Simply BELIEVING Earns You Extra Credit

Genesis 15, God's Covenant with Abraham

In this passage, God promises on oath that Abram would father a great nation, even though he had yet to have a single natural heir.

The chapter starts "...the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision. Then, verse four says "Then the word of the LORD came to him." This is an interesting choice of words that the author uses. Rather than simply saying "God said," he wrote, "the word of the LORD came." Why is this relevant? I think many times, we are looking for that booming voice in a cloud, when it is God's Word that comes to us, often very silently in our innermost thoughts. As we become more familiar with His Word, we are more able to discern God's voice.

Also, verse 15:6, is also very significant.

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

God had just promised a childless Abram, that his offspring would outnumber the stars. But, despite his circumstance, Abram believed God. And God "credited it to him as righteousness." That's powerful. God actually delights in the times when we simply believe him, regardless of the current situation.

I was briefly listening to Joel Osteen today, and he was talking about the power of being positive and speaking of things that haven't happened, as if they had. In other words, he was saying, we ought to LIVE out our faith. In a since, this is what Abram did.

What is even more interesting, and even a bit puzzling, is that, even though Abram believed God, he still asked for reassurance (verse 8). What a thought! There have been so many times, when I truly believed God would change my circumstances, but really needed some reassurance, but never knew I could ask for it. We can!

God wants us to believe and counts it towards righteousness, and yet, He is willing to respond to our doubt, with reassurance. Praise HIM.

--Saucy Sister