Martin Wickens
Speaking the Truth in Love
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Sacrifice and Rest
Reading through the books of Leviticus and Numbers we can find ourselves getting lost in all the details of Judaism. Judaism, that body of belief which God gave to Israel to protect them as a nation, to prepare a path from Jesus would emerge, and to prove our inability to save ourselves. Wading through the…
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Our Good Shepherd – Exodus 12-14; Psalm 23
For nearly 400-years the children of Israel had lived in Egypt. Initially, I can see that God allowed them to move there to survive the drought occurring throughout the region. God had placed Joseph there many years before for just such a reason. Perhaps God allowed them to remain there after the drought had ended…
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Better or Bitter? Genesis 37-46; Psalm 16
Whenever we face hurts and difficulties in life we will face a decision, “Will I become better, or bitter.” Every hurt, every loss, each and every pain has the potential to change us. How these times change us depends on our actions and reactions. In the life of Joseph we see many hurts and betrayals.…
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Genesis 30-32; Psalm 11
And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian… Genesis 31:20 Lies, deceit, and manipulation were a perinnial problem in the life of Jacob. Not only does Jacob show a lack of integrity at times, but so do others around him. I have to wonder how much his lack of honesty encouraged similar behavior in…
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Genesis 15-17; Psalm 6
Genesis 15-17 I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17:1 Many years previous God had promised to Abram and Sarai that they would have a son. But in their impatience, they tried to force the hand of God and Abram had a son by Sarai’s maid, Hagar. Now, having…
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Genesis 12-14; Psalm 5
Genesis 12 open up to us the life of Abram, who later God would rename Abraham. We don’t have a list of others in Abram’s generation who disobeyed, but we do have a record of Abram’s faith. We see that each time he called on the Lord or obeyed a command from the Lord, blessings…
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Genesis 6-9; Psalm 3
Genesis 6-9 Several words stand out to me in this passage. Words that describe humanity include, wickedness (6:5) evil (6:5) violence (6:10) corrupt (6:12) Yet, Noah found grace in the eyes of God. Words associated with Noah include, Just Perfect (not sinless, but upright) Walked with God Righteous We could add obedient and faithful to…
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Genesis 3-5; Psalm 2
Genesis 3-5 “Yea, hath God said…” Satan’s opening salvo against God began with these words. He followed this initial question with simple, yet effective, tactics to deceive Eve and Adam. But to say Satan deceived them is not to remove any blame from them. Had they embraced the truth, the deception would not have worked.…
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Genesis 1-2; Psalm 1
The consistent themes that run through God’s Word point to a single author. Genesis 1 opens with a clear division between light and darkness. Genesis 1 also describes the natural order of each creature or plant reproducing after its own kind. Genesis 2 speaks specifically of the creation of humanity in God’s image. Genesis 2…
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My Times in Your Hands
“My times are in thy hand…” – Psalm 31:15 David trusted God with each day, and with all his days. The individual days and the collected days of his life he knew rested in God’s hands. David, who had been a somewhat forgotten son but chosen of God and anointed by His prophet. David, who…