Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Genesis 17:1-2

By

Genesis 17:1-2    "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  (2)  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."

Quite honestly, this verse used to bother me.  I read it as if God was saying to Abram, "I will bless you if you don't mess up anymore."  That would be a mighty tall order to fill if that was actually what God was saying to Abram.  Those who have heard me preach regularly know that I love to look up the Biblical meanings of words. There is much to be said about knowing what the word was intended and actually meant in the original language.  

God had made a promise to Abram when he was 75 years old that the land would be given to him and his seed. Abram is now 99 years old. So now, 14 years after the last affirmation, God appears to Abram to assure His promise. " I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  (2)  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."  Now we come to the definition of the word, "perfect".  Was God saying that Abram had to be completely faultless in order for the blessing to come upon him? In the Bible, the word, perfect, means to be mature. Let me use a child as an illustration. Early in life, the favorite saying of a child becomes, "I can do it myself."  Sometimes we allow them to make mistakes in order to realize they actually do need help.  We know our children have matured when they come to us and ask for our help.  God was actually telling Abram to stop trying to do things on his own instead of asking for God's help.  We honor our Heavenly Father when we become perfect (mature) in actions by asking Him for His help and guidance in our lives.  Don't ever think you are bothering God when you ask Him for assistance in life - no matter how large or small.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more