July 7: Genesis 24:1-8
Key Verse: Genesis 24:8
If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.
Devotion:
When Abraham’s wife died, he called for one of his senior servants to come and go on a mission for him. It sounds like a very strange mission for us nowadays, but was not unheard of in those days when marriages were arranged rather than people meeting each other and falling in love. You may think of this as a archaic way of doing things but what was happening here was not because of greed, pride or wanting prosperity; what was happening was the people involved were doing their best to listen to God.
Abraham knew he was not to give a local woman to Isaac for a wife but to go back to where they came from for a wife. But he also knew they should not return to their home town because God had promised Abraham he would have the land where they were staying at the time.
I don’t know if you have ever had to leave the place of your birth to go and live and work in a place far away. It is life-changing. But the reason for moving to another place and taking up roots is also life-changing. God does not want us to lust after land, money or other earthly treasures, but to try to seek Him out at all times and to obey what He asks of us. If we can do that, then wherever we end up, God is going to look after us!
Abraham and his servant did all they could to follow God’s wishes and trusted fully God would deliver the right person at the right time for Isaac. When the servant arrived at the town where Abraham’s relatives lived he asked God for guidance as to whom was suitable for Isaac. God chose Rebekah as the woman to marry Isaac and made sure the servant knew this was the right woman. They all listened to God’s guidance!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have difficult decisions to make?
Will you allow God to guide you in those choices?
July 6: Genesis 22:9-14
Key Verse: Genesis 22:12
‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’
Devotion:
How far are you willing to go for God? So many of us fall short of the mark when it comes to doing what God wants us to do… and I have been in that boat too so we are all in good company! These verses remind us God is always looking after us and we need to be able to trust Him no matter what happens in our lives. I learned while in hospital God is in control even when it seems like the world around you is crashing and burning!
It is hard to convince someone to allow God full control in their lives when all they can see is bad things happening if they let go and give God control; but God really does have our backs! I know in the past when I have given control to God He has never let me down even when those around me have given up hope and think the end has come…
Does this make me immune from worrying about things and always giving God control? No, unfortunately I still have doubts and I still try to control things my way at times. That is just the way we are and the way the evil one tries to get into our heads in the hopes we will reject God. No matter how many doubts you have and how much you want to have full control in your life, God really does know what is best!
I cannot even imagine what was going through Abraham's mind at the time of this even, and even what may have gone through Isaac’s mind too… But, despite the doubts and fears, Abraham trusted God because God had already delivered on His promises. Sometimes it is the first step which is the hardest and everything else seems to be ok – but taking that first step takes a lot of faith and courage!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have the courage to give God control?
Will you be able to trust Him ever time?
July 5: Genesis 21:8-20
Key Verse: Genesis 21:17
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.
Devotion:
One of the greatest things about God is His mercy! Here we have a family argument brewing over inheritance and who gets to do what. God diffused the argument by encouraging Abraham to send the servant Hagar off with their son; not an easy task for Abraham because it was his son after all. But he listened to God and sent off the servant with the boy into the desert.
Cruel, harsh? Yes by today's standards it is. But this was a very different time and God wanted Abraham to be absolutely sure the boy Isaac would grow to be their son upon whom a great nation would arise. But God never gave up on Hagar the servant. God watched over her as she went off into the desert. When their water was running out Hagar left the boy alone because she could not bare the watch the boy die of thirst. God heard the cries and sent an angel down to care for them!
This boy was the product of human decisions, Abraham and Sarah wanting to speed up what God had said would happen. We don’t need to help God do things He has promised for us. What we do need to do is to have patience to listen to God and wait on Him. He has got this planned out if we are willing to listen and obey.
When things go wrong and we think there is no more hope left, God is waiting patiently in the background for us to call out for help! By listening and obeying we give God the right environment to do what He has planned all along. By doing our own thing we are essentially making it harder for God to accomplish what He has said will happen – no matter what!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to tell God what to do?
Will you stop and listen to what God says should be done?
July 4: Psalm 26:4-7
Key Verse: Psalm 26:5
I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
Devotion:
Where do you spend most of your time? Is it with friends and family or maybe at your place of work… How much do you think your life is influenced by the people around you? How often do you give in to temptations? Do you see where I am going with this? The more time we spend with people the more likely we are going to get into the same things they do...
We can read many stories in our bibles where people gave in to the temptations around them, but not before God had warned people they would fall into temptation. This is why we should be listening closer to our God than to the world around us. God knows which deeds will tempt you the most and will try to warn you away from them – as long as you are willing to listen to Him!
Here the psalmist is pleading with God to continue to protect him from the evil around him. His mind is set on God but he is honest and knows the temptations will be great and this is what he is afraid of. If you are not afraid of temptations then you are probably fooling yourself because they are not called temptations for nothing!
To be close to God means keeping God close to you. This is where He would rather be and this is where He can give you the most protection, not because He is going to do everything for you but because you are less likely to run in the opposite direction than if you are surrounded by temptations.
Points to Ponder:
Where do your temptations come from?
How much time do you spend with them?