I'm still reading in Genesis about Abraham and came across a very familiar part of his story. GENESIS 22:1-18 You know the one where God tells Abraham to go up on the mountain and sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham and Sarah had waited so long for this son. Sarah even laughed when she heard she would have a son because she and Abraham were so old. But like usual...God is faithful to His promises.
So now God tells Abraham to take this long awaited son up on the mountain and sacrifice him. Abraham does as instructed. He takes Isaac, a couple of servants, and cut the needed wood for the burnt offering sacrifice. He goes to the place God had told him. When they arrive, Abraham tells his servants to stay behind while he and Isaac go the rest of the way by themselves. Can you imagine what Isaac is thinking? (ISAAC: Dad, I know God told you to do all of this but where's the lamb for the sacrifice? Something's not just right here. ABRAHAM: Don't worry, son. God will take care of all the details.) So they head on up the mountain. Abraham builds the altar, puts the wood down, ties Isaac up, lays him on the wood and raises the knife. Abraham has every intention of going through with the instructions God gave him. But an angel of the Lord stops him and says he sees how Abraham trusts God. Then just like Abraham knew God would, He provided the lamb. It was in the bushes.
Why does God do all of this if He never planned on Abraham having to actually kill his son? You can find the answer in Genesis 22:1. It was a test - a really big, important test. Some times the things we go through or have to experience is nothing more than God testing our faith, just like He did with Abraham. If Abraham was going to get graded on THIS test, what would it be? I think he would receive a huge A++. He did exactly what God asked him. He never wavered or 2nd guessed God. His faith carried him all the way through, all the way up to raising the knife. IF he had to kill Isaac he believed God would raise him from the dead.
A couple of years back when I was studying this same story to teach SS, this verse jumped out at me. Genesis 22:5 "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.'" Have you ever noticed that verse? What did Abraham mean when he said "we will come back to you?" I think Abraham's faith that God would provide never failed. He knew he would come back down that mountain with his son. He didn't know how but he had absolute belief that God would not have given him Isaac, made the promises He did, only to have it end up this way. BUT...just incase he was wrong, he was also determined that he would be faithful to do whatever God was asking, even if it made no sense or was going to break his heart.
This is one of my favorite OT stories. What an awesome example for us!! Will we be willing to go the distance, whatever God asks of us? Even when it makes no sense or is going to be really tough, will we be willing to keep the faith all the way till the end? Could we be listed in the "Faith Hall of Fame"? Check it out...Hebrews 11:17-19. Just saying...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
YOU gotta have faith
"(1) The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land I will show you. (4) So Abram left Haran as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. At this time Abram was 75 years old." Genesis 12:1 & 4
"(8) The officer answered, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. (10) When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, "I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel." Matthew 8:8 & 10
Do you see some similarity in those two groups of verses?
As soon as I read the familiar verses in Genesis today on my mobile Bible :-) where God told Abram (or Abraham as we know him) to leave without giving him the details I automatically thought of the faith it took for Abraham to be obedient. He didn't question God. He didn't ask for the rest of the story. He didn't ask what next? He just stepped out in faith and did what God asked him to do.
So...then I read on and switched over to the NT and what do I read? I read about people who were coming to Jesus to be healed because they had faith He could/would do that. In fact, there was an officer Jesus described as "having the greatest faith in Isreal." WOW!! That's some faith, isn't it?
Earlier Carmela was praising God on FaceBook for answering her prayer request. I was reminded of the verses I'd read before and thought "we gotta have faith" just like these guys did. God is still teaching me patience on a specific prayer request I have. But God spoke to me even later when I was thinking about it again. It was like He said, "No, Marsha - YOU gotta have faith."
I needed that. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me and reminding me You see all things, and You haven't forgotten about me. Your timing is perfect, and I will continue to "try" to be patient... and have faith.
"(8) The officer answered, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. (10) When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, "I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel." Matthew 8:8 & 10
Do you see some similarity in those two groups of verses?
