Passage Read: Genesis 21-24
Meditation Verses: 24:54-58
Thought
Throughout Abraham's narrative, Abraham's quick obedience is often noted. The Lord comes to him in the evening and the next morning, Abraham carries out the Lord's instruction. There is …
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-17-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 25-28
Meditation Verses: 28:3-4
Thought
When Rebecca was first pregnant with the twins, God told her His plan to have the older serve the younger. It seems Jacob thought of buying Esau's birthright on his own, and was perhaps sh…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-18-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 29-32
Meditation Verses: 31:38-42
Thought
Jacob, of course, is not happy with how Laban treated him, but this shows both how a believer can endure a harsh and greedy master, and how God can protect and provide for His servant ev…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-19-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 33-36
Meditation Verses: 34:30-31
Thought
The contrast between young and old is striking here. Jacob is concerned for the safety of his whole family, certain that they wouldn't last long if the people around them gathered agains…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-20-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 37-40
Meditation Verses: 40:14-15
Thought
Joseph considered himself kidnapped and enslaved, and then was unjustly accused and imprisoned. Yet despite the injustice of all his circumstances, he served his master and then his jail…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-21-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 41-44
Meditation Verses: 44:32-34
Thought
Many years before, their jealousy and hated of Joseph led them to sell him into slavery into Egypt then to lie to their father, implying that Joseph was dead. Now they were desperate to …
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-22-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 45-48
Meditation Verses: 45:4-8
Thought
There is never a proper resolution to Joseph's treatment at the hand of his brothers. He has forgiven them, but he keeps preempting their chance to make things right. There's never a confe…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-23-2025
Passage Read: Genesis 49 - Exodus 2
Meditation Verses: Exodus 2:23-25
Thought
According to the book of Hebrews, Moses earlier recognized that he was appointed to lead the people out of Egypt, but the people at that time didn't recognize it. So Moses …
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-24-2025
Passage Read: Exodus 3-6
Meditation Verses: 5:21-23
Thought
Moses is just following God's orders, but Pharaoh responds by making life harder for the Israelites. Now they're being beaten for failing to meet their daily quota of bricks. Life was hard b…
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-25-2025
Passage Read: Exodus 7-10
Meditation Verses: 10:1-3
Thought
After all these plagues so far, there is no fear of God yet in the eyes of Pharaoh and His servants. It is as if they have only been inconvenienced, rather than all of Egypt destroyed. Some …
https://derfers.us/personal-devotions/december-26-2025
