I take heart from the fact that Abraham probably had many moments in his journey where in his heart he was like "WHAT WAS I THINKING!?"
Scripture speaks so much about how Abraham was a friend of God and that his faith was credited to him for righteousness. No question, he obeyed God to the fullest extent of his abilities, and then some.....but lately I have been struck by Abraham's humanness. I have always had an impression in my mind of this great stoical un shakable giant.....but have never considered the boo boo's he made....might I be so bold as to suggest that he was actually a ninny!
I mean, come on, what kind of husband sells his wife out to a creepy king as his sister to save his own skin. NOT ONCE BUT TWICE! DORK!
He slept with his wife's maid! DUMB! Not his smartest move....
Then lets consider Sarah in all this.....
She was ripped from all that was normal to her simply because her husband said so....no explanation, no understanding, she just had to pack up and go. I would be like "I don't think so chancho! You better do some splainin!"
She was sold out by her husband to a creepy king that thought she was a hottie, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!
She was sick of wandering around waiting for a promise from a faceless God so she nagged her husband into sleeping with her maid to have the whole thing done and over with. ( that one came back to bite her in the haunches time and time again)
Lets not even talk about the shame she must have felt about not being able to have a child.
And yet God never ever took his promise away from them. He knew that in Abraham's heart he wanted to follow God no matter what. He never gave up, even when in all seemed hopeless and pointless. He never stopped listening to God and believing that God can and will do what he promises, despite the mistakes Abraham made along the way. He never stopped putting one foot in front of the other even though at many times he couldn't see the point. Deep down in his heart there was an assurance that God had placed him on this path, and God will fulfill his promises!
Did Abraham have moments of saying "GOD CAN THIS BE OVER NOW I HAVE HAD ENOUGH?" I am sure.....
Did Sarah have moments of saying "GOD WHAT ON EARTH ON YOU DOING DRAGGING ME OUT HERE WITH THIS CRAZY MAN!?" I am sure.....
BUT! They didn't quit.....and scripture has this to say of them...
Hebrews 11:8-12
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
God didn't look at the mistakes that Sarah and Abraham made and say "FORGET YOU! YOU PEOPLE ARE TO MUCH WORK!" No, he saw their hearts and knew that they wanted more than anything to see the plan of God fulfilled and knew that they believed God, despite all the frustrations, trials and boo-boo's. I think he simply had to wait until Abraham and Sarah were put in a place of having to give all glory to God. At that point there was no way they could take credit for any thing. All human effort was totally exhausted and dead.
Don't even believe the lie that God is finished with you! Don't ever believe the lie that because you have blown in that he won't accept you back!
GOD IS FAITHFUL AND HE LOVES YOU! God saw Abraham and Sarah as righteous.....he sees you the same way!!!!!!!
Scripture speaks so much about how Abraham was a friend of God and that his faith was credited to him for righteousness. No question, he obeyed God to the fullest extent of his abilities, and then some.....but lately I have been struck by Abraham's humanness. I have always had an impression in my mind of this great stoical un shakable giant.....but have never considered the boo boo's he made....might I be so bold as to suggest that he was actually a ninny!
I mean, come on, what kind of husband sells his wife out to a creepy king as his sister to save his own skin. NOT ONCE BUT TWICE! DORK!
He slept with his wife's maid! DUMB! Not his smartest move....
Then lets consider Sarah in all this.....
She was ripped from all that was normal to her simply because her husband said so....no explanation, no understanding, she just had to pack up and go. I would be like "I don't think so chancho! You better do some splainin!"
She was sold out by her husband to a creepy king that thought she was a hottie, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!
She was sick of wandering around waiting for a promise from a faceless God so she nagged her husband into sleeping with her maid to have the whole thing done and over with. ( that one came back to bite her in the haunches time and time again)
Lets not even talk about the shame she must have felt about not being able to have a child.
And yet God never ever took his promise away from them. He knew that in Abraham's heart he wanted to follow God no matter what. He never gave up, even when in all seemed hopeless and pointless. He never stopped listening to God and believing that God can and will do what he promises, despite the mistakes Abraham made along the way. He never stopped putting one foot in front of the other even though at many times he couldn't see the point. Deep down in his heart there was an assurance that God had placed him on this path, and God will fulfill his promises!
Did Abraham have moments of saying "GOD CAN THIS BE OVER NOW I HAVE HAD ENOUGH?" I am sure.....
Did Sarah have moments of saying "GOD WHAT ON EARTH ON YOU DOING DRAGGING ME OUT HERE WITH THIS CRAZY MAN!?" I am sure.....
BUT! They didn't quit.....and scripture has this to say of them...
Hebrews 11:8-12
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
God didn't look at the mistakes that Sarah and Abraham made and say "FORGET YOU! YOU PEOPLE ARE TO MUCH WORK!" No, he saw their hearts and knew that they wanted more than anything to see the plan of God fulfilled and knew that they believed God, despite all the frustrations, trials and boo-boo's. I think he simply had to wait until Abraham and Sarah were put in a place of having to give all glory to God. At that point there was no way they could take credit for any thing. All human effort was totally exhausted and dead.
Don't even believe the lie that God is finished with you! Don't ever believe the lie that because you have blown in that he won't accept you back!
GOD IS FAITHFUL AND HE LOVES YOU! God saw Abraham and Sarah as righteous.....he sees you the same way!!!!!!!
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