January 9–Genesis 31-33

“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak”(32:24).

Dealing with God is painful. Not dealing with Him is even more. There is no easy option.

Over years, Jacob’s understanding of God had gradually grown. “A breath of a higher life is stirring in the shifty schemer who has all his life lived by his own wits” (Alexander Maclaren). On a particular night, he came to a crisis of faith, and after hours of wrestling with God, he experienced a breakthrough. He became a new man with a new name.

It was an intense moment. His brother Esau was heading toward him with four hundred men. Given the bitterness of the past, Jacob had huge (and understandable) fears for himself and his family. In great distress, Jacob prayed. See 32:9. After he prayed, he schemed and sent gifts. Nothing, however, calmed his anxious heart. Have you ever been restless, dear reader? Searched for peace, without success?

In the dark, as Jacob worried, a man came and began to wrestle with him. No words were spoken. Mysterious adversary. An attempt to throw Jacob down, to conquer him. Intuitively, desperately, Jacob resisted. Hour after long hour, the dark and wordless contest continued.

Eventually, it became apparent to Jacob that his opponent was God. “I have striven with God,” he said later. In a moment of insight, he realized that this struggle was a symbol and summary of his life-long resistance to God. Maybe your heart and story is like Jacob’s. Mine certainly is. My default is a need to control. Trust is hard.

As daybreak approached, the “man” commanded Jacob to release Him, so as not to be seen. Weakened by the struggle and changed by God’s grace, Jacob finally understood what needed to be said. Surrendering his old ideas of what is truly valuable, he turned his stubbornness in the direction of God! He refused to let go, except on the condition that, “God bless him.” On these terms, the God who scripted this encounter was glad to be conquered.

It is a picture of prayer. Not the kind that gets us what we want. Rather the kind that teaches us a stubborn surrender that gains for us what God intends. It is hard work! Was for Jacob. Will be for us, too. Even so, a breakthrough for all who desire God and refuse anything else.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of woman who persevered in prayer. As the sun rose over the Jabbok, that morning so long ago, Jacob had a similar story. He was a new man with a new heart and a new name. He prevailed in prayer and was never the same.

May his story be ours, as well.

January 8–Genesis 28-30

“He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (28:12).

In the ancient world, your family was your protection. From harm. From hunger. There were no police forces, no fire and rescue units, no EMTs. Without a family (tribe), a person was vulnerable. As Jacob traveled away from family, he was anxious. With good reason.

As he slept that night, he had a dream. He saw a ladder (perhaps, “a stairway”) set on earth, connecting to heaven. On the ladder, moving up and down in purposeful traffic, were the angels of God. As Jacob observed this wonder, the Lord stood above Him and spoke promises. Promises of grace. Promises like those given to Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. A revelation for Jacob. God is near. Heaven and earth are connected. Constant traffic between the two worlds.

When he woke, Jacob took steps of genuine, if immature, faith. He decided to “deal” with God. Perhaps, he thought, God could be the protection I need! Even if his words seem like bartering to us, it is a first positive step! Jacob is learning of a God who guides and protects. Are you dealing with God, dear one?

In John 1, Jesus referenced this story. (It is one of many examples of our Lord’s regard for Scripture, the authority He gave it.) In conversation with Nathanael, Jesus claimed that He (Christ) was(is) the ladder upon which the traffic between heaven and earth moves. Do you want to be a part of God’s realm? God’s world? Jesus is the ladder. The Son is your way up to the Father and His way down to you.

The old spiritual song imagines us “climbing Jacob’s ladder”. Genesis actually describes the reality in slightly different terms. In Christ, we are connected to Heaven. Our eyes are opened to the reality of the supernatural. We are invited into God’s activity and protection. Sweet gift from God! For the first time, maybe ever, we feel safe. We learn that the way forward is not scheming self-reliance but trust!

Do you feel insecure? Alone? Anxious? Jacob did, too, until He saw the ladder.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

January 7–Genesis 25-27

“Thus Esau despised his birthright” (25:34).

Sad story. Familiar. Esau made a great mistake. In this present day, many follow him.

Esau was the first-born twin, Jacob the second. They were not identical (not in personality or calling or assignment.) Before they were born, God spoke to their mother. “The older shall serve the younger” (25:23). We will leave for later the discussion on the freedom of God to make choices. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11. God does not consult with us, nor need our approval for His decisions. See Romans 9.

Over time, Esau’s character became apparent. He was disinterested in the things of God. In a moment of hunger, he despised his birthright by selling it to Jacob for a bowl of lentils. Hebrew bazah, “to despise, to regard as having no value.”

