Above and Beyond

Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” -Genesis 15.4-5

Abram and God are discussing the fulfillment of God's promise, and Abram presents the facts from a human perspective. He has no son, no biological descendant, and so logically, his servant will become his heir. It has been years since the promise was made, and so far the key to that promise has yet to be fulfilled. So much of the promise is dependent upon descendants, and so far Abram has none. He presents God with the facts as he sees them, and then God responds. He assures Abram that he will have a son. God made a promise, and God is a promise keeper.

However, God doesn't do the minimum. He promised Abram a nation, and after reassuring him of the promise of a son, he takes him outside and shows him the stars, inviting him to count them, and promises that his descendants will be the same. God goes above and beyond. As Paul said in Ephesians 3, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

God not only keeps His promises, but God keeps them in a way that is truly a blessing. God blesses in ways that are abundantly beyond what we can imagine. That is who He is, and to Him be the glory.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!

Peace be with you

Promise Keeper

"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.'" -Genesis 15.1

Abram has just been in battle and achieved victory. In the aftermath, he has honored God and refused the rewards of men, so that God may be glorified. In the calm after the battle, God speaks to Abram, and as He speaks, He tells Abram not to fear, that He is his shield, and that Abram's reward will be very great.

God has made promises to Abram that are yet to be fulfilled, and it has been around a decade since the promises were initially made. Abram has allowed his nephew to choose from the land God has promised to give him, been in a battle where he could have been killed, refused an offering from a king for wealth, and still has no son. But here at the beginning of chapter 15, God is about to reinforce the promise that was made.

God begins by telling Abram to not fear, calling him to faith and trust in Him. He then tells Abram that He is his shield. God is protecting him. God made promises to Abram that have not been fulfilled yet, and God is going to watch over Abram and protect. Abram has been in life endangering situations and has come out alive because God is watching over him. Finally, God reassures him that his reward will be very great. The original promise involved land, descendants, and honor, and God is going to do all of it.

The promises of God may take time to fulfill, it could be years as was the case with Abram, but God does not forget His promises. God remembers His promises, and God will fulfill them. He is a promise keeper.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!

Believe God

"Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." -Genesis 15.6

Abram has been on a journey of faith. He left his home and followed God into the unknown, to a land that God only said, "I will show you." He went to Egypt and passed his wife off as his sister, then came back, separated from his nephew, and then rescued his nephew after he had been captured. And after all of these things God speaks to him in a vision. He promises him a great reward, but then Abram brings up one little problem, he's childless.

God has promised to give the land to his descendants, He's promised to make Abram a great nation, and yet Abram still has no children. And so Abram points out the obvious, saying one of his servants shall be his heir. But then God makes him another promise, perhaps the most specific promise to date. "Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.' And He took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”'And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'" (verses 4-5)

God promises his own son. Abram is old, he was 75 when this journey began. His wife is old too, she was a 65 year old barren woman at the beginning of all of this. But after God makes this promise we see that Abram believed the Lord. He trusted that God would, and could, do what He was promising. He believed that God was telling him the truth. And this brings him into a right standing relationship with God.

What promises has God made? Do you believe Him? What has He spoken to you, that lines up with what you know of Him from Scripture? Do you believe Him? Abram has found God to be trustworthy. He has been on this journey that began with faith, and God has not failed Him, He never does. How have you trusted God in the past? How are you believing God in the present?

If we believe the Lord, it will be reckoned to us as righteousness. It is through faith and trust in God that we are made righteous, so do we trust Him? Do we believe Him? He is always trustworthy. Will we be righteous and believe Him?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor