Revelation 7 -- What A Scene!

After the marking of the 144,000 Jewish believers with the seal of God, John sees an incredible sight:  A countless number of people “from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth.”  They stood before God’s throne in white robes (their sins have been forgiven, washed away by Christ’s blood) and they are holding palm branches (a symbol of victory, my commentary says).  They were shouting thanks for the salvation provided by God and His son Jesus Christ.  They are then joined by the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures.  (None of them experienced salvation, according to my commentary, so they can’t sing about it.  They join in after the people from every nation shouted their thanks, first.

The entire multitude bowed down on their faces and worshiped God, naming the attributes that belong to Him:  Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength.  What an incredible worship service that will be!  Those who love the Lord and appreciate all that He has done for them now able to see him and personally thank Him for eternal life with Him.

Father, I’m so thankful that someday I’ll be able to see You, face to face, and thank You for saving me from eternal destruction.  And eternity won’t be long enough to get the job done!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 5 & 6 -- Where You'll Want To Be

In his vision, John saw God holding the instructions for the judgments that would begin the setup of Christ’s kingdom.  John began to weep when it looked like no one would respond to the call for someone worthy to break the seals and thus begin the judgments and the setup of the kingdom.  After it became apparent that no one else on earth or in heaven was worthy, Christ stepped forward, seen both as a lamb (for His sacrifice) and as the Lion of Judah (ruling in absolute power at His second advent).

Jesus began to break the seals, ushering in His kingdom, and every creature in heaven and on earth began to worship Him for His power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise.  And as the seals were removed, those “in the know” in this world – in places of power and prominence – ran for the caves and the rocky crags of the mountains, thinking they would somehow protect them from what was to come.

Father, I’m glad that, when You finally decide to initiate all of this, I will have been removed from it all, safe with You and Your Son, as those judgments unfold.  Yet please help me to have the passion for the lost to draw them near and to tell them about Your Son’s sacrifice, so that, in believing, they too can be rescued from those judgments.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 4 -- Not Enough Time To Get It Done

This chapter really causes us to acknowledge the sovereignty and holiness of God.  Seeing into heaven, John says:  “Before me was a throne in heaven … The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones … Around the throne were 24 other thrones with 24 elders sitting on them….. Lightning flashes and noises and thundering came from the throne.”

The lightning and thundering suggest that this is God’s throne of judgment, my commentary said.  Before the throne was the Holy Spirit represented as full and complete by the number 7.  Out past the Holy Spirit was a sea of glass, representing calmness and total control as compared to the turmoil on earth, my commentary added.

John then returned his focus to the throne, and noticed around it four living creatures.  The descriptions of their faces followed the descriptions of Christ in the four Gospels – Lion, Calf, Man, and Eagle, my commentary said.  The descriptions of their six wings match that of the cherubim and seraphim of Ezekiel and Isaiah – guarding the throne of God with perfect vision, insight, and focus.

They guarded out of respect for His holiness and sovereignty, not because God needed any protection.  Because of that holiness, they were content to spend all of eternity worshiping Him, saying what we need to understand about God:  “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.  He was, He is, and He is coming.”  They gave glory, honor, and thanks to God, as should we.

The 24 elders also bow down and worship Him, even though they too have crowns and thrones.  They remove their crowns and offer them to God continuously, stating their unworthiness and God’s sovereignty, saying, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and praise, because You made all things.  Everything existed and was made, because You WANTED it.”

It’s hard for us to imagine this happening over and over throughout eternity.  That’s because our minds have become jaded by this world.  We see the sinfulness of everything here and nothing here is worthy of worship.  So we therefore cannot imagine spending eternity in worship.   But in God is perfection and sinlessness and ultimate worth.  When one day our eyes behold Him, we will finally realize the incredible privilege we’ve been given to worship Him, and we’ll understand how sovereign He is and how worthy of worship He is.  We will be so amazed and in awe that eternity won’t be long enough to allow our full worship of Him.  We cannot imagine in this life what it will feel like to finally cast our eyes on our Creator, and to see the love such a perfect Creator must have had for us to create us AND to save us.

