WATCHWORD:
Abraham believed God… Romans 4:3
He went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. Genesis 22:1-2
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26
Meditation:
Life of Faith
A week ago, March 19, Oswald Chambers had an exceptional devotional on faith, drawn from Abraham’s life. He made several pronouncements, that were revealing to me. For example: “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led.”
I was thinking about that statement, trying to understand it, but another thought stuck its sharp elbows into the discussion – My will. How often do we resolved to follow our Lord without question, only to be side-tracked by our own desires, wishes and plans?
Tell me, how willing are we to take the idol that we worship to the mountain and sacrifice it, send it up in smoke? Maybe it means seriously reordering your priorities; prayerfully considering where the Lord is leading you, and letting Him determine what is important.
If, like Abraham, you “Believe God”, and where He is leading you, then it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. Here is the hardest part – as you live your life of faith, you are turning your back on the basics of life as a human, and trusting without understanding, relying on Him without reason, and simply going where he leads.
Chambers tells us that “Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.”
Let’s check that. In every life journey that leads to faith, also leads to a change in our character, our priorities, our style of living in the world. Our commitment to the Lord opens us to eyes that see what He wants us to see, ears that hear what He would have us hear, and a willingness to act according to His will. The question we must ask ourselves is this: Is the change in our faith and commitment to God momentary and situational or does it persist? Do we back-slide into our old ways, looking lovingly at the old idols, wondering…?
The self-examination of a Christian, is hard and revealing work. However, if you believe, like Abraham, and trust God without question, our faith becomes tested and true, built on all that God provides. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Helen Keller – Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
There are some questions that can’t be answered by Google.
And God said to Moses, “Take these two tablets and call me in the morning.
Folks sadly often put God in a box… when in reality… nothing could be further from the truth. He created it all… the sunrises… the sunsets… the things you were least expecting… at the times… you least expected them. He put the HA HA in humor and the meaning in jokes. He is the coolest… most out there thought… that you could possibly think!
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Your ways are higher than my ways. I pray for power and strength to surrender my way and follow your best way. I trust You Lord. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