As soon as I read the familiar verses in Genesis today on my mobile Bible :-) where God told Abram (or Abraham as we know him) to leave without giving him the details I automatically thought of the faith it took for Abraham to be obedient. He didn't question God. He didn't ask for the rest of the story. He didn't ask what next? He just stepped out in faith and did what God asked him to do.
So...then I read on and switched over to the NT and what do I read? I read about people who were coming to Jesus to be healed because they had faith He could/would do that. In fact, there was an officer Jesus described as "having the greatest faith in Isreal." WOW!! That's some faith, isn't it?
Earlier Carmela was praising God on FaceBook for answering her prayer request. I was reminded of the verses I'd read before and thought "we gotta have faith" just like these guys did. God is still teaching me patience on a specific prayer request I have. But God spoke to me even later when I was thinking about it again. It was like He said, "No, Marsha - YOU gotta have faith."
I needed that. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me and reminding me You see all things, and You haven't forgotten about me. Your timing is perfect, and I will continue to "try" to be patient... and have faith.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The WORD is Mobile
I've started reading the Bible on this program Kevin C. suggested loading on my Blackberry. It's pretty cool. It has the entire Bible with all kinds of different versions. It has a daily reading plan so I've been using it for the last several days. I really like that I can take it wherever I go. It has chapters listed to read daily and it seems to help not being able to see how many verses I'll have to read. I just start reading. In the past it always seemed a bit daunting. I don't know if this makes sense so all I'm saying is I'm enjoying reading this way.
Earlier while I was reading, two things struck me from some of the verses. One was in the OT and one was in the NT. I'll start with the OT.
"The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked and that everything they thought about was evil. He was sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7 (NCV)
It's hard to believe there was a time when God was actually sorry He'd created man. When I read that this morning it was like a knife went through me. Can you imgaine the anguish He must have felt when He said that? I thought about when Jesus hung on the cross and took on all the pain and paid the price for those sins THEN, today's and tomorrow's sins. God took pretty drastic measures when Noah was alive and allowed the world to be destroyed by a flood. God turned His back on mankind that day. God also took pretty drastic measures the day He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for you and me. God turned His back on His Son. Part of me wonders what God must think about mankind TODAY. While I know He loves us, and inspite of ourselves He provides a way for us to be with Him through His Son, how much does mankind grieve His heart? What if Jesus hadn't been willing to come to earth? Would God be so unhappy with us that He would consider destroying earth again? I look around, read the paper, watch the news, know what I think and say sometimes, and know there is a lot of evil around us. How would it be without the influence of Jesus? He changed the world, didn't He? How would the world be without Him? How would the world be without us? Think about it!!
The 2nd group of verses I read in the NT was in Matthew. Here they are... "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. " Matthew 5:11-12 (NCV)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends." Matthew 5:43-47 (NCV)
We are to love and most importantly I think, pray for those who hurt us. It's easy to be nice to those we think are nice or are our friends but not the ones we think have hurt us OR hurt the ones we love. That's hitting close to home right now so when I read these verses, it really made me stop. I think the verses speak loud and clear and don't need any explanation from me. All I'll say is it's really hard but I want those rewards in heaven the verses mentioned so it's something I have to work on and DO. What about you? Do you want to be who God wants you to be? Is there someone you're going to have to pray for whether you really want to or not? No? Well, consider yourself fortunate. Hold on though...there will be. They'll show themselves soon enough. Just remember to Pray for those who hurt you. And can we all just work on being nice to everyone, whether they are our "friends" or not? (Don't worry, I'm talking to myself first.)
Earlier while I was reading, two things struck me from some of the verses. One was in the OT and one was in the NT. I'll start with the OT.
