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Increase My Obedience, Lord
Andrea Lende • September 23, 2021
Genesis 22:16-18
Increase My Obedience, Lord
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Increase-My-Obedience--Lord-e17qdrs
Genesis 22:16 and 18
“And said, I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that since you have done this and have not withheld [from Me] or begrudged [giving Me] your son, your only son,”
“In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And Your Seed will possess the gate of His enemies.”
“And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.”
Abraham was obedient beyond comprehension as he was willing to sacrifice his son to the Lord.
The scriptures give us no cause to think he wavered in this act.
He made all the preparations from gathering wood to carrying the fire-pot and knife.
Interestingly, he put the wood for the sacrifice around his son’s shoulders.
Just as Jesus carried His own cross of wood He would be sacrificed on, Isaac carried the wood which would potentially take his life.
And when Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was, Abraham simply told him the Lord would provide.
He had no question about God’s ability to provide for him.
This gave me cause to stop and wonder about my belief.
Do I truly believe the Lord will provide for me in all circumstances no matter how desperate things may look?
I can take the lesson here and ask the Lord to increase my belief and faith.
And I can pray for more obedience to the Lord.
The kind of obedience Abraham had.
Today I pray God will increase my faith, belief, and obedience as I reflect on the beautiful relationship between Abraham and the Lord.
May you be encouraged in the reading of our passage today and your faith, belief, and obedience be increased.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your Word which continues to show me more of Who You Are. Thank You for showing me more about Abraham’s courage and obedience to You. Father, as he was willing to give up his earthly child, You were also willing to give up Yours. Thank You for sending Your Son to live and die for me to save me for You. I am so undeserving of this gift yet You willingly gave Him up to save us all. Lord, put a grateful heart in me. Put the obedience of Abraham, Your servant, in me. Continually increase my belief and faith in You, Lord. Remove any unbelief and doubt. Strengthen me in all ways and fill me completely with Your Spirit. Help me follow You and do all You ask me to do. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM strengthening you in all ways, My child, to do all I require of you.
Response: May my heart be willing and my faith and obedience be strengthened by You, O God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.