Faithful Abraham and Isaac Re Post

Here is the re post of the second part of the devotion on Faith I wrote back in 2009. When we are struggling or need encouragement we can always look to the Bible and find great examples of men and women of Faith.

 

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Faithful Abraham and Isaac

First when we think about examples of people who showed great faith one of the first to come to mind usually is Abraham when God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him. Gen 22:1-3 1 “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him” (KJV) Abraham trusted God and so took Isaac his son to sacrifice him and in so doing showing his faith and trust in God. Abraham didn’t question God he just got up; got the things he needed, and went never asking any question of God. This is true faith and trust. Again when he came to the spot that God had told him to go to he once again didn’t question God but took Isaac up bound him and took his knife and was going to slay him but God stopped him and God sent him another sacrifice and Isaac was spared because Abraham was faithful. Gen. 22:6-13 6 “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” (KJV) Abraham had unquestioning faith in God. When he came to the place he never once hesitated but bound Isaac and set to slaying him never asking God to spare his son but just obeying God knowing that God had things in control and would provide. What wonderful faith to never question when God asks anything of us.
I think that we have to look at Isaac as having a great deal of Faith also. He didn’t fight Abraham but had faith that his father Abraham was doing what was right and obeying God. Isaac asked where is the lamb for the offering but when Abraham bound him and laid him on the altar he didn’t fight him he trusted his father. He had faith and trust not only in his father but also in my opinion God. He showed enormous faith in the act of submitting himself to his father and ultimately to God. Isaac had to have great faith in God himself to go without fighting and pleading to be saved. So when I think of faithful men I think Isaac has to be included with Abraham.
The next time you are asked of God to do something you are uncomfortable with like witnessing to someone, or pray for someone, or go somewhere to bring his message, then remember about Abraham’s unquestioning faith and remember God has a perfect plan and will provide for you.

Examples of Faith

Back in 2009 I wrote a series of posts on examples of faith and thought I would re post them this week. I am having to make a life change for my health and I know that with God's help it will be done. I know it isn't anything difficult but still a challenge. I need to lose weight for me, my health and to prevent diabetes and it is for this reason I need to make a life change. I will update how it is going from time to time but for this week I hope the posts on Faith will encourage you. God has seen me through so many things and we just see this as another way God will use to help me grow and to witness and glorify Him.

Monday, January 5, 2009

What is this thing called Faith?

What is Faith? In Webster’s dictionary it says: Faith (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust.
In the bible it says faith is believing in that which can not be seen. Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV) So faith is believing without seeing. Faith in God is believing in Him and trusting God in every way. As a child growing up I was brought up in a Christian home and was surrounded by people that had great faith in God and who taught me about faith. My Dad and Mom showed me how to live by faith and the importance of prayer. They didn’t just talk about having faith but they daily put their faith in practice in all parts of their lives. I was lucky to have Grandparents and an Aunt that also were very strong in their faith in God. When my Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer her faith in God not only sustained her and all of the rest of the family, but it was seen by all those who came in contact with her. I can remember going into her room at the hospital and there would be Christian music playing and she would be very peaceful. She was a great witness to her doctors and nurses too because of her faith in God during her illness. She never forgot that God was in control and her love for Him and God’s love for her sustained her till He took her home. Faith then is not just believing in God but it is living for God also. It is daily walking with God as the center of our lives. When something comes along such as illness if you only talk about faith but don't really live by faith then that is when we stumble. When I got sick I had these examples from my life of faith and I had a strong faith in God and so it seemed to me only natural to rely on that faith and in God through this illness. I put my faith to work and I know and believe that God has a plan for my life and as long as I live by faith in Him and stay in His plan for me then what could be better. Even if that means having this and other illness. Faith is not just a word we say but it is a way of living with God as the center of our lives. I have and had great examples of people living by faith in my life through my family.
We can find many examples in the Bible of people of faith who not only proclaimed they had faith but also practiced their faith in their lives. This is what I want to share in the coming blogs examples of men and women of faith in the Bible. These people can show us how to be faithful and grow in our faith in God by their examples.
James 2:17-18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." (KJV)

