Abraham Ministers to His Wife (Gen 18:9-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08/31/2006

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  Abraham ministers to his Wife

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 18:9-15

            Message of the verse:  “9 Then they said to him, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’  10 He said, ‘I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.  11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.  12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’  13 And the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’  14 ‘Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’  15 Sarah denied it however, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’”

           

            There were two reasons that the Lord came to earth, and one of them was to announce to Abraham and Sarah that they would become parents of a boy in a year, and the other reason was to destroy two cities.

           

            God had promised Abraham and Sarah as son when they left their homeland many years before, but as of yet they had no son other than the one by the slave woman, who would not fit into the plans of God to bring the promised Messiah into the world, but the son given to Abraham and Sarah would be used by God to set in motion the way for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come into the world.  I believe that it was the preincarnate Christ who was the One who gave the message to Abraham and Sarah.

           

            Sarah began to laugh in her heart that this could become true, and under ordinary circumstances this surely would be something to laugh about, however this was the creator of the universe who was talking to her husband and He can do whatever He wants to do whenever He wants to do it. God is faithful even when we are not and this is brought out in 2Timothy 2:13 “13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God says that He is faithful even when I am not faithful, and that means that God has a plan and when He wants me to be to be involved in His plans and I am not willing to be He will get it done without me, however I want to be used by the Lord to fulfill the plans He has for me to do.

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart along with being a conviction to my heart as I read and studied His Word this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  I would like to say that I have enough faith to pick up Bruce Baker and go to the funeral of Karen’s father, but once again IBS keeps me from doing the things that I want and the things that I should do and it shames me.

           

Abraham Ministered to the Lord (Gen. 18:1-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-30-2006

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  Abraham ministered to the Lord

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 18:1-8

            Message of the verse:  “1 Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.  2  When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, ‘My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.  4  ‘Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.’ And they said, ‘So do, as you have said.’ 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.’ 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.  8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.”

           

            As chapter eighteen begins Abraham is found taking his afternoon nap near his tent because it is very hot in the afternoon in the Middle East where he was living.  Abraham sees three strangers approaching and jumps to his feet in order to serve them.  Now it was usual for people to be traveling in the heat of the day, however this heat did not detour Abraham from serving these strangers.  Abraham did not know who his guests were, but they were the Lord Jesus Christ, and two of His Angels coming to visit Abraham, so Abraham was serving the Lord.  The Bible says we are to minister to the Lord first.  Col. 3:23-24 “23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” 

1.     Abraham served his three guests personally, and this can be seen in this section.

2.     He ministered to the Lord immediately.

3.     He ministered to the Lord speedily.

4.     He served the Lord generously.

5.     His service was marked with humility.

6.     He served the Lord cooperatively.

            Because of our modern society of hotels and motels and restaurants Christian hostility is not what is once was when the Church began, and because of this believers are missing out on some wonderful times.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The thing that hit home with me today is that everything that I do must be done as to the Lord, which comes from the verse in Colossians that was quoted above.  To minister to the Lord first, seems almost like worshiping the Lord 24/7.

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To be taught contentment by the Lord in my life, and to seek to follow His direction, and to minister to the Lord first and thereby minister to others. 

Abraham's Obedience (Genesis 17:23-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-29-2006

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  Abraham’s Obedience

Bible Reading & Meditation                                    Reference:  Genesis 17:23-27

            Message of the verse:  “23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.  24  Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.  25  And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.  26  In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.  27  All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”

           

            In the earlier part of this chapter God had told Abraham what the sign of the covenant with Him would be and that was circumcision, and in these verses Abraham’s obedience to God can be seen as he was circumcised on that same day along with his son Ishmael, and all of the servants that belonged to him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Bible has recorded that obedience is better than sacrifice, and so being obedient to my God and Father will please Him, and so that should be one of the goals that I have for my life each and every day.

The Word of God has been a challenge and it also has been convicting to me as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  That I would be content with my life as the Lord leads me to do the things that He would desire me to do, and that the Lord would direct my path.

Isaac's Birth Announced (Gen. 17:18-22)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-14-2006

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  Isaac’s Birth Announced

Bible Reading & Meditation                                  Reference:  Genesis 17:18-22

            Message of the verse:  “18  And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before You!’  19  But God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.  20  ‘As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.  21  ‘But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.’  22  When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.”

