Month: November 2015

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” Here I am,” he answered. “Take your son,” He said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:1-2 HCSB

There have been numerous times in my life when I have had to go through a particular difficulty or challenge. I have even asked the question, “God, why is this happening to me?” At other times I have felt God telling me to do something or minister to someone in some way and I have asked, “Are you sure?” and even questioned God’s prompting.

Certainly, Abraham must have had some of those same questions and feelings toward what God was asking him to do. In Abraham’s day, child sacrifice was fairly common among many cultures. People would sacrifice their children in hopes of gaining favor with the “gods” to provide more crops or better business or safety from enemies. But God was asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son of promise from God, the son through whom the promise of many descendants, nations, and kings would come. Certainly God would not want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Challenge: This is a foreshadowing of what was to come in Jesus Christ. God would be asked to sacrifice His perfect Son on the cross for the sins of the world. Just as those who stood at the foot of the cross did not see any good in what was happening, God knew what was best and allowed it to happen. Sometimes God allows difficulties in our lives or challenges us to do something to help us to grow and trust Him more. Trust God and follow His directives in every area of your life. He wants only the best for you.

The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. Genesis 21:8 HCSB

In today’s culture it is common for a mother to nurse her child for the first year while transitioning to pureed solid foods after six months of age. There is a debate about the benefits of nursing versus giving a child formula, but most people agree that a mother’s milk has all that a child needs to grow and be healthy. Some mothers are unable to nurse for a variety of reasons and formula is certainly a good alternative.

In Biblical times it was common to nurse a child until he was two or three and in some cultures, children were nursed until they were five years old. Abraham had a great feast to celebrate Isaac being weaned. It was a way of saying that Isaac was living proof that God keeps his promises and that Isaac would be the inheritance of God’s covenant with Abraham. Isaac’s birth to an elderly couple was evidence of God’s blessing in Abraham’s life. During the celebration Isaac would have received his birthright, a robe symbolizing his connection to his father, and then would have eaten some meat. Even today there are cultures in the East that celebrate when a child is weaned; it seems to be a rite of passage.

Challenge: As believers we should celebrate our passage from death to life because of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We should be growing as disciples of Christ, being weaned from the milk (basic of Christianity) to more solid foods (becoming more like Christ and leading others to Christ). Are you still drinking milk or are you eating meat in your spiritual life? (Read 1 Corinthians 3:2-6 and Hebrews 5:11-14)

Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Genesis 21:5 HCSB

My grandmother lived to be 100 years old. She was the first female judge in Potter County, Texas and served in that position for 25 years until she was 75 years old and retired. She was quite a lady and had many interesting stories to tell. When she turned 100, the local news station came out and did a segment on her life and the role she played in government. During the 25 years she was in office, there were only two times that candidates ran against her. She never lost an election and most of the time she ran unopposed.

Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born. The birth of Isaac had some supernatural ramifications. It is not normal for a 100 year old and 90 year old to have a baby, but God is in the business of accomplishing the impossible. There is no other explanation. Abraham lived to see Isaac grow into adulthood.

Challenge: Anything is possible with God. Even in old age God can use you to accomplish great things and have an impact on His world. Thank God for the years He has given you and ask Him to use you in His kingdom’s work for as long as you live.

Abraham named his son who was born to him – the one Sarah bore to him – Isaac. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. Genesis 21:3-4 HCSB

My son, Jonathan, got married recently. I had the privilege of officiating at the wedding. As a part of the ceremony he and his bride exchanged rings as a symbol of their love for one another and as a reminder of the promises they had made to each other. Just as a ring is a never-ending circle, it represents a never-ending love and commitment to one another.

Circumcision is a ritual of Judaism that is performed even to this day. The circumcision of Isaac when he was eight days old was a ritual performed as a representation of the covenant relationship between God and His people. Abraham did this to indicate that he understood that Isaac was a part of fulfilling the covenant promises God had made.

Challenge: The circumcision was a foreshadowing of the death of Christ. It would hurt both the Father and the Son alike, but it was necessary for the forgiveness of sin and the salvation of mankind. God has made a covenant promise to you. If you believe in Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life, God promises to forgive your sins and give you eternal life.

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him. Genesis 21:2 HCSB

I am teaching a Bible study at church titled “Acts of God” by Bob Russell. It is a study based on the movie by the same title. The movie depicts the stories of several different people who are going through difficult times. One has cancer, another is a doctor who struggles with the death of patients, another is wanting to have children, another is dealing with post traumatic syndrome, another is facing time in prison for driving under the influence of alcohol and killing a child, and the main character is a woman who has lost both her husband and child in separate accidents. We often question why God allows bad things to happen to good people. At times we question God’s timing and ask why He would allow an event or circumstance to happen at a particular time to a particular person.

God had declared that Sarah’s child would be born “this time next year”. (See Genesis 17:21) God knows the future and can see all things. He can take even the bad things that happen in this world and bring good from them if we will only trust Him and His perfect timing.

