remember Abraham

Genesis 12:1-4 NLT

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed…

Yes, that is the same man we know as Abraham. His story is one of strength, faith, following God and becoming the father of faith. I love that story as you walk through the promises.

But what makes Abram such a strong example for us? We should remember Abraham because he trusted God by acting in obedience.

God said go, and he went. God said I will bless you and others because of you, and the future made that become a reality.

The reality happened because of verse 4. Abram did as the Lord said. Here is the continued promise on outcome…

Genesis 13:4 NLT

This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.

Four times the Bible says that Abram stopped and worshipped. He would build an altar for himself and his family to acknowledge and worship God. That is what obedience does. Obedience leads us to worship God as we trust Him.

Genesis 15:1 NLT

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

God kept on protecting and reminding and guiding Abram and his family.

Genesis 15:5 NLT

Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

God reminded Abram of the promise.

Genesis 15:6 NLT

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

There is the outcome. Abraham was declared righteous as we are. It was by faith.

James 2:23 NLT

And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

May our faith lead us to do the same. Obey God. Worship God. Lead others to obey and worship God and to know it is all because of God.

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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