Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

November 25
Tuesday


RESTING IN
GOD

READ:
Romans 4:16-22
___________________________________________________________________________________________
He did not waver...
through unbelief...
being fully convinced
that what [God] had
promised He was also
able to perform.
__Romans 4:20-21
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It was our last holiday together as a family before our eldest son went off to college. As we filled the back pew in the little seaside church, my heart filled with love as I glanced along the row of my five reasonably tidy children. "Please protect them spiritually and keep them close to you, Lord." I prayed silently, thinking of the pressures and challenges each of them faced.


The final hymn had a rousing chorus based on the words of 2 Timothy 1:12. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him." It brought a sense of peace as I was assured that God would keep their souls.

Years have passed since then. There have been times of wandering for some of my children and outright rebelllion for others. Sometimes I've wondered about God's faithfulness. Then I remember Abraham. He stumbled but never failed in his trust in the promise he'd received (Gen. 15:5-6; Rom. 4:20-21). Through years of waiting and mistaken attempts to help things along, Abraham hung on to God's promise until Isaac was born.

I find this reminder to trust encouraging. We tell God our request. We remember that He cares. We know He is powerful. We thank Him for his faithfulness. __Marion Stroud

``````````````Lord, my patience is often lacking and my timetable``````````````````
````````````often does not match Yours. Forgive me for my times of````````````````
```````````````````doubt, and help me to trust you more.`````````````````````````
```````````````````````Thank You for Your faithfulness.``````````````````````````
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Some lessons of patience take a long time to learn.

****************************Today's Bible Reading __ Romans 4:16-22*************************

16 Therefore it is of faith
that it might be according
to grace, so that the promise
might be sure to all the
seed, not only to those who
are of the law, but also to
thsoe who are of the faith
of Abraham, who is the
father of us all 17 (as it it
written, "I have made you a
father of many nations") in
the presence of Him whom
he believed__God, who
gives life to the dead and
calls those things which do
not exist as though they did;

18 who, contrary to hope, in
hope believed, so that he
became the father of many
nations, according to what
was spoken, "So shall your
descendants be." 19 And not
being weak in faith, he did
not consider his own body,
already dead (since he was
about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sarah's
womb. 20 He did not waver
at the promise of God
through unbelief, but was
strengthened in faith, giving
glory to God, 21 and being
fully convinced that what
He had promised He was
also able to perform. 22 and
therefore "it was accounted
to him for righteousness."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Abraham was 75 when God first told him that he would be the
father of many nations (Gen. 12:4). But when abraham noted
that both he and Sarah were childless (15:2), God promised that
he would have "a son who is your own flesh and blood" (v.4 NIV).
this promise was 25 years in its making. For Isaac was born when
Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 (17:17), when their bodies were
"already dead" reproductively (Rom. 4:19). Abraham believed in
the Lord (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:17), "fully convinced that what He had
promised He was also able to perform" (Rom. 4:21).