The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Genesis 20-23
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 1: The People: God calls a covenant people
Background Information: Genesis 20-23
God protected Sarah to ensure the promise of a covenant son. Meanwhile, Abraham used fearful deceit in his own attempt to keep his family safe. The bible tells us what people did, not always what they should have done. Ultimately the hero of the Bible is God; he alone always does what is right. God protects Sarah and increases their wealth despite Abraham’s scheming, then in the next chapter God provides the promised son. The child born of the slave and conceived through a lack of faith is unjustly driven away, but God will protect mom and child, and they will become a key allegory used to explain the gospel (Galatians 4:21-31). Abraham’s sometimes faltering faith was confirmed in his willingness to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. He was confident that God would keep his promise and if need be, raise Isaac from the dead. His faith, as well as that of his wife Sarah, is celebrated in Hebrews 11. The only land Abraham ever actually owned in the promised land was a tomb to bury his wife. He, like us, had to live by faith and not by sight. “By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:9,10) Do you feel like your faith ebbs and flows? One day you trust God, the next you struggle to do so. This is not good, but it is normal. Abraham, the great man of faith struggled as well, but ultimately he trusted God. We must remember that our faith is not in our faith, rather it is in the faithful God. He always keeps his promises.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God for healthy churches to be started in our city. Pray for the Heart of Kansas So. Baptist Association. Ask God to strengthen and encourage pastors in our association.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.