Week 1 Friday
We close our first week with God's rainbow promise after the flood, a beautiful morning cry for God's protection, and the growing-up years of Jesus - including a jaw-dropping moment in the temple.
Genesis 8-9
📖 What are we reading?: The floodwaters recede, Noah and his family emerge from the ark, and God makes a wonderful covenant with Noah and all creation - sealed with a rainbow. Yet even after such extraordinary grace, Noah sins and brings shame upon his family.
✞ What does this passage say about God? God's covenant faithfulness is on full display here - He commits to never again destroying the earth by flood, and gives the rainbow as an enduring sign of His promise. But still He is full of grace, even knowing our continued tendency to sin.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? The sad episode at the end of chapter 9 is a sobering reminder that even those who have experienced God's most dramatic rescues are still capable of great sin. We must never become complacent in our walk with God, or assume that past blessings guarantee future faithfulness on our part.
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➡️ The bigger picture: Genesis, written by Moses around 1400 BC, is the foundational book of the Bible - telling the story of creation, the fall of humanity, and the beginnings of God's chosen people.
Psalm 5
📖 What are we reading?: A morning prayer by David, in which he brings his troubles to God at the start of the day, asks for God's guidance and protection against the wicked, and ends with a call for God's blessing on all who love Him.
✞ What does this passage say about God? God does not delight in wickedness - He is a holy God who is deeply concerned with how we live. At the same time, He welcomes those who come to Him in humility and reverence, and spreads His protection over those who take refuge in Him.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? David's habit of bringing the day to God first thing in the morning is a wonderful practice to adopt. Verse 3 - laying his requests before God and waiting expectantly - is a perfect model for our own prayer life. Start your day with God, and watch for what He does.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems and songs, mostly written by King David around 1000 BC, covering the full range of human emotion - from despair to ecstatic praise.
📝 These devotions on this Psalm will rally make it come to life for you.
Luke 2:22-52
📖 What are we reading?: Jesus is presented at the temple as a baby, where the elderly Simeon and Anna recognise Him as the long-awaited Messiah. We then fast-forward twelve years to find the boy Jesus in the temple, astonishing the teachers with His understanding - and gently reminding His worried parents that He must be about His Father's business.
✞ What does this passage say about God? Simeon's song is breathtaking - he holds the infant Jesus and declares that God's salvation has arrived, for both Jews and Gentiles. This tiny baby is the fulfilment of centuries of longing. God keeps His promises, right on time, in the most unexpected ways.
🛐 How does this passage teach us to live? Simeon and Anna had waited faithfully for years to see God's promise fulfilled - and their patience was magnificently rewarded. The young Jesus' words in verse 49 point to an unwavering sense of purpose rooted in His relationship with His Father. We too are called to be about our Father's business, whatever our age or season of life.
Looking for some extra info?
➡️ The bigger picture: Luke's Gospel was written by Luke, a physician and companion of Paul, around AD 60-62, and is the most detailed account of the life of Jesus - with a special focus on the marginalised, women, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
🎤 Luke preaches on Jesus presented at the temple.
A Prayer for the Day
🙏 Lord, thank You for Your faithful promises and enduring grace - may we begin each day like David, bringing our lives before You in the morning; and like Simeon and Jesus, may we live with eyes fixed on Your purposes, devoted to Your Father's business. Amen.
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