January 6, 2010 Gen.15-17, Luke 6

How will I be Different from what I have read today?
Method: Title, Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer

Title: Our Life's reward
(S) Gen. 15:1b "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward."
(O) It is interesting that although God promises Abram that a great nation will come out of his loins - this is not the reward - God is his reward. Things, sons and daughters, greatness - non of these are as great a reward as God.
(A) Have I considered that more of God is my reward and the deeper the relationship with God then this is what personal success is - nothing else - nope - never thought of it that way.
(P) It is not enough to mentally learn from the Bible but to also develop this relationship with God - and to understand that it is this deeper relationship that is the reward of life itself.

Title: What is it to be righteous anyway?
(S) Gen 15:6 "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
(O) We do all sorts of deeds in life and we think that this is being a good Christian - here the only measurement is believing God - and in this instance it is about the impossible - that Abram in his old age and with an older wife - will have a son. This is what God calls righteousness.
(A) Do I believe God - especially about the impossible - no - I know I do not. I as very little of God - mostly I ask that those nearest and dearest to me will be Christians and follow God. Perhaps God would like to do the impossible but I do not believe enough to even consider the heights that God might do if only I believed.
(P) God make me bolder as I pray - passionate Christianity is what is needed in our world not just nominal Christianity - help me to believe that this is possible.

Title: What territory really belongs to the Jews according to the Bible?
(S) Gen 15:18-20 "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Am,orites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
(O) Thing this is the area in Exodus 23 which would be bordered by the Red Sea, The Mediterranean and the Euphrates. This is not really today's Israel and so is the land that we war over in this generation really not all that a true Zionist wants? Numbers 34 and Ezekial 47 - if you look up the modern areas they cover include Lebanon, the West Bank, The Gaza Strip, Israel and Part of Syria.
(A) I think that true Zionists really probably want the original areas - not just the areas being fought over now. Maybe I am wrong but a literalist might want Lebanon and part of Syria.
(P) As Christians we are only to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and not be Zionists - we live in a world that needs Christ - not a war between Jews and Arabs - and this should be our prayer - not who gets what piece of land.

Title: It is hard to wait for God for the desires of our hearts.
(S) Gen 16:2 "So she (Sarai) said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
(O) It is no wonder that the Christians of the middle ages all thought that the only reason men made mistakes was because women caused them to fall - the Bible is always showing an instance where the husband listens to the wife and then messes up. Surely men listen to suggestions from both men and women that are not right and then make foolish decisions on their own. Hagar - Sarai's servant - is an Egyptian - not a Jew - here is where all the trouble starts. If there is a tidewater of the world's problems here it is - again - breaking the vow of who you sleep with - the repercussions are immense. Everyone suffers because of this mistake - Sarai says to Abram "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering." Everyone suffers when we fail to trust God to pull off what He has promised.
(A) Women are most cruel to other women if they have something against them - women just do not forgive and they unkind things - "Then Sarai mistreated Hagar: so she fled from her." Gen. 16:6
(P) How do I regard other women - if I am wronged I really have a hard time letting it go in my heart of hearts - The angel of the Lord told Hagar to go back and submit to her mistress Sarai and not run away - It is not ours to judge those who make mistakes - they will reap the results of their sin - of Hagar's son Ishmael it says "his hand will be against everyone and every one's hand against him" This is the reward of sin - this son. We are to love and forgive other women. I am not sure if this would be considered adultery as it was okay then to have concubines however the intent was to get a son by a means other than what God had promised - this was the sin in this case.