Father, what a privilege it will be to spend the rest of this life in Heaven, worshiping You and thanking You for giving me life and for saving me, even when I was Your enemy!  Such love!  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

Revelation 1-3 Being In Their Shoes

As I began reading the messages that the Holy Spirit sent through John to those seven churches, God placed on my heart that I should consider what it would have been like to have been a member of those very churches and to have heard such a warning directed to me:

If I’d been an Ephesian:

                “I know what you do … how you work hard and never give up (YEA!!)
                But I have this against you (Oh no…. here it comes)
                You have left the love you had in the beginning … Remember where you were before you fell (Oh no … He knows I fell)
                Change your hearts and lives and do what you did at first (I guess I hadn’t realized how far away I’d gotten)
                If you do not change … (I can already tell I don’t want to hear the rest of that – I need to decide to change NOW)”

If I’d been from Smyrna, these words would have caught my attention:

                “Be faithful….”  (He knows I’ve not been faithful?)

If I’d been from Pergamum:

                “I know where you live … I have a few things against you … (Oh no … sounds like He’s headed my way right now and wants to talk about my sin)
                Change your hearts and lives.  If you do not … (oh no, I probably don’t want to hear what’s coming next…)
                I will come to you quickly and fight against them … Everyone should hear what the Spirit says… “ (Jesus will be fighting against me?  I didn’t think about my sin causing that!)

If I’d been from Thyatira:

                “I know what you do … I have this against you: … the teaching leads MY people to take part in sexual sin (He’s talking about church members, not unbelievers)
                I have given her time to change her heart and turn away from her sin, but she does not WANT to change (He’s getting impatient waiting on me to change, isn’t he?)
                I am the One who searches hearts AND minds, and I will repay each of you for what you have DONE” (He said hearts AND minds, so what I’ve done would be both thoughts AND actions, not just actions)
               

Man, these were churchgoers, just like me.  And they were sinners, just like me.  We can’t bury our heads in the sand and think, “My sins are forgiven,” because that only leads us to think we have an excuse to sin and get away with it.  Yet even as Christians we are human and our bodies are infected with the sin virus.  We are so very capable of sinning.  As Christ said, He seeks out and knows both hearts and minds.  He knows what we do and what we think, even if no one else on this planet does.  Our sins are not secret from Him.  Jesus said that He will fight against those in the church who sin.  Do I really want to be on the opposite side from Him?  NO, never! 

When He spoke about having given time to change, He’s indicating that He full well EXPECTS change to OCCUR in the lives of His followers.  He does not expect us to continue in our sin.  He wants US to want to change, and He will ENABLE us to do that, if we love Him enough.

It’s tough to remember that these were messages to Christians – to church members – not to unbelievers in the world; therefore, Christians should be heeding these messages all the more – me included.

Father, You know MY heart.  Sure, You know that I work hard at what You’ve called me to do, but You also know I’m very far from perfect.  You know I sin and You want me to change my heart and life as well.  If I someway think I don’t need to, I am dead wrong.  You can’t help but fight against any sin You find in Your children – after all, we are Your ambassadors here on this earth.  We would be misrepresenting You by continuing in sin.  I admit that some sins were easy to give up, yet others cause me to struggle still to this day.  How dangerous it is to call any sin a “pet sin”.  That’s like having a rattlesnake for a pet.  It was never meant to be, and it is deadly dangerous.  Father, hold me accountable not just for my actions, but also for every thought that is not of You, and call my hand if I ever attempt to rationalize any thought or action.  I simply must call it a sin and agree with You.  In my stubborn willfulness, lead me to want to change everything about my life that doesn’t conform to You, even if You know that I don’t want to make that change.  Don’t give up on me.  I don’t want to fight against the One who saved me.  I know I could never win if I did.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 47-50 The Ending Matters

Joseph spent very little of his life in the Promised Land.  He was likely 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery and he died at 110.  Despite spending almost a century in Egypt, his heart was still in the Promised Land.

He returned there once to bury his father Jacob.  Then at his own death, he was embalmed and placed in a coffin and buried in Egypt.  His faith that God would restore His people to the Promised Land was based on the significant fact that he did not ask that his body be returned to Israel upon his death, as Jacob’s had been.  He’d been separated from his family for years, and now it was his desire to remain close to them in death, bearing silent witness to how God had blessed and cared for him.

