Daily D – Genesis 15:5-6
Happy New Year! Thanks for joining us on this journey through the Bible. We will ask God to mentor us throughout this year. We will seek his wisdom and direction daily. We will trust him to speak to our hearts and to show us the way we should go.
I am reading the YouVersion Bible reading plan from the BibleProject called One Story that Leads to Jesus. I am reading the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as the primary translation for this plan. I will also compare the New International Version (NIV), the New Living Translation (NLT), The Message (Message), and the New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB 2020).
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S = Scripture: These devotionals follow the SOAP Bible study process. Each entry begins with a Bible verse or passage.
O = Observations This is where I write what God is saying to me.
A = Application This is where I write down how I will put into practice what God tells me.
P = Prayer This is where I respond to God’s instructions with prayer for strength and guidance to do what he says.
The most important lesson we will ever learn, and the most important lesson we will ever teach, is how to hear and obey God. This SOAP Bible study method helps us master this most important subject.
Pray for me as I spend time alone with God and write these daily entries. Please let me know how I may pray for you.
Special gratitude goes to Casey Lester, who set up this template in MailChimp. She also curates Twitter/X, Instagram, and Facebook posts from these devotionals. You can follow me on these social media streams by searching for @davidgbowman.
With gratitude,
David
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Genesis 15:5, 6 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (CSB)
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What God wants for us is better than what we want for ourselves.
God’s dreams for us are better than our dreams for ourselves.
He who knows the end result he has planned for us has also outlined the journey with all of its teachable moments, perspective-providing events, daily provision, and calming presence.
Abraham’s story is filled with this evidence. So are Jacob’s, Joseph’s, Moses’s, Joshua’s, David’s, Jeremiah’s, Mary’s, Joseph’s, and, well, you get the idea. The idea you do not want to miss is that what God did for them, he also does for you and me. Take a look back at how you got where you are today. God’s mighty hand has brought you through everything you have faced so far.
As the preachers like to say, “He didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He didn’t teach you to swim to let you drown.” God will not abandon you now or ever.
Abraham’s dream was a most human one. He wanted an heir, a son, to bequeath his abundant possessions and the inheritance of God’s purpose and promises. He was focused on one. God refocused him on many.
In the darkness of the night, God took Abraham outside. He gave Abe a task.
“Count the stars, if you can.”
Abram’s sheepish smile acknowledged that he couldn’t.
“Your offspring will be that numerous.”
Abram’s name means Exalted Father. That’s a pretty funny name for a man with no children of his own. In his best moments, maybe it felt like a promise had been made that God would hopefully keep. In his worst moments, maybe it felt like a burden he could not bear or a mockery taunting him about the meaninglessness of life.
Abram had a name change coming. He also had a son coming. He also had more descendants than he could imagine. God had done the imagining for him. Old Abe was going to become Abraham, the Father of Nations.
Don’t miss the moment’s biggest reveal: “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
God made a promise. It was expansive. Only he could accomplish it. Only he could take an ancient man and an old, old woman and bless the whole world with a promise fulfilled in a baby who would become a multitude.
In the audacity of the moment, the incomprehensible considerations swimming in his mind, Abraham’s smile grew. Against all the evidence, against all the laws of nature and humanity, he smiled. God said it. He believed. “And he credited it to him as righteousness.”
How can we stand in right relationship with God? Believe his promises. Live his instructions. Trust his provision. Never give up on him because he never gives up on you.
There is much more to mine here. Content yourself for now with the golden ticket you found in this text. Ponder its imponderables. Adjust your life to its promises. Live as if the starry expanse is all of heaven smiling on you.
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I will live in the expansiveness of God’s purpose for me.
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Our Father, your dreams for me are bigger by far than my dreams for myself. Empower me to see myself as you see me. Empower me to see who I can become by your grace and in your strength. I’m with you. Whatever you want is what I want, too. Amen.
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