Home ›

Subterms

Thursday 26th January

Thu, 26/01/2012
Genesis Chapters 41 - 42

GENESIS 41

Pharaoh’s Dreams

Commentary

Bishop pleads with Iranian president to spare life of pastor

The former Bishop of Rochester has written to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to ask that he grant clemency to a pastor sentenced to death for apostasy

Belief and Action

Wed, 05/01/2011
Genesis Chapters 16 to 18

GENESIS 16

Hagar and Ishmael

Commentary

In communication and negotiation, some of the key ingredients to guarantee success are relationship and trust.  After reading chapters 16 – 18 in the book of Genesis, I can safely conclude that relationship and trust has to be developed over a period of time with our stakeholders in life.

Our major stakeholder for the rest of our lives will be God and so it is important that we get to a stage that we can truly say - “I am a friend of God”.  I have charted the development of relationship and trust in the case of Abraham by identifying three phases:

Phase 1: Belief and Doubt

The word of the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and this was sealed with a covenant.  In other words, you could take it to the bank and cash it – it was a solid guarantee, a done deal.  Despite this binding agreement and his belief that was reckoned to him as righteousness, he trusted in adopting a strategy of child bearing devised by his wife in Genesis 16:2 - 4:

And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.

Whose voice do we listen to in making decisions?  Do we fully consider the consequences that occur as a result of not trusting the Lord and heeding his voice?  Majority of the school of thoughts link the Middle East crises to this one decision adopted by Abraham.  What consequences are we bearing in our lives as a result of decisions we have made?

Phase 2: Belief and Action

God appeared to Abraham on this occasion using a different approach than that of the word.  He laughed initially but we can see that after what may be termed as consideration and ponder, he confirmed his belief with the action of circumcising Ishmael and all the slaves in the household. This must have been a painful process because he was 99, his son was 13 years old and one can safely conclude that the slaves must have been of age as well.  O what a painful action to go through to ratify a covenant!  Any form of development can be painful during the accompanying phases so trusting in the Lord is crucial!

Phase 3: Total Belief and Total Action.

Chapter 18 confirms Abraham as a “friend of God” in action and belief.  We see his hospitality to the visitors from the Lord his friend with his rapid response when he saw them in verses 6 to 7.   We observe his understanding of the relationship and trust he had with God in negotiating for the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.  God confirms in Genesis 18:16 that based on the friendship he had with Abraham, he could not hide what he was about to do.  In verses 24 – 26, we see Abraham now in a position of fully trusting in the character of God as he questions him regarding righteousness:

Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"

Finally he demonstrates through his relationship with God his understanding of the Lord’s response to anger:

Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

Abraham developed his relationship and trust in God from a position of belief and doubt to a position of total belief and total action. What phase do you think you are at this moment in time in your relationship and trust with God?

Ade Ojomo

ROMANS 10:17

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Dcrules

khearts93

The London Peace Awards 2011

20 September 2011

Have Faith in God

Tue, 04/01/2011
Genesis Chapters 12 to 15

GENESIS 12

The Call of Abram

Commentary

Today’s chapters are very instructive in understanding the way we should relate to God.  Chapter 12 opens with the words “The Lord had said to Abram…” We saw yesterday that he indeed did get up and go, but he settled at Harran for a while until Terah had passed away.  Now he moves on again with all his possessions in obedience to what God had said.  Abraham is often referred to as the ‘Father of Faith’ I imagine those words said with a deep booming voice, thunder and lighting flashing in the background, and yet as we will see, this father of faith did not emerge fully formed, he grew into the stature and position he now occupies.  The same applies to us; our relationship with God is a journey.  We take steps -sometimes forward sometimes backwards but the ultimate result should be our growth in Him. 


 It is encouraging to see that Abram’s belief in what God said to him despite the absence of any physical supporting evidence was what God looked at and decided that he was righteous.  How often do we experience doubt when God’s promises are [in our own estimation] slow to manifest?  It is in those times that we must remind ourselves that what God has said, He will surely do, no matter what our external circumstances indicate.  Abram [as we so often do] through partial obedience or fear tries to help God to get things moving.  He was instructed to leave his family, but he takes Lot along for the journey.  He is worried that his stunningly beautiful wife will be whisked away from him by the covetous Egyptians so he uses the half truth that she is his sister to protect himself rather than relying on the God who called him.  Yet in all of this, God is still with him, blessing him and working with him despite all his flaws.  I noticed with interest that the Bible records Abram setting up altars to the Lord and calling upon him, at each place he stopped.  The only place where he appears not to have done so is Egypt.  There are so many references to what happens when we call upon God in the Bible, when we call He answers! 

Abram walked with God, taking in effect what was a huge step of faith.  Scholars note that his journey from Ur to Canaan was about 1,500 miles. To put it in context that’s roughly the distance from London to Athens [about 3 ½ hours flight time].  Now imagine that with no Eurostar, ferries or planes.  You have no idea where you are going and don’t know how long it will be before you get there.  Then you get to a place and God tells you to look in every direction and He will give you the land, He tells you it is yours yet you are living in a tent and moving from place to place!  It’s a huge ask but Abram trusted and we must trust too.

My final observation is that Abram knew the source of all he was blessed with.  When he encountered Melchizedek and the blessing was pronounced upon him, he gave a tithe- a response from the heart, and he confirmed this in his words to the king of Sodom.  God is indeed the Most High, and he owns heaven and earth.  Did Abram’s confession prompt God to confirm His words to Abram with the covenant?  The covenant itself is a beautiful depiction of what God does for us through Jesus Christ.  He makes a covenant with Abram that is unconditional, with no requirements made of him and upholds it himself by passing through the pieces.  Similarly Jesus offers us unconditional love and salvation.  He does it all, the only thing we have to do like Abram, is believe.

Morenike Olubode

JOHN 16:13

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

blessed777

Chibueze

Syndicate content