Genesis 50:20-21 (NIV)

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Explanation:

The person speaking in the above passage was Joseph talking to his family. He was one of eleven brothers. Their father Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons, which caused a lot of tension and hostility between the brothers. At a young age, God began to show Joseph (through dreams) that He would use his life as someone with great authority to rule others. These dreams caused jealousy among his brothers, who intended to kill him, but instead threw him into a well. After changing their minds again, they sold him as a slave, where he lived in Egypt.

It quickly became evident that Joseph had God’s favor on his life, through a false imprisonment and his ability to interpret dreams. Abandoned, Joseph had a difficult life but always kept his integrity. He eventually found himself as the second in command under pharaoh in Egypt. The whole land goes through a severe drought and famine, predicted by Joseph. Years later, his brothers must come to him for help, not knowing Joseph is still alive.

This passage is the end of the story. God used all of Joseph’s trials and mishaps to prepare him to live in Egypt and rule over his family. After numerous generations, this family of brothers became the twelve tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people. God knew that Joseph would have to experience difficulties in his life, to prepare him to lead a nation.

God will use any situation, even one that seems evil (like the selling of a brother) to accomplish His will. God is sovereign, which means having supreme authority and all things under His control. Nothing happens that He is unaware of, and His heart is to rescue and redeem His people in a broken world. We can all agree since sin has entered the world, horrible injustices have been committed against humans, but Christians put their hope in the promise that one day Jesus will make all things right (Hebrews 10:30).

Application:

1. What trial have you experienced in your life that God allowed, and how has that shaped you into the person you are today?

2. Knowing God is sovereign, how does that make you see difficult situations?

3. God’s heart is to always redeem His children and bring Himself glory. How does that shape your thinking of Him?

Prayer Prompts:

• Ask God to show you all of the good that has come out of bad situations, even when you may not have all the answers.

• Ask God to give you eyes to see, as He will one day “make everything new” (Revelation 21:5).

• Thank God for the story of Joseph, because it shows us how God can use any situation to accomplish His purpose.

Devo Plus:

• If you would like to read the whole story of Joseph, read Genesis 37 and 39-50.

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Explanation:

In this passage, we see the account of God’s calling on Abraham’s life. God began the process of bringing His people back into relationship with Him. He had a plan, there would be a process, and it all would begin with Abraham. Eventually, Abraham would become the father, the founder, the beginning of God’s nation. Abraham would set the foundation and the direction for God’s people to go. He would be the first name mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. But first, he had to walk out in obedience.

God told Abraham to move, to leave the only home he had ever known, and to go to a place where God would direct him. Abraham was now living for God, and to do that, God called him to start over, to begin fresh and new. Abraham was obedient, and because of his obedience, Abraham’s name became great. He began the nation of God. He was the beginning place, the starting point of the line that would eventually lead to Jesus. And because of Abraham’s obedience, he found blessing. God had a story of redemption the whole time. His design was always to be in relationship with us. And thousands of years before Jesus would ever walk the earth, He began this process with one man, Abraham.

Application:

1. What does this story tell you about God and His plan to redeem us?

2. How might your steps of faith now affect the lives of others in years and generations to come, just like Abraham?

3. How does this story strengthen your faith and relationship with God?

Prayer Prompt:

• Take some time today to thank God for His plan of redemption.

• Ask God if there are areas where you are not being obedient, and to help you take those steps of faith. Ask Him to remind you that, just like Abraham, the steps of obedience you take now could impact the generations to come.

Devo Plus:

• Read the rest of the story (Genesis 12:4-9) to learn more about the calling of Abraham.

• Also check out Matthew 1:1-17 to see the lineage of Jesus, beginning with Abraham.

Genesis 6:9-13; 18-19 (ESV)

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Explanation:

If you have ever been out west and witnessed the aftermath of a wildfire, you are familiar with how devastating it can be. If you have not, take a moment and google it. It literally destroys everything, leaving a charred, darkened, barren mess. When the conditions are right, wildfires can be unstoppable, leaving nothing but destruction behind.

Like a wildfire, sin had consumed the hearts and lives of man during the time of today’s reading. Sin had reached such a devastating point that a few chapters earlier (Genesis 6), it actually says God regretted making man, and it grieved His heart very much. This is so sad. How bad did it have to be for God to say something like that? How wretched it must have been for God to finally reach a point where the only option was to “make an end of all flesh,” to make an end to man altogether. I think it is very easy for us to look at this situation and judge God for making the decision He did. But let’s try our best to first trust God, and believe that from His holy and righteous position, He was justified in whatever He chose to do. Secondly, let’s not pretend we even can imagine how bad things had gotten. We know, even from things we have witnessed throughout our lives, that man, if left untethered to God, can become grotesquely evil. Man must have been so far gone that they desired no part of God. As unfathomable as this seems, God had no other option than to destroy man.

