Greetings brethren!
Bro Eli talked about faith and Abraham was used as a case study. Here are the points and lessons i learnt;
Nowadays, people wonder if there is a God and doubt if God can do all He revealed through the Bible. But before us are promises, parts of which are verifiable.
In Gen. 2:3, God directly promised Abraham that ‘I will make your name great’.
In today's century, we see that the name of Abraham or Abram is one of the most globally recognized names in history. This promise has literally, historically, and verifiably come true.
In Gen.15:13 "The LORD said to him, "Your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land; they will be slaves there and will be treated cruelly for four hundred years. The above promise was fulfilled when the Israelites were taken to Egypt .as slaves.
In Gen.15:14 God promises to punish the nation that enslaves them, and when they leave that foreign land, they will take great wealth with them. God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, inorder to punish the Egyptians and fulfill His promise
Also, we see how Joseph interpreted the dream of the king that no one was able to interprete.
verse 29, There will be seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt. Verse 30 After that, there will be seven years of famine, and all the good years will be forgotten, because the famine will ruin the country. (Gen. 41:20-29)
This also happened as God promised, Joseph was elevated from a prisoner to Governor.
Then, when God cursed the Israelites, He placed a curse that they will be _uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. (Deut. 28:63-65)
This is clearly brought out by a comparison of Genesis 12:1 and 4; Hebrews 11:8. How God spoke we do not know, but that He did speak we are quite sure, and directly Abraham heard His command, in faith he obeyed. His obedience was prompt. When God speaks to us it is sometimes very difficult to explain the ‘how’ of it. That He has spoken we are sure, and all that we have to do is promptly to obey His voice.
We are told in Genesis 12:4 that when God spoke to him, ‘Abraham left as the Lord had told him.’ Abraham’s faith was not a hazy, nebulous belief; it was active - read Hebrews 11:8-10 again! Faith obeys God by launching out upon His promises and by doing His bidding without question. If faith does not work it is dead - look up James 2:17, 20. Abraham’s faith did work, and what an upheaval this meant in his life - with the packing up of all his goods, saying goodbye to all his friends and moving out to do God’s will! Has God spoken to you? If so, some very practical action must demonstrate your faith in Him; you must obey Him.
By simply hearing God’s voice and doing His will, Abraham produced something for the glory of God and for the blessing of millions - look up and compare Genesis 12:2 and 22:18. Here we learn that God wonderfully multiplies our simple acts of faith and obedience. Turn to Genesis 26:2-5, where God is explaining this to Isaac: and as you conclude this study, look up Deuteronomy 11:26-28.
Let us pray that we may have grace to hear God’s voice and always to do His will, promptly and in a practical way; and that we may not mind if others think our actions are peculiar. Let us also believe that God will make our obedience productive, to His glory and to the blessing of many.
In other words, at the time God reckoned Abraham’s faith as putting him in right relationship with God, Abraham shared the same status as an uncircumcised Gentile in Paul’s world. Thus, concludes Paul, Abraham became the father of both Jews and Gentiles through the righteousness of faith rather than righteousness under the Jewish law (Rom. 4:11–15).
The example of Abraham in Romans 4 provides Christians with great hope for our work and workplaces. Abraham’s example of trusting God’s promises—despite adverse circumstances and seemingly impossible odds—emboldens us not to waver in trust when we face challenges at work or when God does not seem to be present (see Rom. 4:19). God did not immediately fulfill the promise to Abraham, which further encourages us to be patient in waiting for God to renew or redeem our circumstances in life.
Thanks for reading and God bless you!
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