           

            God was speaking to Abraham from a physical body it seems like to me as verse twenty-two says that after God had finished talking to Abraham that He went up form him.  This shows to me that Abraham could see God and have a conversation with Him and it was not some kind of a vision that God was giving him, but a face to face conversation

           

            God had told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age, and that God’s covenant would be established through this son of Abraham and Sarah’s old age.  Abraham, probably not understanding exactly all that this was all about asked God to establish His covenant through Ishmael, but this was not to be, however God would bless Ishmael as he would tell Abraham of this.  Abraham was the son of the flesh, while Isaac was the son of the Spirit, for indeed it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a child without a miracle from the Lord, and that is exactly what Abraham and Sarah would receive, and it is what God was promising in this section.

           

            The significance of all of this can be seen in a couple of places in the Scriptures; the first can be seen in John 3:1-8 and the second in Galatians 4:21-31.  In the Galatians passage Paul explains thoroughly the difference between the two sons of Abraham.  Galatians 4:28-31:  “28  And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.

29  But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.  30  But what does the Scripture say? ‘CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN. 31  So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”

           

            Paul is saying that the covenant that God made with Abraham does have all who are saved as part of it, yet there is still part of that covenant that applies to the nation of Israel, and will be fulfilled with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him ruling from Jerusalem in His 1000 year kingdom on earth. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The covenant that God made with Abraham has much to do with me, in that because of that covenant I can know God through the Salvation that has been given me through Jesus Christ’s payment of my sin on the cross, and also His resurrection from the dead, and that He now lives in heaven at the right hand of His Father.

            The covenant’s sign of circumcision also has given me the power to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  By looking at both the passage in Genesis 17 and in Galatians 4 I understand more about the two sons of Abraham and how they can represent the flesh and the Spirit, and that in the end even though Abraham loved Ishmael he had to send him out, and that is the same thing that can happen to me when I really like something of the flesh I need to put it to death.

The Word of God has been convicting, challenging, and refreshing to me as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to give me the strength to put to death the power of the flesh, and live by the power of the Spirit.

God Changes Sarai's Name

SPIRITUAL DIARY 08-11-2006

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Another New Name

Bible Reading & Meditation                                Reference:  Genesis 17:15-17

            Message of the verse:  “15 Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.  16 ‘I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’  17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’”

           

            In this section God changes the name of Sarai to Sarah, and it is unclear what the meaning of Sarai is, but Sarah means “princess,” and indeed Sara was a princess for she became the mother of Kings and is in the bloodline of the Lord Jesus Christ being the mother of Isaac. 

           

            The role of Sarah in the Scriptures is a very big one, and her example of being a wife and a mother can be looked at as a very great role model.  Peter speaks of it in his writings.  (1Peter 3:1-6)

            “1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. 3 Your adornment must not be merely external-braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6  just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”

           

            The role of motherhood and being a parent is a very important one in the Scriptures and it is a shame that it is not looked upon as being important in today’s society, for many times children are a burden to the parents and far to many times the womb is turned into a graveyard today which saddens the heart of God and as a nation we will one day pay for those many sins.  Psalm 139:13-18 gives a wonderful picture of the importance of the womb:  “13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.  14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are times when I think back on when we took into our own hands as husband and wife the decision of not having any more children, and under the circumstances humanly speaking, it was a correct decision, yet could it have been that our faith was not strong enough at the time, and I am sure that selfishness came in on my part.  Selfishness is a sin that I commit far to many times.

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart as I read it and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to take away my selfishness today, and throughout the rest of my life, and trust the Lord to teach me contentment and to direct my path each day. 

The Sign of Circumcision (Gen. 17:9-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-07-2006

My Worship Time                                                                                    Focus:  The Sign

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 17:9-14

            Message of the verse:  “9  God said further to Abraham, ‘Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.  10  ‘This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.  11  ‘And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.  12  ‘And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.  13  ‘A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.  14  ‘But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.’”

           

            God not only gave Abram a new name, Abraham, but He also promised him the land where his future descendents would live.  In verses 9-14 God gives Abraham a sign of the covenant that He has made with Abraham, and that covenant is circumcision, and explains to Abraham that all males should be circumcised when they were eight days old, and the first one who would have this done when they were eight days old was the promised son of Abraham, Isaac, and this would be in about a year for these events that are spoken of in these verses.

