Lessons of Faith from Abraham

I came home last night discouraged, I woke up early this morning discouraged. And this morning as I was asking God, “What am I missing? Where am I going wrong? This seems to be the way, but I certainly don’t see it?” As I went into my daily Bible reading I was in Genesis reading the story of Abraham.
If you are like me, your current situation influences your perspective on whatever your reading and this morning I was feeling Abraham’s frustration. When God tells Abraham to go from his father’s country to the land I will show you. I could just see Abraham replying, “Aren’t you even going to tell me if I should head east or west?” And as the story develops God keeps promising this great nation, but there’s one problem—Abraham doesn’t even have a child. And then in chapter 15 Abraham was a reflection of me over the last twenty-four hours. God says, “fear not, for I am your shield your very great reward.” The politically correct thing to do would have been to reply, “O thank you God, You are and I praise you for that.” But, not Abraham, he bore his heart out to God, even the doubt. He basically tells God you keep promising this great inheritance and I don’t even have a child, one of my servants would inherit it.” Have you ever been there? Where you feel God is saying keep on keeping on, your heading in the right direction. And you just want to scream, “Then why is it so hard, why does it look like one big failure after another?” I’m thankful we have a loving and merciful God that allows us to express our doubt and not only express it he gives us the grace and strength to continue on in the faith.
The story doesn’t end there. God takes him out and shows him outside and says, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…so shall your offspring be.” Abraham knew that he couldn’t number it or even imagine the greatness of it, but he knew God knew the exact number, he knew that is shield and his reward was the eternal God who created all things and had all things in his control. And he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
This is what God taught me this morning, it’s okay to be discouraged, but I’m still your shield, your great reward. Fear not! I’m with you and as long as I’m with you it’s going to be okay. So, now my strength has been renewed to go out and fight another day, knowing that it’s not even me really fighting, but the same awesome God that spoke and fulfilled those promises to Abraham is the same God that takes care of me. So, whatever you’re going through right now, I know it may look bleak, and if you’re like me it wasn’t in “your plans.” But we have the promise, that He is our shield, our very great reward and we are to fear not because we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Three Truths I Want My Daughter To Learn

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.” --I Chronicles 28:9-10

What if you knew you were near death and you had one last opportunity to teach your children? You have to be careful because these are going to be your last words, you must choose them carefully. What would you tell them? 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 is David teaching his son Solomon one last time before his death. David is near death, and Solomon is fixing to be anointed king over Israel. He could have told Solomon how to be an effective king, how to deal with the people under him, but instead he tells Solomon to seek God and do his will.
These verses are great for parents who want to teach their children about serving the Lord. And the good news is that we don’t have to wait until we are on our deathbed to teach it. As I looked at these verses I found three things that I could teach my daughter and then pray them into her life.
We will look at some of this in more detail over the next few posts. But here's an overview of three things I draw from this passage that I need to teach my daughter. First, I can teach her to know God and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind. This requires a love relationship with Jesus Christ. Second, I need to teach her that the Lord searches our hearts and knows our true motives. There will be times in her life she might “play the game” to deceive her parents, but she can never deceive God. And finally I need to teach her that she is chosen by God and he has a plan for her life and when he reveals that plan she must be strong and do it. And remind her he always gives us the grace to do his will. These will be daily lessons I need to teach her (and her dad) on a daily basis and then in my times of prayer, pray that God would give her the grace to understand these truths and apply them to her life.

What Is Our Focus?

What do you focus on? Any athlete will tell you that to be a champion you have to focus on the goal. I remember once playing basketball with a friend who had played basketball for TCU and eventually went to play overseas professionally. We were playing a pick up game with some people we worked with and someone easily scored on my friend, Strick. I asked, “Strick, why didn’t you foul him? It’s only a pick-up game were not going to call fouls unless there’s blood.” I’ll never forget his response. He said, “Howard, if you foul in practice your going to foul in the game.” Strick was so focused on being the best basketball player he could be, that he wouldn’t even commit fouls in some insignificant Saturday morning pick-up game. It’s the same spiritually, what do we focus on to grow? Some focus on Bible study, some focus on church attendance, some of us don’t focus at all. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:2 to focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.” Bible Study, prayer, evangelism, doctrine, church attendance—all those things are good things, but they’re not the main thing. The main thing is Jesus Christ and the fact that he endured the cross and it’s shame so that I might discover God’s grace. The cross is not only for our salvation, but it is what keeps us from being conformed to this world, but transformed into the image of God.

When we focus on anything, but the cross the following will become evident in our life:

• We will lack joy
• We will not be growing spiritually. Everything might look okay on the outside, but we won’t experience the life changing transformation of the gospel.
• We will deceive ourselves into thinking we are okay, and not as bad as “those people” (remember the Pharisee and the tax collector)
• We love and passion for God will diminish.
• We will rush out and buy “Christian books” looking for the six steps to a more fulfilling life, or eight steps to becoming an effective prayer, you get the picture. Essentially we will replace the relationship with a method.
  Do any of these describe you? I know they describe me more than I want to admit.
  
  We need to rediscover the truth that saved us. The key to joy, growth, passion is not found in some “secret,” nor is it in the latest method or prayer being promoted. It’s right before us—it’s the gospel.
  
  

Keeping The Main Thing, The Main Thing

Last month I was asked to teach the first part of 1 Corinthians 15 in our flock meetings (or better known as Sunday School). I would encourage you to read it on your own, but to sum it up Paul uses 1,001 different ways to say if the death and resurrection of Christ did not happen it is all in vain. God start to remind me the importance of the cross and how often as Christians we mention it and know it’s important, but we don’t take the time to dwell on it. Because just as much as that truth is the source of our salvation, it is also the key to our growth as a Christian. As I studied for my lessons I was convicted of my own sin and the realization I need the cross every day, I was encouraged through some personal trials I’ve been going through, that if Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead, then these current tribulations are no match for him, no matter how big the look to me.
As I was meditating on these things, I found a book on our bookshelf that my wife had read and recommended that I read, but I was too busy at the time. It’s C.J. Mahaney’s book, “The Cross Centered Life.” A quick skimming of the book let me know that C.J. was talking about all that I had been wrestling with over the last month. I thought the best place to start a blog like this is on the basic, but very important aspect of our faith—the gospel. Or as Jerry Bridges says, “The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it.” I must agree with this statement. I have heard many messages on the gospel, but it’s always in relation to salvation, I can’t remember ever hearing a message on how the gospel affects our everyday life, even after we accept Christ.
Sometimes the most obvious truths are the ones we need to be reminded of the most. This is our hope and truth we needed to be reminded of daily: that Jesus, God’s perfect, righteous Son, died in our place for our sins. Jesus took all the punishment; Jesus received all the wrath as He hung on the cross, so people like you and me (sinners) could be completely forgiven.

Application: Pause a few seconds and dwell on the last paragraph and turn it into your personal prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God today.

The Purpose of This Blog

The thing I miss most about seminary days is the late nights at the coffee shop. A group of us would get together and discuss what God was doing in our lives, talk about Scriptures and what they mean and how they apply to our lives. Over the last year I have had several opportunities to preach and am on the regular rotation to teach our Sunday School class. Often times I learn so much more than I can share in those brief moments and wanted an outlet to share those thoughts. And sometimes days, weeks, maybe months after the opportunity to preach/teach I'm still struggling with a truth and how it applies to my life. As I share my thoughts I hope they encourage you, and I encourage you to respond. Feel free to share insights you have or how God is working in your life. And as we study together, hopefully we will rediscover his grace that is so much more than I'll ever understand and so much more than I'll ever deserve.