This month’s devotions are written by the St Barnabas staff team.1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadToday we return to Genesis in our daily devotions. Genesis begins with God creating people to be in a perfection relationship with him and each other, and to live in a perfect place. But humanity rebelled against God and were thrown out into a world of chaos, sin, violence and death. Genesis 12 began the long story of God’s plan to bring blessing and life to the world – a plan that began with Abraham and would finally end with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Word become flesh.God promised Abraham many descendants, a land, and blessing for his family and ultimately for people from all around the world. Genesis 12 to 25 told the story of Abraham’s life – especially Abraham’s determined trust in God’s promises, despite the fact that he and his wife couldn’t possibly have children. But God miraculously provided them with the impossible: a son, Isaac.The story of Isaac’s life began in Genesis 25:19, and we quickly see some similar themes. Isaac’s wife Rebekah was childless as well, but the Lord allowed her to conceive twin sons, Esau and Jacob – though the seeds have already been sown for conflict between them.In today’s passage, God confirms that Isaac has inherited all the promises that God gave Abraham. It’s amazing to think that nearly 4,000 years later, we are beginning to enjoy the blessing and fulfilment of these promises through faith in Jesus. Although the true and heavenly “promised land” is still in the future for us, we are already part of a huge family of Abraham’s spiritual descendants. Most of all, God is with us constantly because he has given us his Spirit, and he has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-10).God’s promises were fulfilled because Abraham obeyed him (v. 5) – but much more than Abraham, it was Jesus’ perfect obedience that has secured our blessing. Spend time thanking God for his never-ending faithfulness to his promises – and for eternally blessingyouthrough Jesus.ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our senior minister.