Gen 15:4-5
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

This promise to Abraham is explicit. God did not promise him an adopted child or a cousin; He is promising Abraham a son who will come from his own body. Then God patiently gave Abraham an astrologica object lesson, telling him to “Go outside - look up - can you count the stars?” God reminds Abraham that He put all those stars in place; He is the creator of heaven and earth.  Is anything too hard for a God like that - including giving Abraham a son from his own body, or descendants as innumerable as the stars?

God did not respond to Abraham’s weak faith with anger or rebuke; he very patiently reminded him of his immeasurable power and renewed his promise to Abraham once again. 
Add Comment
 
 
Gen 15:10-2

1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

These are the first recorded words of Abraham speaking to God, and he is complaining and afraid! What do you think Abram is afraid of?  He is afraid God’s promises are not going to come true.  Abraham is not angry and he is not unbelieving. But he sure is struggling! 

Here is one of the things I love about the Bible – it never idealizes those we read about in scripture. Abraham is not presented as a perfect character with this amazing, dynamic faith.  It doesn’t say that God looked at Abraham and thought “Look at this guy - what a great fellow he is! I owe him a blessing!” Instead, the Bible presents Abram as a lot like you and me - his faith is often plagued with doubts and fears.  If the father of faith struggled to trust in God’s promises, then it is not surprising that we will struggle too.

Follow Abraham’s example and take your weak, piddling faith to God – tell Him just what you are afraid of. You may ask, won't God be offended? No, he won't. Taking your fears and struggles to God is always the right thing to do.  Remember, God Himself is our shield and our great reward.
Add Comment
 
 
Genesis 15:6 “And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Some people have a mistaken idea about salvation. They think that in the time of the Old Testament people were saved by their works; but now we of the New Testament era have the blessing of being saved by grace. The apostle Paul does not agree! The crux and conclusion of the book of Romans is this: salvation is by grace through faith. And salvation by grace through faith is not a new way of salvation – it is the only way anyone has ever been saved or ever will be saved. Abraham is called the father of faith. (Romans 4) He is the father of everyone who believes because he is the example and the demonstration of how a person is saved by faith. 

Add Comment
 
 
There is a story of a young musical prodigy who was a brilliant violinist. When he performed rustling would stop, little children would listen, and tears would fill the eyes of those listening. One day the prodigy was to give a graduation recital and many people, having heard of his reputation, came to hear him. To their delight, he lived up to the hype and was every bit as good a musician as was told.  His repertoire was magnificent and moving. When he finished, the crowd exploded in applause and spontaneously stood to give him a standing ovation. As they cheered and applauded he simply stood there, not acknowledging the accolades. In fact, he acted as if no one was in the room; as though he did not care. He was staring up into the balcony as though he was waiting for something. Finally, the audience turned to look up in the balcony as well, following the young man’s gaze. Seated in the front row of the balcony they saw the student’s mentor and teacher – the maestro - who had not yet applauded. Finally, the maestro smiled, stood and applauded. When he did, then the young prodigy took his bow.

Fellow Christians, you might have the applause of the world; you might have everyone giving you the glad hand and saying “attaboy”. But there is only one approval that really matters - the approval of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. He is the one who created you; who saved you; who provides for you.  He is your maestro; your Lord.  Those of us who are saved have the desire in our heart to hear Him say on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Add Comment