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Thoughts Along the Way
Thursday, April 10, 2008
My Salt and Light Share 4/10/08
I have the awesome opportunity to be attending the Freedom Workshop for six weeks and this week was my first class. Debbie Friley, the sweet lady that the Lord has used to bring this message to us, is facilitating the class and the Lord is leading us. It is wonderful! I encourage you to go to the Salt and Light website and print out the Freedom Workshop booklet and read it!
Yesterday I was reading Romans 4 as part of my Freedom Workshop "heartwork". This is what the Lord showed me:
Romans 4:17b
This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn't exist before.
When Abraham obediently took Isaac up the mountain and laid him on that altar, he knew God well enough to have the faith to believe that if he obediently killed Isaac on that altar, God was able - and would - bring Isaac back to life.
Abraham lived long before Christ Jesus walked on this earth. But he had met with the Lord face to face, been talked to by the Lord, and had visions from the Lord. (Genesis 12:1, 7, 13:14-17, 15:1-20, 17:1-21, 18:1-33) Through his interactions with the Lord, Abraham came to know the Lord and his faith was strengthened. Because Abraham knew God, he was able to have faith in God. Abraham's relationship with God had grown over a long period of time before God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. He had had many encounters with God prior to this command from God. He knew God. He was able to trust God. Somehow he knew that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. He knew that God had been able to give him a son, from his old body and Sarah's old body. This was bringing into existence something that was seemingly impossible. But God did what He promised. He brought into existence what didn't exist before.
So, I guess what it all boils down to is that as I come to know God, as I walk with Him, listen to Him and obey Him, my faith in Him will grow. And as my faith grows in the Lord, my willingness to obey Him will grow as well. I think that for far too long I saw faith and obedience somehow as separate things. I'm not sure I can fully explain exactly what I thought. Obedience seemed like this big, bad requirement of following God. I did not truly see how to get to where I was obeying God because of my love and faith in Him. But I guess for the first time it really sunk in that it was because of Abraham's faith in God, that he was able to obey God when God commanded him to sacrifice his son. God was not asking Abraham to do anything that He was not willing to do Himself. Jesus left his home to go to a faraway place (earth), just as God commanded Abraham to go to Canaan. God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, just as he was asking Abraham to do with Isaac. Praise the Lord that He provided the ram for Abraham to use in Isaac's place! There again, another picture of Jesus! He took our place on the Cross! Halleluiah! (sp?)
One of my memory verses this week is Psalm 27:8
My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."
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