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Genesis 21
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Sarah named him Isaac, which means "Laughter", as the angels of the Lord had instructed, because she laughed at the thought of having a child at her age. Abraham, too, did as God commanded, bringing Isaac into the covenant when he was eight days old by circumcision.
8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
On the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham celebrated with a great feast. Every facet of Isaac's life was worthy of celebration in Abraham's eyes; because each day when he looked upon his son, Isaac, he was reminded of God's power, and His grace, and His promises. The sight of his son, Isaac, gave him even more faith and love for God because Isaac was the product of God's blessing on him.
Ishmael, being fourteen years old, I am sure was jealous. After all, HE was the first born. To see all of the attention placed upon Isaac would lead up to no good end. Cain's sin would inevitably catch up to Ishmael if something wasn't done to stop it. For now, though, Ishmael mocked the whole fiasco.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Sarah, being the good mother that she was, sought to protect her son, Isaac, and his future. When she became afraid that Ishmael would come between Isaac and the future that Abraham had to offer him, she demanded that Abraham get rid of Ishmael.
Abraham was a good father. He loved both of his sons. He wanted to do right by both of them -- but he knew that God had plans for Ishmael, too. And God had already proved His ability to keep His promises through Isaac.
12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
God assured Abraham that Ishmael would be blessed; but, Isaac was who the promises belonged to.
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
So, Abraham provided food and water for Hagar and Ishmael, and sent them away.
Can you imagine how Ishmael must have felt? I'm sure, as the child he still was, just growing into manhood, he felt that his father had somehow rejected him. I'm sure, looking at the world today, that his resentment was vengeful and grievous. But, he said nothing.
Hagar traveled in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
After days of travelling, they ran out of food and water. Ishmael was weak from travelling, thirst and hunger. She helped him lie down under a shrub in the shade, to protect him from the heat, and walked away from him a little ways, but not out of sight.
She, being tired, thirsty, hungry and alone, sat down and cried to the only one left to cry to, pleading, "Please, don't let me, his mother, see him die."
I can only assume that Ishmael heard his mother, and he, too, began to cry. Abraham had been a good father. He taught his son to pray; and, God heard them.
"Hagar, why are you crying? I hear your son praying, and I am going to make him a great nation. If you had faith in me, you would understand that I can't do that if he dies. Now, get up, and go get your son."
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
She lifted her eyes and saw a well of water off in the distance -- so desperately needed at that moment.
God is the great provider. What He promises, He will make come to pass. We must trust Him, and trust that no matter where we are, or what we are going through at any given moment, God is in control.
I need to remind you that the Muslims today are descended from Ishmael. The fighting in the Middle East is a direct result of Ishmael's departure from Abraham. The education about God and His grace and mercy was stopped when Ishmael was sent away.
Ishmael learned about God from what he already knew: that God was a God of vengence (as Abraham told him about how God helped him rescue Lot in the war); and, God was a God of war, and destruction of all who oppose his laws (as Abraham told him about Soddom and Gomorrah).
This is how Ishmael grew to view the God of Abraham, and he taught his children accordingly.
Today, Ishmael is still fighting for his birthright. It is up to us to teach him that God still loves him, and that his birthright is much greater than a piece of land. Jesus died for his children, too.
Ishmael became an archer, and he married an Egyptian woman. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, between Egypt and Israel.
Where Praising God Comes Natural!
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
A Testimony...
I worked the graveyard shift at Waffle House when I was staying at the Randy Sams homeless shelter back in 2007. I had been there for nearly three months and was on the 4th day of my 7 day fast: I had given up cigarettes for a week. (As you may have noticed, I still have warts).
Yes, I prayed a lot that week.
That night, a Lutheran church came in to bring us the message of hope and salvation. They fed us dinner and sang for us. I sat listening in the back with my Bible opened.
I had so much on my shoulders, but I had goals. And, I had made a promise to Jesus that I would still stand on His promises in spite of my situation. I would not deny or forsake Him no matter how forsaken and alone I felt. I would keep looking toward the light, and open my heart to any opportunity to serve Him. This was a personal fast to put my signature on that promise.
A lady from the church walked toward me, looking at me earnestly. She held out her hands and said, "Young lady, I don't know who you are or what your situation is, but I have been given a word to give to you. I believe I have been given a word to give to you and I would like to share it."
I smiled and nodded not knowing what to expect. The next things she told me HAD to be a word from ABBA, my Father in Heaven.