Just imagine, hundreds of years later, when Moses is preparing to take the Israelites back to the Promised Land – Joseph’s dying request had to be remembered and fulfilled.  In their rush to depart following the Death Angel’s visit, someone had to go and exhume Joseph’s body to carry his bones back to the Promised Land!  For 40 years, during their travels through the desert, Joseph was carried by his people.  How unfortunate that they also carried out idols from their Egyptian task masters as they approached the Promised Land.

Father, I pray that You will direct me to live a life that honors You as Joseph did.  And I pray that one day my descendants will be able to honor my memory because I honored, worshiped, and glorified You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 42-46 Seeing God At Work

This story is so gripping that it’s hard to find a stopping point!  As I looked back over all I’d read, several things popped out.

Before revealing his identity to his brothers, Joseph had told them, I am a God-fearing man.”  How reassuring that should have been to them, and that’s the first thing that we should reveal about ourselves as we meet others.

Judah offered himself as a slave in place of his youngest brother, Benjamin.  Joseph could see that his brother cared enough about his father and his youngest brother to sacrifice for them, knowing he’d never see his own family again.  That said a lot to Joseph.

After Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, they were really frightened, but they eventually saw that God, through His grace, had worked in Joseph’s heart, allowing him to see God’s master plan for saving his family from the famine.  What others had meant for evil, God had used for good.  Joseph even said, “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

Father, help me to see Your hand on my life in everything that happens.  Help me to know without a doubt that You have my best interests at heart and can overcome any evil that others may cast my way.  Allow me to see You at work in every aspect of my life, and let others come to know You through me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 41 -- Give Me Wisdom Like That

This chapter begins with “Two years later …”  Joseph had been 28 when he’d interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s servants in Potiphar’s prison.  His last instructions to the king’s butler had been, “But when you are free, remember me.”  That’s what the butler forgot to do.  Yet it was all in God’s timing, for God waited until He was about to begin the seven prosperous crop years before the seven years of famine.  He had Joseph at the right place at the right time always.  The amazing thing was that Joseph knew and believed this.  He did not let his circumstances sour his outlook.  At 30, Joseph was facing the fact that he would be 44 before the bad years in Egypt would end.

So why did an Egyptian pharaoh choose a Jewish prisoner to lead his country through the next 14 years?  My commentary points us to Proverbs 21:1 – “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord.”  May it be so here today in such measure, Father!

Joseph had great God-given wisdom as an administrator, and as God began to prosper Egypt ahead of the coming bad years, He gave Joseph two boys – Manasseh (“made me forget”) and Ephraim (“gave me children”).  So Joseph was able under God’s blessing to forget the years of treachery, hardship, and imprisonment caused by his brothers, and when he did, he became fruitful.

Father, I need You to give me wisdom and direction in many things.  Just as You did Joseph.  Help me to hear what You have to say.  Bless me as I depend solely upon You and not upon my own abilities.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 39-40 Character In The Heat Of The Battle

Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers and taken far from his home.  There he was falsely accused of rape by the woman he’d courageously resisted.  Imprisoned, he interpreted dreams of two of the king’s servants, but the one who was restored to his position with the king forgot to help Joseph.

Anyone else would have moaned and grumbled and cried, “No fair!”  But as my commentary put it, “Under the circumstances, he should have been upset.  But he wasn’t ‘under the circumstances; he was above them.  His time in prison was ‘training time for reigning time.’  Joseph didn’t wait for his circumstances to change.  He glorified God and served others in the circumstances.”

My sidebar, from The Mark Of A Man by Elisabeth Eliot said, “To suffer simply means ‘to bear under’.  A leader is someone who does not groan under burdens, but takes them – and with a dash of humor.  He knows how to keep his mouth shut about his difficulties and how to live a day at a time, doing quietly what needs doing at the moment.”

