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Faithful Journaling

Faithful Journaling: Genesis 32-35

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Keep going! Journaling through Genesis will strengthen your foundation.

Week 32: Read Genesis 32, then consider some or all of these questions in your journal:

Why was Jacob so worried when Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men?  When have you been concerned about the reception you would meet with a certain person? Why? What happened?

Why did God choose this moment to wrestle with Jacob? Has God ever given you a message in a similar way?

Why did God change Jacob’s name to Israel? What kind of a change in your life would be so significant as to cause a name change for you?

Week 33: Read Genesis 33 and answer the questions that speak to you.

Why did Jacob send his flocks, herds, and family ahead to meet Esau? What does this say about him?

Why did Jacob fail to follow through on his promise to follow Esau to his home? What does this say about him?

All in all, how does Jacob stack up as an example of a “man of God”? What does this say about God’s choices and about your service?

Week 34: Read Genesis 34 and continue answering questions in your journal.

Summarize the events of this chapter. Did you notice that there is no mention of God? Why do you think that is?

Why would intermarriage with the Canaanites be such a problem for Jacob’s family?

In what way did Jacob’s sons show that they were very much like their father?

What traits have you “inherited” from someone close to you that you would like to excise from your life? How can you manage this?

Week 35: Read Genesis 35 and respond to any or all of these questions in your journal.

Jacob and his family have now come full circle and are back in the land where they came from. What full circles have you made in your life? What was gained from them?

Rachel’s loss must have been heavy for Jacob, since she was the favored wife.  What loss in your life has affected you the most, and in what way?

In retrospect, we can see that God was preparing Jacob’s family to become the nation of Israel. Looking at your own life and God’s movements within it, what do you believe God is preparing you to become?

Faithful Journaling, Inspirations

Faithful Journaling: Genesis 10-13

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Welcome back!  I hope you’ve been keeping up with reading and journaling about Genesis this past month.  Here are the next few chapters and questions to get you thinking this month!

Tenth Week: Read Genesis 10. Answer some or all of these questions in your journal.

  • This is an account of how the world was repopulated after the flood.  Scholars believe these nations lived around the Middle East and Southeastern Asia, even up to the Black Sea and over to Greece. Can you see the beginnings of groups of people or nations that later stood against God’s Chosen People? How about connections to nations in existence today?  How can you connect this to God’s plan for our world?
  • God’s chosen people descended through Noah’s son Shem. These “Shemites” were later called “Semites.” The name “Eber” is said to be the origin of the word “Hebrew.” How does it make you feel to think that even in this dimly-remembered time, God was arranging and planning for Christ’s birth and His Church?
  • Do you believe all people came from one of these three groups?  Many other cultures have a Flood story similar to the one found in the Bible. Even the Islamic account of the story, found in the Quran, seems to be about the same people but has different details.  For example, Noah left his wife and one son off of the boat in that version, because of wickedness.  How do you account for the variances?

Eleventh Week: Read Genesis 11. Consider any or all of these questions in your journal:

  • What was the sin of the people on the Plain of Shinar?  How have you committed this same sin?  What will you do to change?
  • One way to interpret this story is that efforts to usurp God’s rightful place will be stopped.  Where have you seen this in recent history (either your own or society’s)?
  • What strikes you as interesting about Abram’s grandparents and extended family? Why?

Twelfth Week: Read Genesis 12. Answer some or all of these questions in your journal.

  • God’s promise to Abram (12:2-3) has seven parts. Which part or parts can you claim today?
  • When God called, Abram dropped what he was doing and responded. What is God calling you to do right now, and what do you need to “drop” to respond?
  • How did Abram’s deception in Egypt turn out?  Why might God have allowed him to benefit from this?

Thirteenth Week: Read Genesis 13. Consider these questions in your journal:

  • What caused the disagreement between Lot and Abram? Have you ever had a similar dilemma? What did you do?
  • Lot chose the better land. What did Abram do? Whose example would you recommend to people and why?
  • Look at a map from this time period and compare it to a map of the area today. Can you figure out what area God gave to Abram? What bearing does this have on political situations in the area today?

Watch for the next installment in this study on the first Sunday in April (April 3).

