Some Christians don't take much time to study the Old Testament, but we read in the Scriptures that things that were written in the Old Testament are recorded for our learning. When we think of the man of Abram in Genesis, how the Lord assured him of the blessing and protection that God was providing as he moved forward in obedience. He had faith in God, that things would turn out just as God had promised.
It can be convicting to think about the example we have of faith in Abram and how we often focus on ourselves, not taking God's promises into account. Some things that God has promised to do, we need to be willing to leave to God, while we focus on the responsibilities that God has given to us.
There are times when we are more tempted to take things into our own hands, and we need to be aware of the danger that lies within our own hearts which are susceptible to self-reliance instead of relying on God.
We also have some perversion in our heart that causes us to look for something to do, some rules to follow, such as the Law, rather than continuing to live by faith.
Sometimes God also asks things of us- often the things we love most dearly. He did this with Abraham as well. What's dearest to me is often even more dear to God, and I have to be willing to give these things to God. Whether He keeps it or gives it back, that is entirely His prerogative.
The example of the man of faith in Genesis 15 can give us all of these things to think about.
Scriptures mentioned: The Life of Abraham in the latter half of Genesis
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The Listening & Learning podcast complements Listening & Learning, which is the collection of daily devotionals, written by Gaius Goff. To read more about this project visit https://www.GaiusGoff.com/
