Day #35

Begin this time in prayer.  Feel any weirdness between you and Him, or with anyone else?  Talk to Jesus about this.  Confess any wrong doing and ask Him to help you walk away from anything that does not please Him, and to begin living a life that does please Him.  Live it out!

Today we will be talking about Abram, later Abraham:)

Read James 2:20-23 and then read Romans 4:3-4.

Do these two verses seem to conflict with each other?  James writes in James 2:20-23 that Abraham was JUSTIFIED by his works and then Paul writes in Romans 4:3-4 that Abram (later Abraham) was NOT JUSTIFIED by his works because then he could brag (boast) about it.

Hmm… this is where scripture reading can get tough.  I have had many a time where I read something, saw a conflict, but did not make the effort to dig deeper.  I simply walked away knowing something was not right, but mentally I checked off my Bible reading for the day like I check off a list of things to do.  So DANGEROUS!!!

If you ever notice where something doesn’t match up, this is where you must DIG!!

How??  You can talk to someone you respect for biblical guidance or you can learn to use your commentary (if you have a study Bible this is located at the bottom of the page) and your cross references (which in the study Bible should be beside the scripture.)

Today, I will guide you on this one. 

1.    When Paul speaks in Romans 4:3-4, he is referring to Genesis 15:1-6.  Please read this story.

What is happening here?  Abram is very old and childless.  He thinks he is going to have to make one of his servants an heir.  But God says no.  He will have a child.  Remember this story?

Faith in God was something that EVERYONE in the Bible was expected to exercise!  This included Abram.  This was not just mental agreement on some facts about God.  This was welcoming and submitting to Him in a personal relationship.  FAITH.

2.    When James speaks in James 2:20-23, he is referring another story entirely… Genesis 22:1-13.  Please read this story. 

What is happening here?  Abraham is willing to sacrifice the son that God finally gave him because God said to do it.  Just as Abraham is about to raise his knife, an angel of the Lord says STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!  Abraham’s action confirmed his obedience to God.  WORKS.

TARGET of the DAY

Please, please, please dig in the Word!  Yes, it takes effort.  Yes, life is tough and responsibilities can get overwhelming.  But, God time must be #1 priority.  Are situations in your lives taking over and God being left out.  God must have the #1 spot.  My prayer is that we all are brought to a place that we get this and we take ACTION to make sure it stays that way.