RTW January 6
NOTE:
Oops, I said it was January 7th… It is January 6th.
Approaching God
Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?”
Genesis 18:23
My Takeaways
Something Old
Even as the LORD is saving his life, Lot argues with God. Seriously! Do I argue with God when He is saving me from a threatening situation?
Something New
- Plead to God
So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 - Persistent with God
Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. (GNT) Colossians 4:2 - Press In to God
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (ESV) James 4:8a - Patient with the outcome
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. (ESV) Psalm 40:1
Something to Do
Draw near to God, and stay near to Him; whether or not He gives the answer I desire.
I usually start my reading and listening at 5:30 am. He wakes me up each morning before anyone is up so we can be alone together,
Happy Sunday RTW friends!
To answer Wendy, I am a morning reader. I wake up at 5am to read and study before the kids get up and my day gets going. If I miss a morning then I read before bed after the kids are asleep. I am from Wilmington, NC.
Again, we see another wife in disobedience in Gen 19:26
“But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
It sickens me to my stomach every time I read about Lot and his daughters. They again like other women we’ve read about so far, took matters into their own hands to “preserve our family line through our father.” Gen 19:32
That disgusting and perverted act was not God’s will for their family line. The women in the Bible up until now have made terrible decisions while trying to control everything. God is showing me through them that I, (we) as women must not be this way.
I too, am not an expert on prayer, but just a woman who prays. I am a facilitator for the Parents in Prayer group at my children’s school. Each week we gather to pray and intercede for the school. So many times the enemy has tried to get into my head to trick me into believing I don’t know what I’m doing or that I have no place leading a prayer group. The truth though is that God commands us to pray without ceasing, to persist, and press in even more as Wendy said. It doesn’t matter who we are, but that we have a right and willing heart when we approach Him in prayer. His word says that He hears our cries. Psalm 34:17
“The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
Thank you Wendy for the reminder to plead with God, to press in and not to give up!
Have a blessed day everyone!
Good Morning! April from the Ozarks of AR here. I am an early bird so I do my RTW study to cap off my other morning devotions, prayer time and quiet time to get my day started. I’m thankful it’s posted so early and to have all new teaching videos this year, my fourth time through. Thanks Wendy for doing this!?
Good morning! I do RTW the first thing in the morning. I get my coffee and begin! This is my 3rd year and I am so blessed to be part of this study.
I’m from the small town of Lusk, WY. RTW is the first thing I do in the morning…usually around 5:15am. I like to start my day in God’s Word before my kids are up and the day is rolling. I usually listen to the teaching video as I’m getting ready for my day a little later in the morning. It has been such a rich blessing in my life to have consistent time in the word and the accountability and teaching of this group! Thanks Wendy!!
This is my 3rd year doing RTW.
I do my reading and listening first thing in the morning. I’ve done this, logical Bible for about nine years. Wendy I think you said you’ve done for 10 years. I also very much appreciate that you facilitate this. I know the Lord blesses you for your work for him.
Hi lovelies!
I LOVE the morning!!! I get up between 5 and 5:30…I live in Illinois and in the winter I am tucked into a corner in our spare bedroom and in the warm months I can be found on our sunporch…..and always with a cup of coffee ?
Any time God asks us to give up something for Him, He always gives us something greater in return! What am I choosing to “look back” on and thereby missing the blessings in front of me??
Also, 25 years have passed since God promised Abraham a son….He is faithful in His time…I can trust that!!!!!!
Oh and this is my 4th time thru RTW
I do my reading and watching the video first thing in the morning. I live in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Good morning from Colorado Springs! I prefer early morning study on my deck while watching the sunrise. This time of year I settle for inside with a cup of coffee or wait til afternoon if it’s going to reach at least a balmy 50 degrees ?
I live in Northern Colorado! ?
? ??
Greetings from Littleton!
Good morning Wendy! I do my reading and watching the video first thing in the morning from Maryland. This is my 4th year attempting to RTW all the way through. I just know 2019 is going to be my year! I always appreciate the teachings and your insight!❤️️
Have a blessed day!
Danielle
Good morning from CT! Mornings are my best, most wide awake, attentive and focused time so that’s when I sit with the Lord.
The verse that stood out to me today was Gen. 18:12 when Sarah laughs silently to herself and says, “How could …” I thought about that for a bit and wrote down some of my own “how coulds”: salvation for my loved ones, deliverance from my strongholds, God doing something new in my life.
And then I wrote down Gen. 18:14: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? … “
I don’t want to be like Sarah and laugh to myself in unbelief. It is so encouraging to read that God’s plan for Sarah comes to fruition, despite her doubt. He says “I WILL return about this time next year, and Sarah WILL have a son.”