The birthright of the elder son gave him precedence over his brothers. It amounted to a double share of the inheritance with the opportunity for leadership in the family. Rather than treasure this sacred responsibility, Esau took it for granted, dismissed it. Material life was his daily focus. “The mind set on the flesh is death,” says Scripture.

Do we the same? Do we take seriously the privileges God has given us in the gospel? Scripture, the power of prayer, the encouragement of a Spiritual community? Do we treasure and pursue these birthrights or do ignore and despise them?

Esau will later blame and hate his brother for his failure. See 27:36. Easy to do, isn’t it? Blaming others is often an attempt to escape responsibility for my own choices and sinfulness. While the Scripture makes no attempt to excuse Jacob’s behavior, the responsibility for Esau’s life was his own.

As the New Year begins, will you take Esau’s life as a warning? Will you allow it to be an encouragement to “keep seeking the things above?” See Colossians 3:1. Zeal can be cultivated. Must be. With gratitude and discipline, God’s children can treasure and pursue the Father’s gifts. It is a great mistake not to.

“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly. . .who set their mind on earthy things” (Philippians 3:19).

“That there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears” (Hebrews 12:16-17).

January 6–Genesis 22-24

“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (22:2).

It seems cruel. Unreasonable. We can barely believe God is asking it. After years of waiting for the birth of his son, Abraham is now commanded to sacrifice Isaac. “My thoughts are not your thoughts,” says the Lord. God has higher agendas than we can know.

A pre-echo of the cross, no less cruel, no less irrational. God does not ask His people to bear what He refuses for Himself. Suffering and loss are part of redemption’s story.

Loving God requires ALL my heart. An exclusive relationship. No other affection can be equal to Him. No idol. No person or pursuit. Not even my family or happiness or survival. At various points along the way, God draws those who love Him toward perfect union. He asks for THE thing that is dearest to us. “God jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us” (James 4:4). Exclusive love is God’s goal. He tests us on this point.

Isaac didn’t die on that mountain, but Abraham did. As readers, we are relieved to learn that God made provision for a sacrifice. (Exactly what Abraham anticipated.) Nothing, however, softens the emotional stress or painful choice God required of His friend that day. God called him to walk beyond the limits of the man he previously had been. “Deny self,” says Jesus. “Follow Me,” even when it painful.

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). It is a recurring pattern for all who follow Christ. We are called to pick up the CROSS daily. To die to our privileges and our dreams and our comforts. Pledged in principle at the beginning, self-denial is learned and confirmed in daily practice and obedience. “He learned obedience through the things He suffered,” says Hebrews 5:8. Until it hurts, obedience is just a concept.

Friend, do you know the God who demands so much, who merits such sacrifice? Does your old self protest that His demands are too difficult? As Abraham pondered these concerns, he made a deep and eternally wise choice. “God’s wisdom is greater than mine. I will not second-guess. I will obey and trust Him to work it for good.”

“It is in dying that we are born to eternal life” (Francis of Assisi).

“Then Thomas said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, so that we may die with Him’ ” (John 11:16).

January 5–Genesis 18-21

“Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. . .when he lifted up his eyes. . .three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran. . .to meet them. . .So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes’ ” (18:1-2, 6).

As you read God’s word, today, did you learn from Him? Scripture is God’s voice, God’s word. As we study, He is faithful to guide us into all righteousness. With great sincerity, we must heed what the Spirit is saying.

Did you notice the words that indicate haste or hurry? “He ran.” “He hurried.” Abraham told Sarah to prepare, “quickly.” Afte twenty-five years, the time had come! The fulfillment of God’s promise! When the angel visitors came, Abraham sensed the moment. See 19:1. How he recognized them we do not know. One of the three, I am convinced, was the Lord, Himself. The pre-incarnate Christ. See 18:10, 17.

Spiritual growth is a process. We must not resist this fact, nor resent it. God uses years to develop His children. Slowly, He softens our wills, gives us ears. Painful assignment for us. Even so, God’s love and patience are the same. He uses time because we need it, learn best with it.

Spiritual growth is also filled with decisive moments. When God’s time finally arrives, circumstances will change rapidly. New paths will be presented to be embraced with enthusiasm. Airplanes know this truth. To take off, you need speed. Abraham hurried because he believed.

