was Golgatha, in case you are looking for more foreshadowing and similarities between what God was asking Abraham to do and what He Himself (the loving, righteous and just God) would do for us with His only son whom He loved. Thankfully God did not let His perfect love for His perfect Son keep Him from offering Jesus up to save the guilty condemned, you and I. God’s t-shirt would not say “Family is Everything” but maybe more along the lines of, “I gave everything for my adopted family”.
But, one more point about this mountain that God sent Abraham to…for it was there that God had a great surprise hiding – a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And it was there that God provided for Abraham and Isaac in a very big way. If you haven’t read Genesis 22 yet today, please do. I am guessing God didn’t place a ram stuck on every mountain nearby just in case Abraham decided to end up at a different mountain than the one God told him to go to. Similarly, if we are looking for God to provide – let’s show up on the mountain He tells us to go to.
-Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
What does it look like when we live by “Family is Everything” and put family before God? What does it look like when we love the family God gave us dearly and set an example for them of being righteous before God and putting God first?
Is there anything you have tried to withhold from God? What does it mean to you that God did not withhold His Son?
Have you ever been upset God didn’t provide as you wanted Him to – and then realized you were in the wrong place to receive what He had all prepared and ready to give? Does it count to do most of what God says if you aren’t prepared to do all of what God says?
What do you think of Abraham? How do you think he earned the title “Friend of God”? Would you like to be known as a friend of God – could you honestly wear the “Friend of God” t-shirt? What specifically can you do today, this week, month and year to grow more and more like a true friend of God?
Husbands – don’t always listen to your wife – she doesn’t always know. Younger sisters – don’t always listen to your big sister – she doesn’t always know. What trouble we can get into when we follow the advice and direction of those who are trying to solve matters on their own without patiently relying on God’s perfect way and timing. Our reading today of Genesis 16-19 both opens and closes with women deciding how to take matters into their own hands (or into their maidservant’s hands) when they felt there were no other options available to get what they wanted – a child to carry on the family line and receive the family inheritance. Perhaps Sarai figured God needed her help to fulfill the promise God made that Abram would have a son. Maybe she thought she was wiser and knew the best way to get to the desired end result on her timetable. I don’t even want to guess about Lot’s daughters.
At the same time, I realize I am sometimes quick to judge and point fingers, when I sometimes don’t know the whole story and I am not chosen by God to be the judge and jury. For example, Lot’s willingness to offer up his virgin daughters to the lewd and dangerous mob at the door has always bothered me greatly. And maybe it should. And yet…in his second letter Peter writes that God, “rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7.8). Peter is giving Lot a bit (or a lot) more credit than I would have. And then I just read a study note in my ESV Archaeology Study Bible that “Lot may have been attempting to bring down the law on the heads of the culprits” (p39) as in many cultures of that day the punishment was death for a man caught lying with a betrothed virgin. I certainly hadn’t considered that possibility before.
Perhaps sometimes I am not as smart as I thought I was. Perhaps sometimes I work a little too hard to find a bad guy in the story? And yet, I DO need to try to be discerning. I do need to read God’s word to know more and more about who God is and who He wants me to be. So, what are some take aways that can help me know God and who He wants me to be?
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed as an example of what happens to the ungodly. (Peter says that, too, in 2 Peter 2). Don’t be Ungodly. There is a right way and a wrong way to live and there are consequences for both which God will bring about in His time and His way.
Humble Hospitality is Huge. Old man Abram is running to get dinner prepared with the finest ingredients for the visitors and then stands while they eat (your guests might think that part is weird – you can sit). Lot won’t take no for an answer and brings the visitors to his home to spend the night and is prepared to protect them with all he’s got. How can you practice some humble hospitality?
Our God is a God who sees. Hagar is right. God not only sees her and hears her but He speaks to her, He encourages her and He shows mercy and care for her AND for her unborn child. I do find it interesting it is not recorded that He tells Sarai what she did wrong (like I did) but there are several verses here devoted to making sure we know that God saw, heard, encouraged, directed and cared for Hagar and her child. Maybe the lesson for myself is don’t be so busy finding the wrong that you don’t do the right. Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?
