Day 2: Genesis 3-5

This is Day 2 in my Daily Walk Journey. I'm following along with Your Daily Walk, by Bruce H. Wilkinson. Today's reading was about The Entrance and Extent of Sin.

Genesis 3: "The Root of Sin: Adam's Rebellion" (The Entrance of Sin)
Genesis 4: "The Fruit of Sin: Cain's Evil Line" (The Extent of Sin)
Genesis 5: "The Fruit of Faith: Seth's Godly Line" (The Extent of Sin)

The heart of today's passage lies in Genesis 3.

Photo by http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/File:Garden-of-eden.jpg

Entrance of Sin:

• Satan, disguised as a serpent, deceives Eve into disobeying God and eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• Eve offers Adam the fruit from the tree, and he also eats.
• They realize their guilt and that they are naked and quickly make coverings for themselves from a fig tree.

God's Reaction:

• He asks them what happened (because they are hiding), which offers them a chance to accept responsibility for disobeying and a chance to ask for forgiveness.
• Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. By refusing to admit their own fault, they are making their situation worse.
• God curses the serpent - he must crawl on his belly. Eve's curse - pain in childbirth. Adam's curse - tough soil for farming.
• Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden.

Extent of Sin:

• Cain murders Abel, ignoring God's warning to do well and master the temptation to sin.
• Cain is cursed as is his lineage, but God protects him from the harm of others. He is marked, which protects him but also serves as a constant reminder of what he has done.
• Seth is faithful, his line is godly, and God blesses him and his descendants.

Daily Walk:
What are some of my daily temptations?
Laziness
Feeling sorry for myself instead of seeing positively
Not being grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life
Being impatient
Thinking hateful thoughts when I get annoyed or frustrated
Snapping at my husband
Gossiping
Vanity

All temptations to sin are caused by Satan. But there is hope.
"Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

Jesus was also tempted by Satan three times in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). The temptations were lust of flesh, lust of eyes, and pride of life (1 John 2:16). When tempted, Jesus RESISTED and Satan fled from His presence.

My own conclusion for today:
We are all tempted daily to sin. These temptations are caused by Satan. It's not always easy to resist, but there are rewards for trying to live in a way that is pleasing to God. And there are consequences for giving into temptation, which is by far the easier option. With God's help, we can overcome temptations and live a happier, more fulfilling life.

Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts and insights from my own time studying the Bible. I am not trying to teach, instruct, or push my thoughts on others. Please feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions.

Day 1: Genesis 1-2

This is Day 1 in my Daily Walk Journey. I'm following along with Your Daily Walk, by Bruce H. Wilkinson. Today's reading was about The Six Days of Creation.

Chapter 1: "Six Days through a Telescope"
Chapter 2: "Sixth Day through a Microscope"

The heart of today's passage lies in Genesis 2:4-25.

As Creator, God designed every part of this world and all the creatures in it with a purpose. He has a greater picture in mind than we can see in this moment.

After creating Adam, God said, "It is not good the for man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Then God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. Then He took one of Adam's ribs and created a woman that Adam later named Eve. God designed men and women to leave their own families to unite with each other.

Part of my devotional asked me to write down answers to the following phrase: "By God's design, I am..." I could only come up with two answers. First, we are created in God's image. Secondly, I am meant to be a helper to my husband. After that, I was stumped.

The book suggested several verses to come up with other specific ways God has designed us. The verses are:
Psalm 139:14
1 Corinthians 11:3
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 5:21-:9
Titus 2:14

After reading those verses, I concluded that "By God's Design, I am..."
1. Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
2. God is the head of man, and man is the head of the woman and the entire household (1 Corinthians 11:3)
3. We are created for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
4. Wives are meant to submit to their husbands, husbands are to love their wives as themselves, and wives are to respect their husbands (Ephesians 5:21-6:9)
5. We are redeemed by Jesus Christ, purified, and should be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14)

I know that a lot of people are offended by the idea that women must be subservient to their husbands. I can admit that it sometimes rubs me the wrong way as well. However, I do believe that men are natural leaders of the household. And although I think it's fair to have discussions and make decisions together, I also know it's important for wives to respect their husbands. The subservient nature should come from a place of love and deep respect. As a wife, I know that I want nothing more than to feel like my husband truly loves me.

My own conclusion for today:
God created everything (including men and women) with a purpose. We compliment each other and are meant to create a strong union as the basis for starting a family. God gives us advice to help guide us in our daily lives. If we follow God's advice, we should see a better harmony in our relationship with our spouses.

Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts and insights from my own time studying the Bible. I am not trying to teach, instruct, or push my thoughts on others. Please feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions.

Introduction

I have made a commitment to walk daily in Scripture. I have always wanted to read through the entire Bible, and I plan to do that this year. I will be sharing my experience here in the hopes of inspiring others to start and enjoy their own Daily Walk.

Just to put it out there - I do not claim to be a theologian, nor am I involved in the ministry in any way. I am just a normal person looking to learn more about God and hopefully live a better life by grounding myself in Scripture.

(Thanks to http://eldercatron.blogspot.com for this photo)

Because I know how daunting the task of daily Bible reading can be, I've decided to use some help along the way. I've found a book that I hope will be very helpful, called Your Daily Walk. It breaks up the daily Bible reading for you, with an introduction and some helpful insight along the way.

I hope to follow through with my goal to read through the entire Bible this year. Thank you for joining me on my journey.