As paradoxical as it seems, God requires BOTH skills of His children. The ability to wait (when it is time for waiting) and the ability to hurry (when it is time for action and forward movement). The story of Lot’s wife warns us. See Genesis 19. Given an opportunity to flee, she proved unprepared. She did not (would not) hurry. She looked back and was judged.

Where are your track shoes, dear reader? When God speaks, He expects us to move quickly.

” A year from now, you may wish you had started today” (Karen Lamb).

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18).

“Haste, haste to give Him laud, the babe, the child of Mary” (“What Child is This?” traditional Christmas carol, italics mine).

January 4–Genesis 14-17

“Then he (Abram) believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (15:6).

It is a step required of us all. God will call us to step forward on a path that is not completely clear or logical, certainly not what the world, or the flesh, prefers. Much evidence of His goodness and presence will be provided, but nothing that amounts to full understanding. We will be called to believe God. To accept what He says. To obey what He commands.

It will be our salvation to do so. When we believe, God credits us with right standing. As He did with Abraham, He reckons righteousness to us. Hasab (Hebrew), “to think, calculate, account.” Faith is the door into a relationship with God, and the essential quality of the relationship going forward. “By faith, men of old gained approval,” says Hebrews 11:2.

In our text today, when Abraham believed, the Hebrew word is aman. From it, we get the English word “amen”. In the original language, it pictured a man coming to stand at the right side of another. To believe God is to stand WITH Him in His declared purpose. Surrendering our doubts and preferences, we affirm His choice. We join our lives to Him.

For years, I was distant from God. Independent, self-determined, anxious and afraid. By God’s grace, eventually, I realized that my distance was insult. “They did not honor Him as God or give Him thanks,” says Romans 1:21. My story. Sadly, everyone’s story.

Through faith, my terrible separation came to an end! In Christ, by grace, through faith, I became a member of God’s family. Permanently home. And just as He did for Abraham, God reckoned me righteous!

Dear one, will you believe God? In full surrender of your complaints and rights, will you say, “amen,” to God, His direction and decisions and word? Will you go and stand at His right hand, align yourself with His will? Doing so, Abram’s testimony will be yours, too.

“I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face, questions die away. What other answer would suffice?” (C. S. Lewis).

“Your faith has made you well” (Jesus, Mark 5:34).

January 3–Genesis 9-13

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you. . .and I will bless you and so you shall be a blessing’ ” (12:1-2).

God speaks. He calls us. Reaches out to us through words. “In the beginning was the Word,” says John 1:1. Communication is a part of God’s eternal nature.

God communicates His general purposes. Words that apply to all men. See 9:6-9. He communicates the sanctity of life. Holds people accountable. Declares His purpose of our fruitfulness. We can rejoice that He has not been silent with us. His voice is His love. “God after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and many ways, has in these last days spoken to us in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2, italics mine).

God also communicates His individual purposes. In a turning point of all history, God communicated His unique will for Abram in Genesis 12:1. He CALLED him to leave his country and relatives, promised to bless him, to make a great nation from him.

Every person’s encounter will be similar (even as our specific assignments will not be). God CALLED Moses (and Israel) to leave Egypt. Jesus CALLED His disciples and expected them to leave their nets. As with Abraham, WE ARE CALLED to “walk by faith,” to begin a journey forward into kingdom service and sanctification. God has a unique plan for each of His children. He is faithful to communicate to those who have ears. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

God’s CALL will take time, require faith. It did for Abram. It will for us, too. Remember the old Polaroid pictures? We waited for them to develop. Even so, God’s people walk and wait as God’s good plan is accomplished. Like the Magi, God gives us some measure of light, calls us to patiently pursue more.

Dear reader, do you hear God’s voice? What is He CALLING you to leave? Where is He CALLING you to go? What is He CALLING you to learn/unlearn? Has His plan become your new ambition?

“I’m learning how to let go, let God show me how to be me. I’m learning how to let go, let God show me how to be free” (Jack Cassidy, contemporary Christian song).

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim in this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty, hold me with Thy powerful hand” (William Williams).

“Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do” (Acts 22:10).

January 2–Genesis 4-8

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (6:5).

When God looks at the world of men, what does He see? After the Fall, the Bible tells the impact of SIN. The world was ruined. Lost. Corrupt. God calls it wickedness. Hebrew ra, “bad, displeasing”. In Genesis 1, God saw that what He made was good. In Genesis 3, He saw the pervasive presence of the opposite reality.

Cain sinned against God by his pride. He demanded life on his own terms, worship according to his own preference. When God challenged him, his response was defensiveness and anger.