I am encouraged as I realize I may have these “how coulds” but I can press into the Lord and He will be faithful to complete His work in my life.
I usually listen while I’m driving to work in the morning.Then when I get home in the evening I read the verses and do my journaling. I look up the words that jump out at me! This time I’m taking my study slow and easy.
I’m from the great state of Kansas ?
Good Morning!
I wake up at 430 am before work and read the daily reading. Then when I get home from work I watch the video.
I’m from Missouri ?
Good morning, my usual reading time is in the afternoons after work. On weekends I am reading first thing in the mornings before the day gets going. I am so happy to have come across this Bible study. This is my first time with RTW. I am from Texas.
RTW family,
I am at home doing my devotion, mornings are better for me as it gives me an opportunity to meet with my Heavenly Father first before I start my day!
I read in the mornings and get up early to have enough time before work. I also have the chronological Bible on Audible and can listen vs read if I want to. This helps on days when my morning plan doesn’t work out.
Good morning friends! I too do mine first thing on the morning. This year it is my only quiet time reading. I have in the past done 3 or 4 devotional readings along with rtw, I also prepare questions for our ladies Bible study. I can get “too distracted, with too much” I fear God’s voice gets lost in the distractions So this year it is rtw in the am (generally about 5:30) and then the Book of John in the afternoon . I am live in Ovando, Mt. The passage about Lot offering his virgin daughters to the crowd always just upsets me, I realized, I have been blaming God for Lot’s behavior, still wrapping my head around that. But caused me to ask what else am I blaming God for? To do: Remember who God is, His character. Trust Him. So thankful to be here with you. Have a blessed Sunday!
That passage always upset me too. I actually looked it up on Got Questions this morning and I found their write-up somewhat helpful. Here is the link if you are interested in reading…
https://www.gotquestions.org/Lots-daughters.html
Elizabeth thank you, it was so helpful. I realized while reading that I didn’t even question that it was the daughters sin in getting their father drunk and sleeping with him. I guess because I am a women and know the depth of my own sinful heart. The sweetest realization from got questions was seeing God’s protection of those daughter’s even in Lot’s sin. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me. I also think it is so wonderful that God used rtw to bring you to Himself, through Jesus! Have a great day in Northern Colorado!
I had a revelation after thinking more about why what Lot does upsets me so, it is because he doesn’t value them and that brought up some emotions from my own childhood. But my Father God so graciously showed me this and that He values me immensely I know this because He sent Jesus for me. I feel healed today of an old wound. Thankful for this study and this group♡
Thanks for sharing that link! It had a lot of good insight.
Good morning from Northern Colorado! I do my reading in the morning before work and getting my daughter to school. Sometimes I only have time to read and not for notetaking, so on those day’s I do my notes at night or during my lunch break at work. I first participated in RTW in 2010 and God used that experience to bring me to faith in Christ.
AND LOT WENT WITH HIM! Going back to Genesis 12 in verses 1-4 we can see that God said ” leave your country, your relatives and your father’s family” Now in verse 4 when I read AND LOT WENT WITH HIM, I have to just pause right there and say ”Abraham what in the world are you doing? It seems to me that if Abraham had left Lot behind like God very clearly tells him to do that maybe things would have turned out a little differently. Partial obedience is still disobedience. Also I’m not going to say that bargaining with God is wrong but my mind does go to Hezekiah and Manasseh now I understand that God did say that David would always have a descendant on the throne and like Wendy says that is a whole other story for another time. But what I’m getting to is that then we see Lot bargaining with the angel for him to go to Zoar instead of the mountains. Going back to my original thought it does seem to me that Lot should have never even been there with Abraham to start with. There was also a LOT pun so intended….. a lot of scheming going on in this whole family. Sarah and Hagar and then Abraham tricks Abimelech and then I believe at some point Isaac does the same exact thing and poor poor Jacob ends up getting the title of deceiver seems to me it was bred into him or at the very least taught by example. So just maybe if they all had obeyed from the beginning and kept their plans and assumptions out of it things would have looked a whole LOT different….good lesson for me for today. Listen,obey and follow where He leads and even with who he says to take or not to take.
I watch every morning before I start my day. I live in Jacksonville, Florida and I teach online and homeschool my son.
I do my reading and video viewing early in the morning…anywhere from 4:30 to 6:30. If I miss a morning, I read at night. My study and additional reading and comments are often done later….mid-morning or evening. I first started with Wendy in 2013 with her Trusting God for a Better Tomorrow, A Study of Psalms. This is my 6th year in RTW from the cold, snowy Northeast. It continues to bless me with each passing year.
