God's Way or My Way?

 

Scripture

Deuteronomy 5:9,10

Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

Genesis 14-18

Observations

Genesis 14:22,23

Abram defended his family (Lot) but did not take payment from the king of Sodom. He had given tithes to Melchizedek, King of Salem to give praise and honor to God for defeating the enemy but he was not going to take gifts from Sodom and have them say the Sodomites made him rich.

Genesis 15:18

Abram pours out his heart to God. God has made him promises that Abram just doesn’t see being fulfilled. Nevertheless Abram still follows God’s directions and God reveals more of His plan for Abram and his descendants. Abram continues to put his trust in the one True God.

Genesis 16:5

Sarai makes plans when she doesn’t see how God’s plan is working out. If God is going to give Abram a child she figures it must be by someone other than herself but as his wife, she plans to be involved. As usual our own plans backfire when they are not God’s plans. God’s plan is one husband and one wife for life (Matthew 19:4-6). God will take care of the details.

Genesis 17:1

The Lord appeared to Abram and told him that He was all Sufficient or Almighty. (Geneva and KJV) Almighty gives me the sense that He can do anything. All Sufficient means He’s all I need. Abram (99 years old) needed to have a fatherly arm around him. The term seems personal. “My Father can do anything and He will take care of me.” Abram can feel secure.

 

Genesis 18:19

God knows Abraham, that he will be the spiritual leader of his home. He will teach his sons to follow the Lord. God has a plan for Abraham’s family because Abraham has a heart for God.

Application:

We cannot see into the future but we can be assured that if we put God first and follow His Word that God will take care of the details. God has a plan to prosper us and our families for generations to come. The question is, Will I follow a plan that doesn’t seem to make sense at the time or will I try to figure out a plan of my own?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me recognize when I am trying to go my own way. Help me to recognize Your plan and follow it, that you might prosper my family for generations to come. Amen.

 

Won’t you share what God is revealing to you from His Word?

Blessings,

Gail

Whose Plan is it?

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalms 100:3

Genesis 10-13

Genesis 10:9,10

Observation: Noah’s family began to increase. Nimrod is a mighty hunter, a man of renown, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. He gets a name for himself. Several others in the chapter are names that we might take notice of: Asshur the founder of Nineveh, Peleg a descendent of Shem, lived when the earth was divided. Hmm, maybe during the destruction of Babel? There seems to be about 70 nations here to populate the world.

Genesis 11: 4

Observation: The people do not want to follow God’s plan to fill the earth but rather to make a name for themselves. God confuses the language and the people are divided.

Genesis 12:17

Observation: God gave marvelous promises to Abram. He gave Abram a land and promises of a great family. Abram still feared and tried to take things into his own hands and caused a great plague to come on Pharaoh’s house.

Genesis 13:18

Observation: Lot chooses Sodom (vs 13 – The men of Sodom were wicked and exceeding sinners against the Lord) but Abram chooses to go wherever God directed him. He built alters and worshipped wherever he went.

Application: We too want to make a name for ourselves as individuals and as a nation. We name the name of Christ but we don’t trust him with our lives. We are fearful that people will harm us, take our jobs, and take our wealth. Instead of bringing the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19,20) we close our doors, our hearts, and our homes. We wonder what is wrong with our nation, with our children, with our marriages. Could it be the problem lies in our own desire to make a name for ourselves instead of glorifying God with the spreading of the gospel?

 

Prayer:

Father, help us commit to putting you first, to letting our neighbors, whomever they might be, know that God loves them and died for them, and to allowing you to take care of our needs instead of putting ourselves ahead of Your plans. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Won't you join with us in study and conversation this week?

                                                                           Blessings,

                                                                              Gail