Abraham's Faith
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead.
Hebrews 11:17-19
Abraham’s obedience took a tremendous amount of faith. He was willing to obey God because he believed God could raise the dead, even though he had never before seen the dead raised to life. He believed God was so true to His Word and character that if He made a promise, He would even raise the dead to keep it. Is it any wonder he is the greatest human model of faith?
The apostle Paul also commented on Abraham’s faith: “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…. Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal 3:7, 9). Anyone who lives by faith in God is in a spiritual sense a son of Abraham. He is the father of the faithful. The account of Abraham tells us that a man can go through the severest trial of life imaginable if he trusts God, believing that He will keep His promise and accomplish His purposes without making a mistake.
MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 299). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
Lessons Learned: God is faithful. He will always keep His promises. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Num 23:19). But in order to reap the benefits of God's promises, we must be faithful as well. God's sovereign plans cannot be thwarted by men. He will accomplish His goals with, or without us. If God chooses us, we can either trust and obey Him, and be used for His purposes, or we can falter and question Him, in which case he will fulfill His plans anyways, but by other means. We must have faith like Abraham, who trusted that God was omnipotent and could fulfill His promises, even ressurecting the dead (Rom 4:21).
Applications: We must be faithful to God as He is faithful to us. To be used by God, you must trust and obey Him. You must be willing to have faith in His sovereignty, regardless of your feelings and your circumstances. Studying scripture will help you to align yourself with His good, pleasing, and perfect will, and to do His word, even when you don't feel like it. Be faithful to obey His commands and do His will, and God will use you mightily. Mordecai and Esther understood this and willingly trusted God to use them. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Est 4:14). "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (Est 4:16).
Prayer Subjects: Pray for faith and trust in the sovereignty of God. Pray for an understanding of God's will and a willingness to submit to it. Pray for strength against doubt and unbelief. Pray that I would faithfully obey God and be used mightily by Him for His glory.
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Hebrews 11:17-19
Abraham’s obedience took a tremendous amount of faith. He was willing to obey God because he believed God could raise the dead, even though he had never before seen the dead raised to life. He believed God was so true to His Word and character that if He made a promise, He would even raise the dead to keep it. Is it any wonder he is the greatest human model of faith?
The apostle Paul also commented on Abraham’s faith: “Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…. Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal 3:7, 9). Anyone who lives by faith in God is in a spiritual sense a son of Abraham. He is the father of the faithful. The account of Abraham tells us that a man can go through the severest trial of life imaginable if he trusts God, believing that He will keep His promise and accomplish His purposes without making a mistake.
MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 299). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
Lessons Learned: God is faithful. He will always keep His promises. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Num 23:19). But in order to reap the benefits of God's promises, we must be faithful as well. God's sovereign plans cannot be thwarted by men. He will accomplish His goals with, or without us. If God chooses us, we can either trust and obey Him, and be used for His purposes, or we can falter and question Him, in which case he will fulfill His plans anyways, but by other means. We must have faith like Abraham, who trusted that God was omnipotent and could fulfill His promises, even ressurecting the dead (Rom 4:21).
Applications: We must be faithful to God as He is faithful to us. To be used by God, you must trust and obey Him. You must be willing to have faith in His sovereignty, regardless of your feelings and your circumstances. Studying scripture will help you to align yourself with His good, pleasing, and perfect will, and to do His word, even when you don't feel like it. Be faithful to obey His commands and do His will, and God will use you mightily. Mordecai and Esther understood this and willingly trusted God to use them. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Est 4:14). "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (Est 4:16).
Prayer Subjects: Pray for faith and trust in the sovereignty of God. Pray for an understanding of God's will and a willingness to submit to it. Pray for strength against doubt and unbelief. Pray that I would faithfully obey God and be used mightily by Him for His glory.
Listen to this entry
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