Challenge: God is in control even when we do not feel like He is. His ways are above our ways and often we do not understand why things happen the way they do. Trust God, His goodness, and His timing in your life. (Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

The Lord came to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised. Genesis 21:1 HCSB

Recently I renewed my contract with my television cable company. They promised a $200 gift card if I renewed. I was told I would get my gift card in the mail in 4-6 weeks. When I did not get my card I then called and was told that I qualified for the gift card and I should be receiving it in a few weeks. Again, when I did not get the card I called and was told that I needed to complete a form that I could find on the website to get my $200 gift card. When I went to the website I could not find any form to complete. I have been given the run around. I am sure they hope I will eventually give up or the next time I call I will probably be told that I had to claim my gift cards within a certain time frame and that the deadline has passed. The bottom line is that the company has not delivered on its promise.

God always delivers on His promises. He had promised Sarah that she would have a baby boy and that is exactly what the Lord did for her– even in her old age. God can be trusted to deliver on His promises.

Challenge: Notice the many promises in the Bible. God has promised forgiveness and eternal life for those who believe in His Son and accept Him as Lord and Savior. You can be assured that if you are a believer that someday you will realize that God’s Word is true and trustworthy.

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters, “Get up,” he said, “Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. Genesis 19:14 HCSB

Fishermen are often characterized as telling “fish stories” by embellishing the truth and making it appear that they have caught a much larger fish than what they actually caught. Because of the “fish stories,” it is sometimes difficult to believe if the person is telling the truth.

When Lot warned his sons-in-law about the impending destruction of the city, they thought he was joking and did not believe him. Lot had become so much like his environment that even those who were closest to him did not believe him. He was content to live among ungodly people and had become an unbelievable witness for God. Lot had compromised so much that no one thought him to be credible. He had almost become useless to God.

Challenge: Are you shaping your environment with the message of Jesus Christ and His love or is your environment shaping you? Have you become accepting of your environment to the point that you are no longer a witness for your Lord? If you are going to be useful to God, you must decide to be different by expressing your faith and conducting yourself in a manor that will be a witness of what Jesus Christ has done in your life.

Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the Lord, that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” Genesis 19:12-13 HCSB

There was an old television show called “Lost in Space”. It told a story of the Robinson family who were lost in space after their spaceship crashed. Each week they would encounter a different alien or problem. One of the famous sayings that came from the robot was, “Warning, Warning Will Robinson”. He was warning the young man of some impending danger.

The two angels had been sent by God to warn Lot and his family that destruction was coming. Obviously, there were not 10 righteous people in Sodom or God would have saved the city. Archaeologist say that there is evidence that there was an advanced city that was suddenly destroyed. It is believed that the city lies beneath the southern portion of the Dead Sea. Ironically, Lot’s wife turned to salt when she looked back at the city and there is no life in the Dead Sea as a result of its high concentration of salt.

Challenge: Know that God hates sins and will only tolerate it for a period of time before He brings judgment and destruction to the city and its inhabitants. Listen to the warnings of the Holy Spirit in your life; He will guide you and give you direction.

“You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Genesis 18:25 HCSB

We now live in a world that seems to be just as evil and wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah. Our country recently legalized same-sex marriage. Homosexuality was rampant in Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham’s day. The term “sodomy” is used to refer to sexual intimacy between two men, whether consensual or forced. Clearly, homosexuality was part of why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to perform homosexual gang rape on the two angels (who were disguised as men) who had come to visit Lot and warn him of the pending destruction. At the same time, it is not Biblical to say that homosexuality was the exclusive reason why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Ezekiel 16:49-50 declares, “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”

In this verse Abraham questioned God’s mercy and justice. Was God being fair to destroy the innocent with the guilty? On the contrary, God is always fair and just. He was willing to spare the cities if only 10 righteous people were found. He showed great mercy toward Lot and his family making it possible for them to escape the city and the coming destruction. Obviously, Lot was the most righteous person in the city, but even the most godly person is a sinner and deserves God’s judgment.

Challenge: Pray for our country. I have heard it said that if things get much worse in our country that God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. When you feel God is being unfair, be thankful that He does not direct His judgment and justice toward us in the same way He did toward Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are in it? Genesis 18:23-24 HCSB

Recently I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I am currently trying to make up my mind concerning the best course of treatment. I have done extensive research concerning my condition and treatment methods. When I read one report on a certain method, it seems to be the best way, but then I read another report on a different method of treatment and I change my mind to think that way is the better method. The more I read and research, the more confused I become and the more I change my mind.

Was Abraham trying to change the mind of God? There is a great debate between Biblical scholars questioning if God changes His mind or not. Some say that because God is all-knowing He does not change His mind, while others say that because God is all-powerful He can choose to do whatever He wants whenever He wants and may change His mind based on the prayers of righteous people.

Personally I believe that if God never changes His mind, then our prayers are meaningless because no matter what we pray, God has already determined what He is going to do. The Bible says we are to present our requests to God and that He even knows what we are going to ask before we ask. Just as a father may change His mind because of a request from his children, I prefer to think that God hears the prayers of His children and determines what is best and responds appropriately. Does God already know what we will ask and has He already determined how He will answer? Probably so, but we are to be faithful to pray. I do believe prayer changes things.

Challenge: Present your requests to God expecting Him to answer and change the situation you are experiencing right now.