Saturday, January 7, 2017

Sat.’s Devo - Patient Endurance

Read: Genesis 16: 1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5
What woman can’t identify with Sarai? Women, by nature are “getter-doners”. When we have a task, we are on it. Sarai knew the promise and also knew she wasn’t getting any younger. I think that God gives us trials that try our nature. It was natural to think that time was slipping away and something needed to be done. But God is not in time. Time is something he has control of and He is never late or panicked. He was certainly not in a hurry to bring the promise. Sarai was, so she manipulated the birth of Ishmael. God preserved and protected and even blessed Ishmael, but he was not to be the child God had promised.
God visited Abram again and changed his name from “Father of Nations” to Abraham - “Father of Many Nations”. He reiterated that the child would come from Sarai that very year. I think it is so amazing that God didn’t rebuke them for their impatience and didn’t give up on them and look for someone else to use. God chose them and was willing to suffer long to give them the legacy he had chosen for them. God doesn’t give up on us like we do. He is long-suffering, kind, patient and faithful.
Jesus gave them a model prayer that we call The Lord’s Prayer. It consisted of praise and worship, declaring the kingdom of God, praying for daily needs, forgiveness, and protection from the devil. These are all things we need to be constantly praying about. He put his sermon on the mount in a nutshell when he told them to be single minded and that you can only serve one master. When you set your eyes on the Lord and serve him with your whole heart, you will have need of nothing more.
Lord, help us to store up your commands within us and turn our heart to Your wisdom. Thank you for your patience with us. Help us to walk in the legacy you have prepared for us.

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