           

            Circumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin of the penis of the male, and this is where the seed of the male would come from, and this sign was for the seed of Abraham.  Circumcision is not a sacrament, like baptism or the Lord’s Table, but was a sign to all the Jewish people that they belonged to God and therefore they were to separate themselves from the evil that surrounded them.  However this is not what the Jewish people made of this sign, but they thought that because they received this sign that this was their ticket into heaven, but they were wrong.

           

            To the believer in Jesus Christ circumcision speaks of cutting ones self from the old nature that all are born with, and is not necessary for salvation.  Paul dealt with this and it can be seen in Acts 15, along with the letter to the Galatians.  Paul also wrote about this in Romans 4:9-12.  “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’  10  How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This is a welcomed lesson to me, for I am certainly having much trouble with the old nature that I was born with, for even though it is dead I still am having a lot of troubles with it especially over the summer.  Dr. Wiersbe writes that when I was born into the family of God the Holy Spirit did a spiritual circumcision on me that enables me to have victory over the desires of the old nature and the old life.  Spiritual circumcision puts off the body of the sins of the flesh and deals radically with the sin nature.  (Col. 2:11)  “And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”

The Word of God has been very convicting to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Put this truth into practice, realizing that I have power over the old nature through the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

The Land (Gen. 17:7-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08/02/2006

My Worship Time                                                                                     Focus:  The Land

Bible Reading & Meditation                                        Reference:  Genesis 17:7-8

            Message of the verse:  “7 ‘I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.  8 ‘I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’”

           

            Verse seven is a message from God to both Abraham and to his descendents, that God would establish His covenant between He and Abraham and all of Abrahams descendents, that is those who would come through Isaac.  Verse eight speaks of God giving the land to Israel as an everlasting possession for them to live on. 

           

            The only land that Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs ever owned was the part that Abraham bought in order to bury his wife when she died.  In the book of Hebrews the writer says that Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and designer was God.    

           

            The history of this land is a story that has confused many people, thinking that because Israel had sinned and was taken out of the land by God that this covenant between God and Abraham would not to be honored, however I do not think that that is the case, because this covenant that God gave to Abraham and his descendents was an unconditional covenant, meaning that God was the One who will fulfill it regardless of how Israel handled it.  The land does belong to Abraham and his descendants even though they disobeyed God on numerous occasions and had to be disciplined. 

           

            Moses foretold of this happening right before Israel was to enter the land, and Ezekiel also wrote about this in his book, foretelling that Israel would return to there land in the end times and live there, but Israel would not have the proper spiritual condition at first, but would later on as Ezekiel tells us that the last thing that they will receive is the Spirit.

           

            Even while I am writing this Israel is in a battle for their lives to stay in this land with one of their many enemies, and I believe that the Lord will give them victory over this enemy.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that what I can learn from this story of God’s covenant with Israel, is that God is faithful even though Israel was not, and because Israel was not, she missed a lot of blessings.  God has promised to take me to heaven and to live with Him forever, and this is because of His grace and mercy, not anything to do with me, yet I can choose to live for Him and be true to Him or be like Israel and miss out on the blessings He has prepared for me in eternity past.

The Word of God has brought conviction and challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Live for the Lord, and be used by Him in order to advance His Kingdom.  Learn contentment and be directed by the Lord each day.

A New Name (Gen. 17:3-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08/01/2006

My Worship Time                                                                                  Focus:  New Name

Bible Reading & Meditation                                        Reference:  Genesis 17:3-6

            Message of the verse:  “3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 4‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.  5 ‘No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.  6 ‘I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.’”

Verse three shows the humility of Abraham as he bows down before the Lord.  Remember that it had been thirteen years since the Lord had spoke to Abraham, and now Ishmael would be close to thirteen years of age.

In verses four and five God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, this means the father of many or of a multitude, while Abram means exalted father.  Abraham and Sarah had only one son at this time and the son was not even Sarah’s so this all took a great deal of faith to believe what the Lord had just told him.

When you look at this covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham it is truly amazing, for it is still in effect today, even though many would not believe so. 

Abraham is the father of both the Jews and the Arabs, and is the father of the nations listed in Genesis 25, and he is also the spiritual father of all believers who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  (See Gal. 3:6-9)  “6  Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU."9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Galatians 3:6 is a quotation from Genesis 15:6 and it tells me that Abraham truly had a lot of faith in God, and his faith can be seen throughout the entire Bible at different places.  The things that were promised to Abraham are still happening, and will continue to happen all the way through the time when this earth is around.  Abraham is my spiritual father, and that makes me very happy, for he is a wonderful example of how to walk by faith, and by learning his story and the things that it teaches will make me a better follower of the Lord.

