Doyle Smith Daily

Genesis 29:31-32 (ESV) Originally published 12/03/2014 This was a dysfunctional family. Jacob was married to sisters, one of whom he did not want. Leah was not attractive to Jacob, and he was tricked into marrying her; she was not wanted as a wife, while Rachel was desired and attractive to her husband. "When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, 'Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me'" Genesis 29:31-32 (ESV). God is aware of the troubles of his followers, even our emotional needs, and he responds to them. Lord, when I get discouraged and things don't go well, remind me that you are aware of my problems and are at work to help me.

Genesis 28:20-21 (ESV) Originally published 12/02/2014 Jacob had not yet come to understand how a person relates to God. "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God,...’” Genesis 28:20-21 (ESV). Jacob made his commitment to God conditioned on God doing what Jacob wanted him to do. God demands our surrender to him with no conditions because he is God, not us. LORD, you have shown me areas of my life that are not surrendered to you, and I ask for strength to submit these to you today.

Genesis 28:15 (ESV) Originally published 12/01/2014 Jacob was leaving the family and the home he grew up in and running from his brother who pledged to kill him. He was going to a place he had never been to live with people he had never met and marry someone he did not know. He was leaving security and living in insecurity. His first night on the road he slept and in a dream God came to him saying: "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised" Genesis 28:15 (ESV). Lord, when I face problems and uncertainty, remind me of your promises to those who obey you that I would have peace. Confront me with my disobedience, and give me a passion to be obedient that I would fulfill your purpose for my life and experience the peace that comes from you alone.

Genesis 27:42-46 (ESV) Originally published 11/28/2014 God works even in the most dysfunctional family. Rebekah said to Jacob: "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away---until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day/" Then Rebekah said to Isaac, 'I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?"' Genesis 27:42-46 (ESV). The wife conspires with one son against another, brother determined to kill his brother, mom against dad, lying, stealing, and deceit; but, in all this God was at work to accomplish his plan. Lord, help me never to thi...

Genesis 27:41 (ESV) Originally published 11/27/2014 When their twins were born, Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob (Genesis 25:28), and this conflict between parents contributed to conflict between sons, which resulted in disaster. "Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, 'The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob'" Genesis 27:41(ESV). God promises that if we submit to his authority, he will make a man and woman one in marriage. Lord, teach me to conform to your will that you would continue to make Carol and myself one, bringing honor to you.  

Genesis 26:26-28 (ESV) Originally published 11/26/2023 Isaac prospered and Abimelech (the ruler) told him to leave because Isaac was getting too powerful. "When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, Isaac said to them, 'Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?' They said, 'We see plainly that the LORD has been with you'" Genesis 26:26-28 (ESV). God's plan is for us to live in submission and obedience to him so that he might bless us and so that others will see his greatness. Lord, guide me to think and act exactly as you want me to think and act so that everyone around me would see you.

Genesis 25:27-28 (ESV) Originally published 11/25/2014 Isaac and Rebekah were not perfect parents, and their parenting and relationships with each other and their sons made for domestic trouble. "When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob" Genesis 25:27-28 (ESV). While our sin might create a lot of problems for us and those around us, if we are trying to obey God, he will still use us for his purpose. Lord, I know I fail you many times, and I try to confess these sins to you. I ask you to help me to grow to be more faithful and that you would use my life to benefit your Kingdom and the lives of others.

Genesis 23:50-51 (ESV) Originally published 11/24/2014 When Abraham's servant told Rebekah's family how God had guided him to her as a wife for Isaac, they responded: "Then Laban (her father) and Bethuel (brother) answered: '...The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken'" Genesis 24:50-51 (ESV). Everyone, including Isaac and Rebekah, were willing to base the marriage on God's direction - not looks, compatibility, or human attraction. Lord, you know so much more about what is best for me than I do. Show me what you want me to do and give me a spirit of submission to you.

Genesis 22:15-17 (ESV) Originally published 11/22/2014 This is the secret to God's blessings. "And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, 'By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore'" Genesis 22:15-17 (ESV). When we withhold from God what he asks from us for fear of losing it, we do lose it. What we freely give to God when he asks for it, he multiplies it for us. Lord, give me the trust in you to give generously of whatever you ask from me, be it time, attention, listening to you, material things or submission.

