But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 1 Cor 11:28
The first of a year is always a great time for self examination of one’s spiritual condition. Continue reading
Abram
Mistake – #4
Today’s devo comes to you from Daniel Springs church camp in Gary, Texas.
When something goes wrong and you get the blame, don’t you feel like running away or crawling into a hole and pulling the dirt over the top of you?
There are many times I’d like to run away and hide.
Gen 16:6 And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
Perhaps Sarai thought this would get rid of her mistake if she caused Hagar to run away. So she was very mean to her.
Hagar ran away, taking Ishmael with her. Now Sarai doesn’t have to look at them. The boy is not around for Abram to be a father to, and the problem is solved.
But God found Hagar and sent her back!
You cannot run away and hide from your problems or from God. You cannot run away from sin.
In Eden, Adam ate from the forbidden tree. He then tried to hide from God. It didn’t work.
Confession is the only remedy for sin.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Abba, I have made many mistakes in my life. You sent Your Son to pay for my mistakes. I confess them and You have cleansed and forgiven me, in Jesus name, YES&AMEN
Mistake – #3
Today’s devo is coming to you from Daniel Springs church camp.
Something I’ve noticed is that people like to blame others for their mistakes. I’ve especially notice it in today’s youth.
To blame someone else is an attempt to keep you from making a mistake. But it is a bigger mistake than the original. In fact, now you have made two mistakes.
Gen 16: 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.”
Abram can be accused of going into Hagar so the she would conceive but that was only at Sarai’s request.
Your sin cannot be blamed on someone else. This tactic was first used in Eden when Adam blamed God and Eve for his mistake.
Eve then blamed the serpent.
The serpent had no one else to blame.
It is written that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor 5:10
You can blame all you like but there is no one to blame but yourself.
When you accept Jesus as your Savior, He takes all the blame on Himself for you.
That is a great feeling knowing that in Christ and before God I am blameless for my mistakes.
In Jesus name, accept the Lord as Savior. YES&AMEN
Mistakes – #1
Have you ever made a mistake?
Of course you have; many you couldn’t undo or change.
Don’t feel alone. The Bible is full of men and women that made mistakes – some minor and some really major.
In the case of Abram and Sarai, they had no children but a promise from God that their descendants would be like the stars of the heavens.
But maybe they figured their problem was bigger than their God. So she took matters into her own hands.
Gen 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
If God is restraining you it’s either because He doesn’t want you to have it or it isn’t the right timing for it.
In this case it is the latter, this wasn’t the right time for Abram and Sarai to have a child. That day is coming but it is not today.
God’s delay is not a weakness. Patience in waiting on God is a virtue that you can ill-afford to tamper with.
God’s promises don’t need your help. God has been running the universe just fine without you winding up the mechanism. Let Him do what He does best.
God’s plans will be fulfilled. Every promise made will come to pass. If the Bible says it, you can believe it will happen.
Never believe your problems are bigger than God can handle. If you think you can do a better job than God then your ego may be bigger than God can handle!
Abba Father, help e leave the ego behind, wait, and depend on You! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN
God’s Prescribed Sacrifice
“It is only by obedience that we understand the teaching of God.” ~Oswald Chambers
Gen 15:17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
Abram obeyed God and had taken the five sacrifices and prepared them.
This obedience became a reassuring teaching from God – teaching involving the future of his descendants. (Gen 15:13-16)
Then a firepot and burning torch went between the pieces.
The pieces were the complete blood sacrifices the Law would prescribe. Those sacrifices would be offered by the priests.
In this text, God, Himself, burns the sacrifice…
…which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Col 2:17
1 John 3:16 He laid down His life for us.
Heb 7:27 He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
For all the sacrifices that mankind can offer, it is the one offered by Christ, the complete Sacrifice, that satisfies the Father.
No matter what trouble may come, the Father will fulfill His promise to deliver His people.
That promise is yours when you accept God’s sacrifice for you – His own Son!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
YES&AMEN
Big Promise
My promises to others are small. I try not to commit to what I cannot do. And sometimes I forget something, so I try to keep notes in my iPhone.
You don’t want to promise what you cannot deliver to begin with. Time and effort work against promises
I know I have broken promises, both intentionally and unintentionally. And promises have been broken to me.
