Scripture Genesis 30:37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. Observation What an odd little side-story in scripture! Laban had taken advantage of Jacob, and now Jacob is...

Scripture Genesis 24:12-14 12 And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw...

Scripture Genesis 22:2-3 2 He 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.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his...

Scripture Luke 7:44-48 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I...

Scripture Genesis 15:2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Luke 6:20-21 20 And he lifted up his eyes on...

Scripture Genesis 12:1-2 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a...

Scripture Luke 3:3-6 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way...

Scripture Genesis 4:6-7 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” Observation There...

Scripture Genesis 1:1-3a In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said... Luke 1:1-2 Inasmuch...

Scripture Ephesians 5:28 - "In the same way. husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." Observation Paul draws a direct connection between the way a man loves his wife, and the way a man loves his own body. It would be...

Scripture Ephesians 4:1 "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" Observation Paul says that his readers have a calling on their life: not because they've earned it by their walk, or proven...

Scripture Romans 8:5-8 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on...

Scripture Mark 15:39 "And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" Observation The crowd who had demanded his crucifixion saw Jesus as nothing more than a side show. As he...

Scripture Acts 14:19 -22 "But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next...

Scripture Ezekiel 44:23 They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. Observation God gave His priests the responsibility of teaching people to distinguish between what...

I want to be the kind of leader that Moses was: flawed and imperfect, but with a desire to invest in those that have been entrusted to me! ============ Scripture Deuteronomy 34:9 "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands...

I have so much respect for Jacob! Despite his many flaws, and despite his own grief and anguish in this specific moment, he refused to let his son's future be determined by misplaced blame. Instead he decided to man up, deal with his own pain, and speak a blessing...

I don't want to be like Abraham: observing God's power, but not certain if I can trust Him. I'd rather be a Peter: ready to jump out of the boat at a moment's notice...imperfect and flawed, but with an almost illogical degree of trust in the Savior....