Genesis 22:13-14 (ESV) Originally published 11/21/2014 The Lord asked Abraham to offer his only son as a sacrifice to him. He lived several days thinking that the Lord was taking away his only son, but at the last minute, God stopped Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice. "And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So, Abraham called the name of the place, 'The LORD will provide'" Genesis 22:13-14 (ESV). Lord, sometimes it looks like disaster is coming to me or the work you have given me to do, and I see no way to succeed. Help me to remember what you did for Abraham and believe that you are a God who provides everything I need. Help me to live believing that when I obey you that you will provide all that I need.

Genesis 22:11-12 (ESV) Originally published 11/20/2014 The things we fear control our behavior. God asked Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice to him, and he had his son on the altar ready to kill him. "But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here am I.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me'" Genesis 22:11-12 (ESV). Lord, help me to be more afraid of your disapproval of me today than anything in the world, or anyone. Help me to ask myself if the things I think or do today find your approval.

Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 11/19/2014 God wanted to know if Abraham was really willing to do anything that God asked him to do. "After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham!!' And he said, 'Here am I.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you'" Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV). This test was for Abraham perhaps more than for God. Have I really given my whole life to God? The only way to know is to have to make hard choices and to do  things that are hard and costly to me. Lord, I think you test me every day to see if the things that are important to you are most important to me. Help me to be aware that what I think and how I spend my time is a test as to whether or not you are Lord of my life.

Genesis 21:22 (ESV) Originally published 11/18/2014 This is evidence of why Abraham was a man of God. "At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, ‘God is with you in all that you do'" Genesis 21:22 (ESV). These pagan men saw in Abraham the evidence that God was guiding his life without Abraham trying to convince them about God. Lord, I want to tell people that you are the Ruler of the universe, but I want even more for those who know me to see your nature in who I am and what I do.

Genesis 21;17-18 (ESV) Originally published 11/17/2014 God has done a lot more than what is recorded in the Bible. "And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation'" Genesis 21:17-18 (ESV). God's work is bigger than we will ever know in this world, and perhaps in Heaven we will learn of what God did with Ishmael and what he did in China and all the rest of the world. Lord, you are overwhelming to me. You are at work in every country, community, and in every person in the world at the same time. How humbling to think that you listen to me and guide me.

Genesis 21:12-13 (ESV) Originally published 11/15/2014 Abraham and Sarah gave up waiting for God to give them a son, and Abraham conceived a son through Sarah's maid at Sarah's insistence. Then God gave Sarah and Abraham a son, Isaac, and there was conflict as a result of their disobedience. "But God said to Abraham, 'Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring'" Genesis 21:12-13 (ESV). If we continue to trust God, he has the ability to accomplish his purpose in our lives, even when we fail him. Lord, when I fail you, I get upset with myself. Remind me that you can solve any problem my disobedience causes if I am faithful to obey.

Genesis 20:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 11/14/2014 Even great people of faith had times when they did not trust God. "From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur, and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife. 'She is my sister.' And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah" Genesis 20:1-2 (ESV). This was the second time that Abraham lied and gave his wife to another man (Genesis 12:10-20). All of us who follow Christ have areas of our lives in which we really trust God and at the same time have trouble trusting God in other areas. Lord, show me the ways in which I do not trust you, and help me to be able to trust you in every part of my life.

Genesis 19:27-29 (ESV) Originally published 11/13/2014 I hear some people say a loving God would not hurt people. "And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of  the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived" Genesis 19:27-29 (ESV). God's judgment destroys those who fail to submit to his authority to protect those who do submit to his authority. Lord, thank you for taking care of me and protecting me, and give me a spirit of submission to your every instruction.

Genesis 19:17-20 (ESV) Originally published 11/11/2014 God was going to destroy Sodom, and he sent angels to rescue Lot. "And as they brought him out, one of them said, 'Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be  swept away.' And Lot said to them, 'Oh, no, my lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest disaster overtake me, and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there--is it not a little one? --and my life will be saved!'" Genesis 19:17-20 (ESV). Lot trusted his own judgment over that of the angels and God. We read the words of God in the Bible, but we think we can improve on them. Lord, today if I try to compromise what you’ve told me, remind me of Lot.

Genesis 19:14-16 (ESV) Originally published 11/06/2014 God was going to destroy Sodom and sent angels to warn Lot, Abraham's nephew, to escape with his family. "So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, 'Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.' But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, 'Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.' But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city" Genesis 19:14-16 (ESV). The sons-in-law died by ignoring the warning, and God had to force Lot to escape because he didn't take the warning seriously. Lord, your mercy is so great that you warn me over and over about how I should think and act, but I don't always take...

Genesis 18:32 (ESV) Originally published 11/05/2014 God had plans to destroy Sodom because of its wickedness, but Abraham interceded for Sodom. "Then he (Abraham) said, 'Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten (righteous) are found there.' He (God) answered, 'For the sake of ten I will not destroy it'" Genesis 18:32 (ESV). Sodom was destroyed for the lack of ten people who trusted God. We have no idea how much influence the life of one follower of Christ has with God. Lord, cleanse me of all rebellion and resistance to you so that I might be that one righteous person you can count on. 

Genesis 18:17-19 (ESV) Originally published 11/04/2014 God was set to bring judgment on Sodom when he stopped to tell Abraham and Sarah that he was going to give them a son. "The LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice,...'" Genesis 18:17-19 (ESV). God wanted to involve his follower Abraham in what he was doing on earth because Abraham was faithful. Lord, if there is something that you want done today and I can serve you, tell me what to do and give me the faithfulness to do what you need me to do.

Genesis 18:13-14a (ESV) Originally published 11/03/2014 At age 90 for Sarah and 100 for Abraham they had apparently stopped asking for a son. But when God promised a son to them Sarah laughed because it was humanly impossible. "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:13-14a (ESV). This does not mean that God will do everything we ask but that he can do anything we ask if it suits his purpose and is best for us. Most of all it means that he will do everything he tells us he will do no matter  how impossible it seems to us. Lord, I want to live with confidence that everything you promised in the Bible you will do. Give me the courage to take the risks of obedience.

Genesis 17:15-17 (ESV) Originally published 11/01/2014 God shows his power and majesty by doing things that are impossible to us. "And God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations: kings of peoples shall come from her.' Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'" Genesis 17:15-7 (ESV). To undertake the impossible when God has not directed it is presumption, but to fail to undertake the impossible when God has directed it is unbelief. God asks us to do things that seem impossible to us to help our trust in him to grow and prepare us to face even more difficult situations and to demonstrate who he is. Lord, help me to know today what you want me to do and to do...

Genesis 17:1 (ESV) Originally published 10/31/2014 In talking to Abram God identifies himself. "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless, ...” Genesis 17:1 (ESV). This is the foundation of our faith that the God of the Bible has all power and authority over all the universe. He can do whatever he chooses to do. To fail to recognize his position and authority is rebellion against the greatest power in the universe. Lord, I acknowledge you as the ruler of the universe and of my life and ask that you help me to submit to your every wish this day. I will fear nothing with you as my master.

Genesis 16:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 10/30/2014 It is easy to get frustrated with God when the promises we read in the Bible don't happen when we think they should. Sometimes we try to make them happen. "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai" Genesis 16:1-2 (ESV). Sarai didn't trust God to keep his word, and Abram trusted Sarai, not God. Lord, today when things don't go as I expected, remind me to react as you want me to, instead of acting on my feelings or human wisdom.

Genesis 15:13-16 (ESV) Originally published 10/29/2014 We might think that planning 10 years ahead is long range planning for us, but not for God. "Then the LORD said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not complete'" Genesis 15:13-16 (ESV). God knew what he was going to do 400 years in the future to the Israelites, Egyptians, and the Amorites. His knowledge and wisdom is beyond anything we can imagine. Lord, I cannot know the future, but if I can obey your instructions one day at a time, I am assured my future is secure. Show me what ...