God is the opposite of you and me.
Gen 15:5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
God’s promises are big. I mean to say your descendants will be as numerous as the stars is a huge commitment. It’s happened! How many descendants of Abraham have there been through the ages – both born naturally and adopted and grafted in!
It’s not the only promise He has made!
Isa 1:18 “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Matt 28:20 “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Rom 10:13 “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Heb 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
1 John 1:7 the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Acts 1:11 This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.
Rev 22:20 “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Abba, I have yet to see a broken promise from You. I believe them all, in Jesus name, YES&AMEN
Wait for the Best!
Gen 15:3-4 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”
Abram was willing to settle for Eliezar of Damascus to be his heir; he was willing to forgo the stress of waiting and wondering for it just to be over and life move forward.
There are times you can be so desperate to move forward you will compromise for something less than God wants for you.
God has a plan. His plan is perfect. Your plan is flawed, unless that plan is to wait on God.
There are people right now settling for less than God wants for them. They are living in their sin when God wants them to live in Christ.
Some are praying to trees or dead religious leaders when God wants to answer their prayers.
You may be struggling to make ends meet or you may make lots of money but aren’t truly fulfilled or happy. God wants you to be dependent on Him for all you need, including happiness and joy.
Don’t settle for less. Wait on the Lord.
Ps 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Ps 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Abba, I want the most that You desire to give to me. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN
What will You give me?
Gen 15:2 Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me…
What did Abram already have?
The Bible reports he was rich in gold, silver, and cattle. He had a beautiful wife that was desired by other men even though she was in her 70’s.
He had trained servants that could take on the armies of four different kingdoms. He had the promise of possessing all the land.
And most importantly, he had God!
It’s not what you have from God that you are concerned about – it’s what you don’t have.
Though Abram was a rich man with a lot to be happy about, he had no children.
Gen 15:2
Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Abram had one other thing – God’s promise of an heir from his own body, but it was one promise he struggled to patiently wait on.
Look around your home at all the things you possess. It’s proof that people are never satisfied. Garage sales are further proof of too much around the house.
Can your possessions compare to the gift of eternal life from God?
Matt 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
How much of your life can you give God credit for having?
Are you coming to Him and asking for more?
Can you wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled?
Abba, I am rich because of You! My greatest possession is my salvation. Every day I only ask that I can encourage someone else, in Jesus name, with the Good News.YES&AMEN
Guard your heart and mind
I am the protector of my household. If a wild animal comes into our yard, I am the one that will protect my family, pets, and property.
The same goes for people. Given the nature of today’s society, I am suspicious of people I don’t know that drive up to my house.
Are they merely lost and want to know where someone lives?
Are they casing my home to see what cannot be seen from the road?
I believe in God. I believe in his protection over me.
But God has also given me some common sense and I cannot let my guard down!
God told Abram,
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Gen 15:1
That’s some great assurance from God in that one sentence and the events that follow.
But Abram let’s his guard down some time after this declaration and fathered a child by a handmaid.
The Bible encourages you not to let your guard down.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant;
1 Cor 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith
Mark 14:38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
1 Thess 5:6 let us watch and be sober.
Abba, I trust Your promises to me. I believe You. Help me to always keep a guard on my heart and mind. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN
Already Victorious
With only 318 trained servants, Abram had a great victory over four kings. That victory may have been short-lived as the reality of revenge from those kingdoms set in.
How embarrassing to be sent home running by a seemingly inferior force. There was a good chance that the kings or their families would look to return and teach Abram a lesson.
But Abram is a man of faith and God came and reassured him in a great way.
Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
You, also, have an enemy and your relationship with Jesus has put him on the run. He would like nothing more than to seek revenge on you – to destroy your testimony or worse, make your turn your back on God.
What God said to Abram is the same words He would say to you – do not be afraid. I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward!
Have faith in His assurance that He is already victorious over the adversary. Satan is absolutely powerless against the blood of Jesus.
Abba Father, I do have times I feel victorious. And then the enemy tries to knock my feet out from under me. My deepest desire is to keep my eyes on You and not worry about the enemy. In Jesus’ name, YES&AMEN
Morning Thought with Pastor Tim 