The Word of God has been very refreshing to my as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to learn contentment, continue to follow the Lord, and continue to live a life that will be pleasing to the Lord.

Something in that Name (Gen. 17:1-2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/31/2006

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  Something in a Name

Bible Reading & Meditation                                      Reference:  Genesis 17:1-2

            Message of the verse:  “1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.  2 ‘I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.’

           

            God now comes again to Abraham after thirteen years of silence and gives Abraham a new name for God when He speaks to Him.  This is the first time that God has used this name for Himself in the Scriptures, and that name is translated as El Shaddai.  This is the meaning that Dr. Wiersbe gives this name of God:  “The all powerful and all-sufficient God who can do anything and meet any need.”  I guess the question is why did God wait for thirteen years to speak to Abraham again and why did He use this name for Himself whenever He did speak to Abraham?  Because God cannot make any mistakes that has to be a reason that He waited for thirteen years to speak to Abraham, but I am not sure what that reason would be.  As far as the name and it’s meaning it could be that God used this name to show Abraham and Sarah that even though their reproductive bodies were dead humanly speaking in order to every have any children, because He is God Almighty who can do anything, He is able to cause them to have children, and this is what He will reveal again to them. 

           

            With any new revelation always comes responsibility, and Abraham would now learn to walk before God, knowing that God is always watching Abraham, and being involved in his walk with God.

           

            God uses the words “My Covenant” nine times in this chapter, and this shows that there is a relationship between Abraham and the LORD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Word El Shaddai and it’s meaning means a lot to me at this stage of my life, knowing that God is not only able but willing to do good things for me to encourage and help me in my walk with Him.

The Word of God has been refreshing and challenging to my heart as I have read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to walk with the Lord and trust Him to work things out in my life today, and to continue to teach me contentment and guide my steps as I walk with the Lord today.

God's Grace (Gen 16:15-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-28-2006

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  God’s Grace

Bible Reading & Meditation                                  Reference:  Genesis 16:15-16

            Message of the verse:  “15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.  16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.”

           

            I would like to make a few points from what the Lord has taught me in this section of Scripture, (Chapter 16).  This chapter is a chapter of contrasts with chapter fifteen where Abraham has been given a great victory with the covenant that God has given to him.  Now Abraham is the one who blew it and sinned in chapter sixteen. Once again Satan has used a woman to cause a man to sin, and once again the man did not follow all of the directions that were given to him by the Lord.  Abraham, like Adam, did not tell his wife that the advice she had been given was in direct violation of what the Lord had given to him and like Adam went along with the advice of his wife and sinned.  Abraham, like Adam was responsible for his family and blew it.

           

            It has been suggested that because of the covenant that God had with Abraham that this son whom he had fathered would become a great nation and therefore God made a great nation out of Ishmael.

           

            God’s grace is seen in chapter sixteen as He comes to the young slave woman who ran away from her master, and told here what to name her child, and also that he would become a great nation.  God’s grace is seen in the life of Abraham and Sarah who had sinned by running a head of God in trying to have a child in there own way.  Dr. Wiersbe says that when God cannot rule, He will overrule.  Dr Wiersbe also quoted another author who said that the Christian life was a series of new beginnings, and I surely believe that is true.

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  This has been a very bad summer for me as I battle with the problem of lustful thoughts, and have fallen and been defeated on several times, and this lesson was one that I really needed and am thankful to the Lord for having me do this on this day.

The Word of God has been refreshment to my soul as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Word of God that His forgiveness is real.    

Hagar Submits to God (Gen. 16:7-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-21-2006

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Hagar Submits to God

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Genesis 16:7-14

Message of the verse:  7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.  8 He said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?’ And she said, ‘I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.’  9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, ‘Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.’  10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.’  11 The angel of the LORD said to her further, ‘Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.  12 ‘He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.’  13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’  14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.”

            In these verses we see the beginning of the Arab nations, as Hagar would run away from Sarah and the Angel of the Lord would come down and visit her and tell her to return to Sarah, and that she would have a son.  Sarah was to name her son Ishmael, and he would be a wild donkey of a man and his descendents would live in the wilderness and they would not get along with their brothers, who would be the Jewish nation. 