God knew I needed reminding of this today.  The undone tasks have been piling up for weeks now, and when I have a lot hovering over me and don’t feel like I’m at least moving forward, I experience feelings of being overwhelmed and frustrated.  But I need to be reminded of what a leader does.  I’ve even been watching as God develops leadership character in the young men on our football and basketball teams.  I watch as they bear their burdens and do what it takes when it’s needed and try not to complain.  Too often I forget the difference between what a leader does and what a follower does.  I want to be a leader.

Thanks for the refresher course, Father.  In the heat of the battle, I can lose sight of the goal.  Keep me focused on You no matter what.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 38 -- God's Surprises Even With Our Disobedience

God had set out with Jacob’s grandfather to make a new nation – a new people set apart for Him.  The Law that would govern that relationship would not be received by Moses for almost another 500 years, so many of the rules separating them from the rest of the world did not yet exist in this chapter.  The sons of Israel who would one day lend their names to the tribes of Israel are only now beginning to have their first children.

Judah, one of those sons, left that separateness of his father’s family for a time to stay at a friend’s home, and there he met a Canaanite girl and married her.  (Ideally, he should have married a descendant of his grandfather Isaac.)  Together, they had three sons – Er, Onan, and Shelah.

Er married a girl named Tamar, picked out for him by his father, Judah.  When Er committed a sin that resulted in his death, his brother Onan was expected to father children with his widow in order that Er’s family line would not be cut off.  My commentary said that the original Hebrew text indicates not just a single instance, but a continual pattern of practice from Onan of partial obedience to this command.  And 90% obedience equals 100% disobedience.  God was displeased and took his life as well. 

Judah’s youngest son was not yet capable of fathering a child and Judah, having lost his wife and two sons, was not at all anxious to lose his remaining son, so he sent Tamar home, promising that Shelah, the youngest son, would at some future time fulfill his obligation to Tamar.

It soon became apparent to Tamar hat Judah had reneged on this promise.  Tamar, a Canaanite, believed that the end justifies the means.  She disguised herself and played the prostitute to her father-in-law, Judah.  Knowing her pregnancy while a widow would bring accusations and possible death, she hatched a scheme to keep evidence of Judah’s participation as the father of the twins she was carrying.

Once confronted with that evidence, Judah conceded that she was more right than he was, since he’d not made his remaining son available and he’d consorted with a prostitute.

In an amazing display of God’s sovereignty and grace, the firstborn child, Perez, was listed in Matthew as an ancestor in the Messianic line of Christ.

Father, You even use our disobedience to accomplish Your divine will!  You are so incredible!  Please help me to see that You have my obedience to use instead, and keep me keenly aware of my disobedience.  I don’t want to break fellowship with You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 37 -- Pulling Back The Zoom

It would be so easy to spend time pointing out all of the dysfunctional things about Jacob’s/Israel’s family revealed in this chapter and be amazed that somehow through all of the chaos God managed to get His will done.  But this morning God wouldn’t let me do that.  Instead, He seemed to keep saying, “Look at the big picture.”

As I pulled the zoom back, it hit me that God already knew that some 450 plus years down the line He’d be bringing His people out of Egypt in the biggest set of miracles He’d ever chosen to display.  But first they’d need to leave the Promised Land to get there, and Joseph would need to be there ahead of them, already in place in the government to shepherd them to the fertile land of Goshen.

With that end in sight, the tragic events of this chapter can be seen for what they might really be – attempts by Satan to undermine the will of God and God’s ability to take what others meant for evil and turn it inside out, using it to further His purposes!

Yes, Israel unequally loved Joseph.  But Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah weren’t having to tend the flocks.  Their names were missing from that list.  At 17, Joseph was quite self-absorbed, marveling to his brothers about the dreams of them bowing down to him, but what 17 year old isn’t absorbed with himself at some point?

My commentary even mentioned the goat that was killed so that his blood could make Jacob/Israel believe that Joseph had been eaten by wild animals.  It reminds us of another goat, killed years earlier by Jacob – its meat and hairy skin used by Jacob to trick his father Isaac into blessing him.  Only the second time the trick’s on Jacob.