God’s promise to Abram which we talked about yesterday continues to grow – now it is added that from Abram will come nations and kings, and even better, God will be their God and also Sarah (notice the little name change) will be blessed and from her will come her very own son and nations and kings. There is also that part about circumcision and Abraham walking faithfully, and being blameless and chosen to command his children and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. These are tied to God’s promises to His people. What does God want you to do to show that you are His?
Perhaps MOST importantly in these chapters and in our lives is the realization and understanding that there is NOTHING too hard for the Lord! In this case they are talking about 90 year old Sarah having a child with 100 year old Abraham. It seems impossible, because normally it is, but our God is not a human, He is not normal. He specializes in the impossible! Your needs are not too big for Him. Your case is also not too insignificant for Him. He is the God who sees and the God who has never and will never run into a project too hard for Him.
– Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
When have you felt seen by God? When did He show that nothing is too hard for Him? What problems are created when we don’t believe God sees or God can?
What does God want you to do to show that you are His? What does He promise to do for you?
Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?
The first 9 verses of Genesis 12 hold SO much promise! In fact, we’ve all heard of a lie that starts out small but just grows and grows – that’s bad. But, what about a TRUE promise from the Lord Almighty that starts out in verse one and just grows and grows and becomes one of the largest and very best promises in the world? Sometimes this is referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant.
In Genesis 12:1 the Lord calls Abram (whose name will be changed to Abraham in chapter 17) to leave his country and father’s house and family to go to a land that God himself will show to Abram. God is telling Abram to leave the known and comfortable and so much of what has been important to him thus far. But God says when Abram does this, God Himself will show Abram the land that God has already picked out and reserved for Abram. In the next two verses we see 7 promises given to Abram:
I will make of you a great nation
I will bless you
And make your name great
So you will be a blessing
I will bless those who bless you
And him who dishonors you I will curse
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3 ESV)
That’s a lot of promising promises! He is going to bless Abram in some big ways so that Abram can be a blessing to others, even to all the families of the earth! And God’s not done – He’s got even more good news for Abram. But first, Abram has to get moving. He has to believe the promise enough to start acting on it.
And he does. 75 year old Abram leaves his comfortable couch in Haran and starts out, not knowing where he is going or what the land will look like or when he will get there or what he will have to pass through to get there, but believing that when the Almighty gives His Word He is good for it and good will come of it. So, he moves out in search of the land God will show to him. I love that part! Sometimes decision making is hard and we find ourselves overthinking or second guessing so we don’t move at all. But God told Abram you get moving and I will show you the land! Maybe that means you go through some lands that aren’t the right fit and isn’t what God is saving up for you, maybe you try some ministries that give you more experience and empathy but aren’t where God is going to plant you. It is okay. It is part of the journey. You keep moving. You keep trusting your faithful God to show you when THIS is the land He chose for you.
Can you imagine all the feelings old, childless Abram who got moving and has just travelled about 550 miles from Haran and was now passing through the land of Canaan would experience in verse 7? “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ’To your OFFSPRING I will give THIS land.’” The promise just exploded and got so much larger! Not only was he now SEEING the land God had said He would show him, but now he also heard that he would somehow, someway yet have offspring?!? Abram’s response – he built an altar to worship the Lord, which also acts as a witness to others.
Sometimes we question God’s timing of the fulfillment of His promises. Is it now, God? When God showed Abram that this was WHERE, the question became WHEN. It wasn’t time for him to settle there, yet. But it was then also promised to his offspring, yet another great part of the promise.
It is good news for us that God does not take back his promise from Abram when Abram is less than perfect (telling less than the truth to try to protect himself in Egypt). In fact, it is after this that the promise has yet another amazing addition with some incredible implications for you and I. Genesis 13:14-16 (ESV) says: “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.’” Did you catch the NEW piece of the promise? It’s a little 7 letter word that never ends! This land would be given to Abram and his (as of yet non-existent) offspring that would become as numerous as the dust of the earth FOREVER! Abram’s response – he builds an altar to worship and witness and he settles into the land that God had promised and God had shown!
