What will the future be? Will it be a life of running away from difficulty, even injustice? Or, will it be a life of hearing and seeing God in the midst of the difficulty and/or injustice? Will it be the futility of screaming against the difficulty and the injustices? Or, will it be the overflow of blessing to those around you while trusting the Lord to work out the rest?
In the first six verses of Genesis 16 we see injustice and unrighteousness. In verse 7 we see the beginning of justice and righteousness as God made movement toward the one whose value had been diminished. Do you suppose those in America today who think they have been treated unfairly and unrighteously and contemptibly have any awareness that the Lord is making movement toward them? What about you? In Genesis 16:7 God reveals the first step toward the resolution of injustice and unrighteousness on both a national scale as well as personal.
What happens when we cease trusting God in the shadows of difficulty? When we cease trusting God we then start blaming God for the troubles and hardships we face. But wait – there’s more. When we cease trusting God in the shadows of difficulty, it’s only one step from blaming God to blaming others for the outcome. Is it possible that the problem with Sarai and Abram had nothing to do with their problems? If so, then just maybe our problem has nothing to do with our problems either. What is the solution when the problem is not the problem? Check it out. You’ll be glad you did
God had not acted according to Abram’s schedule so Abram began to feel that he had to act according to his own schedule. If anything was going to happen then Abram had to make it happen via his own plans and arrangements. Said another way, Abram struggled with trusting the promises of God. As a result, he fell into despair and distress. Is that a picture of you? If so, don’t miss God’s response to Abram’s anguish. It just might change your life.
Genesis 13 unveils the first instance of wealth in the Bible, and its mention is congruent with a serious problem that developed as the result of that wealth. Indeed, trouble is always attached to wealth and the greater the wealth the greater the trouble. Instead of being the end to trouble wealth almost always has trouble and problems clinging to it, especially when various family members lay claim to that same wealth. Does the Bible address family squabbles over money? Yet bet! Check out how madness over money can actually be transformed into majesty.
Abram not only became one of the wealthiest men of his day but also one of the most generous men in the history of recorded time. How did that happen for him, and how can it happen for me? Whatever you do, don’t miss this message. Your life just might be on the verge of becoming super-charged!
Lot moved his family to the garden district. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? Sounds cozy and safe, doesn’t it? Sounds as desirous as it does delectable, doesn’t it? The finest people live there, don’t they? The choicest restaurants and boutiques are located there, aren’t they? That’s what Lot thought, then, the perils lurking in the garden district overtook him and his family. How did Lot, referred to as righteous, end up in Sodom? What was he thinking? Discover the answer in this message and, perhaps, save yourself from what creeps in the garden.
In the first 9 verses of Genesis 12 Abram takes a giant step forward in his relationship with the Lord. In the remaining part of the chapter, however, he takes a giant step backward. In fact, he actually takes six giant steps backward. What are those steps? Is it possible to avoid taking those same steps? More importantly, can a person come back from taking so many steps backward?
Is it possible that some terrific experience has been missed due a fear to accept change and challenge? Have you been miserable because your heart is in the past rather than the present? Is your work for the Lord without fervor and earnestness? When is the last time you knew the joy of a daily encounter with God? Maybe it’s time to move back to the future through an old enough old-time religion.
I often heard my father talk with pride about being the pastor of an old-fashioned, old-time church. Each week as he welcomed the guests he said: This is an old-fashioned, New Testament Baptist church where we love a fella and preach the Bible as it is for men as they are. It was clear to all who walked through the doors that we were old-time and old-fashioned. Like my dad, I’d like to suggest that we go back to an old-time religion, but that we go beyond grandfather and great grandfather all the way back to Genesis 12 where we encounter God’s version of an old enough old-time religion. Perhaps, you’re ready to go back to the future.