This is the first time that the Angel of the Lord has come to earth and He is the pre-Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This shows the love and compassion of our Lord as He came down to see a run-away slave girl who was with child.  Hagar would return to Sarah and she would do this by faith in the Lord, faith that all that He told her would come to pass. 

            “Ver. 14. Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi, &c.] That is, the fountain where the angel found her, Ge 16:7; this, from the appearance of God to her at it, was afterwards called by her and others by this name, which signifies "the well of him that liveth and seeth me"; that is, of the living and all seeing God, and who had taken a special care of her, and favoured her with a peculiar discovery of his love to her: or this may have respect to herself, and be rendered, "the well of her that liveth and seeth"; that had had a sight of God, and yet was alive; lived though she had seen him, and after she had seen him, and was still indulged with a sight of him. Aben Ezra says, the name of this well, at the time he lived, was called Zemum, he doubtless means Zemzem, a well near Mecca, which the Arabs say {z } is the well by which Hagar sat down with Ishmael, and where she was comforted by the angel, Ge 21:19:”  (John Gill).

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can learn from this that it is not good to run away from my problems, because they will only get bigger.  I am to stay and trust the Lord who is bigger than any problem that I have, for the biggest problem that I had was being born a sinner who had no hope of salvation until His Spirit called me to His wonderful salvation.

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Not run away from the problem of IBS, but trust the Lord to give me wisdom and understanding on how to deal with it.  To trust the Lord to continue to teach contentment to me.

Family Feud (Gen. 16:4b-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-19-2006

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Family Feud

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genes 16:4b-6

            Message of the verse:  “And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.  5 And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.’  6 But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.’ So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.”    

           

            When one looks at these verses one can see the results of walking in the flesh, of trying to solve problems by ones self and not with the wisdom of God, for Abraham and Sarah had sinned and now the dividends of sin are being paid. 

           

            Abraham and Sarah had begun their lives with the Lord by walking with Him, but now they have rejected the Lord’s wisdom and are walking in the flesh and when one walks in the flesh he will begin to do the things of the flesh.  There was fighting going on in Abraham’s tent and he did not do anything to stop the fighting.  Hagar became proud and Sarah became angry with Sarah.  Sarah began to treat Hagar harshly and finally Hagar would run.  All of these are sins of the flesh.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Abraham could have avoided all of this trouble at first by not listening to Sarah, but after Hagar became pregnant and the fighting started he could have gotten all the parties involved and had a talk with them and with the Lord about what had happened, confessed his sin and ask God for forgiveness and ask God to lead them with the situation that they now had.

            These are good things for me to remember when I use fleshly wisdom as Abraham and Sarah had done.

The Word of God has been both convicting and challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to work out the events of the sins and mistakes of the past concerning our investments and not use earthly wisdom, but trust that the Lord will make this work out for our good and for His glory.  Continue to learn contentment in my walk with the Lord and pray that the Lord will guide my steps.

Sarah's Scheming (Gen. 16:1b-4a)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-18-2006

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Scheming

Bible Reading & Meditation                              Reference:  Genesis 16:1b-4a

            Message of the verse:  “She had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

2 So Sarai said to Abram, ‘Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.’ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  3 After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.  4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived.”

Waiting is probably one of the hardest things that God will ask a person to do, and this is probably even truer in our microwave generation that lives in this world of today, but there are times when a believer does not want to wait upon the Lord, and this was true of Sarah in these verses.  In yesterdays SD it was learned that there are four steps to being a faithful believer, and in the verses today it is seen that Abraham and Sarah failed in all four of these steps.

When a person gets tired waiting on the Lord they begin to scheme, and this is what Sarah and Abraham did, by having Hagar, who was Sarah’s handmaid, have sexual relations with Abraham in order for them to have a child.  Dr. Wiersbe quotes a Scottish novelist in his commentary on this section by stating “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably,” and this is exactly what Sarah and Abraham did in this instance.  One more point to bring up and that is Sarah surely got Hagar when she and Abraham went down to Egypt in order to flee from the famine that was in the land, and this in of itself was sin, so one sin leads to another.

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that the trouble with our investments with Andrew Lech could have been over if a certain lady and her husband from Canada would have been more patient and waited instead of began to scheme and get a lawyer in order to speed things up, for she surely has succeed more miserably as quoted above.