She said, "He told me to tell you that you are not alone. He has been watching you. He has not kicked you out to the wolves to stay. He knows your heart. And, He is watching you. You are the lily of His eye, and He's fixing to bless you."
All I could do was smile through my tears and say, "I know."
Three days later, I went to pay my car payment. It was the only thing I had to my name. If I hadn't had the shelter to stay in, I would have been living in my car. I was trying to pay off my car because it was my way to work. It was my ministry to others who needed a ride when I wasn't. My car was important to me.
I payed my payment and noted to the car lot owner, "I only owe $100, WooHOO!" He smiled.
Then he reached in his filing cabinet before writing out my receipt. He signed the title, then wrote on the receipt, "Paid in Full"!
He said, "You've made your payments faithfully. You've even brought us business. I owe YOU."
I was happy. I went back to the shelter and, with a big smile on my face, I showed off that title. "God is SOOO GOOD! Look waht HE did for me today!"
Jo Jo was a girl I had helped to get a job at my place of employment. She had since used it as a stepping stone to find better employment and I was happy for her. She asked me, "What is your next goal now?" as we were eating our lunch.
I said, "I guess I can start saving for the deposit and first months rent at an apartment..." no sooner had the words come out of my mouth, the social worker who worked at Randy Sams came to me, hearing about my good news, and said, "Shonda, if you find an apartment, bring us the lease, and we will pay your deposit and first month's rent for you!"
My face hurt from smiling so much. I ran across the street and talked to the landlord at the apartment nearby and brought back the lease, which along with the title I was happily showing off.
At supper, Jo Jo laughed and said, "OKAY. NOW that you have your car paid off, and now that you have an apartment, what are you going to do?"
I got a sudden sense of dread. "Jo Jo, I'll be alright for a month, but I could barely pay my car payment on what I am making. How in the world can I afford the rent? I'll need a better job!"
God snapped his finger at that moment. No sooner had I said that, my cheap cell phone rang. I answered it. It was the local bus station calling me in for an interview.
I was SOOOO blessed that day. All of that happened on the 7th day of my fast. God had sent me a message 3 days before. All that was required of me was that I believe, and wait.
Praise God, He is still working miracles in my life every day. I owe Him all that I am.
Now, when life gets me down today, when I feel depressed and tired, burdened and heartbroken, I remember that day It always gives me courage, determination and hope.
There is a song my pastor sings about being blessed: "If I never receive another blessing my way, I can still say I that I am blessed."
Hebrews 6
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Yes, I prayed a lot that week.
That night, a Lutheran church came in to bring us the message of hope and salvation. They fed us dinner and sang for us. I sat listening in the back with my Bible opened.
I had so much on my shoulders, but I had goals. And, I had made a promise to Jesus that I would still stand on His promises in spite of my situation. I would not deny or forsake Him no matter how forsaken and alone I felt. I would keep looking toward the light, and open my heart to any opportunity to serve Him. This was a personal fast to put my signature on that promise.
A lady from the church walked toward me, looking at me earnestly. She held out her hands and said, "Young lady, I don't know who you are or what your situation is, but I have been given a word to give to you. I believe I have been given a word to give to you and I would like to share it."
I smiled and nodded not knowing what to expect. The next things she told me HAD to be a word from ABBA, my Father in Heaven.
She said, "He told me to tell you that you are not alone. He has been watching you. He has not kicked you out to the wolves to stay. He knows your heart. And, He is watching you. You are the lily of His eye, and He's fixing to bless you."
All I could do was smile through my tears and say, "I know."
Three days later, I went to pay my car payment. It was the only thing I had to my name. If I hadn't had the shelter to stay in, I would have been living in my car. I was trying to pay off my car because it was my way to work. It was my ministry to others who needed a ride when I wasn't. My car was important to me.
I payed my payment and noted to the car lot owner, "I only owe $100, WooHOO!" He smiled.
Then he reached in his filing cabinet before writing out my receipt. He signed the title, then wrote on the receipt, "Paid in Full"!
He said, "You've made your payments faithfully. You've even brought us business. I owe YOU."
I was happy. I went back to the shelter and, with a big smile on my face, I showed off that title. "God is SOOO GOOD! Look waht HE did for me today!"
Jo Jo was a girl I had helped to get a job at my place of employment. She had since used it as a stepping stone to find better employment and I was happy for her. She asked me, "What is your next goal now?" as we were eating our lunch.
I said, "I guess I can start saving for the deposit and first months rent at an apartment..." no sooner had the words come out of my mouth, the social worker who worked at Randy Sams came to me, hearing about my good news, and said, "Shonda, if you find an apartment, bring us the lease, and we will pay your deposit and first month's rent for you!"
