Old Jerry

To describe the lifestyle of “keeping the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just” in my words is that you would be reading the bible daily. You talk to God continuously and act on the words of God. To give to others and forgive those who have wronged you. But all these things are pretty hard to keep because of our busyness and we don’t want to be embarrassed while doing these things especially praying when we receive our food in public.

Fathers and husbands can strike the right balance – of being godly, caring leaders without being dictators by being in touch with their families. They can talk to them and can play with them and respect their opinions. As long as there are commutations then the mothers and wives can strike the right balance – of being submissive and at the same time being open about their needs and desires.

I do believe that God’s present willingness to do miracles in our day because I read about some of the miracles that He does. But I still have a difficult time in believing that He would do such a miracle for me. As far as I understand the Scriptures there is no place that it says that God will stop doing miracles and there are plenty of indications that God will continue to do miracles and I have heard of some that He has done. I think that He probably does miracles daily for us if we would just pay attention to what is going on.

God is teaching me that if I stick with Him He will take care of me. He will fulfill his promises and that life may not be easy but even when it gets tough He is still there. I also know that God knows my name. I think that going on mission trips is one of the most difficult to submit to even though I get so much out of them.

The significance of Hagar’s name for God has implications for us today. Because God does see us and knows our faults and still loves us even when we are discouraged and losing hope. It means to me personally that I know that He is with everybody.

I don’t know why the angel asks Hagar something that the angel already knows. It has puzzled me that it seems like that goes on quite a bit of the time. Maybe it just for us to confess to what we are doing. He sends her back to Sarah because she may need to endure some more misery so that God can mold her into something that He can use better for the calling that He has for her. I have over reacted some times and have gotten myself out of the place where God wants me to be.

I think the reason that Sarah takes her anger out on Abraham is because she it was her fault that Abraham slept with Hagar. She is the one that suggested it. The reason she is trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby is because she knows that the baby will inherit Abraham estate. The reason that Hagar’s pride is Abraham’s fault is because he is the one that impregnated her. And the reason that Hagar’s affliction Abraham’s fault is because he let Sarah do what she thought was right and he is the one that suggested the results of the action.

God went through the covenant ritual with Abraham was to show Abraham that he was serious about the promises that He had made to him. Abraham believed God and he was considered righteous. God has promised to be with us to the end of the age. This affects the things that we do because He is with us. The blood sacrifice has to be made to satisfy God.

I don’t know if I have been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to me immediately but I have been frustrated that God has provided a request that I had asked for. The only thing that I can think of God sometimes delaying the fulfillment of his promises to a future time in that it is for our own good. He has the ability to see all things and His timing is always the best.

I think that amazing thing about this verse is that if we have faith then we are counted as being righteous. Abraham was considered righteous because he believed. The significance this has on our New Testament understanding of justification by faith is that is what Abraham was showing was his faith and God considered him righteous. This is true with us; if we have faith in Jesus then we are considered righteous.

Personally calling God my “Shield” is saying that I have somebody protecting me. And that is what God has always done for me. He nudges me when I am about to something that I shouldn’t be doing. As for the “exceedingly great reward” means that I will be in heaven when I move on. This is not my home and God has reserved a place for me.

I think that Abraham refused to take the spoils of war that the king of Sodom offered him because he didn’t want anything to do with him. He was an evil man and Abraham knew it and wanted to separate himself with such wickedness. I think that shows that Abraham’s character was that of an honorable man. He could have come out if this conflict with a lot of material goods but chose to put a distance between him and evil. The lesson for us to learn is to keep our distance from evil no matter the cost.

The significance of Abraham giving one tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek was that he was worshiping God for the victory that was given him. Tithing does represent the same kind of worship because when we tithe we are giving back to God a tenth of what he gave us. We should tithe to God first because it is the first fruits and God has always asked for the best and tithing is putting God first not as an afterthought.

The thing that Abraham’s military expedition to rescue Lot from the Mesopotamian kings tells us that he is committed to his family. He is not afraid of people in the area and that he will defend what is his. Abraham had the abilities to rescue Lot and that he was a good commander when in battle. He must have had some great relationships with his neighbors because he was able to convince then to help rescue Lot. The thing that is here to emulate is that we should always try to be friends with our neighbors and to help them when they are in need.

Abraham’s material wealth could reflect God’s blessing on him. God was giving Abraham material goods even when he did not trust him. Material wealth does not reflect God’s blessing because sometime material wealth is a curse. There are many men that do not believe in God that have great material wealth. Maybe if they didn’t have this wealth they would trust God more. Physical poverty doesn’t always reflect God’s curse. I know of plenty of physical poor people that trust in God but they are still happy people.

The relationship that God promises to Abraham in 12:2-3 is that he is going to make a great nation out of him and that he will curse those who curse him and will bless those who bless him. Since God said that he was going to make a nation out of him Abraham should have had the faith that God was going to carry out his promise.

I think that Abraham’s and Sarah’s ethics and faith are a little weak. I don’t know much about the ethics of the day but in our Christian standards that wasn’t the right thing to do. I think that the Scripture was intended to show that their action was a lack of faith. The lesson that we should take away from these stories is that we should relay on our faith to get us through the tough times.

This story teaches us that God views adultery very seriously. He has said in the bible that adultery is punishable by death. But God can forgive a person who has committed adultery if they repent and confess their sins to Him.

Pharaoh and his household got sick because Pharaoh had taken Abraham’s wife to be his own. This is why Pharaoh and his family got sick. Abraham gained wealth while his wife was in Pharaoh’s harem. God was seeking to get Abraham and his wife free this affection and it worked.

Abraham and his family faced dangers as aliens and sojourners in Egypt and elsewhere because the gangs and thief that roamed the desert and they would rob and rape. The person in charge of the land might oppress them. The “aliens and sojourners” that live in your community are usually Mexicans. They had come from Mexico and a lot of times they are illegal but some are here legally. The illegal ones are discriminated against by employers and other in the community because of our laws. The legal ones are accepted and I don’t think they are discriminated against. In our church we welcome all that come through the doors.

The significance of Abraham “calling on the name of Yahweh” is that now we can see that he believes on the one and only God. The same is true with us if we “call on the name of the Lord”. We can say that we believe in the one and only Lord.

It takes special faith to begin to do something in obedience to God because it really is unknown what we are doing. When we leave everything behind and strike out with nothing that takes faith in God to see how it will turn out. I have had some of these “opportunities” but I always approached them with caution. I am in such an adventure now.

Abraham was blessed by God giving him some great wealth, a family, a famous name and all the people know of Abraham. We the people of the earth have been blessed because Abraham did as God told him to so that today we have the blessing of God with us. Abraham continues to bless people through my life because of my belief in Jesus Christ and God and by that I do my good works.

I have done something in response to God’s urging and stopped. I don’t that that God wanted me to stop but he found another way to get me motivated in the same endeavor. It is always time be renew your calling to God.

God acted as a Shepherd to Jacob by being with him at all times. He helped to guide him in his path and to console him when he was down and with him when he was at the top of his world. God acts like a shepherd to me in the same way. I have been known to rebel against his shepherding but I also trust him.