In today’s reading I noticed that it began with Sarah laughing silently to herself in Genesis 18:11, and ended with her celebratory, shared laugher in Genesis 21:6. The first laughter was in disbelief and seemed to displease God. The laughter upon the birth of Issac was joyful and grateful and showed a deepening belief and trust. This gives me such hope. We, too, can move from a place of doubt to a place of awe filled gratitude!
In reference to Wendy’s illustration of the tapestry……she told us how from the back we see only knots and strings while the front displays the finished work. I’ve always loved the additional truth that along with the bright and pretty pastel colors, the artist uses deep and dark hues to create the most stunning art. While I often do not like these dark colors, alone…..they are needed to give the full beauty to the masterpiece!
WOW! Six years! I wish I had found this study sooner! I have purchased a different version, translation, or paraphrase of the Bible every year since my twenties. (I am now in my sixties.) I have read it from Genesis to Revelation each year. How have I missed the Chronological Bible? In these few beginning days, I have learned so much more than all the years of simply reading it, usually along side a devotional. This is true and pure teaching the Bible! I am assuming the teachings topics/videos are different every year, right? Wendy’s teachings inspire me to read, ponder, think, and realize truths in the Word that I have skimmed over all these years! Thank-you SO much, Wendy for this incredible study and opportunity to study God’s Word. I look forward to getting to know my “classmates” as we move forward!
Blessings,
SandyBB
I like to do my reading in the morning with my coffee, before I get the rest of my day started. I view the video as well, taking notes along the way. I live in Central PA.
I try to do my reading and video in the morning. I live in Central ILLINOIS
I am a morning reader! I listen to the daily reading on YouVersion and watch Wendy’s video while getting ready in the morning. It is the perfect start to my day! This is my first time through RTW, and I am so glad that I found this group!
This is my second time through RTW. I read and write with First5 every morning between 6:30-7:00. If I don’t have to go into work I then continue with RTW. If I am working then I do it in the evening. So far both have worked. I’m in the tidewater area of VA.
Today, I’m watching from home after I’ve gotten home from church and ate lunch. During the work week, I have been watching during my lunch break. I go sit out in the car and do my daily reading and watch the video.
Yesterday and today we see Abraham having frank conversations with God. Like Abraham, if we are humble, with our hearts in the right place, we can approach God boldly. What a gift!
As I mature in faith, I find myself staying in conversation with God more consistently. I certainly have plenty to talk about! However, I am working on the listening and discerning part! Sometimes I still feel unsure if I’m doing what God wants me to do or am I following only my thoughts? Working on discernment.
I am from the beautiful state of NC and I generally do my reading in the afternoon, after work, when the house is quiet. This is my 3rd year in RTW. Thank you Wendy!❤️
Out my positing accidentally on January 5. don t know how to delete it so am reposting it here.
Sometimes a translation makes all this difference…or at least allows me to see something new in a passage. And that is certainly true here.
Did you ever wonder why Abraham picked 10 as the number of righteous ppeople Sodom and Gomorrah would have to house in order for God to spare it? Rabbinic tradition says Abram had a particular group of people in mind. Lot, his wife, his two virgin daughters, his two sons in laws to be ….And two other grown daughters and their husbands. That makes 10.
Where are those extra daughters coming from? The NLT just has the two virgin daughters who are betrothed and their husbands to be. The Torah and the KJV translate it differently:
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.” – Genesis 19:14-15 KJV
But the sons in law (whether the ones to be or the ones to be and the ones who were already ) did not take the angels warning s seriously so they stayed .
Guess we will never know this side of heaven but it certainly makes sense. It also explains why Lots wife looked back.
Why would she care if her virgin daughter’s rapists were burned up? But if she had two married daughters who stayed behind because their husbands would not come, of course she looked back.
Wouldn’t you have?
Hi, I read and watch the video during the afternoon or early evening. I’m from Duluth, GA suburb of Atlanta.
Lisa
Generally in the morning first thing I read my Bible and then listen to RTW video. Some days like today I do the video later in the day, depending on my schedule. This is my second year of RTW and I look forward to doing this again. From Islandton, SC. Just moved here from Northern California.
I do my Bible in the morning usually around 6 am. Then I like to spend some time in prayer before getting on with my day. This is my first year to do RTW. So far I have been watching the video in the afternoon or evening and then posting after that. I live in St. Louis, MO.
From today’s reading: “But the LORD kept his word”. I need to trust God to keep His Word especially when His timing is different from my own.
Good afternoon. I usually will do mine in the evening, when all my busyness of work/ home aren’t weighing on my mind, then I’m able to focus my full attention to grasp the reading and listening to our daily video. ?