Trusting in God Week 5 of Memorizing Challenge

I know everyone has done the trust game where you turn your back to another person and just fall back trusting they will catch you.  We always fall and trust the person behind us, but trust isn't always easy. We, it seems, have more trouble trusting God and His promises than we do the person who is suppose to catch us. How can we believe and trust in another person and yet have trouble trusting the almighty, creator of everything, loving, God? I have asked myself this more than once. Our hope and trust is in God and we have to remember that and trust that He has it all in control and He has a plan and path for us. We need to trust and follow that path without trying to negotiate or deviate from it. Trust is the word for me this week and the verses to memorize are about that also.

Memorizing the Word Challenge Verses from past weeks:
Wk 1:
Ps. 119:11
Matt. 22:37
Wk 2:
Prov. 3:5-6
John 3:16-18
Wk 3:
Ps 23:1-6
Isaiah 41:10
Wk 4:
Rom. 16:1
Phil 1:21
Matt. 5:10

This weeks verses on Trust are:

Jeremiah 17: 7 KJV  "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord

is."

 

Psalm 91:2 KJV "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."

 

Hope you are still memorizing the Word with me. Let me know how it is going for you.
Remember to put your Trust and Hope in the Lord.

Stew Casserole or Stewcarole

 Here is another recipe that was one of those, don't want the same old thing for dinner, recipes but on a limited budget and made with just what I had in the refrigerator and pantry. We call it Stew Casserole or as my Grandson says Stewcarole. There is no picture because the family ate it so fast I didn't have a chance, it was a big hit.


Stew Casserole or Stewcarole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 lg baking potatoes
1/2 pkg frozen mixed vegetables
olive oil
butter
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tbl taco seasoning
2 Tbl chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 slice American cheese or cheese of your choice

Directions:
In skillet drizzle the bottom with olive oil and heat. Add 1/4 of a stick of butter to skillet and melt. When the oil and butter are heated you can add the peeled and thinly sliced potatoes to the skillet. Potatoes should be thin like you would have them for fried potatoes. Heat the potatoes till they just start to heat through and are starting to get tender. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees while you are cooking the potatoes in the skillet. When potatoes are ready put them with the oil and butter from the skillet on to a sheet pan in a single layer. Salt and pepper to taste. Put in oven for 20 minutes or until they start to crisp and brown turning once half way through cooking time. Now while the potatoes are in the oven brown the hamburger. Drain. Also in a pan cook the vegetables like it says on the package. Add chili powder and taco seasoning to the ground beef give it a stir till it is mixed well into the hamburger. Add the BBQ and Ketchup to create the sauce on the meat ( if you need to you can add more BBQ sauce and ketchup) Add the cooked drained vegetables to the hamburger mix well. let simmer till potatoes are ready.
When the potatoes are done remove them from the oven. Pour the hamburger vegetable mixture evenly in a 9X13 pan. Layer the potatoes on top in a single layer covering the hamburger mixture completely. Top with the sliced cheese on top of the potatoes. Put in oven for 5 minutes or till cheese is melted. Serves 4-6 depending on size of serving or how hungry they are. Add a nice side salad and garlic bread and you have a nice dinner in no time at all.

This is a very easy meal to make and at our house it was a big hit. You can make it with gluten free BBQ sauce and Ketchup and spices like I did.  To make your own garlic butter and bread  you can   melt a 1/4 stick of butter. To the butter add gluten free garlic powder and mixed them together. Then I used my gluten free bread for myself and regular bread for the family. I didn't have a baguette so I used sandwich bread. I put on a cookie sheet the bread and  spread it with the garlic butter and placed under the broiler till toasted. It works in a pinch when you don't have French bread or baguettes. Since I made this meal I see that Udi's brand has a gluten free baguette that I will try next time.

Hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.