Faithful Journaling, Inspirations, Resources

Faithful Journaling: Genesis 6-9

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How did it go last month?  I hope you’re enjoying this slow, low-key journey through Genesis.  Here’s the next installment:

Sixth Week: Read Genesis 6.  Here are some prompts to consider for your journal (do any, all or none!):

  • What do you think was going on in the world in the beginning of chapter 6 that grieved God so?  How are things similar today? How are they different?
  • What do you believe Noah did to find such favor with God?  What changes will you make in your life to find similar favor?
  • Describe how Noah must have felt to know he was chosen for such a job.  What work is God choosing you to do?  How will you respond?

Seventh Week: Read Genesis 7.  Consider these prompts for your journal:

  • What surprises you about this account? Did you discover anything you didn’t already know?
  • Many cultures around the world have a Flood story similar to this one.  The names of the main characters vary, as do the number of people selected for salvation.  Why do you believe this is so?
  • God saved His natural world for a reason. What will you do this week to show your appreciation of the many gifts He blesses you with?

Eighth Week: Read Genesis 8.  Give some thought to these questions in your journal:

  • There have been several incidents where archaeologists believed they had found physical remains of the Ark.  What difference would it make in your life (if any) if this turned out to be the case?  Why?
  • Describe Noah’s response when God dried the Earth and released them all from the Ark.  How did he show his gratitude?  How will you show your gratitude this coming week for God’s salvation in your life?
  • What does God’s promise in verse 22 mean to you?  Write a prayer of thanksgiving for this promise.

Ninth Week: Read Genesis 9.  Respond to these prompts in your journal:

  • What rainbows does God place into your life?  How do you respond?
  • In this chapter, God restates man’s dominion over the animals and plants.  How does this relate to stewardship and ecology?
  • Some find the end of this chapter to be troubling.  How do you feel about it?  Why is this story included?  What warning or admonition can you take away from it?

Watch for the next installment on the first Sunday of March!

Faithful Journaling

Faithful Journaling: Genesis 1-5

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Join me as I read through the Bible, one chapter at a time! Let’s see just how far we can go. On the first Sunday of the month, I’ll try to post a chapter-by-chapter guide, and all you’ll need to do is read one chapter each week. Let’s see how long we can keep it up together.
Let’s start with Genesis. There are five Sundays in January, so we’ll think about five chapters this month. Now, don’t worry if you didn’t start right on January 3rd; you can join us at any time!

First week: Read Genesis 1. Consider these prompts for your journal (do any, all or none!):

  • Why did God create in the order that He did?
  • Which day of Creation was the most important?
  • How does it make you feel to know that God “saw that it was very good”?

Second Week: Read Genesis 2. Consider these prompts for your journal:

  • Describe Eden in your own words. Is there any place on earth today that comes close?
  • How is the story of Adam and Eve’s creation related to marriage? Have you found this to be true in your own life?
  • What would the world be like today if God still walked among us? How would that change your life and/or the lives of those around you?

Third Week: Read Genesis 3. Consider these prompts for your journal:

  • Was there any way God could have prevented this event? Was there any way Eve could have? Adam? What would have changed if any of the three had responded differently?
  • What do you think would have been the most shocking change for Adam and Eve after God decreed their punishment?
  • Are you closer or farther away from the Garden of Eden than Adam and Eve were at the end of this chapter? How so and why?

Fourth Week: Read Genesis 4. Consider these prompts for your journal:

  • Why did God find Abel’s sacrifice pleasing but not Cain’s?
  • How have you responded like Cain when God showed you an error in your thinking?
  • In what ways did Adam’s family follow God? In what ways did they stray? In what ways are you following God? In what ways are you straying?

Fifth Week: Read Genesis 5. Consider these prompts for your journal:

  • What do you believe is the purpose of including this genealogy? What message does it have for you today?
  • What is the difference between the reference about Enoch and those of the other people listed? Why is this important? How does it affect your life today?
  • What do you make of the extremely long lifespans listed? Are they intended to be taken literally, simply literary devices, or is there a meaning hidden in the numbers? Why do you think so?

Did you enjoy this set of journaling prompts to guide you through regular Bible readings?  New sets are posted on the first Sunday of each month.   Get access to the complete set of journal prompts that have been written to date by clicking the link below:

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