As beautiful as those chapters are – don’t miss chapter 15. Abram is having some doubts. How could all this be? Sure, it sounds great, but he still doesn’t have any offspring! How long God until your promise is fulfilled? The word of the Lord comes to Abram and it is the first recorded time the beautiful, comforting, often repeated phrase, “FEAR NOT!” appears in the Bible. Why do we fear not? Because God tells us HE is our shield and our very great reward! HE has given a very great promise and He is working out the details. He has chosen the land and He will show it to those who believe enough to get moving and in His perfect timing we will settle there and in His perfect timing we will see and cherish our offspring as numerous as the stars. Verse 16 is quoted 3 times in the New Testament: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” He believed. It doesn’t say he understood. He didn’t have to engineer the plan. He had to believe, and move, and let God show him the land.
Dear Lord, thank you for your promises that are always true and that just keep getting bigger and bigger. Please show me the land You have chosen for me to settle in – both now and when Jesus returns to set up Your Kingdom on this land. Help me get moving in the direction You have laid out. Thank you for the offspring you have blessed me with, help me also see and care for the spiritual offspring you have given. Help me worship You and be a witness to all You have already done and all You have yet to do. Thank you for being my shield and very great reward! Help me remember this so I do not fear but always believe in you and Your great Son. Thank you for your Word, and for keeping it FOREVER!
-Marcia Railton
Reflection Questions
1.When was the last time you made a covenant, a promise, or gave your word? Can your word be trusted? Can God’s word be trusted? How do you know? (Notice that God gave an example in Gen 15 of how trustworthy His word would be when he foretold the 400 years in Egypt and the exodus. Who do you think God included this information for?)
2. In what ways has God blessed you so that you can bless others?
3. What might have happened if Abram would have declined God’s offer and promise to show him a new land? Maybe he was just too comfortable in Ur, and then Haran? Maybe he had a project he wanted to finish? What if he loved his family too much to leave? What might be holding us back from setting out to find the land (or purpose or ministry or Kingdom) God has reserved for us? What might we miss out on if we stay where we are known and comfortable?
4. What similarities and differences can you find between God calling Abram which begins the Abrahamic Covenant and 2,000 years later Jesus calling the disciples at the start of the New Covenant? How are the two covenants connected? Now, 2,000 years after Jesus’ call, what do you feel you are being called to do? What part(s) of the Abrahamic and New Covenants are still being worked out by a faithful God? What land has God already shown you and what land are you waiting for your shield and very great reward to show you?
Students may feel time stands still, waiting the release of a school day, but where reality is truly suspended is at a school dance. I am no scientist, but I believe Albert Einstein must have been chaperoning teenagers when he discovered the theory of relativity. It isn’t just one thing that makes it feel like you are locked into an eternal session on “Cotton-Eye Joe” on a Friday afternoon, but the combination of the shouting, the music, the shouting, the running, the shouting, the smells, and the shouting, create a enormous sense of anticipation and longing for escape.
Today in our chronological study, we end up in a completely different book. Job is thought to historically settle in and around the time of Abraham, but there is room for debate. Personally, I like the fade to black, and the entry into another storyline. Multiple narratives, whether in our texts or as we edify one another today, demonstrate that God is working to bring all things to one conclusion or resolution, which indeed is our great joy as we consider his uniting Kingdom.
Conversely, the vast majority of Job’s story is within the walls of great suffering, where time seemingly stands still; the playlist is that of devastating loss. Job’s health, his wealth, and his family are stripped from him. He slowly and surely unpacks the persistence of physical and emotional pain, reminding us of the sovereignty of God: it is His prerogative to give and to take away.
Nonetheless, Job continues to seek joy and restoration with God, though time stands still in agonizing sorrow. Leaning, reclining, and collapsing on God are the only available avenues to move forward through the most intense trials and longest of sufferings. David says in Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” We long for security, satisfaction, and meaning, but the answer to these needs do not come from momentary allowances. We can only attain this through God, who freely gives this and more through Jesus Christ.
Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have abounding grace. Through trials of every kind we can receive joy and develop perseverance because we know that our narrative is only one of many, tied to a single storyline about our Savior. Though at times it feels like we will never move again, seeking God, we will be inspired to join in the conga-line with those before us who have died longing and waiting for their joy made complete.
