Ever felt that life is passing you by and you are becoming impatient?
Ever feel you want to help God out a bit and take matters into your own hands?
Ever felt that faith wasn’t enough?
Me too!
So far Paul has been saying we cannot boast in anything. It is all of His grace. No matter who you are (Jew or Gentile) the declaring of your innocence before God is done by trusting in Jesus and following Him (faith).
Faith. Simple faith. Nothing else. All of Him.
So Paul chooses Abraham to illustrate this teaching. Abraham died nearly 250 years before Moses was born. So this ancestor pre-dates the Law of God. Paul uses him (seen as the spiritual father of both Jew and Gentile) to show that not even such a heroic figure has the right to boast because of their works. He then uses Genesis 15 v 6 as a key verse set around the story of him and Sarah:
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4 v 1-3)
How to live with hope that God will do with your life what He said He would do:-
- Hold on to the promise God has given you. It’s what Abraham did.
- As you do you will create a legacy that will outlive you. It’s what Abraham did. (The countless followers of Christ are Abraham’s sand on the seashore family).
- Don’t Ishmael your promise for it will lead to pain. It’s what Abraham did. (The hatred of Arab Muslim and the Israeli Jew stems from this impatient act).
- Recover your ground of faith and get back on track when you fail, believe in the impossible working God that His Isaac promise is coming. It’s what Abraham did.
- Be willing to sacrifice/lay down/let go of what God has given you knowing He can give it back to you again/resurrect your Isaac. It’s what Abraham did. (This faith in the resurrection of Isaac points to the faith in the resurrection of the dead that followers around the world now hold on to).
I’m trying to reach a target of £5,000 for Svetlana and Maxim. In 3 days Justgiving will release the funds to be sent to her. Please can you share the link on social media to help me get past that target, the link will take you to the story. Thank you to everyone who has already given. They are overwhelmed and thankful to God for you.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforsvetlana?utm_term=XdwgaAzGE
Missions Paul 