This Is Just the Beginning!

It is hard to believe that we have been in a study of Genesis since July 11, 2007. It has taken a while to complete but I have enjoyed this study very much. As I looked forward to the end, I was waiting for that Hollywood style conclusion where the boy gets the girl. They lived happily-ever-after as the pictures slow down and the music plays on. Well - the end of Genesis is about two funerals. The first is the service for Jacob. Although he lived his last 17 years in Egypt he told his son Joseph to bury him in the Promised Land, in the cave of Machpelah, with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and yes his wife - Leah! The next funeral was for Joseph! Joseph was one of the main characters in this book and he helped to save Israel, Egypt, and I guess you could say the world. He died and the writer doesn't even record his burial. (That will take place in Joshua 24.) The book just stops!

What I am trying to say is that Genesis does not have the storybook ending. But when you think about it, Genesis is not about endings. Genesis is about beginnings. In the beginning God! With that in mind we live our life trusting in the sovereignty of God. When we are sold by our brothers - we trust. When we are bought as a slave - we trust. When we are lied about and end up in prison - we trust. When we are forgotten - we trust in the one who is with us. And when we are promoted and live in the best of situations - we remember this world is not our home. This is just the beginning. When Exodus comes, and it will, you carry my bones with you. And they did!

Are you going through difficulty? Have situations in life caused you to fear? This is not the end! It isn't even the beginning of the end. One day God is going to carry us out of here! This is just the beginning!

October 8, 2008