Revelation 21:4 reminds us that eventually the noise and the music will stop, and we can finally go home – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Blessed be the name of the Lord! What great joy there is in eternity, to sustain us through the most taxing times where we feel the ticking of every second. We will be in the presence of God. We will be made perfect and whole. We will be reunited. Oh come, thou long expected Jesus.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
What has God given to you? What has He taken away? Why and how can you praise Him for both? What “negative” things has He also taken away for you?
Who or what else also shares responsibility for the suffering Job endures?
Who do you know who has suffered much and continues to praise the name of the Lord?
How can joy and perseverance grow in the face of trials, tears and suffering?
Have you downloaded and printed the 2025 SGL Chronological Reading Plan
If you have ever spent time in an airport terminal, you know how truly small the world can be. Travelers from all walks of life, zoom around in every direction. Despite differences in cultures, status, and language, there is a common purpose among all: a deep desire to get somewhere. While that “somewhere” might be to make a business deal, take a vacation, visit family, or relocate, each of us move to add value and meaning to our lives, to move to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
In Genesis 9, the world is a small place in a much different way. Those who survived the flood all belong to Noah’s family, who moved with a single purpose, obedience to the Creator. God restored the connection in a covenant with all of creation. A rainbow in the clouds became a sign of His promise, a reminder of both His faithfulness to a world, to redeem, restore, and sustain life, but also a reminder of the single sustaining purpose of humanity, to serve the Almighty God. While God continues to uphold his side of the bargain, humanity once again falls into the trap of sin. Noah and his family, like Adam and Eve, and like each one of us, are tempted by the self-serving desires of value, meaning, and knowledge that leads them astray from God’s command.
In Genesis 11, we see a culmination of humanity’s desire becoming misplaced. At Babel, people attempted to build a tower that reached the heavens. It is not to honor a God who created the Earth and flooded it at His command, but to make a name for themselves because they had moved some earth. Was their longing for unity wrong? Absolutely not. God has given us an inmate desire to be connected, but the work of man without God, will never lead to Utopia. Repeated time and again in history is the danger of groupthink that allows for and even endorses the most despicable behavior. God’s response is to scatter these people and confuse their languages, reminding them that true unity and purpose can only be found in Him.
While the world still speaks some 7,000 languages, there is still a desire that binds each one of them. Jesus Christ has become the purification we receive in the flood and the desire for connection displayed in Babel. He is both the covenant that brings us back to God, and the one who unites us as brothers and sisters in Him. The single purpose sought in Babel is now realized in the Church, where people of every nation, tribe, and tongue are united. Like the airport, with a much greater sense of purpose and much less baggage, Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, men, women, impoverished and wealthy, and every other intersection of society are brought together.
Jesus Christ, and the purpose he brings to life, is the dearest desire of every nation. The hope he brings, no matter the direction we are moving or even the trespasses accumulated against him, is the groaning inside each one of us. More than any other other time since Babel, we have an opportunity, to connect with people, nations, and even languages far beyond our own. Whether it is to our neighbor or the ends of the earth, let us continue to move for a single purpose, seeking and building the Kingdom of God.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
Do you sometimes get moving…but forget what your purpose is? What is your greatest purpose today – and this year? How will you work towards fulfilling it?
What went wrong at Babel? Have you ever been a part of a venture that crashed for the same reason? How do we proceed more carefully in the future?
How might the stories of the flood and the tower of Babel have been different if Jesus had already been born, grown, baptized and was ministering at those respective times? How would your story be different if you had been born before Jesus?
What do you desire that Jesus gives? What does your neighbor desire that Jesus has made available?
Download a print a yearly SGL Bible reading calendar…
Jan 2, 2025 – Day 2 of the SeekGrowLove 2025 Chronological Bible Reading Plan
Just a few months ago, my family and I found ourselves in the path of Hurricane Helene. While the storm left widespread devastation, we were fortunate to remain safe, experiencing minimal damage, and counting our blessings. However, like millions of others in our region, we found ourselves without power. Looking back now, I can’t remember exactly how many days we spent unplugged (although I most certainly knew the number at that time with every passing day) As I witnessed the unprecedented number of power trucks traveling in every direction, I most assuredly knew the power would be restored, it was just a matter of time.
