bible

1. Life Lessons from the book of Genesis Kim Anderson

2. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 1.24-31 • Does God Still Works in the World? • One of the most important themes of Genesis is God's love for humans and his involvement in our lives. God created the universe and all life, and he was pleased with his work. He gave the people the responsibility to take care of his creation. • God didn't just randomly create us - He made us in his image. That means he gave us the ability to love, think, feel, and choose. We are valuable to God, and he wants us to experience the joy and peace of knowing and doing his will. • We may wonder why humans are capable of hatred, violence, selfishness, and deceit since we have been created to be good. This happens because of sin. • We aren't perfect, but God has also given us the ability to be healed and to overcome sin.

3. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 2.18, 24 • No Longer Lonely • The only thing in God's original creation said to be "not good" was the man without a partner. So God made the woman. The way God created her, using part of the man, shows that man and woman belong together. • We may think that the joining of a man and a woman in marriage was created by humans, but it was really God who established the marriage relationship. • Three elements are important in a biblically based marriage: • A man and a woman leave their parents and commit themselves exclusively to each other. • The man and woman are joined together in marriage, agreeing to love, help, and take responsibility for each other. • The husband and wife become like one person. Part of this oneness involves the sexual union.

4. Short Commentary & Lesson (Genesis 3.14, 15) • The First Promise of a Savior • God had told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. Their sin separated them from God, the source of all life. Without God, a person is "dead" in a spiritual way. • Although Adam and Eve disobeyed God, he still cared for them. He promised that a Savior would come and destroy Satan's power over them (a head wound). The Savior himself would also be wounded ("on the heel"). • God kept his promise by sending his Son Jesus (John 3.16). By dying for our sins, Jesus Destroyed Satan's power over us.

5. Short Commentary & Lesson (Genesis 5.21-24) • The Man Who Never Died • God's promise to Adam and Eve in (3.15) must have seemed painfully long in coming. Their unfaithfulness to God was followed by the murder of Abel (4.8), and things went from bad to worse (4.23). • Eve may have hoped their son Seth would be the Promised One, but the promise of a Savior would be fulfilled for many years. • We see this in (5.24) when God took Enoch directly to heaven because Enoch has great faith in God. while other people lived for themselves, Enoch lived for God. • Enoch's example shows us that whenever we draw near to God, he draws near to us. And a close friendship with God is the next best thing to heaven.

6. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 6.17, 18 • God Keeps His Promises  • God promised Noah that if he would that if he would obey and trust him, God would keep Noah and his family safe in the boat. God did not say he would take Noah out of the flood, but he did promise to bring Noah safely through it. • At times, we feel as though we are drowning in a flood of troubles. Financial problems weigh us down. Personal relationships are battered by powerful, frightening waves. Problems seem to pour in faster than we can bail them out. • During these times, remember God's word to us. He promises that if we obey and trust him, he won't let us drown.

7. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 9.8-17 • Rainbows in the Sky  • The rainbow is a sign of God's promise that he will never again destroy the world by a flood. The next time you see a rainbow in the sky, let it remind you of God's mercy. Mercy means that God does not always give us the punishment we deserve. • Let the rainbow also remind you of God's grace - the favor he gives us, even though we have not earned it.

8. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 11.3-4 • Why Was the Tower of Babel Bad? • The people wanted to build a tower that would reach the sky. The problem with their wanting to do this was that they were building it as a tribute to themselves, not to God. They thought the tower would serve as a way to keep their people together. • Many people make the same mistake today. They want everyone to notice the "tower" they are building to honor themselves. Their tower may be a big house, a big bank account, a big name in town, or anything that takes first place in their lives, other than God. We are free to use God's gifts, but they should not lead us to think we are greater than God.

9. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 12.1-3 • Is it Worth it To Trust God? • God had a plan for Abram, which included three promises that are mentioned many times throughout the Old Testament. • The first promise God made to Abram was that he would give Abram land. This land was Canan, which includes the Modern-day nation of Israel.  • Second, God promised Abram descendants. Abram and his wife Sarai were both old and had no children yet. Still, God promised that their children were to become a great nation.  • Third God promised to bless Abram and make him a blessing to the world. • These are some large promises to make, and Abram could have chosen to ignore God. But, because of his great faith in God, Abram believed God and did what he was instructed to do.