Title: So this is where Islam gets their 12 Spiritual leaders or the 12 successors of Haddith?? Very similar to 12 tribes and 12 disciples.
(S)Gen 17:20b "He (Ishmael) will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him a great nation."
(O) Not up on my knowledge of Islam but so many beliefs are right out of the Bible - including the 12 princes or successors or many other spiritual titles. I really have to learn a little more of this faith to understand where they are coming from in discussions. There would be a lot less trouble in the world if Sarah had not pushed Hagar into Abraham's bed and had just trusted God for a son. So many roots of Islam in the Bible. Interesting that Abraham made the promise that all males would be circumcised but because Isaac was not born yet it was Abraham and Ishmael (then 13) that were the first to carry out the promise and be circumcised on the same day.
(A) I never noticed this verse before. My daughter has been asked why we do not have the Bible memorized when most adherents to the Quran have it completely memorized. Ah, we Christians fall down on knowing our Bible.
(P) Lord help me to memorize more of the Bible this year.

Luke 6 Lord of the Sabbath - Jesus healing and doing good on the Sabbath.

Title: Doing good causes friction.
(S) Luke 6:7-8 "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law ere looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so the watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
(O) Jesus was doing good - why would they be jealous of someone doing good and is that still common today? Yes, of course. When you do good you show up another's failure or inability to do the same.
(A) Often we are discouraged - at least I have been from doing good because after doing the deed at great cost the recipient has been furious - even though the good that was done lead to a better quality of life for the person. Due to these attitudes I have limited my doing of good over the last many years. I think this is wrong - when you know someone is going straight for a ditch you still have the responsibility to lead them on the correct path if God really directs you to do so - in spite of criticism or disapproval.
(P) Lord - we are told not to be weary in well doing - well sometimes when the recipient is discouraging it is hard to do good for yet another person - we must accept that not all good deeds will be accepted for what they were intended - just help along life's way - sometimes - like the Pharisees the recipient will be jealous - this does not mean we stop doing the good deeds. Help me to keep doing good for others.

Title: The Beatitudes
(S) Luke 6:22 "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
(O) This is not troubles and rejection just because of life itself but rejection because you are standing for the Son of Man. I think that we often see problems as carrying our cross - but problems that are from "Carrying our Cross" are just that problems that come out of defending and preaching the name of Jesus. All other problems are the result of living in this very natural world and often the result of our own mistakes.
(A) I should be hated a little more because of my stand for Christ and I am not so obviously I am doing something wrong - I am not a passionate Christian as I should be or there would be a little more rejection "because of the Son of Man" as the verse says.
(P) Lord - help me to be a little more "out there" when it comes to my Christian faith.

Title: The goals of this world are considered the "woe to you" of God
(S) Luke 6: 24-26 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you......."
(O) Well - I am financially okay, I have enough food, and laugh more than I should and most people say good things about me - guess I a way off base.
(A) How do I live with less, mourn with those who mourn and live so that others think I am disturbing for my beliefs --- guess that is the object to go for then -
(P) Help me to know when I am too comfortable and not living on the edge. I once prayed that I would not notice the little nuances in a stereo system so that I would not have to have the best one - and I really do not notice perfection in many instances - God has answered this prayer - it has made me very happy - however - must live on the edge a little more .... thanks God.

Title: Judging Others
(S) Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
(O) How do we know if we are judging someone? Perhaps when you think critical thoughts of how another person thinks... I know I feel distressed when people do not want to learn anything new - like read a book or just learn things - I do not understand this type of thinking and I am critical. Some people are happy have no interest in knowledge - they are still people for whom Christ died even if they have no interest in learning. hangups.
(P) Help me to understand people who do not have the same aspirations that I have and to not feel critical of them. We are all just sinners for whom Christ died.

Title: We are able to give out of our overflow with God
(S) Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up inl his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
(O) We cannot just dabble at a little Christianity - there will be no overflow and therefore no goodness coming out.
(A) Only by pushing in and getting close to God will we have overflow.
(P) Fill my cup to overflowing so I can give out.

Title: Doing the will of God is essential to Christian survival
(S)Luke 6:49 "But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like the man who built a house on lthe ground without a foundation."
(O) It is just as important to do the will of God as to learn and read the word of God.
(A) Simple formlae - read and do
(P) God help me to carry out the things you lay on my heart