I do it at night. I sit at my desk in my bedroom or I crawl up in the bed with my lap desk and do it.
I do my reading and video at 4am here in the northeast (NH to be exact).
Greetings from Littleton, CO. I am a teacher and return to my regular school schedule tomorrow. My mornings are already too early and too packed, so I am contemplating reading the next day’s text the night before and watching the video in the morning while eating breakfast. I am committed to making this work!
In today’s reading I was stuck by how Abraham lied once again about his relationship with Sarah. How often do I repeat a sin when I “know better”. I must do His way, not my way.
I general do my study in the morning after exercising and a three mile walk. If I miss it, I do it that evening. I live in New Salem, Massachusetts.
Hello everyone! I do my reading in the evenings and I am from Gadsden, Alabama. I am enjoying the daily teachings and reading everyone’s comments.
Here in St. Joseph, Missouri I do my study in bits and pieces. Whenever I can fit it in. I go to the gym every morning at 5 am I listen to the video and the reading (ESVBIBLE.ORG) on my head phones as I workout. I do all my Journaling on my phone whenever I get a chance and usually read the reading for myself at this time. Sometimes it’s right after a workout, other times during my breaks at work, before dinner, when everyone goes to bed, etc. It varies from day to day depending on my schedule.
What stood out to me today, “When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful.” (19:16) Because of God’s mercy, his angels grabbed Lot and his family and brought them forcefully to safety. This reminded me of the kind and forgiving God I serve. The grace of God is still there when I hesitate. But, even though there is amazing grace, why do I hesitate? What am I waiting for?
Abraham is not perfect as other incidents in his past and now what chapter 20 revealed. Even though Abraham received incredible promises from God and covenants he still loses faith and fears of what will happen to him and Sarah. God uses imperfect people for his purposes. God typically use those that love him. But, those that love God do still sin and make mistakes. God partners with imperfect people throughout history. God partners with people like me. Which gives me hope and assures me of who He is.
Something to do: Pray that I will direct my family to keep the way of the LORD like Abraham and not to become attached and conformed to the world like Lot.
Hey wendy… I live in Westmont nj.. the next town over from your pal Linda.. I try to listen to your message and teaching while eating breakfast or my makeup … multi tasking… it is my daily bread … along with Thee daily bread… the Bible!
I am a morning reader. I live in the NC mountains and watch the sun light up the mountains (on most days!). Sometimes I read the night before but always watch your teaching in the morning, while I knit.
Hello RTW Family.
This is my normal : I start my morning, with prayer and asking God what is His will for me today. I usually have a flexible schedule, which allows me to change directions at a moment’s notice. I then read the scripture, watch the video, and note taking from Wendy’s lesson. I love to read all of your posts.
This is the fifth year of RTW; the first year I did this Bible Study with Wendy, was the “first” year of reading through the Bible in one year! I had tried so many years to read through the Bible on my own, or with another’s reading schedule, but the Old Testament always did me in, and I would eventually give it up! It’s so interesting now, as I love the Old Testament and gives clarity to the New Testament!!
Praise God for Wendy and this wonderful Bible Study!!!! Praise God for the RTW Community!! Looking forward to my “Fifth” reading of the entire Bible in one year, reading your insightfulness within your posts and giving & receiving encouragement, with all of you, in 2019!
Blessings to all.
Carolyn
Hi! I am from Hattiesburg, MS and I may be one of the few night owls, but I enjoy doing my reading and listening to the teachings late at night snuggled in bed ( it is now 12:15am!) with my Bible and iPad. ???? This is the best time for me and it actually helps me to have quiet ,peaceful time right before I go to sleep.
I got a late start on doing the study but i’m slowly catching up!
Good morning! I am new to this study and am enjoying it. I always get up early (4:45 am) to read and study God’s Word and pray. My take away today is: In this reading I noticed how active God and his angels were in visiting Abraham, saving Lot and saving Abimelech from Abraham’s deception. So, no matter what, I should always believe that God is working in and around me to bring about His perfect and awesome plan. And He does this even despite my doubts and questions. Praise God!
Good morning, I am in West Bend, Wisconsin. I read in the very early morning 3am. I just created a worship area, in a corner of a spare room. I love it.
Did you notice when Abraham was pleading with God he never used Lot’s name?
Have a wonderful day!!
Hi, friends,
I am a latecomer to the study and trying to catch up to you. I get up very early (4:00 Eastern) to start my day with coffee and Jesus. I am trying to double up and do two each day so I can get caught up with you.
Blessings,
SandyBB