10. Short Commentary & Lesson (Genesis 13.5-13) • Firm Faith in the Midst of Evil • Lot had been given the opportunity to pick any area of his uncle's land for his family to settle. He knew that there was water and green land in the Jordan Valley, which meant that valley would be the ideal place for him to take his family. • If Lot had chosen another area, he probably would have had to work harder for food and to raise his animals. It is hard to say whether or not Lot was being greedy when he made his decision. Lot may have realized that some of the cities in the Jordan Valley were full of evil people. • God wants all of us to make a difference in other people's lives. This is especially true in cases where evil exists. It is hard to be near tempting situations, but if we can keep our faith strong, then we can help others see God's goodness.

11. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 15.1-6 • God Was Pleased • This is one of the key passages in the Bible because it shows that God was pleased by Abram's faith. Abram trusted God would keep his word. Yes, Abram's good deeds made God happy, but he was especially pleased because Abram had faith. • God is happy that we go to church, read our Bibles, pray, or do good deeds. But he is especially pleased when we believe in him when we accept God completely even though we may not understand his motives. • Our relationship with God is based on our faith in him, and that he will do what he has promised, We don't do good works to establish a relationship with God. We do good things because of our relationship with him.

12. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 15.7-21 • Picture of a Promise • When someone makes a promise, it is up to the recipient of that promise to believe that it will be kept. God had made three amazing promises to Abram. So far, there was no physical proof that those promises would be kept, so Abram asked for proof. • When Abram fell into a deep sleep, the LORD made his promise to Abram again. Abram accepted God's promise, and God was very pleased with Abram's faith. • God does not get angry when we ask him to help us understand his word. If we are not sure what God wants us to do, then we can ask him. God will continue to show us his promises for our lives as long as we have faith that he will keep his word.

13. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 17.1-19 • What's in a Name? • In Genesis 12, God first promised that Abram's descendants would become a great nation. Many years had passed, and Abram's only son was Ishmael, who was Hagar's son - and Abram was almost a hundred years old! • In Genesis 17, God reaffirmed his promise to Abram by changing his name to Abraham ("father of a multitude"). He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah ("Princess") because Sarah was going to have a son with Abraham. This meant that Ishmael was not the promised son Abraham thought he was. • This promise of another son went beyond all that Abraham could have imagined. And God makes promises like these to us. We cannot always rationalize God's plan for us This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

14. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 18.16-33 • Why Did God Inform Abraham? • God could have carried out his plans concerning Sodom and Gomorrah without mentioning them to Abraham. But he did tell Abraham of the coming destruction. • Abraham was God's friend. Those who live close to God will find he often gives them insights and knowledge of his plans. • God knew that Abraham would use the results of this situation to teach his servants and his future children about God's ways. • God does not want to destroy people. And Abraham believed in God's goodness.  His requests to God to save faithful people is a wonderful example of caring for others.

15. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 21.1-7 • Do You Laugh at God? • We would probably be quick to doubt if we were told what Sarah had been told. It simply does not seem possible to bear a child at the age of ninety! • But God kept his promise to Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac (meaning "laughter") was a reminder of how Sarah had laughed at the idea of having a child. Now Sarah was laughing with joy. • It is easy for us to doubt when situations appear impossible. Some things are too far beyond our understanding, but God is not to be limited. The next time we doubt God, we can remember what he did for Sarah.

16. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 21.11-21 • God Hears Our Cries • Although Abraham was upset over Sarah's Desire to send Hagar and Ishmael away, he obeyed God. The LORD reminded Abraham about his promise to make Ishmael the father of a great nation. Still, that did not mean it would be easy for Ishmael. He and Hagar nearly died of thirst in the desert, but God heard their cries and provided water for them, • We experience dry places in our lives that make us desperate. Sometimes the pain is so great that it doesn't seem possible that it will ever end. We wonder where God is and why he doesn't help us. But God is always there. When all hope is gone and we feel we can't go on, God hears our cries.

17. Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 22.6-12 • Life Out of Death • God was testing Abraham to see if he still loved God. Maybe now that Abraham had his promised son, he would love the gift more than the one who gave the gift to him. • After everything Abraham had been through, he knew that he had to obey God. Abraham knew that God gives his best to those who are willing to give him their best. • Just as Abraham was about to plunge the knife into Isaac, the angel of the LORD stopped him. Abraham had shown God that his faith was still in God. Everything that Abraham had belonged to God... Even Isaac. • Consider the person in your life who is your most treasured gift. Maybe it is a child, like Isaac, or a dear friend, a family member, or a spouse. • How would you feel if God asked you to give up this gift? Have you thanked God for giving you this gift?

18. For more information go to • https://www.facebook.com/Uplifting-verses-and-prayers-by-Kim-Anderson-2414785651929309/?ref=pages_you_manage