My face hurt from smiling so much. I ran across the street and talked to the landlord at the apartment nearby and brought back the lease, which along with the title I was happily showing off.
At supper, Jo Jo laughed and said, "OKAY. NOW that you have your car paid off, and now that you have an apartment, what are you going to do?"
I got a sudden sense of dread. "Jo Jo, I'll be alright for a month, but I could barely pay my car payment on what I am making. How in the world can I afford the rent? I'll need a better job!"
God snapped his finger at that moment. No sooner had I said that, my cheap cell phone rang. I answered it. It was the local bus station calling me in for an interview.
I was SOOOO blessed that day. All of that happened on the 7th day of my fast. God had sent me a message 3 days before. All that was required of me was that I believe, and wait.
Praise God, He is still working miracles in my life every day. I owe Him all that I am.
Now, when life gets me down today, when I feel depressed and tired, burdened and heartbroken, I remember that day It always gives me courage, determination and hope.
There is a song my pastor sings about being blessed: "If I never receive another blessing my way, I can still say I that I am blessed."
Hebrews 6
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Carmen Grace: Have you thought about Jesus today?
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT JESUS TODAY!?
GOD always Loves and thinks about you!
GOD wants to hear from you!
God considers you His Most Precious Treasure!
(Exodus 19:5)
Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
GOD always Loves and thinks about you!
GOD wants to hear from you!
God considers you His Most Precious Treasure!
(Exodus 19:5)
Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
Studying the laws of God: Stolen Property
Exodus 22
7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.
9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
When I left Houston, Texas in 2004 to go on the road with my boyfriend, I knew that I couldn't take many of the things I valued with me. My son lived with his father just two blocks away from me at the time. His father and I had somehow remained friends through the years.
I decided to give my son his immediate inheritance and leave with nothing but my ID and my clothes; so, I packed up all of my belongings and took them to my son's father's house.
There was one item that I left in his father's care that I wanted back -- my guitar. My dad gave me that guitar when I turned 14 years old. I loved it.
Much has happened since then, and I am sure the guitar is gone for good. I would not expect to ever get it back, and I will not ask for it.
However, if someone had stolen the guitar from my son's father, and he knew who stole it, and if the guitar were found, then the thief would owe me double the value of the guitar with it's return.
If the thief was not found, I could take his father to court to determine whether or not he may have sold it and claimed it was stolen or otherwise. At any rate, in any conflict that concerns stolen property the courts are required to be involved, and the judge has a right to intervene.
If my son's father said, "What guitar? That's MY guitar!" and the judge rules that it is, indeed, HIS guitar (regardless of the truth), then I owe his father double the cost of the guitar just for the trouble of taking him to court.
I traveled over 40 states in four months. I saw the country and learned to appreciate how small the world actually was. I saw the majestic beauty of God's creation unfold in front of me on a daily basis. I learned to love and value my land, my freedom, and my God through this experience. Today, I look back and see that it was worth the loss of my valued property to me in order to have had this experience.
7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.
8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.
9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
When I left Houston, Texas in 2004 to go on the road with my boyfriend, I knew that I couldn't take many of the things I valued with me. My son lived with his father just two blocks away from me at the time. His father and I had somehow remained friends through the years.
I decided to give my son his immediate inheritance and leave with nothing but my ID and my clothes; so, I packed up all of my belongings and took them to my son's father's house.
There was one item that I left in his father's care that I wanted back -- my guitar. My dad gave me that guitar when I turned 14 years old. I loved it.
Much has happened since then, and I am sure the guitar is gone for good. I would not expect to ever get it back, and I will not ask for it.
However, if someone had stolen the guitar from my son's father, and he knew who stole it, and if the guitar were found, then the thief would owe me double the value of the guitar with it's return.
If the thief was not found, I could take his father to court to determine whether or not he may have sold it and claimed it was stolen or otherwise. At any rate, in any conflict that concerns stolen property the courts are required to be involved, and the judge has a right to intervene.
If my son's father said, "What guitar? That's MY guitar!" and the judge rules that it is, indeed, HIS guitar (regardless of the truth), then I owe his father double the cost of the guitar just for the trouble of taking him to court.
I traveled over 40 states in four months. I saw the country and learned to appreciate how small the world actually was. I saw the majestic beauty of God's creation unfold in front of me on a daily basis. I learned to love and value my land, my freedom, and my God through this experience. Today, I look back and see that it was worth the loss of my valued property to me in order to have had this experience.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
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