Posted in SOAP Notes
I love the book of Genesis. A book of firsts. Lots of bad firsts. Lots of good ones! This is an aside, but last time I did a soap note on the headship of men and said that God places equal worth and value on men and women. I LOVE that the first appearance of The Angel of the Lord (whom many would say is the pre-incarnate Christ) was to Hagar! An Egyptian, willful, stubborn, proud woman. Isn't that wild?Anyway. That's not what i'm soap noting about this time.
S: Gen. 17:23 "Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him."
O: Abraham obeyed immediately. He didn't argue or question, or even delay, he obeyed right away and all the way. (Just as he would do some years later when God instructed him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham didn't argue or debate or get the counsel of others, he didn't even take a week to fast and pray about it. He got up "early" the next morning and started out, obeying the clear instruction of the Lord.)
A: Do I obey the clear commands of God in scripture? Do I do so readily and completely? (to say nothing of doing so with a good attitude!) Not nearly enough. Jesus said "If you love me, you will obey me." How can I obey Him if I don't even know what his commands Are? I'm instructed to hide His words in my heart that I might not sin against Him. The only way to do that is to be a student of His word, to be in it consistently with my full attention instead of tacking it onto the end of a long list of things to do.
P: Lord, please help me to love you through willing obedience to your Word. Help me to understand what I read and remember Your commands when I need to!
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