Father, the details of the story could easily have changed, turned on a coincidence.  Yet You are so sovereign that those details could do nothing to defeat Your ultimate goals.  I’m so glad that I worship a God who never has to worry about events spinning out of His control – Who can take what others mean for evil and use them for His own purposes!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 35-36 Returning To God

My commentary noted that God’s name was never mentioned in the previous chapter.  Jacob was living in Shechem, settling 30 miles from Bethel, the house of God.  Now, God tells him to move to Bethel and make an altar there.  It would become a sacred place for centuries to come.

Jacob had to prepare his family for the move.  His instructions were to:  1) put away foreign idols (Rebekah had stolen them from her father); 2) make themselves ritually clean; and 3) change their clothes.  All of this indicated a change of heart.  Once they did this, God caused all the neighboring people to fear them.  They had been limiting themselves by their lack of holiness.  In approaching God, He gave them strength.  He is our blessing.

My sidebar said, “God made us to enjoy him … God is our Father, and we are to enjoy him forever.”  Adam and Eve knew this instinctively at first; then sin clouded that vision, just as Jacob’s sinning against his father and brother clouded his own life for a time.  But now Israel has come back to the house of God – Bethel – and he is learning to love God and to be loved by Him.

Father, I can remember a time when I wouldn’t allow myself to be loved by You.  Thank You for bringing me back as You did Israel.  Thank You for never stopping that love despite my sin.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 32-34 Developing Faith In Fits And Starts

Back in chapter 28, Jacob was running away from Esau’s wrath and encountered God in a dream at Bethel.  At the time, the encounter scared him.  He said he wanted the blessings of God, and if God did all that He promised, then He would be Jacob’s God.

God did just that during the two decades Jacob spent at Laban’s.  Now Jacob knew he had to reconcile with his brother, Esau, as he returned to the Promised Land.  Jacob’s faith appeared pretty weak at first, or else mixed with a measure of unbelief.  He first sent three installments of livestock gifts, probably watching to see if they were seized and the servants killed by a vengeful Esau.  He then moved his family across the River Jabbok and spent the night wrestling with God – Christ Himself.  At 97, Jacob was still strong enough that he didn’t have to tag out.  In fact, Jacob agreed to halt if the Man would bless him.  The Man said, “What is your name?”, which today would mean, “What kind of a guy are you?”  Jacob, probably shamefully, said, “Trickster (Jacob).”  By changing his name, God was indicating a change in the kind of man Jacob had become.  “Your name will now be Israel,” which can be translated “God rules”, “one who strives with God”, or “a prince of God”.  I can’t imagine what Jacob must have felt to know that God no longer thought of him as a trickster or deceiver!

Israel and his brother reconciled, but Israel didn’t follow his brother home.  Instead he returned to within 30 miles of where he’d had his “ladder to heaven” dream at Bethel.  He didn’t settle at “the House of God”, but instead near unbelievers not too far away.  His settling unfortunately resulted in his daughter’s rape by the local ruler’s son, and eventually in the death of all the men who lived there, at the hands of two of his sons.  They seemed to understand the concept of not mixing with the world, but in taking the widows and children of those men as slaves, I don’t think they were showing it.

Jacob/Israel’s faith seemed to develop in fits and starts, probably much like mine did as I found myself being called back to God.  I’d let myself stop trusting Him for awhile in my selfishness.  I too had to get to the point where I could and did trust Him.  Thank God that He was as patient with me as He was with Israel.

Father, You have every right to give us just one chance to believe You, yet You love us so much and You know our sin-infected hearts so well that You kindly continue to bring us along, it fits and starts, to full faith in You.  I’m amazed that You don’t get tired of us and give up!  But it’s that stubborn love that keeps You in the mix.  I’m so glad You’re patient with me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 31 -- My Kind Of God

The sidebar in my Bible really nailed down something that was very evident in this chapter – the omnipotence of God.  Jacob had come to realize and shared with his family how God had overruled every attempt by Laban to cause Jacob loss and what seemed like setbacks at first were nothing in the end.

