I have set aside each Thursday for discussion of a Daily Bible Study topic originating on the David Phelps message boards. Special thanks should go to the faithfulness of two individuals, Jennifer and Tiffany, who present the subjects as well as inspire thoughtful discussion and consideration of God’s Word. They are truly to be commended for their efforts and prayers offered for their continued guidance as they help others keep up their study of the Word.
While I do not wish to take up too much time, I did want to consider the Study from January 19, which examined Genesis chapter 12. Jennifer posed some very thought-provoking questions which, if we take the time to think about some of them, will cause us to dig a bit deeper into the Bible to not only find the answers, but the message the Lord is giving us through those words. I wish to take just a couple of those questions and address them here briefly.
(If you are interested, just go to http://www.davidphelps.com/board2/viewtopic.php?t=6556 to view the message thread and all the questions associated with it.)
1. WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAM?
Abram’s background was one which existed in a culture of idol worship, of a people far away from the one true Lord. But this illustrates to us the desire of God to use people of all backgrounds. The Lord wanted someone who would listen to Him, a rare commodity in those days. Noah’s generation was bereft of faithful individuals, and humanity had once again sunk to the depths of ignorance.
Still, God calls to all of us, and because of Abram’s faithfulness to listen, to hear and obey God’s call, the Lord used him to establish the covenant of faith, that one day certain promises were to be fulfilled through Abram’s descendants.
Today the Lord still calls on people to serve Him, but many deny or defy that call. If we look at the life of Abram we discover that those who follow the Lord with sincerity and worship will inherit the many blessings God has promised to His children. Sometimes the call may be frightening or confusing, but if we rely on Him in faith, even if it means giving up everything we know, everything with which we are “comfortable,” then we can possess greater blessings ahead.
Additionally, we will find that God most often directs us on a path, without revealing the destination or what to expect along the way. This should not dissuade us from following Him. Faith means we move and trust in God to get us where we’re going. If He laid everything out before us, if He removed every obstacle or struggle, would there even be a place or need for our faith? I don’t think so.
2. What does it mean where it says “called on the name of the LORD”?
We need to remember what the name of the LORD represents. It actually represents everything the LORD is. Recall that God said to Moses (concerning His name), “I AM that I AM.” When Jesus appears in the New Testament, He quantifies that, saying, “I AM – the way, the truth, the life, the bread of life, the living water, the good shepherd, etc.” To call upon the name of the LORD is to call upon everything He is, every blessing, every power.
Our prayer life should not be merely, “God, here’s a list of what I want or need, Amen.” It should be a conversation, a two-way conversation, where we have fellowship with Him, presenting our worries, doubts, fears, and challenges; as well as our praise, worship and attention. Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the LORD. This indicates that our faithful worship of God requires from us both physical and spiritual effort. We need to truly offer ourselves as living sacrifices, every day in every way, not just working bodily, but spiritually, and vice versa.
Jennifer posed a question concerning the reason LORD was capitalized. There is a reason, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise, either! There is a reason, so try to find out! It’s important!
3. Abram and Sarai’s encounter with, and response to, Pharaoh.
On this little side trip to Egypt, Pharaoh was smitten with Sarai, who at age 65 was still a very beautiful woman. Abram and Sarai cooked up this idea to tell Pharaoh that they were brother and sister. This wasn’t entirely a lie. Sarai was the half-sister of Abram (Genesis 20:12), but the fact remains they were married, so this was a deception.
(For those who would argue that this ‘half-sister’ statement was merely a Hebrew colloquialism indicating that Sarai was a niece and not a half-sister, just try not to chew your fingers off or anything. Take Genesis 20:12 for what it says and move on. That’s what I’m doing. And besides, this is beside the main point. Don’t distract me! Hahaha.)
All of us are guilty of saying we trust in the Lord no matter what, but when push comes to shove we tend to be a little less than trusting. We allow fear and doubt to creep in and it begins to erode our faith. God has promised to be with us, and it is during those “hopeless” moments that the Lord is able to show us that nothing is “hopeless” with Him. All that is required on our part is to hold onto that faith, just one more minute, one more second, and He will always be there to show us that our faith is not misplaced.
Well, that will about do it for my discussion on this topic. I encourage you to spend some time each day with the Lord. The David Phelps message board is a good place to keep on top of things, with community support in your study efforts. Whether it’s reading on your own, going to the Phelps board or this blog, or just prayerfully considering God’s will for your life, don’t neglect it. I promise you that sooner or later, you’ll be glad for every moment you spent with Him. There is no better way to spend your time than in the only way that brings dividends now and in eternity. Give your thoughts, your time, your all to the Lord, and He will repay it richly with the power of His grace.
© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
While I do not wish to take up too much time, I did want to consider the Study from January 19, which examined Genesis chapter 12. Jennifer posed some very thought-provoking questions which, if we take the time to think about some of them, will cause us to dig a bit deeper into the Bible to not only find the answers, but the message the Lord is giving us through those words. I wish to take just a couple of those questions and address them here briefly.
(If you are interested, just go to http://www.davidphelps.com/board2/viewtopic.php?t=6556 to view the message thread and all the questions associated with it.)
1. WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAM?
Abram’s background was one which existed in a culture of idol worship, of a people far away from the one true Lord. But this illustrates to us the desire of God to use people of all backgrounds. The Lord wanted someone who would listen to Him, a rare commodity in those days. Noah’s generation was bereft of faithful individuals, and humanity had once again sunk to the depths of ignorance.
Still, God calls to all of us, and because of Abram’s faithfulness to listen, to hear and obey God’s call, the Lord used him to establish the covenant of faith, that one day certain promises were to be fulfilled through Abram’s descendants.
Today the Lord still calls on people to serve Him, but many deny or defy that call. If we look at the life of Abram we discover that those who follow the Lord with sincerity and worship will inherit the many blessings God has promised to His children. Sometimes the call may be frightening or confusing, but if we rely on Him in faith, even if it means giving up everything we know, everything with which we are “comfortable,” then we can possess greater blessings ahead.
Additionally, we will find that God most often directs us on a path, without revealing the destination or what to expect along the way. This should not dissuade us from following Him. Faith means we move and trust in God to get us where we’re going. If He laid everything out before us, if He removed every obstacle or struggle, would there even be a place or need for our faith? I don’t think so.
2. What does it mean where it says “called on the name of the LORD”?
We need to remember what the name of the LORD represents. It actually represents everything the LORD is. Recall that God said to Moses (concerning His name), “I AM that I AM.” When Jesus appears in the New Testament, He quantifies that, saying, “I AM – the way, the truth, the life, the bread of life, the living water, the good shepherd, etc.” To call upon the name of the LORD is to call upon everything He is, every blessing, every power.
Our prayer life should not be merely, “God, here’s a list of what I want or need, Amen.” It should be a conversation, a two-way conversation, where we have fellowship with Him, presenting our worries, doubts, fears, and challenges; as well as our praise, worship and attention. Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the LORD. This indicates that our faithful worship of God requires from us both physical and spiritual effort. We need to truly offer ourselves as living sacrifices, every day in every way, not just working bodily, but spiritually, and vice versa.
Jennifer posed a question concerning the reason LORD was capitalized. There is a reason, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise, either! There is a reason, so try to find out! It’s important!
3. Abram and Sarai’s encounter with, and response to, Pharaoh.
On this little side trip to Egypt, Pharaoh was smitten with Sarai, who at age 65 was still a very beautiful woman. Abram and Sarai cooked up this idea to tell Pharaoh that they were brother and sister. This wasn’t entirely a lie. Sarai was the half-sister of Abram (Genesis 20:12), but the fact remains they were married, so this was a deception.
(For those who would argue that this ‘half-sister’ statement was merely a Hebrew colloquialism indicating that Sarai was a niece and not a half-sister, just try not to chew your fingers off or anything. Take Genesis 20:12 for what it says and move on. That’s what I’m doing. And besides, this is beside the main point. Don’t distract me! Hahaha.)
All of us are guilty of saying we trust in the Lord no matter what, but when push comes to shove we tend to be a little less than trusting. We allow fear and doubt to creep in and it begins to erode our faith. God has promised to be with us, and it is during those “hopeless” moments that the Lord is able to show us that nothing is “hopeless” with Him. All that is required on our part is to hold onto that faith, just one more minute, one more second, and He will always be there to show us that our faith is not misplaced.
Well, that will about do it for my discussion on this topic. I encourage you to spend some time each day with the Lord. The David Phelps message board is a good place to keep on top of things, with community support in your study efforts. Whether it’s reading on your own, going to the Phelps board or this blog, or just prayerfully considering God’s will for your life, don’t neglect it. I promise you that sooner or later, you’ll be glad for every moment you spent with Him. There is no better way to spend your time than in the only way that brings dividends now and in eternity. Give your thoughts, your time, your all to the Lord, and He will repay it richly with the power of His grace.
© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
1 comment:
Good grief! I had no idea that I would find my name on your blog...especially so many times. ;)
I enjoyed reading your comments about the questions I asked. So when exactly do you plan on spoiling the surprise concerning the capital letters? I'm interested in reading about it. Our preacher did a sermon on the names of God a good while back and what each name meant and how to use them when we pray. I don't remember all of them but I did want to get people to think about this and not just read quickly through the bible and miss out on something so precious. If you have the ability to find out all these names and their meanings, it would make an EXCELLENT sermon as well as blog post here! Great stuff!!!!
Jennifer
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