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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241230
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241231
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SUMMARY:Dec 30 Add to your faith perseverance
DESCRIPTION:12_Add to your faith perseverance \nGen 16:1-3 Now Sarai\, Abram’s wife\, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram\, “Behold now\, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So\, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan\, Sarai\, Abram’s wife\, took Hagar the Egyptian\, her servant\, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. \nHeb 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God\, you will receive what he has promised. \nThe Bible’s honesty about the lives of its characters\, with their triumphs and failures\, is unmatched. It does not sugarcoat failure\, rather laying bare the struggles\, mistakes\, and lessons of those who came before us. This authenticity is paired with God’s high standards for life and godliness. Thus\, the scriptures reflect the very character of God\, whose foundation is truth. Truth is not just a moral ideal but the essence of God Himself and the bedrock of love.  \nIn Genesis 16:1–5\, we witness faith\, perseverance\, and the dangers of taking matters into our own hands. \nAbram and Sarai were given an extraordinary promise: their offspring would become a great nation. Abram received this promise at the age of 75\, a testament to its miraculous nature. Ten years passed with no sign of a child. The delay tested their faith\, and they faltered. Sarai suggested that Abraham go in to Hagar\, her maidservant\, thus giving Sarai a surrogate child through her. This was culturally acceptable in those times\, and seemed a practical thing to do in view of her advanced age. Yet\, failure to seek God’s perspective resulted in a bad decision that led to tension\, jealousy\, and lasting consequences. \nThe truth is that God does not need our help to fulfill His promises. His plans are perfect\, and His timing is impeccable. The promises of God are not limited by human capacity or lifespan. They are established in eternity\, and their fulfillment is certain\, though often beyond our understanding. We must resist the urge to interpret or twist God’s words to fit our limited perspective.  \nAbram and Sarai’s choice reflected a momentary lapse in faith. Yet it was God’s ultimate plan that prevailed. The child of promise was to come through Sarai. In so doing\, God affirmed the sanctity of monogamous marriage. Just as importantly\, he emphasized the  importance of faith in his ability to do exactly what he had promised. \nWe often experience perplexing and painful delays. However\, they are never arbitrary. Joseph went from being a favored son to a slave and prisoner through what seemed like a series of misfortunes. Yet each step was divinely planned for his preparation as one who would be in the right place and well equipped to save life. As a slave in the household of Potiphar\, captain of the king’s guard\, Joseph learned stewardship and leadership while being part of the poorest of the poor. In the king’s prison\, he received the gift of discernment and interpretation of dreams\, while gaining insight into the workings of the royal court. These experiences shaped him into a peerless governor and statesman who saved all Egypt and many other lives during the seven-year famine. Had Joseph been freed earlier or returned to his family\, he would have been nothing but an uncultured and ignorant nomadic lad\, entirely unprepared and poorly positioned to fulfil his destiny. God knows no delay or disappointment. All he does is at the perfect time.  \nWhen Abram and Sarai decided to involve Hagar\, it was a human effort to achieve a divine purpose. As expected\, turmoil resulted. It sowed the seeds of discord and rivalry\, not just in their immediate household but between nations and peoples for generations to come. When we act apart from God’s will\, the consequences ripple far beyond what we can foresee. Every decision\, no matter how wise or harmless it appears\, must be brought before the Lord. Only through humility and dependence on God can we discern his will from human reasoning. \nPerseverance is a virtue that is often forged in the crucible of delay. In a world that prizes instant gratification\, waiting on God challenges our faith and shapes our character. Perseverance is not passive resignation but an active trust in God’s faithfulness. It is the refusal to surrender to doubt or impatience. The Greek word for perseverance implies constancy under suffering. It is a steadfastness that holds firm in the face of adversity. This quality is essential for Christian maturity. Without it we cannot be shaped by suffering to the image of His Son. \nThe heroes of faith show this perseverance in action. Joseph’s unwavering trust in God’s goodness\, sovereignty\, and providence carried him through betrayal\, slavery\, and imprisonment. Job clung to his faith that there was God who rewarded those who seek him\, even as he lost everything that makes earthly life tolerable. David endured years of exile and danger\, trusting in God’s promise that he would one day be king.  \nThese trials were not wasted; they refined their faith and deepened their knowledge of God. The Apostle Paul also went through much persecution and hardship. But his perseverance stemmed from hope in God’s promises. At the end he declared with confidence\, “I have fought the good fight\, I have finished the race\, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness\, and not for me only but for all those who love his appearing.” \nPerseverance is not just waiting—it’s about how we wait. While we wait\, our hearts should be in agreement with God’s truth. We must cling to His word\, and let it shape our thoughts and actions. Each delay is an opportunity to grow\, endure\, and prepare. The fruit of perseverance is a life of character shaped by experience\, yielding unshakable hope through faith in the love of God.  \nOur ultimate example is the Lord Jesus\, the author and perfecter of our faith. He endured the cross\, despising its shame\, for the joy set before Him. He delighted in fulfilling His Father’s will. Through that will\, he was perfected through suffering and became the source of salvation to all who believe him. He persevered through degradation and rejection because of His unshakable trust in his Father. Therefore He was exalted above all names in heaven and earth. He calls us to follow in His steps. \nLet us trust God’s promises\, even when the path is unclear or the wait is long. Let us anchor our faith in His unchanging character. Let us not call God unfaithful by giving up on his word. When doubts creep in\, let us remember that nothing is too hard for the Lord? Has His power diminished or His love waned? Never! \nIn our own journeys\, let us remember those who have gone before us. They tell us that God’s promises are worth the wait. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and lay aside the burdens and sins that weaken our trust. Trusting in God’s timing\, let us resist the urge to impatient action and hold fast till he fulfils his word. \nIn practical terms\, this means waiting on the Lord before every decision\, awaiting his guidance\, and trusting his provision. It means choosing faith over fear\, patience over haste\, and obedience over convenience. When we do so\, we will find that the trials we endure are not wasted. Rather\, they work together for our good and His glory. Let us love God and persevere in faith to the end.
URL:https://livingwatersgb.com/daily-devotional-podcasts/dec-30-add-to-your-faith-perseverance/
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DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250101
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CREATED:20241231T003042Z
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SUMMARY:Dec 31 Abraham our Father in faith
DESCRIPTION:11_Abraham our Father in faith \nGen 15:5\, 6 5 And he brought him outside and said\, “Look toward heaven\, and number the stars\, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him\, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord\, and he counted it to him as righteousness. \nHeb 11: 8-12  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out\, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise\, as in a foreign land\, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob\, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations\, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive\, even when she was past the age\, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man\, and him as good as dead\, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. \nFaith is one of the most profound concepts in the Bible. Faith is the foundation upon which our relationship with God is built. Hebrews 11\, often referred to as the “Hall of Faith\,” highlights numerous Old Testament heroes who demonstrated this crucial quality. From Abel to the prophets\, each name is a testament to the essence and essentiality of faith. Interestingly\, among these\, Abraham and Sarah are given an extended mention spanning 11 verses\, illustrating the depth of their faith and the lessons it holds for us. \nGenesis 15 records a crucial moment in Abraham’s life\, shortly after his victory over an alliance of four kings. Abraham had risked his life to rescue his nephew Lot who had been taken captive with the people of four kingdoms. Though he succeeded in recovering all the people and the possessions from the enemy\, Abraham refused to take anything by way of reward from the godless king of Sodom. By doing so\, he showed his unwillingness to be indebted to anyone but the God who had called him. This left him with no tangible gains and\, perhaps\, powerful enemies among the kings he had defeated\, and the king of Sodom whose friendship he had just turned down. \nIn this moment of vulnerability\, God appeared to Abraham with a profound promise: “Fear not\, Abram: I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” These words  underline the greatest truth on earth. Our security does not come from earthly possessions\, alliances\, or strength\, but from the presence of God Himself. To have God as our shield is to have a defense greater than any army. God is a reward beyond the greatest treasure on earth.  \nHowever\, even as Abraham gladly received this assurance\, his heart remained burdened. He had no heir to inherit the promises God had given him. In response\, God called him out to view the night sky blazing with innumerable stars. There he reiterated His promise. Abraham would indeed have a son\, and his descendants would be as the stars in the sky. Standing there\, Abraham heard and believed these words. Genesis 15:6 tells us\, “And he believed the Lord\, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” \nThis verse\, echoed multiple times in the New Testament\, reveals the essence of faith. It’s not just believing in the existence of God but trusting that He is able to do what he has promised. Abraham wasn’t merely acknowledging God’s words. He was sure that he would have children beyond count\, just as God said. This simple act was counted to him as righteousness. Since he gave God the honour he deserved by declaring that he was worthy to be trusted\, God declared him righteous.  \nFaith is fundamentally a response to the revelation of God. It is seeing the invisible as real because of God’s statement. It is being convinced of the promises of God even without visible proof or in the teeth of adverse circumstances. For Abraham and Sarah\, the promise of a child was incredible. Abraham was old\, and Sarah was well past the age of childbearing. But for them\, it was enough that God had said it. They knew he was able to fulfill it. \nThis kind of faith is not mere optimism or wishful thinking. It is rooted in the character of God—His truthfulness\, His love\, and His omnipotence. Faith accepts God’s word as reality\, even before it is visible. Abraham and Sarah acknowledged their weakness but relied on God’s strength. Sarah’s faith (Hebrews 11:11)\, enabled her to receive strength to conceive because she judged God faithful. \nThe waiting period between the promise and its fulfillment is often the crucible in which faith is tested. For Abraham and Sarah\, this waiting lasted 25 years. Day by day\, as their bodies aged\, the human likelihood that they would see the fulfillment of God’s promise steadily faded. Yet\, their faith endured. They did not waver in unbelief but grew stronger in faith. They gave glory to God by trusting Him to accomplish what He had promised. \nFaith also looks beyond what is seen. The promises of God point to eternal realities. Abraham’s faith was not confined to the promise of land or descendants. He saw himself as a stranger and pilgrim on the earth\, looking forward to a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God. His faith transcended death\, affirming that God’s promises are eternal and unchanging. \nWe are called to live by faith as children of Abraham. Through Christ\, we have been given a part in the promises that Abraham received. We are assured of being heirs of God as partakers of Christ\, who is Abraham’s promised seed. We inherit salvation\, eternal life\, and the kingdom of God. These are not abstract concepts but realities as certain as the rising of the sun. Yet\, like Abraham\, we live in a period of waiting\, walking by faith and not by sight. \nFaith is not always easy. It challenges us to trust God all the time\, when things are unclear and situations adverse. It requires us to surrender our understanding and rely wholly on God’s wisdom and goodness. But it is in this surrender that we find true peace and joy. \nFaith manifests in obedience. Those who believe God align their hearts and actions with His word. Abraham demonstrated this when he left his homeland\, not knowing where he was going. His certainty was simply because God had called him and promised to tell him when he reached his destination. Faith propels us to follow God trusting that he will lead us. \nFaith calls us to trust God in our relationships\, careers\, and challenges. It reminds us that He is our shield and reward. By faith we testify that His promises are sure\, and that He is faithful to complete the work He has begun in us. When doubts arise\, we can look to Abraham’s example and be encouraged to persevere. By faith we please God and inherit His blessings. \nWhat are the areas where God is calling you to live by faith? What promises are you struggling to believe? Are you waiting for God to act in a situation that seems impossible? Remember that the God who fulfilled His promises to Abraham and Sarah is faithful. Let us give glory to Him by trusting wholly in His power and goodness. \nFaith is about living a life that honors God. It is about acknowledging His greatness\, relying on His strength\, and walking in obedience to His word. May we\, like Abraham and Sarah\, be found faithful\, trusting in the God who never fails.
URL:https://livingwatersgb.com/daily-devotional-podcasts/dec-31-abraham-our-father-in-faith/
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