The sidebar compared it all to kids playing in a mountain stream, creating little dams and ponds, thinking they had really achieved something.  Yet the water continued to flow into that area and then on down the mountain.  Even the giant dams and lakes and locks that nations build today only slow the flow and do not halt it.  The writer compared that powerful, unceasing flow to the power of God in our lives:

“In our lives, so many things – our sins and mistakes, the accidents of history, the sins of others  against us – may divert and temporarily defeat God’s plans and purposes.  But even in new circumstances created by evils, ills, and accidents, God will provide other channels to carry out His ultimate will …. That God is omnipotent means He has the ability to achieve His purposes.  To say God is all-powerful means that nothing can happen which will ultimately defeat Him … The ultimate will of God can NEVER be finally defeated.”

Father, I’ve seen so many times how, despite every indication, You’ve always triumphed over the best efforts of men, Satan, and even my sin to undo Your will.  Yet You have a plan for every contingency, including my sin, and You’re able to use even what others mean for evil to produce good in my life.  I wouldn’t want any other God than You – my Rock, my Strength, and my Provider.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 28-30 Tricking Myself

When we take actions that are sinful and disrespect God in His position as our Lord, we heap future consequences upon ourselves.  Such actions will not be left unpunished in some form or another.  Jacob is going to find that out much later in life.

The way he and his mother conspired to cheat his older brother Esau out of his father’s blessing was the start of a long lifetime of living up to his name – trickster or conniver.  Jacob and Rebekah lied again to Isaac about the purpose of Jacob’s trip, which was actually to run away from the vengeance Esau was plotting.  Jacob’s supposed obedience to his father’s command not to marry a Canaanite woman ended up leading Esau to disobey the command out of hatred and spite for his brother.  Esau never had been an obeyer.

Jacob traveled to Haran and found Rachel, working seven years to obtain her as his wife.  But his uncle substituted her older and less attractive sister in the veiled ceremony, causing heartache in their family and Jacob to have to work for 7 more years to get Rachel.   Jacob made the first marriage work, but because it was clear that he loved Rachel much more than Leah, animosity set up between the sisters.

The slave girls of his two wives were added to the mix as each wife attempted to gain ground on the other.  I can just imagine how the poor kids felt, carrying names that told the world all about the struggle between the two sisters: 

                “He has seen my troubles”

                “He has heard”
                “Be close to”
                “Praise”
                “He has judged”
                “My struggle”
                “Lucky”
                “Happy”
                “Paid for”
                “Honor”
                “He adds”

It seemed that Jacob hadn’t learned from his grandfather Abraham about the problems that multiple wives cause.  Had Jacob simply put his foot down and said, “No, I will not take these slave girls as wives?  God will make things right,” things might have really turned out differently.

Father, please help me to listen to Your wisdom and not listen to the errant advice of the world.  When I do, I only compound my problems rather than preventing or solving them.  Like Jacob, I’m only tricking myself, thinking that I know best.  I don’t.  You do.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 27 -- Helping God Out Is Usually NOT In His Timing

While Rebekah had been pregnant with her twin boys, God Himself had promised her that Jacob would get the firstborn’s blessing even though Esau was the firstborn.  She seemed to believe God needed her help in accomplishing this.

Also, as the boys grew up, their parents’ favoritism for one over the other laid the groundwork for all of the problems they would experience in this chapter.

A third event occurred in this chapter that, combined with the other two, brought things to a head in Isaac’s home.  Isaac turned 137 (the age at which his brother had died) and he believed he would probably die in the near future (he ended up living 43 more years).  He therefore decided to issue his paternal blessing to Esau, and sent him out to prepare for it.  Rebekah overheard his plans and conspired with Jacob to deceive her husband so that Jacob could steal the blessing by impersonating his brother.

It worked.  Jacob got the blessing, Esau was filled with hatred for Jacob, and Rebekah told him to run away for his own safety.  It would be 20 years before he returned, and in the interim his mother would pass away.  This family was destroyed by greed, deceit, and treachery.  God had promised Jacob the very blessings he achieved by surreptitious means, but Jacob didn’t seem to want to obtain it all in God’s timing and in God’s way.

Father, help me not to rush ahead of You.  Guide me in Your perfect timing and help me to accept it when You slow things down for my best.  Also keep me ever mindful that the end never justifies the means.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 25-26 Faith Minus

Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah and 60 when his twin boys were born.  That made Abraham 160 when they were born and he lived to be 175.  His grandsons were 15 or so when he died.  The family of the promise now numbered four, and had a long way to go to be an numerous as the stars.

