Genesis 15.6 6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord
counted him as righteous because of his faith. (NLT)
It is a very simple equation: us + belief (in God, in faith)
= righteousness in God’s sight. It is very simple. Abram (who is soon, Genesis 17,
to be renamed Abraham) believed God and God saw that belief as righteousness.
God said, “This is My man because he believes what I say.”
One day (the Scripture says: Some time later…) God and
Abram had a conversation and God told him. “Do
not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
To which Abram answered: “O Sovereign
Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since
you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household,
will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one
of my servants will be my heir.” (If
I can’t have a son, what good is Your blessing?)
So, God responded: “No,
your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who
will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if
you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” And here’s the catch: And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord
counted him as righteous because of his faith.
And Abram believed
the Lord. God promised things beyond Abram’s capacity to believe and Abram
believed. What Abram really wanted was a son of his own and God said, Not only
will you have a son, you’ll have so stinking many sons you won’t be able to
count them – counting the stars would be easier. And Abram believed.
Life is simple when it comes to this: believe only in God in the midst of the most
unbelievable circumstances. There is no one else who knows and no one else
who cares at the level God does. And God makes huge promises to us regardless
of what comes at us. All we have to do is believe. God.
Belief is a process to be sure, it doesn’t all come at
once but rest assured, when the time is right, God will open our eyes to His
Majesty and we receive the capacity to believe. Abram was convinced and he
believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness.
Abram had his eye on natural things but God opened his
eyes to supernatural things. Abram was like you and me, trying to make his way
in this world. God showed up one day and said, “Son, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” You’ll have so much you won’t be
able to contain it! Just stick with Me!” And Abram did and the rest is the
history of our faith – the same faith that saved Abram will save us. The same
righteousness he got is the same we’ll get when we believe God.
Father, help me not just to read Your word and comment –
help me to believe. Help me not to fool myself that a part of me isn’t present
in Your dealings with the likes of Abraham, Moses, David, and the rest. Help me
to strive for righteousness not because of what I do, but because of Who I
believe. I believe in You; and I believe You – Amen.
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