However, the wildfire of sin had not consumed all hope for man. Noah, a righteous, blameless man who WALKED WITH GOD, became the seedling God would use to regrow man again. It wasn’t that Noah and his family had never sinned, but Noah sought God. He relied on God, trusted Him, and did not walk away from Him. He kept his heart tied to God, and God decided that Noah and his family would be the ones to sprout through the ash that sin deposited. Through Noah, God would lovingly continue His relationship with man. This was so gracious of God. We are still here today for this reason, and how fortunate we are to be on the receiving side of that love. God loved producing life and sharing life with man. He did this with Noah, and continues to do this with us today…even more so, as we get to experience the incredible blessing of living through Christ.

Application:

1. In what ways have you witnessed sin consume man like a wildfire?

2. How has sin personally affected you?

3. Why do you think Noah’s relationship with God was so dramatically different than the rest of the world?

4. From today’s reading, what have you learned about God’s love for you?

Prayer Prompt:

• God, thank You for choosing to love man throughout all time. Thank You for giving us Christ to keep our hearts tied to You. Help me to never forget how gracious You have been with all man, including me.

Devo Plus:

• Read Genesis 6:5-8 and write down three words that described the condition of man in the time of Noah.

Romans 6:20-23 (ESV)

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Explanation:

One of the boasts of sin is that if you step out of the bounds of God’s design, and you indulge in whatever practice you are being tempted to practice, then more enjoyment or life will be found. This is what sits at the heart of every temptation, that we can find joy, love, comfort, peace, prosperity, and blessing…all the things we would say define a full life…by abandoning God.

Yet Paul, the writer of the letter to the Romans, and a fellow human being who has both walked down the path of temptation and resisted it, says otherwise. In today’s passage, Paul is reminding the church that what God says about finding life is true, and that temptation to sin is a lie. He reminds them that God promised death to those who reject Him and His ways, but promised life to those who trust Him. In verse 21, he tells them to observe the truth in their very own lives, that sin leads to shame and destruction.

Sin talks a big game, but in the end, it’s the poisoned apple. It looks all shiny and pretty on the outside, but the inside only leads to death.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in today’s passage?

2. What is one way you recognize that you are being tempted today?

3. What is appealing about it?

4. Take time to think the implications all the way through, and see where the temptation really leads.

5. Has there been a time when you gave into temptation and you reaped the fruit of death in that circumstance?

Prayer Prompts:

• Ask God to lead you away from temptation.

• Ask God to help you resist temptation and see sin for what it truly is, a pathway to death.

Devo Plus:

• Read Genesis 3 and 4. Pay close attention to the promise of the temptation, then watch the consequences unfold for the first family.

Romans 5:12, 18-21 (ESV)

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Explanation:

How do you conquer sin and death? You don’t, at least not on your own. As you have been learning this entire week, through one singular act of disobedience, Adam and Eve introduced sin and death into the world of man. Prior to this act of disobedience, sin and death were non-existent, but since this act, as we read today, sin and death have spread to all of us. This is evident because all of us still sin against God and all of us still experience death. None of us have conquered or overcome these to the point where they do not impact us in some way. Man does not have the power within himself to do this, nor will we ever have the power to do this. If the story ended there, that would be a very dark, hopeless existence for all of man. You live, you die, and in between you struggle in sin. Yikes! That is a sad, sad story.

We know better, though. That isn’t the end of the story. Sin and death may still be present, but something more powerful than those has moved in and made hope arise again. Our reading today points to that hope. Keep in mind, this wasn’t an attempt to fix an infection with a band aid. This was the cure that would change our eternal destiny. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is the second man referenced in this verse. He is the One who brought grace. Where sin brought condemnation (eternal separation from God), the grace of Jesus’s death on a cross and resurrection from the dead brought justification (freedom from the separation from God). He conquered what we could not. He overcame what we could not. He restored our relationship with God through His obedient sacrifice. One man brought death, the other brought life. If we choose to follow Christ, we receive His righteousness and abounding grace that leads to life. Walk today in this grace.

Questions:

1. How might life look different if you did not have the freedom from sin and death you have in Christ?

2. How have you seen Jesus’s grace abound in your life?

3. How can you use God’s grace today to fight against sin and disobedience?

Prayer Prompt:

• Jesus, thank You for saving me from sin and death. My life would be hopeless without You, and You have forever changed me. I believe, in faith, that Your sacrifice was enough to conquer my sin. I pray that Your grace would change my heart to desire Your goodness above any sin.

Devo Plus:

• Write out two sentences about the way that sin has impacted our world today. Then pray God’s grace over those situations.

