Three Minute Thoughts

Jacob isn't going to get the upstanding citizen award in any society. He's weak and manipulative. And some of the things in these chapters many of us don't even know! But what happens when a person who has nothing to offer actually starts to understand who God is? These chapters set up the answer to that very question.

So if the past two little episodes into the life of Jacob and his brother weren't bad enough, we find yet another incident of mistrust, manipulation, lying, betrayal and all of it is used by God to accomplish his plan. God doesn't plan the bad stuff but shows here how he can certainly use the bad to accomplish what he desires.

The lies continue in this section. But the cool part of this whole scenario is that God can use us in spite our ridiculous self-centeredness. Thank goodness because we often put ourselves before God and those around us. But God can work great things even when we're rebellious.

The story of Isaac's twins is fascinating to say the least. The selling of a birthright for a bowl of soup is one thing but then the flat out series of lies and betrayal that will come later are just crazy! In this podcast we look at what can be learned from these two through their sibling rivalry.

So there's an odd thing that happens in this text and we'll touch on it a little. A weird way to make a promise! But the power of this passage is that God provides whether we're looking for it or not! So we may as well look for it so we can find the joy of answers prayers when they happen.

The premise of foreshadowing is that we get a little glimpse into something that's going on in an effort to get a better understanding of something that will happen later. This chapter is a foreshadowing of the entire rest of the Bible.

When God picks people to do his work, they don't have to be perfect or get it all right. They just need to be able to be used by God. Abraham was anything but perfect but he most of the time trusted God.

Abraham intercedes on behalf of an entire region. He stands between God's judgment and the city. Perhaps we see here a model that we'll find again in Scripture.

God makes a promise but Abraham and Sarah don't exactly follow that promise with a ton of faith. This episode deals with a lack of faith with a little love and lot of laughter.

God has a special relationship with Abram, who soon will be called Abraham. The power of this chapter is that God makes a promise to Abram that he doesn't even understand and that honestly we don't even get most of the time.

As man continues to spiral toward becoming their own superhero, they build a tower to make a name for themselves. But God doesn't want them to get distracted from what's most important. So we have new languages and a call to man to follow without any details. And he follows!

As we close out our time in Job, we see a true confession of faith. He once only knew God by what he had heard. Now he knows God by what he has experienced.

Job goes through a lot of trouble and hardship as he navigates this time. He loses everything that he held valuable in his life. Then he turns on God, not losing faith but doing the whole woe is me thing. God quickly, firmly, yet gently puts him in his place in 38-39.

As we fast forward in the bible to the book of Job, we find a man who is upright and follows God. He trusts all that God gives and says. But will that be the case if all his possessions, family and life are impacted directly? We jump to Job at this point in our study because it's a reminder and evidence of the impact sin has had on our world and the difference faith can make.

When the rain clears up and the floods recede, Noah is able to see the true power and majesty of God. Perhaps we can see that same thing without the flood?

When man turns in toward himself, pursuing his own thoughts and ideas over God's that's usually a recipe for bad things to happen.

When Adam and Eve put themselves before, or in the place of, God, then bad things started to happen. Here God pursues them and lays out the plan of saving them.

As we start a new year together, we begin at the beginning. This year we'll journey through much of the bible in a year. These 3 Minute Thoughts are here to help you navigate a passage's place in the bible and to help you keep up if you get behind.

The end of the Bible is the beginning of our hope. Jesus is coming back and he's coming soon. We'll just scratch the surface of this promise in our 3 minutes together today.

The end of Revelation is a picture of creation as it was originally intended to be. This chapter is all about God making good on the promises in the rest of the Bible. Here is all becomes real.

As we approach the end of all time, we have to wrestle with how we come into this book of the bible. Do we read it literally or figuratively? Whichever we choose, we have to be consistent. There is a ton of information in this chapter and we will merely scratch the surface but know that Christ is coming and when he does you won't be able to miss it!

Throughout the book of Revelation we see devastation and things that cause fear. We know that the end will come and that Jesus will return but when? This chapter is when that actually happens as Jesus rides in on His white horse to declare victory and judgment.

The tide begins to turn as we round the corner to the final chapters of this book. Judgement is levied. The stage is being set for the saints of God to be welcomed to glory.

As we approach the must challenging of times even evil will start to work against itself. This chapter reveals what that will look like.

When John unveils the bowls of wrath we can see a little history come back to us once again. We not only see the future of where things will be headed but the history of where God's people have been.