Bible Chapter: Genesis 11

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Having done some international travel, Genesis 11 can be sometimes a source of frustration. I am not multi-lingual and not being able to communicate has brought problems.  It is here that multiple languages were introduced to the world.  God did that for a reason.  The people were being drawn to rejecting God’s ways and thinking they could do anything they wanted.  Their rebellion was leading to sin.  God brought confusion by creating a variety of languages.  It is also out of this dispersion of people around the world that we have the different races.  Various groups of people settled all over the world, which brought the races and nations.
    There is another genealogy listing.  We see here the tracing of family lines from the ark to Abram.  It is through the family of Abram (Abraham) that God fulfilled His plan for redemption of the human race.  We see God’s plan and organization through information that is sometimes challenging to grasp.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    God knows what He is doing.  He also knows what every person in the world is doing.  The people  from the plain of Shinar (verse 2) thought they could do anything they wanted.  An interesting concept in this chapter is that God said the people could do anything they imagined when they worked together.  Unfortunately, these folks were going to do things to try to control the world, so God brought confusion of their languages.  But, the principle of our being able to do great things is encouraging.  The enemy of our souls wants us to think we are worthless and can’t accomplish much, so why try.  That is simply not true.  Having been made in God’s image, there is amazing potential for all who will trust the Lord.  We must try and stretch.  We will see we can do more than we ever thought.  And, we are not too old for God to do new and greater things through us.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Many people put themselves down.  They think they are nothing, worthless.  Yes, it is true that some have more abilities than others, some have more raw intelligence or education.  But, none of us are worthless and we all have something we can do that is beneficial to society.  I want to help people see their potential and the gifts God gave them.