KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Chapters: Genesis 12-15
Message: The Faithfulness Of God
Hello My Friend,
So many people think that God treated people differently before Christ came, that it was by their works that they were saved and no saviour was needed. God may have handled things differently with the Jews in the way He dealt with them throughout their journey’s, but God is always the same, a saviour has always been needed for salvation, and they knew it was the LORD that was their Saviour. “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” – Psalm 62:1-2.
When you stop to think about how God blesses us we have to admit that it is our faith that blesses us more than being obedient to His commands. Now, God does want us to be faithful and obedient, but that comes naturally as we first receive Christ, then start walking with Him by faith. If you ever wondered why some people seem to be more blessed than others, it is not because God favors them more, it is because of their faith and faithfulness. After God spent some time dealing with man as a whole He decided that it was time to focus on one group of people, one nation that would be totally devoted to Him so that He can show the rest of the world His ways and how they too can come to know Him. He chose a God fearing man named Abram, He told him to leave his family and follow Him, and by faith Abram followed God into the land or Canaan.
“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. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.” – Genesis 12:4-8.
“and called upon the name of the LORD.” You see, anyone, even those that God has chosen for Himself must call upon Him. God chooses people every day to do things for Him, but sadly many reject Him. Faith and faithfulness go hand in hand, as your faith in God builds you become more faithful in serving Him, and serving God does not always mean working for Him in the church, it is being faithful to whatever He calls you to do. God told Abram to leave his town and take no one with him other than his wife, but since he raised his brothers son Lot he thought it would be a good idea to bring him along. He soon found out that that was not such a good idea. It was time for them to separate, Abram tells him to choose a path and he will take the other.
“And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” – Genesis 13:10-15.
“after that Lot was separated from him,” More often than we think there are people in our lives that prevent God from blessing us with more, and all we have to do to see them is separate from them. I know this to be true because God kept me from blessings until I separated from my ex-fiance. By the way, those who believe in Christ by faith are also the seed of Abraham. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” – Galatians 3:27-29.
Lot probably thought that God blessed him with that beautiful land, he soon found out that that beautiful land was no blessing from God, it was of Satan, full of corruption and wickedness. He ended up being captured during a war. Abraham, hearing of this, gathered his army together to go after them.
“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” – Genesis 14:14-20.
“And he brought back all the goods,” While God does often separate us from family and friends, that does not mean He does not give opportunity for us to love them, care for them, and show them Christ through us by being there for them in times of distress. Showing kindness to others is always one of the best opportunities to show the existence of Christ, and what He has done in our lives. After that generous act of love, perhaps Abraham got a little scared about retaliation. It was then that he got a vision from God, first, He comforts him by telling him that He would always be there to protect him.
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” – Genesis 15:1-6.
“And he believed in the LORD;” Do you see the key word here, “believed”, Abraham believed and that is why he too saw heaven when Jesus gave His life on the cross. Salvation has never been about our good works, it has been about believing in Him, naturally if one has faith they are going to be faithful to God. “and he counted it to him for righteousness.” This same verse reminds us of this. “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” – James 2:23.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:” – Genesis 14:18-19.
Today’s Prayer: God, It is amazing how much You bless us just by receiving Your Son as our Saviour, but what You do after we are saved is hard to comprehend sometimes as we follow You by faith. The paths You lead us down are often unknown and quite scary sometimes, but with our faith and faithfulness we not only live a blessed life we live a victorious life, one that only You can give us. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your power and strength to walk by faith and remain faithful even when we do not understand where we are going. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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