Hi, my name is Dale. My wife Cathy and I have been on the Elder Team at Riverside for the past two years. We have attended Riverside since its inception 11 years ago.

The passages you are going to read today are Genesis 12:1-5 and Genesis 15:1-6. These passages describe God’s call to Abram and the covenant he establishes with him. In Genesis 12:1-5 God calls Abram and commands him to leave his country and his people to go to a land that God will reveal to him. God promises to bless Abram and to make him a great nation and that through him all the people on earth will be blessed. Abram chooses to obey God even though he has no idea where God will lead him. He realizes that the blessings he will receive in obedience will be greater than the things he will leave behind. He takes his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the people he has acquired in Harran and heads for the land of Canaan. In Genesis 15:1-6 God appears to Abram in a vision and tells him to not be afraid, that he is his shield and his great reward. Abram asks God how His promise will be fulfilled since He has given him no children, and a servant of his household will be his heir. God reassures Abram saying “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir”. God tells him to look up at the sky and count the stars, that his offspring will be just as numerous.

These passages demonstrate God’s faithfulness. Even in times of doubt, God will reassure us of His promises and will fulfill them as we remain obedient to Him.

Now, do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW (What does the text say about God?)

• BE (What does the text say about us?)

• DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)

Hi, my name is Greg and I’ve been an Elder at Riverside for the last 2 years. Megan and I have been married for 22 years and have seven kids, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter : Nick and wife Morgan, Charlie, Ben, Lincoln, Crisiya, Tariya, Eddie and granddaughter Genevieve.

The passage you are going to read today is Genesis 3. In this chapter our species made a choice that would affect humanity severely. Eve was by herself and she was deceived by the serpent. She took the conversation and the fruit from the forbidden tree back to Adam and they ate it. Their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. Shame causes fear and fear makes us want to hide. So when they heard the Lord God walking in the garden they hid. God knew where they were but he asked where are you. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Because of their transgressions God cursed them. The serpent will be cursed more than all other animals and made to crawl on their belly. For Eve, she will endure pain during pregnancy and child birth. For Adam the ground will be cursed and grow thorns and thistles and he will work the ground until he returns to it. God made clothes from animal skins for Adam and Eve and banished them from the garden. God placed cherubims at the garden and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life.

This narrative tells a story of paradise lost, the result of the first willful human sin. The consequences were immediate shame and lifelong separation from their home with God. It is only because of the birth of Christ that we don’t have to live apart from God. We can live with him now and forever. Because of Jesus we don’t have to live as a paradise lost but as a paradise to come. It is only because of Jesus that we can be forgiven for our transgressions.

• KNOW (What does the text say about God?)

• BE (What does the text say about us?)

• DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)

Hi, my name is Andrew and I’ve been a pastor at Riverside since we moved here from Michigan in early October. Marcie and I have been married for 17 years and have five kids: Addison (14), Hosea (11), Joel (9), Gabe (6), and Eloise (3).

The passages you are going to read today are Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:15-25. These passages describe the creation of humanity; the crowning jewel of God’s creation. In Genesis 1, God emphasizes that we are created in the image and likeness of God, to watch over and care for the great gift of this world God has made. In chapter 2, the human (Hebrew ha-Adam) is given freedom to eat from the garden and is given a companion Eve so that he will not be alone. So from nearly the first breaths of humanity, God decides that people should be connected in healthy and close relationships with Him and with one another. This is the original picture of God’s shalom, a Hebrew word that describes wholeness in relationships and the flourishing of God’s Kingdom in concrete expressions.

This narrative connects to the birth of Christ because it is the very foundation of the incarnation. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the same embodied humanity of Adam and Eve. And the actively flourishing shalom of Eden is precisely what Christ comes to earth to restore; in fact, a new and greater shalom is made possible in Christ. This new shalom will be the picture of justice and reconciliation and all things made new, and what we see in Eden is a foretaste of the glory that will come on the other side of our history.

• What does it mean to your faith and theology that Christ comes in the same flesh as you and I?

• How is God inviting you to lean into His shalom? Is there something specific you can do to bring about flourishing today?

We did it! We made it through some really hard chapters in Romans- treat yourself this morning with your favorite hot beverage and spend some time worshiping and praising God, who has granted us access into his family!

WEEK 4: MEMORY VERSE 
ROMANS 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Just like we did at the end of the last devotional, we are going to do some listening. Open up your Bible app, or download a Bible app on your phone. Today, listen to Romans chapters 7-11.

On a piece of paper, jot things down that stand out to you from these chapters.

WEEK 4: MEMORY VERSE 
ROMANS 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Just like we did at the end of the last devotional, we are going to do some listening. Open up your Bible app, or download a Bible app on your phone. Today, listen to Romans chapters 1-6.

On a piece of paper, jot things down that stand out to you from these chapters.

WEEK 4: MEMORY VERSE 
ROMANS 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Read all of Romans 11 and do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW – What does the text say about God?
• BE – What does the text say about us?
• DO – What is the text calling me to do?

Grab a piece of paper and write out the whole verse that you want to stick with you throughout the day today.

WEEK 4: MEMORY VERSE 
ROMANS 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!