You better believe that Noah had hash marks on the side of the ark. Noah knew beforehand how many days it would rain, but he didn’t know how long he would be making his home with a boatload of animals. On day 41, he saw with his own eyes the Word of God fulfilled, for He had completed an unprecedented thing. So Noah waited, holding onto hope that God would provide a way to get off the ark.
Noah’s enduring faith, to build the boat, to endure the storm, and to hang onto the promise, show the beautiful exchange of God’s grace and protection when we trust and hold onto hope. Noah found favor in God’s sight, but we can declare this to the world: through Christ, we too can experience the fullness of God’s grace. As we look to our Savior for this hope, we can emerge from the storms of life victorious. Through the flooding waters of baptism we are cleansed. But now, emerged from the flood, we wait.
There is still plenty of work to do. We do not twiddle our thumbs until the return of Jesus. Noah continued his calling to give life and care for his flocks, herds, and packs while awaiting the return of a dove. Like Noah, we have been given charge to continue the work of Jesus, giving hope to every nation. If we are awaiting the return of Christ, we are approaching two-thousand years into our tally, but we are sustained, knowing the promise of God is not fleeting or pending. It is fulfilled in its perfect time through Christ Jesus.
We would be crazy not to look to the horizon. The fact that we do shows that we have a founded longing and are aware of the signs. We see the birth pains that lead to the return of Jesus with resurrection power, so let us declare and defend to every nation that He is the reason for the hope we have.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
What have you waited for? While you were waiting what storms did you endure? What was the reason for your hope?
What do we learn from Genesis about Noah? What do we learn about God from the account of Noah?
How was Noah different from the rest of his generation? How can you be like Noah?
You can download and print the whole year’s Chronological Bible Reading Plan in a compact 1 page booklet form:
January 1, 2025 – Day 1 of the 2025 Chronological Bible Reading Plan
In case we have forgotten, we serve the Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth. By His word alone, He spoke the universe into existence, forming the earth and filling it with life. From eternity to today, His hands continue to hold the world as a loving Father to humanity, created in His image—the climax of His creative acts. As part of this creation, it is a powerful reminder that we are not the owners but stewards in our Heavenly Father’s domain. Yet, we can draw from the strength and power present from the very beginning. The same power that called light into darkness, parted the Red Sea, called fire from heaven, and raised Jesus from the dead is also available to us. We simply need to stop wandering aimlessly in the garden, worrying about what we will eat next, and turn to Him.
Ultimately, it is God who gave us free will—the freedom to wander or to follow. This choice is most simply expressed in whether we choose to worship and honor Him or to worship and honor something else, including ourselves. There are countless opportunities to follow our own flawed prerogatives that lead to peril because choosing sin over God is inherent in our nature. Genesis 3 presents the moment of humanity’s fall—a moment that could have marked the end of hope. Yet even in judgment, God extends consolation. He seeks Adam and Eve in their hiding, clothes their shame with garments of grace, and promises a future Redeemer who will crush the serpent’s head. This promise is repeated time and again to Israel, God’s chosen people (Isa 9:7; Gen 49:10, Deut 18:18-19), and now to us, His new nation (Rom 11:17,18, 1 Peter 2:9,10). This act of mercy reveals God’s goodness—His justice tempered with overwhelming compassion.
In our own failings, we find consolation in knowing that God pursues us in the same manner. He offers to cover our shame with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. This has been God’s plan from the beginning—that we would be redeemed and restored from our falls. In Christ, we are made a new creation. Yes, there is judgment and the penalty of death, but there is also the far greater promise of eternal life. Ultimately, we have a sustaining consolation like no other. God has given His Holy Spirit to us—not only as our Comforter as we await the fulfillment of His promises but also as a source of strength. Through the Spirit, we are empowered to reflect the fruits of our Creator and Father.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
What is revealed about God Almighty in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?
Do you sometimes forget some of the things that Genesis teaches us about God?
What is revealed about man and woman in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?
Do you sometimes forget some of the things that Genesis teaches about man and woman?
What hope do you find in the first 3 chapters of Genesis?
You can download and print the whole year’s Chronological Bible Reading Plan in a compact 1 page booklet form:
Welcome to the 2025 Seek Grow Love Bible Reading Plan! We will be reading through the whole Bible in a chronological reading plan this year.
