The Greatest Father

The Greatest Father

The account of Abrahams life has always been a source of inspiration and awe for me. Have you ever thought about the story as it may apply to your life. The modern day church is not modeled on this kind of a life and certainly not focused on the dedication and principles behind and throughout this event in Abrahams life. 
At an age that most people would be hoping to retire and wind things down in life, Abram is given a promise from God. The one thing he has desired his whole life would be granted straight from God. A son would be born to him and his wife Sarah. God goes to the extent of changing Abrams name to Abraham and his wife is to be called Sarah, a blessed women.
Abraham has to wait again for God to provide what he has promised. Abrahams attempts to "help"god are disastrous and cause division in his family and conflict for his wife. Abraham continues to believe for Gods Promise even after this monumental mess up.
For 10 years Abraham and Sarah wait and then just as God had said his son Isaac is born. What a blessing and what a joy for them both. Abraham is 100 years old and still faithful and blessed. Years pass and one day God speaks to Abraham and says,"Take Isaac your Son who I gave to you as a blessing and as a promise and take him with you to sacrifice him". 
Can you even begin to imagine what was going through Abrahams mind. Abraham doesn't hesitate, he didn't waver, he simply acted in obedience to God request. He took his son and set out to 
make a sacrifice.
It is so easy to follow God and praise him when it benefits us, when we get something out of it BUT that's not actually the Gospel message. It has sadly become a "Christian misconception" peoples sit and judge and say if someone is going through a tough time, that they must have sin in their life. ****NEWS FLASH*** we all have sin in our lives. 
Equally errant is the concept that if I am successful somehow I am more blessed and favored by God then others.
Abraham was called by God "Faithful and Righteous" and he certainly had his share of suffering and trials. It was through the trials and suffering that he learned to trust God, (That's called growing your faith).
In todays world Isaac would be taken away and put in Children's Services and Abraham would be locked up for child abuse.
Living a life that pleases God is not about Prizes and Favor (sorry) It is about Worshiping God and being obedient to Him, no matter what is asked of us. Abraham, through his obedience and faith didn't just become the father of Isaac but became the father of a two nation and thousands of years latter that promise and those nations live on.

Abraham, Father of the year.
Happy Father's Day

Stephen Alexander

Change and Constant

Life never stops, I often have prayed that a day would last forever. The day I was married, the day my children were born, a special day spent with family and the last day I spent with my Father and GrandFather before they died. Time keeps ticking  by and life moves on. People change too, not that that's a bad thing, we all need to change, to get better and improve on yesterday.

There is only one constant and that is God. He is always here and always aware of us, that's a comforting truth. 

2 Timothy 3:16 says "All scripture is God-Breathed and it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

God-Breathed, that's an awesome text, Genesis 2:7 says, WE are also God-Breathed. "vs7 the Lord formed the man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature."

Knowing that I am created and not just a cosmic cocktail of alien accidents is a huge thing. It means I have a purpose, a reason for being here today. Take some time and think about his question. How many events needed to take place for you to become you. From your Great-Grandparents meeting each other to delayed flights, switched classes, stuck elevators in blackouts and impossible circumstances all colliding and just the right moment, multiply that all by a couple thousand and see if you still think you are anything but a specially made, God designed person.

Life never stops and neither does the will of God! Time doesn't stop and we don't need it to, every day is a new opportunity for you and I to do better, to try again. 

Lately the world has faced a great attach, it seems like an inexhaustible amount of energy is being put forth to destroy the Church (that would be you!) and rip it apart, piece by piece, person by person. So many people seem so willing to participate in this dismantling. I know that this is do to the lack of knowledge of the Scripture and a never ending erosion of integrity within the local church.

What are we going to do about this problem? It is life threatening and it is destructive to every living soul.

Jesus gave us two super scriptures to live by in Matthew Chapter 22:37  He said “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

I noticed right away, even as a new believer that this scripture is about what WE must do, not what others must do for us. God Breathed life into you so you could worship Him and Love Him and your brothers and sisters, your neighbors and friends. Let's stop Judging and start Loving.

A final thought for now, A Law will never be as powerful as Scripture, an Ideal or a personal conviction. Laws can be written and broken but Scripture and an Ideal must be instilled in a persons heart. Once that  takes root it is a powerful thing, capable of enormous greatness.

You were made for greatness!

Stephen Alexander