"The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked and that everything they thought about was evil. He was sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7 (NCV)
It's hard to believe there was a time when God was actually sorry He'd created man. When I read that this morning it was like a knife went through me. Can you imgaine the anguish He must have felt when He said that? I thought about when Jesus hung on the cross and took on all the pain and paid the price for those sins THEN, today's and tomorrow's sins. God took pretty drastic measures when Noah was alive and allowed the world to be destroyed by a flood. God turned His back on mankind that day. God also took pretty drastic measures the day He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for you and me. God turned His back on His Son. Part of me wonders what God must think about mankind TODAY. While I know He loves us, and inspite of ourselves He provides a way for us to be with Him through His Son, how much does mankind grieve His heart? What if Jesus hadn't been willing to come to earth? Would God be so unhappy with us that He would consider destroying earth again? I look around, read the paper, watch the news, know what I think and say sometimes, and know there is a lot of evil around us. How would it be without the influence of Jesus? He changed the world, didn't He? How would the world be without Him? How would the world be without us? Think about it!!
The 2nd group of verses I read in the NT was in Matthew. Here they are... "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. " Matthew 5:11-12 (NCV)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends." Matthew 5:43-47 (NCV)
We are to love and most importantly I think, pray for those who hurt us. It's easy to be nice to those we think are nice or are our friends but not the ones we think have hurt us OR hurt the ones we love. That's hitting close to home right now so when I read these verses, it really made me stop. I think the verses speak loud and clear and don't need any explanation from me. All I'll say is it's really hard but I want those rewards in heaven the verses mentioned so it's something I have to work on and DO. What about you? Do you want to be who God wants you to be? Is there someone you're going to have to pray for whether you really want to or not? No? Well, consider yourself fortunate. Hold on though...there will be. They'll show themselves soon enough. Just remember to Pray for those who hurt you. And can we all just work on being nice to everyone, whether they are our "friends" or not? (Don't worry, I'm talking to myself first.)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
WITHOUT FEAR
Today is Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus!! For some reason this year I have tried to focus on Jesus more, make Him more a part of MY Christmas…specifically in my heart. I think it’s because so many are trying to take Jesus out of Christmas. It’s made me want to make Him MORE part of mine.
Jace preached this past Sunday evening. One of the questions he asked is “What does Christmas mean to the world?” (That might not have been the exact wording.) The world thinks of parties, presents (what to buy, what they want to receive), shopping, food/eating, decorating the house. That’s not really any different from what we think about, is it? It’s so easy to get caught up in all of that. But it doesn’t stop there. We know it’s so much more. Can you imagine not knowing Jesus now? Will you be around friends and family who don’t know Him personally? I know I will. How can we share Him? How can we help them see how important He is to us? How can we help them to see they need Him too?
It’s hard to share with those whom we’re closest to, isn’t it? I pray that God, personally, gives me boldness. I pray that somehow I make Him a part of my conversation. I want those around me to know how important He is to me. Will I be considered a fanatic? Will they think that’s all I think about? Gosh, I sure hope so.
Lord, help us, your servants, to speak your word without fear. Acts 4:29b (New Century Version)
Then, Lord, help me to live in a way that lets them SEE your word - alive in me.
Jace preached this past Sunday evening. One of the questions he asked is “What does Christmas mean to the world?” (That might not have been the exact wording.) The world thinks of parties, presents (what to buy, what they want to receive), shopping, food/eating, decorating the house. That’s not really any different from what we think about, is it? It’s so easy to get caught up in all of that. But it doesn’t stop there. We know it’s so much more. Can you imagine not knowing Jesus now? Will you be around friends and family who don’t know Him personally? I know I will. How can we share Him? How can we help them see how important He is to us? How can we help them to see they need Him too?
It’s hard to share with those whom we’re closest to, isn’t it? I pray that God, personally, gives me boldness. I pray that somehow I make Him a part of my conversation. I want those around me to know how important He is to me. Will I be considered a fanatic? Will they think that’s all I think about? Gosh, I sure hope so.
Lord, help us, your servants, to speak your word without fear. Acts 4:29b (New Century Version)
Then, Lord, help me to live in a way that lets them SEE your word - alive in me.
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25 but He's always around, so the date is flexible...
Time: Whenever you're ready. (Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)
Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)
Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay. He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.
Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone... (He says you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway...it cost Him everything He had. But you do need to accept the ticket!!
Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!
Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything else. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)
Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
R.S.V.P. Very Important! He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will see at the party, share this with someone today!
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
I can't take credit for this. I received an email with this attached. I thought it was really cool. We've been talking about Evangelism in Sunday School. Something as simple as this can be used to share. Pass it on...
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25 but He's always around, so the date is flexible...
Time: Whenever you're ready. (Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)
Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)
Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay. He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.
Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone... (He says you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway...it cost Him everything He had. But you do need to accept the ticket!!
Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!
Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything else. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)
Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
R.S.V.P. Very Important! He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will see at the party, share this with someone today!
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
I can't take credit for this. I received an email with this attached. I thought it was really cool. We've been talking about Evangelism in Sunday School. Something as simple as this can be used to share. Pass it on...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
WHAT'S IN A WORD?
*evan·gel - bringing good news; gospel
*gos·pel - the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
*evan·ge·lize - to preach the gospel to; to convert to Christianity
*evan·ge·lism - the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ
*evan·gel·i·cal - emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual; protestant
(taken from www.webster.com)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matt. 28:19-20
Are we? Do we? We don't have a choice! He commands us to!
Do we really care? If so, share these verses:
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9
Romans 10:13
Romans 5:1
Romans 8:1
*gos·pel - the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
*evan·ge·lize - to preach the gospel to; to convert to Christianity
*evan·ge·lism - the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ
*evan·gel·i·cal - emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual; protestant
(taken from www.webster.com)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matt. 28:19-20
Are we? Do we? We don't have a choice! He commands us to!
Do we really care? If so, share these verses:
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9
Romans 10:13
Romans 5:1
Romans 8:1
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
PATIENCE OR IMPATIENCE
My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. James 1:2-3 (NCV)
Someone just said this comment to me..."I hope this whole thing isn’t frustrating you." Later, as I was waiting on the sun porch for Minor aka Mean Dog to come back inside I was flipping through a devotional magazine I subscribe to and came to a page titled Patience. About six months ago I was in a situation that was very frustrating to me but that was because I was impatient. My frustration now is for the same reason - once again - I'm impatient. (Let me also clarify that I am not having many kinds of troubles as the passage I chose in James might imply. Just wanted to clear the record on that...) Anyway, it dawned on me why I'm feeling frustrated again is because I'm impatient. Why's it taking so long? It shouldn't be this hard. You know how it is. The devotional I was reading said the following: "Patience is all about waiting and persevering through trying situations...We must exercise patience in order for it to grow. Just like a muscle that will remain immature and weak without sufficient exercise, so is our patience." Well, my "muscle of patience" is getting a work out right now, can I just say?? Yes and it needs to be!! The situation may or may not turn out as I hope but I give it to God and know it's His situation. He will choose what's best, and I accept that. My prayer is that I will learn to relax and just...be patient. I'm trying...I'm trying.
Someone just said this comment to me..."I hope this whole thing isn’t frustrating you." Later, as I was waiting on the sun porch for Minor aka Mean Dog to come back inside I was flipping through a devotional magazine I subscribe to and came to a page titled Patience. About six months ago I was in a situation that was very frustrating to me but that was because I was impatient. My frustration now is for the same reason - once again - I'm impatient. (Let me also clarify that I am not having many kinds of troubles as the passage I chose in James might imply. Just wanted to clear the record on that...) Anyway, it dawned on me why I'm feeling frustrated again is because I'm impatient. Why's it taking so long? It shouldn't be this hard. You know how it is. The devotional I was reading said the following: "Patience is all about waiting and persevering through trying situations...We must exercise patience in order for it to grow. Just like a muscle that will remain immature and weak without sufficient exercise, so is our patience." Well, my "muscle of patience" is getting a work out right now, can I just say?? Yes and it needs to be!! The situation may or may not turn out as I hope but I give it to God and know it's His situation. He will choose what's best, and I accept that. My prayer is that I will learn to relax and just...be patient. I'm trying...I'm trying.
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