As stated before it is difficult to wait, and if it were not the Lord given me grace as He has in our investment problems then I to would be scheming. 

The Word of God was very challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Wait on the Lord for all that is going on in our lives, and trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him for He has promised to direct my path.

           

Learning from Waiting (Gen. 16:1a)

SPIRITUAL DIARY O7-17-2006

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  Learning from Waiting 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                   Reference:  Genesis 16:1a

            Message of the verse:  “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children.”

           

            This chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s book is entitled “Beware of Detours,” and he explains that detours can be very painful in the Christian life.  He goes on to give four examples of evidence that a person is walking by faith:  “(1) You are willing to wait; (2) you are concerned only for the glory of God; (3) you are obeying God’s Word; and (4) you have God’ joy and peace within.  While Abraham and Sarah were waiting, God was increasing their faith and patience and building character (James 1:1-4).  Then something happened that put Abraham and Sarah on a painful detour.”  That something was trying to help God fulfill His promise in a human way.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that the Bible is clear in teaching that God has a plan for each individual believer, and therefore He has a plan for me, along with my wife.  God has been taking us through some painful storms over the last three plus years and these four things that Dr. Wiersbe brings out in this lesson are some of the things that we have been learning, and I hope that we will not go on any detours to slow the process of our growth.

The Word of God has been very challenging to my as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord and to continue to learn and grow through these storms that He has directed me into.

It Is Israel's Land (Gen. 15:18-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07-14-2006

My Worship Time                                                                                   Focus:  The Land

Bible Reading & Meditation                                   Reference:  Genesis 15:18-21

            Message of the verse:  “18  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:  19  the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite  20  and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21  and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.’”

           

            The promise that is given to Abraham has not totally been fulfilled to the people of Israel.  The closest it was come to is when Solomon ruled Israel, but the promise is still a promise that God will keep even though at times it does not seem possible, for one day Jesus Christ will return to this earth that He has made and will reign from His seat in Jerusalem for 1000 years over all of the earth and Israel will receive her land at that time.  A study of the last nine chapters of Ezekiel shows much of this prophecy.

           

            In May of 1948 Israel became a nation again and in June of 1967 the got control of the city of Jerusalem again and to this day they have control of part of the land that God had promised.  From the time in 586 BC until May of 1948 Israel did not control any of the land, and even today they are still fighting with their neighbors, who are their enemies to hang on to this land that God promised to them.  Verses 18-21 give a description of where the boundaries of the land are and also the promise of God to give it to them.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God will always keep the promises that He makes, and the promises to me as a believer are found in the pages of the Bible, and because I am “in Christ” they will all be fulfilled.  Among them are having eternal life and so some day I will be with my Lord Jesus Christ throughout all of eternity, to even rule and reign with Him during His Kingdom reign.  Jesus said that He will never leave me nor forsake me, and there are many times when I feel like Job, but I know that He will never leave me nor forsake me.

The Word of God has been refreshing to me as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord even though these days have been very troublesome to me and also to the members of my family.  

God Promised Abraham a Long Life (Gen. 15:15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 07/13/2006

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Abraham promised long life

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                Reference:  Genesis 15:15

            Message of the verse:  “15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.”

           

            In the midst of all of the promises that the Lord had given Abraham concerning his offspring He now gives Abraham a promise about a long life.  Abraham was 75 years old when God called him out of the land he was living in and he was 175 years old when he died, so Abraham walked with the Lord for 100 years.  There were times when he failed to do the things that the Lord wanted him to do, but for most of his life Abraham walked closely with the Lord doing the things that the Lord wanted him to do.  I am sure that Abraham had to rely on the promises that God had given to him on those many occasions when the Lord was silent and it seemed as if He had forgotten about Abraham and Sarah.  This was a part of the great faith that Abraham possessed. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There have been times when it seems as if the Lord has forgotten about me, and yet I know from His Word and the promises that are in it that He will never leave me nor forsake me and will continue to care for me each day of my life.  I have been encouraged by a song that is called “I will praise Him in the Storm,” which speaks of giving praise to the Lord in the storms of life, and this makes me think of Job who praised the Lord in the most difficult situation that I have ever read about when he said that “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”  I don’t want to just praise the Lord in the good times of my life, because it is in the times of troubles that I am being taught by the Lord and am being conformed to the image of His dear Son as His Word promises.

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me in this storm that He has sent me into over three years ago.