With great kindness, God offered hope and communicated warning to this rebellious man. “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted? If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door” (4:7). Scripture pictures sin like a growling, dangerous animal. Our truest enemy.

As it had done with his parents, sin brought God’s opposition and discipline to Cain’s life. “God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, he will reap,” says Galatians 6:7. Devastating consequences came. God strives with man at the point of sin. It is the source of our conflict.See 6:3.

Is the world cruel, today? Is it proud and immoral and afraid and defiant and lost? Scripture says yes. Objective observers will not struggle to find proof. When God looks at the world, He sees sin-sickness.

Some, however, even as the illness spread, found favor and began to walk in truth. Abel, Enoch, Noah. “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord” (4:26). “Enoch walked with God” (5:24). “Noah found grace”(6:8). To these, God gave covenant, strong promises (6:12). Believing God, walking with God, a new humanity emerged. A remnant. Still true today.

Secular minds believe and teach that humans are “basically good”. Given the right environment and opportunities, the human soul will evolve into righteousness and integrity. Scripture denies it. A serious illness (sin) has spread across the globe, contaminating every heart. Terminal. As to the original purpose of God, we are now dead. A cure is needed. A Savior.

“There is none righteous, not even one”(Romans 3:10).

“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul” (American Spiritual).

January 1–Genesis 1-3

Welcome to Three Pages Per Day! Over the next twelve months, our goal is to read all of God’s word, to think deeply, honestly about His will. Doing so, we will discover afresh that, “all Scripture is inspired and profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16). I welcome you on this godly journey!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good” (1:1-4).

How did life begin? Is the universe the product of impersonal cosmic forces? Or is it the work of an intelligent and purposeful Creator? With great confidence, the Bible answers this important question. “In the beginning, God created!”

Around 1200 BC, guided by God’s revelation on Sinai, Moses wrote the book of Genesis. It is pre-history, certainly. No human was alive to witness these events. The book tells the story of an ordered, balanced and beautiful universe. From formlessness and emptiness, the world was created (Hebrew, bara), made (Hebrew, asa) and formed (Hebrew, yasar). Science seeks to tell us the how of creation. Scripture tells us the Who. The Bible is a book about God, the Artist and Ruler of the universe.

Dear reader, as you look at the world, do you see the Creator? “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Romans 1:20, italics mine).

As you read Genesis, do you learn of His nature? One step, then the next. God is both patient and purposeful. He is also good. “There was evening and there was morning,” says v. 5. Scripture reckons days beginning in the evening and continuing the next morning. See Leviticus 23:32. Rich symbol! Everything (including your life, dear one) begins in the dark and becomes light. We trust a God who is always moving life into light and wholeness.

“This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being” (Isaac Newton).

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained; what is man that you should take thought of him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

December 31–Revelation 20-22

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away. . .and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell with them. . .and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will be no longer any death; for there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; for the first things have passed away’ “(21:1, 3-4).

Tomorrow begins a NEW year.

Strange, isn’t it? Most of us will celebrate New Year’s Day by doing traditional things. Up a little later. Watch football. Eat black-eyed peas. Time with family. In many ways, the new year will begin like all others before it. Nothing new, not really.

This will NOT always be so. When Christ comes, He will bring true new! Imagination-defying change! A NEW heaven and a NEW earth. A completely NEW order.

In theology, this discussion is called eschatology. Eschaton meant “last or last things”. Eschatology is the study of God’s promises regarding the end of time.

For the believer, it is a study characterized by HOPE. “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:10). Actually a series of events, the END will begin with the visible and glorious return of Christ and reach climax at a great white throne of judgment. See 20:11-15.

It is easy to forget this grand narrative. With the duties and distractions of daily life, men often ignore the higher truth until it is too late. “Just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying. . .until the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26-27).

Friend, is your heart lifted up with hopeful expectation? Are you sending treasures to heaven, daily investing your life in a coming world?

“Behold, I come quickly,” the Savior says to the church in the final chapter of Scripture. Years are brief compared to the vast stretch of God’s eternal purposes. When the day arrives, Our Lord’s coming will be quick. Trust Him. He will keep this promise!

“Even so, come Lord Jesus,” shout the saints in Scripture. On this New Year’s Eve, we join our voices to this great prayer. We open our hearts and commit our lives to a Great God and a victory that will certainly come. This world is not our home. We are “looking for a city whose maker is God”(Hebrews 11:10).

A new year matters because it brings us one step closer to the NEW world, our true home.