Romans 3:10, 21-24 (NLT)

10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Explanation:

In verse 10, Paul is quoting Psalm 14:3, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.” By nature, man is incapable of doing what is right in the sight of God. With the very best of intentions, we all mess up. Our standards may be good by human standards, but God doesn’t measure by human standards. His standard is perfection.

Verse 21 begins with the good news that perfection is free through Jesus. And this gift is God’s plan. Since we cannot save ourselves, God will save us by giving us His perfection when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I love how clearly Paul makes the point that ALL sin…EVERYONE. He is just as clear that the solution is the same for everyone…faith in Jesus!

Application:

1. We’ve all heard “nothing is free,” and that is true for the most part, except when we have been given a gift. That is one of the reasons we love gifts. We do have to accept gifts to enjoy them. Have you accepted Jesus and the gift of His salvation? If you have, now would be a great time to pause and thank Him for the gift.

2. The gospel of Jesus is uniquely set apart by its revolutionary concept of salvation by faith alone. No matter how divergent other religions are, they all agree that salvation has to be earned. The gospel stands alone. There is such freedom when sharing the gospel with others because there is no “bait and switch” …salvation through faith in Jesus is free.

Prayer Prompt:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins that are weighing you down. Hebrews 12 describes sin as weight that hinders your spiritual race. Confess those sins verbally, and embrace the power of forgiveness. It’s not enough to just think about our sin. To be forgiven, it must be confessed. That is the gift God has given us for life.

Devo Plus:

• Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. (Hebrews 12:1a-3, NLT)

Author: Lori Parrish

From the time I was a child, I learned that humans really messed up what God gave us. Adam and Eve started humanity on a path to death when they decided that eating the forbidden fruit was a good idea. That was the first time in history that humans thought they could make “smart” decisions without God’s guidance.

Generation after generation, we have embraced a mindset of independence. We’ve broken commandments, disobeyed, and wandered down our own paths. For me, I know I’ve done this more than my fair share of times. When I look back and think about it, I can almost imagine God putting His face in His hands and saying, “When will she EVER learn?”

I am thankful for God’s amazing grace. He knew there would be billions of people, past and present, just like me. People who try to do it all on their own, failing miserably without God’s guidance. All of humanity was in a death spiral, but because of God’s grace and mercy, He created a way for us to have life.

God made the ultimate sacrifice when He sent His son, Jesus, to “fix” all that we’ve screwed up in His world. Jesus taught us that the Father wants to be close to us. Unfortunately, humanity is so broken that there is nothing we could do to get back to a right standing with God on our own. We are unworthy and unable to save ourselves, so He sent His son to die so we could live in a relationship with Him, both on earth and eternally in heaven.

I am so thankful that although I still make bad decisions and sin, God is willing to forgive me if I ask Him. He pulls me right back into His arms and allows me to be in a relationship with Him again, just by asking for His forgiveness. Sin may have broken humanity, but Jesus is the fix.

I’m trying to be more aware of my need for Jesus in the most basic life situations: driving down the road, in conversations with friends, and in the grocery store. I challenge you to do the same. It changes your perspective, and helps you see things through the lens that God would have you to see them.

Genesis 3:8-13 (NIV)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Explanation:

The Almighty God walked in communion with man in the garden, and there was no separation. Humans were able to have a personal relationship with their Creator by actually having a conversation and interacting with God. But by Genesis 3, something happens that disrupts this perfect unity. One day, when God doesn’t see His most prized creation (mankind), He asks, “Where are you?” Finding man (Adam), the answer is obvious…something has happened. God asks, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The first sin is committed.

Suddenly, God’s sanctuary for humans (Eden) becomes more like what you would see in a courtroom rather than paradise. Adam instantly puts the blame on his wife, Eve, by saying she gave the fruit to him. The woman, when questioned by God (our judge, Ecclesiastes 3:17), passes the blame to the deceitful serpent (satan or deceiver, Revelation 12:9) who appears in the garden. What a scene this has become! God justly gives a sentence to man, woman, and the serpent. From this point on, humans are now in a cycle of separation from God because of their sin (wanting His knowledge of all things), rejecting God’s provision and His way for life. This one rebellious act by Adam and Eve cost all humanity the luxury of hearing and speaking with God in Eden. However, God had a future redemption plan already set in His Son, Jesus, and His work on the cross.

Application:

1. How would your life look if you completely obeyed God in everything you did?

2. In what way or situation have you shifted the blame on someone else when you were just as guilty or at fault?

3. How do you approach decisions in your life, knowing there is an adversary who is trying to cause you to disobey and question God’s goodness?

Prayer Prompts:

• Thank You, God, that You are a loving Father, always ready to welcome us back into Your presence, through Your grace. We can now have a personal relationship with You through the blood of Jesus, and by putting our trust and faith in You, we are no longer enslaved in our sin.

