Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Sunday, January 6, 2013

Day 6: When We Try to Out-God God


Day 6: Genesis 16-18

Main People:
Abram (Changed to Abraham in this section), Sarai (changed to Sarah), Hagar, Ishmael

Key Points:
*We hear things from God, then we decided *WE* have to work to get it finished. Like Sarai, we take it upon ourselves to do God’s will. He knew exactly when Isaac was going to be born, but it wasn’t in Sarai’s time, so she gave Hagar to Abram. After she became pregnant, Sarai got jealous of her and they treated each other badly. When we try to out god GOD, things get messy for everyone involved.

*God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and made a covenant with him. Abraham would be the father of many people and a great nation would come from him. For his part, Abraham and everyone in his household had to be circumcised at that time and then 8 days after birth. Circumcision showed separation of people who worshiped God from the pagan worshipers.

*Three people went to talk to Abraham (one being God). God told of how evil Sodom was and how He would destroy it. When two of them left, Abraham begged for God to spare the city. God agreed that if He could find 10 righteous people in Sodom, he wouldn’t destroy it. Did Abraham change God’s mind? No, God knew there was only one righteous person there (and that was by the skin of his teeth). He could have agreed to save it for five people, but (SPOILER ALERT…) the end result would be the same. Be in fifty or ten, there weren’t enough good left in the city to keep it around. God gave them plenty of opportunities to stop sinning, but they refused.

Verses that Jumped Out at Me:
17:20—Even if you are the son/daughter of an adulterous relationship, God hasn’t forgotten you.

18:12—God hears our inner thoughts. He knows the kind of person we truly are, not the person we want the world to see.

18:14—“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” We ‘know’ God can do anything, but it’s hard for us to comprehend what he ‘can’ do.

16:13—No problem is too complicated for God if you are willing to let him help you.

17:20—God has not forgotten you.

18:33—Maybe we are missing God’s answers because they aren’t the answers we want from Him so we turn a blind eye and then question God for not answering our prayers.

Question:
How long was it from the time God told Abraham and Sarah they would have a son until the baby was actually born? (Sarah laughed after she overheard it.)

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 19-21

*To find the reading plan I’m doing, click on the “Our Reading Plan for 2013” tab.

*On January 31st, I’ll have a giveaway (I’m doing this at the end of every month). It will have to do with the reading (so I hope you’re keeping up ;) ) This month’s prize is an ebook copy of my book CROSSING THE DEEP and a $5 Amazon Gift Card


~Kelly
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2 comments:

  1. RebeccaAarupSunday, January 06, 2013

    He was 86 when he received the specific promise of a child born of his own genetic line and 100 when Isaac was born so 14 years. Although technically at the age of 75 God said he would "bless his seed" so that would be 25 years. Either way it's a long wait!

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  2. UnknownSunday, January 06, 2013

    True, and it was a year from the time the angels/God visited him that Sarah gave birth to the baby :) Even a year seems like a long time... much less all the other times they had to wait. I'm impatient... I think God is trying to get that out of me ;)

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