In our 2025 Bible reading plan we will read through the complete Bible chronologically. The daily devotions will be written by a variety of people – from pastors and Bible college professors to high school students – all seeking to know God more and more, and willing to share their thoughts on God’s word with us. Reflection questions are included to help us think further – and could be useful if discussing with a Bible reading buddy, family devotions, or a small group Bible study.
Subscribe at SeekGrowLove.com to receive the daily email devotions and questions. Print the full 2025 Seek Grow Love Bible Reading Plan booklet found below and share one with a friend or Bible reading buddy! Or, you can print just January on a full page to get started with a larger font (the other months will be available later).
God has wonderful things in His Word to show us in 2025! Praying for you and your journey in His Word!
While there are many who find their religion in removing Christmas decor before the New Year, no such tradition exists in our home. Oftentimes, Christmas decorations linger well into January (or even February) before finding their way back into totes and closets. With these symbols close by, we try to cling to the lingering sentiments of the season. Unfortunately, there is a sobering of one’s mind from the blinding joy of Christmas spirit as we return to work and school, say goodbye to family and friends, and begin to eat our vegetables again. In this in-between season, we must wrestle with more desperate realities; we are still in the thick of things in the present evil age. Grief, illness, relational discord, anxiety, and stagnation find footholds to beckon or challenge us with a candid question: “Jesus, where are you now?”
If we say this, we are not unlike the captive Israelites of the Old Testament crying out. We are not unlike the apostles or those we have witnessed fall asleep in faith in our lifetime, all holding onto the promise of a soon-coming Savior. This week, as we transition our calendar from one year to another, our study and prayer echo the words of a three-century-old classic Christmas hymn, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The first of these reminders, as we commingle a season of great joy with that of longing heart, is that Jesus was born to set God’s people free.
Looking at today’s reading, we start with the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. This book addresses Israel’s increasing spiritual despondency. No doubt, we can connect this to some season we are currently weathering—whether it be the day on the calendar, within our own walk with Christ, or the physical location and time we find ourselves. Malachi begins with the Lord God responding to the question, “How have you loved us?” Spurgeon states in his sermon, “God’s Love Shamefully Questioned,” that the gratitude we give to God is similar to a hog who eats acorns which have fallen from a tree, yet never once lifts its head to bless the tree that has provided the food. The Sovereign God promised a Messiah and delivered, born on the other side of the Silent Years (the time between Malachi and Jesus). His love was demonstrated in the fact that while Israel, and truly each one of us, acted as pigs in our incompetence, lackluster faith, misplaced priorities, broken offerings, accumulation of sin, and running away, He still miraculously gave us Christ to set us free (Rom. 5:8).
We may know this truth, but honestly, it may show that we carry our concerns closer than our Christ when we ask for Jesus to show up in our prescribed time and location, much like Thomas. We request to put our hands on His scars, or some other litmus test, as proof of His message, so we can freely live in faith. Jesus replies to this skepticism, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). While there may be times of confirmation that the hand of Jesus is in our life, it is impossible for us to see, to hold, or to understand the preparations that have been made for our future hope.
In this way, our response of faith does not require more evidence of God’s faithfulness to us; we are already redeemed. Instead, we should declare the joy and triumph that is found in the daily redemption that comes through the advent of Christ. Singing a new song and bringing a sacrifice of praise equally remind us of the promises of God, how He has loved us through redemption in His Messiah, and draw us closer to Him. The very words of God we use to sing give voice to the silence as we wait for an answer, an intercession, or the coming of our Lord Jesus. Our present circumstance may tempt us to despair, but the act of praising God rekindles our faith and recenters our thoughts on the saving power of our Heavenly Father.
The challenges we may face in this coming season may have us crying daily, “Come, thou long expected Savior,” but know that God’s plan set you free long ago. Jesus is now interceding, preparing, and indeed, residing in our hearts as we carry our cross. We have yet to see our faith made complete in the second advent, but we can pray that our next year is the first within eternity. Until then, let our pining become our praise because God so loved us, He sent His Son.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
How have you acted as a hog eating the acorns and never giving thanks? What can you do to change hog-like behavior?
What are you waiting for? What is your relationship with God and His Son Jesus right now?
How would you answer the question, “How has God loved you?”
Seek Grow Love 