He Believed

Genesis 15:6 (here @ Bible Gateway) is one of those passages in the Bible that forms the basis for others, for example:

• Romans 4:3 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Romans 4:20 – 22 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Galatians 3:6 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• James 2:23 (here @ Bible Gateway)

You remember the context.  Abram is childless, he points that out the Lord, reminding the Lord that one that is not his son will inherit Abram’s wealth.  God responds to Abram by telling him that his descendants would be too many to measure.

Genesis 15:6 (here @ Bible Gateway) records Abram’s response.  Note the focus of Abram’s faith.  He does not believe in the promise, he believes in the Lord.  His faith was not on what was promised but on who promised.  The person of God, not the promise of God.

The implications for us are profound.  We are not to believe or trust in what God has promised we are to believe and trust in Him.  Abram desperately wanted a child, an heir.  God promised an heir.  Abram believed in the Lord.

I have heard messages that focus on what God can do for us, how He can meet our needs.  Ok.  In John 6 (here @ Bible Gateway), people were following Christ because He fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish.  So they began to follow Him around.  In John 6:26 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus rebukes the crowd telling them they are following Him for the wrong reason.  The bread they wanted perished.  He was what they needed.

The trap is subtle.  When pain and distress overtake our lives we cry out in desperation.  We cry for one to meet our needs to ease our pain to solve our problems.  The reality is we will have more needs, more pain, and more problems.  We need Him long term more than we need what He can “do” for us in the short term.

Not Empty

Isaiah 55:10 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that God’s Word will not return to Him empty, it will accomplish that which He desires.  Hebrews 4:12 (here @ Bible Gateway) reminds us that the Word of God is powerful, piercing.

In the past 11 years I have seen the reality of these passages played out in 8 nations.  I have seen men and women respond with joy to the reality that they could understand the Word of God on their own.  Given some simple direction, they were able to ask some general questions of a passage, thereby opening up their understanding of the text.

I have seen excitement, confidence, hope, and commitment to share their experience with others.

For the last two weeks I saw it again in Cameroon.  Through five events in 15 days many responded the same way.  It is my conviction, and I saw it again over the last two weeks.  If you get people into the Word of God, having given them some simple tools on how and for what to look, and then get out of the way, in every case the Spirit of God does just what Jesus said the Spirit would do.  He leads people into truth, the truth that He inspired (John 16:13 (here @ Bible Gateway); 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 (here @ Bible Gateway).

It is more fun to watch that than I can possibly explain.

Anxious, Troubled, Worried

Thursday afternoon I leave for Cameroon.  I will be there for a little over two weeks.  I will work with pastors, a group of parents, some men who are training to be pastors, and I will speak at a launch of a media ministry’s missions event – that last one is on the radio. 

I have been sick with the flu for the past week.  So I am really behind getting ready for this trip.  I was going to have the material printed there but it was going to be too expensive, so I am printing 200 booklets here.  Problem.  Not sure how I am going to get them there.

I have been all day trying to get caught up and ready to go.  I am making lists to keep from forgetting something.  Probably will.

Woke up this morning at 0300, grabbed my phone, started planning…

A few minutes ago I was obsessing about something and the Lord called forth Lazurus like Philippians 4:6 -7 (here @ Bible Gateway) out of the darkened tomb of my Scripture memory.  I had to confess, anxious.  Troubled.  Worried.

He is in control.  Regardless of the cost overruns.  Regardless of the logistic challenges.  He is in control.  Nothing that is happening is news to Him.  I just need to pray and stop being anxious.

That is really easy to write in a blog.  Not so easy to actually live.