Today we finish our ten-part series on the life of FATHER ABRAHAM. We have seen his faith in good times and bad, and today we see the end of the story. We are reminded that it is important to leave a Godly legacy behind. We are also reminded to look back at life, and be thankful.
Today we read one of the most famous stories of the Bible. It is the account of Abraham’s willingness to totally trust God, and give Him whatever He asks. This story is a reminder that the Lord expects us to trust Him and periodically, we may be tested for our own sake.
Today we are reminded that we often settle for the good, when God wants us to wait for His best. Those who make the greatest difference in our world, understand the vast difference between what is good and what is best. Abraham learned this the hard way, but if we are wise, we can learn from him.
We are reminded of the many temptations of life, and that most of us are particularly susceptible to certain temptations. When we don’t “pass the test” of those temptations, we often are tested again and again. However, we are reminded that God shows grace and mercy as we continue to grow into His likeness. And fortunately, God is patient in using imperfect people to do his work!
We see the continuation of the covenant between Abraham and God, and we see the “sign of the covenant.” We are reminded that every covenant requires obedience for it to work effectively, and we all need a way to remember a covenant. Therefore, whether its a wedding, or a commitment to God, we need a good way to remember our promise!
We see the joy of waiting for God’s plan, and the sorrow when we run ahead of God. We are reminded that even people of great faith are sometimes impatient. But when we fail to wait, there is a wonderful reminder in this chapter, that God still shows His mercy.
Last week we looked at the courageous “John Wayne Abraham.” And the very next chapter shows us a man who is filled with fear. Many of us are reminded of ourselves, and our own moments of courage, surrounded by private moments of worry and fear. In this study, we will see the weakness and private moments of Abraham, and learn how to deal with our own fears.
We see how our faith affects us in times of CRISIS. Specifically, we see that it is our duty to fight for the rights of others. In this passage, Abraham learns of Lot’s crisis and chooses to intervene for the sake of his faith. This intervention is time consuming, costly, and dangerous, but faith indicates that it’s the right thing to do.
Probably few things are more counter-culture than giving up our rights for the sake of others. Today we continue our study of Abraham, by looking at his faith in times of conflict, and we see how Abraham set aside his rights for another. We also see how God responds to this type of an attitude of faith.
We begin a ten-part series on the life of Abraham. As children, many of us learned a song about Father Abraham and his many sons!! But most of us don’t understand the deep faith of Abraham and his importance to our Christian faith. In this message, we will learn about the beginnings of Abraham’s faith, and the risks that needed to be taken to prove that faith.