Tag: Faith

Laughing at the Promises of God

God focused on one man to bring to pass His promises.

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him” (Genesis 12:1-4).

Five times in three verses we find the words bless, blessed, or blessing. We are blessed to be a blessing.

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There are 7,487 promises in the Bible from God to man, and many of them are directed to us. Sadly, through ignorance, we live far below what God has in mind for us. We are the children of the promise (Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28) and the heirs of promise (Hebrews 6:12, 17). It is our inheritance. God has many good things in mind for us. Some promises are conditional: they depend on our obedience for fulfillment. Others are unconditional.

Unfortunately, we often fail to take God at His word and do not believe Him to be powerful or sufficient enough to handle our problems. For the problems we encounter in life there are corresponding promises to overcome them.

“We sometimes denigrate Sarah for laughing at God. However, as incredible as it sounds, laughing at God is not that unusual. We in effect do the same thing every time we read God’s words and fail to put them into practice or hear his promises and decide not to believe them” (The Knowing Jesus Study Bible).

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The Father of Faith

God called Abram out of a pagan world and made him some amazing promises. Abram responded in faith. “Faith obeys God” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, page 46). He left everything to follow God’s plan.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report….But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:1-2, 6).

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Abraham is the embodiment of faith. In life’s circumstances he believed God. No wonder he is commonly referred to as the father of faith. He took God at His word and did what was asked of him.

I am awed with that phrase “Father of Faith.” Being old, having a wife that was very old, he became a father. Although, his son was named Isaac (laughter; God has made me laugh), for all intent and purposes, he could be simply called “Faith.” Isaac was the direct result of faith. Looking at Isaac, one could quickly see faith in action. No one could dispute it.

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:19-21, Emphasis mine).

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Lessons from the Road they Travelled

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There are great lessons we can learn from elderly men and women. Someone has rightly said, a church without elderly people has no history. A church without young people has no future. I’m glad we have an abundance of both in this church. Let’s look at the elderly:

  • They’ve made the journey of faith; the walk of the godly before.
  • They’ve been through all that life threw at them, and made it.
  • If they can survive the long-haul, I can survive the long-haul, and you can survive the long-haul. You can make it. You will make it.
  • God, through their stories, has proved that He remains the same through the ages. He met them at their need; and He will do the same for us. See Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6.

The impact of one’s journey through life is many times determined by what is said or remembered after they ran the race, completed the course, and kept the faith.

Pause for a moment and ponder how you would like to be remembered after the end of your life. It has been said, “When you were born, everyone around you was smiling and you were crying. Live life so that when you die, you are smiling, and everyone around you is crying.”

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The Name We Trust, Part Two

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In Prayer…

“Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14).

In Preaching…

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

When in Need…

“That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).

To Receive Eternal Life…

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

When Healing Is Needed…

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong whom ye see and know” (Acts 3:6, 16).”

“By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?…Be it known unto you all… that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole…But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:7,10, 17-18).

In Salvation…

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In Deliverance from Demons…

“And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16:18).

In Water Baptism…

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

“For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16).

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).

In Everything…

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

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Building a Bridge through Prayers

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A missionary named Dan Crawford was returning to his village mission in Africa after furlough. Deep in the jungle he came across a flooded river that made it impossible to pass over. No boats were available to cross; and it was dangerous to swim. They decided to camp there and prayed the Lord would show them a way to get across. During the night a huge tree fell into the water and in the morning he saw his prayer had been answered. The tree was their bridge to the other side. Your prayers serve as the bridge between your questions (needs) and God’s answers.

The words of a hymn seem appropriate:

“Got any rivers that seem to be uncrossable? Got any mountains you cannot tunnel through? God specializes in things that are impossible. And He will do what no other friend can do.”

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).

“A person who makes time to pray will find a God who takes time to answer.”

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