Devo Plus:

• We know that our old self was crucified with him (Jesus) in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6, NIV)

Genesis 3:1-7 (ESV)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Explanation:

This is the moment when we see sin enter into the picture. Everything was perfect up until this moment. Man and woman lived in the perfect world, the perfect creation where they were fully connected with God the way He designed the relationship to be. God gave them only one command, that they could eat anything they could possible want, except the fruit from one tree. They had everything else they could possibly want and need.

Satan enters the scene. He is the deceiver, a liar and a tempter. He twists God’s Word to make it sound as if God was withholding something from them, even though they were living in perfection. The forbidden fruit becomes appealing, and Eve falls into the temptation and eats it. In that moment, she disobeys God, believing the serpent’s lies. She then convinces Adam to do the same. Immediately, their eyes begin to see imperfections, and they are instantly filled with shame. In this moment, their relationship with God and each other changes, and is no longer perfect as it once was. Now they know the difference between good and evil. Now they will have to walk through life resisting temptation, striving to follow God. Now they will have to deal with the consequences of sin and disobedience. They set the course for those who would follow after them.

Application:

1. How do you think Adam and Eve really felt in this moment?

2. Why do you think they were so easily deceived?

3. Why do you think we fall into the same trap over and over, just like they did?

4. How do your decisions affect others, like their decisions did?

5. What is your battle plan against the devil’s schemes?

Prayer Prompt:

• Take some time today to repent. Ask God for forgiveness for the ugliness in your life, for those moments you walk in disobedience. Ask God to help you fight the lies and deception of satan.

Devo Plus:

• Read Romans 5:12-21 to learn more about the fall of man, but also God’s plan of redemption.

Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17 (ESV)

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Explanation:

From the very beginning, God wanted His creation to experience life. We talk about this a lot at The Tree, but it can never be proclaimed too much. God has always wanted, and will always want, His creation to experience life. As we read today, God created everything to generate life. The garden of Eden was a place of life and was designed to sustain life. Life for Adam and Eve meant they were never in need. They had everything they needed right within the bounds that God had established. Above all, their greatest need of always being connected to the presence of their Creator was their norm. Adam and Eve knew who they were and Whose they were. They were experiencing life at its fullest.

Now let’s pivot for a moment and chat for a bit about the command God gives Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At the end of this command, God warns them that they will die if they eat from this tree. Adam and Eve were aware of what it was to have life, but they had never experienced any form of death in their lives and the world around them. They had an awareness that death could happen, but didn’t understand fully the complexity of what that actually meant. Spoiler Alert: Fast forward to what transpires in Genesis 3 and you will see this misunderstanding at work. In short, Eve is tempted (enticed) by satan to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge a good and evil, and she eats it. Now sin enters into the picture, and with it…death. Along with all of that is the knowledge of good and evil that God warned would come.

You will explore sin a great deal more this week, but let’s chat for just a moment on the knowledge of good and evil. Don’t miss this…God never wanted us to experience sin, but He also never wanted us to have a knowledge that there were such things as good and evil. Why is that? A knowledge of good and evil meant that Adam and Eve would be aware there was a condition that existed outside of the absolutely contented, satisfied, whole, complete, perfect existence they had with God in the garden. To have an awareness of one’s own perceived good meant that humans could and would find themselves in a prideful condition, where they felt they didn’t need a God to give them life. On the flip side, the awareness of their evil meant that humans could and would find themselves in a guilty condition, where they felt undeserving of the life God wanted to give them. Both of these things drive humans away from God. They separate us from the very life God designed us to live. One says, “God, I don’t need You,” and the other says, “God, why would You ever want me?” This is precisely why God never wanted Adam and Eve, or us, to experience it. Since the fall of man in the garden, this knowledge has been at play. Thankfully, God has made a way, through Christ, to experience fullness of life again. This life comes, though, in complete reliance upon God for every need, just as it was in the garden. Sin may distort it until eternity comes, but in this present time, we can experience glimpses of the garden life again. My friends, don’t let pride and guilt drive you away from God. You were not designed to live life that way.

Application:

1. What does the phrase “you were created for life” mean to you in your current season of life?

2. How has sin brought death to you personally?

3. When have you seen a knowledge of your good and evil (pride and guilt) drive you away from God?

4. What pride and guilt do you need to surrender to God today?

Prayer Prompt:

• God, thank You that You created me to experience life with You. I believe You are the giver of life, and I pray You will reveal to me today how my pride and my guilt have driven me from You. I want to surrender those things to You, so I may receive the life You designed me to live in.

Devo Plus:

• Find two other stories in scripture where you see the knowledge of good and evil at work.