The Promise of Obedience

Read Genesis 12:1-4

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

God told Abram it was time to leave Haran and go to the place He will show him.

God did NOT tell Abram that it was going to be his home.

God told Abram that if he obeyed Him, He would make Abram a great nation. He promised to make Abram's name great, and that through his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed.

God also said that anyone who blessed Abram and his seed would be blessed. Anyone who cursed him would be cursed.

Abram took his brother's son, Lot, his nephew. (Yesterday I said Lot was Terah's nephew, and I was mistaken. I have corrected that on the blog). Abram took his wife, Sarai and all of his servants and Lot's family and servants.

He was 75 years old when he left Haran. If you notice in the geneology of chapter 11, their lives were half as long as they were before the flood, and life expectancy had started to wane.

Just like Noah did, Abram obeyed without question. So, when God tells you something is going to happen and He wants you to do something, you should obey without question and trust Him.

One of the hardest lessons I have ever learned is that God doesn't wait until you are ready. He asks of you when it is in HIS time, not yours. Remember, it is not our job to reap the harvest of the seeds that God is asking you to plant. That job belongs to God.

You Know Better Than I

Read Genesis Chapter 39 Genesis Chapter 39:

2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Is the Lord with you?

Does everything you touch prosper? Are you blessed beyond measure no matter what situation you find yourself in?

Genesis Chapter 39:

21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Are you trustworthy?

Are you honest in your dealings?

Are you respected by those who rule over you for your thus diligence and loyalty?

Ask yourself this: Did Joseph ever complain about where he ended up? Or, did he, instead, seek to make the best of a bad situation? Did he honor God, in spite of where he was as opposed to where he wanted to be? Or, did he have faith that there had to be a reason for everything and act accordingly?

Lord, I want to be like Joseph in Your eyes. I want all I touch to prosper. I want to be blessed, and to bless those who's lives I touch and am a part of, whether I want to be or not. Teach me to make the best of any situation, good or bad. Show me how to be the ambassador for You that You would have me to be!
In Jesus' Holy Name I pray!

Too Blessed to be Ungrateful

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I woke up this morning counting my blessings. I hate automated calls...but no matter how many complaints you have throughout your day, you should always be aware of the blessings surrounding them! I have learned that the Blessings always out-weigh the curses! For instance:

Blessing: I woke up this morning
Complaint: to a ringing phone
Blessing: I have a phone
Blessing: I have a bed to sleep in
Complaint: before the alarm went off
Blessing: I have an alarm clock

There are twice as many blessings as there are complaints. Remember that as you start your day!

I learned early on not to depend on others because of the fringe benefits they get for helping me. My family accused me of being ungrateful for all the things they did for me...but usually it was during a time they wanted something in return. My response was always the same: I didn't ASK for your help.

But, over time, I realized that a simple "Thank you" WAS in order, and I had failed to even give THAT. It wasn't until I started saying, "Thank you", that I realized that I had so much to be thankful for, and I was encouraged to do for others in return.

When I began to pass the blessings on, people stopped asking so much from me. No one can accuse me of being "ungrateful" today. I am BLESSED, and I try to show it by being a blessing whenever I can!

Part of being grateful is taking responsibility for your own actions in life. Until you realize that you have much to be thankful for, and that you have failed to acknowledge that, you will always have complaints about what you are given, and you will never see the reasons that God has allowed those things in your life.

I have learned that many of the things I have complained about in my past were great blessings in disguise. But, only after I learned to Thank God for what I was going through.

A death of a loved one? I met some people I had previously not known who, had they not have existed, my own life would not have been as blessed. Furthermore, they became integral parts of my life. I don't thank God for the death of my loved one, I thank Him for the opportunity to be able to see them again someday!

My car wouldn't start? What if there was a bad wreck up the road that my car not starting had prevented me from?

No money? I was able to find resources that I didn't have. It, in turn, enabled my independence even more, and my confidence and trust in God. PLUS, it taught me what I needed to help others in a similiar situation who did not know.

There are so many blessings to be grateful for. The best way to make a blessing into a curse is to be ungrateful. And, the best way to turn a curse into a blessing is to be grateful!