Turmoil began to set in, I suppose as Satan began to target that promise.  God had told Rebekah that there would be strife between her boys and their personality differences caused a lot of it.  The oldest, Esau, showed little regard for his family birthright as the first son.  The youngest, Jacob, lived up to his name – the conniver.

Isaac, like his father Abraham, fell victim to doubt at times, despite his great faith.  Since we, too, can experience this, it seems that God was showing me something important about Himself in the sidebar in my Bible this morning:  “God protects and provides for people who follow Him.  Even though we may doubt, God’s faithfulness does not waver.”  It went on:  “Faith is an in-depth assurance, a profound certainty that God will actually do what, in the Bible, He says He will do.”

And the promises He makes in the Bible apply as much to us today as they did to Abraham and Isaac back then.  We can take them to the bank just as surely as Abraham and Isaac could.

Father, I look back at what You’ve taken me through over the past ten years especially.  You’ve grown my faith by showing me time after time Your faithfulness, especially in the tough times.  Thank You for being my Promisekeeper!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 23 & 24 -- Right In The Middle Of God's Will

“Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.”  Yes, he was now about 140 years old.  His wife Sarah had died, and his son Isaac was now 40.  The one thing Abraham didn’t yet have was the thing God had promised first – many descendants.  Isaac was the only member of his “family of the promise” and the clock was ticking.

Even so, Abraham didn’t want to make a mistake.  He consulted God and determined that Isaac should marry (in the Middle Eastern way at the time) someone from his own family.  The problem was that they were all back near Ur in modern day Iraq – far from the Promised Land. 

Abraham knew well how easy it might be for Isaac to “settle” there for less than God’s best if he returned to find a wife.  After all, Abraham’s father had settled after leaving Ur, and Abraham had been called out to continue the trek to the Promised Land.

Abraham sent his servant instead and Isaac was apparently fine with it, evidently knowing through his eyes of faith that he would be right in the middle of God’s will.  True to His word, God set everything up, answering the servant’s prayer for God’s assistance even before it was out of his mouth!  Rebekah’s family wanted 10 days to say goodbye, but she was excited to meet the husband God had planned for her, and the rest is history.

Father, I want to be right in the middle of Your will for my life as well.  Steer me away from anything that’s not of You.  Help me to see You moving in the circumstances of my life, and let me never pass on an opportunity You have set up just for me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 22 -- The Worst Kind Of Hurt

This chapter always tears me up.  I can’t imagine what Abraham must have been feeling during those 4 or so days it took them to travel to Moriah once he’d heard from God:

“Abraham, take your only son Isaac, the son you love, and go to the land of Moriah.  Kill him there and offer him as a whole burnt offering.”  Isaac was supposedly around 25 years old.  Abraham might have been 125 or so.

Isaac’s faith had to have been as strong as his dad’s, for Abraham tied him up for the sacrifice and laid him on the wood on the altar.  Had he not believed  and not trusted both his dad and God, he would have easily been able to overpower his aged dad.

I can’t imagine what they must have said to each other, either.  “Dad, are you sure?  God really said this?  Do you love me?  Will it hurt?  What else will I feel?  What if God doesn’t bring me back to life … where will I go?  No one has ever come back to life, have they?”

And as Abraham raised the knife, I imagine the tears streaming from his eyes:  “God, let me not be making a mistake!  Oh, Isaac, I love you!  Father, get us through this!”  And Isaac looking up into his dad’s face, whispering, “I love you, Dad!”

I think of my own two sons and the crushing blow it would be to my soul to have to endure what Abraham thought he was about to experience.

Then I think of You, Father, watching a dress rehearsal for what You and Your Son would endure for all of us.  How could You stand it, Father?  Did the Eternal One feel like dying when He had to turn His back on the sin His own Son took on for us?  When humanity gave Jesus its Worst, what manner of love impelled You to give us Your best? 

My heart breaks this morning for what You had to endure as a Dad that day because of me.  After all, my sins sent Your Son to the cross.  His love for me kept him there.  Such love from both of You for one totally unworthy of it.  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford