Read Romans 4:23-25
Satan knows that he cannot remove our salvation so he embarks on a campaign of sabotage. He wants to make us feel that we are not good enough for God, or that we have sinned too much or that we are not a good Christian, or that we have too many sins for God to really love us. The intended goal is to diminish our Christ light and to draw us away from God.
The narrative of Abraham and the promises given to him were written for us as well, as we saw yesterday, to encourage us and to bless us and to allow us to persevere living in by faith and not by sight. In fact Paul ends this section specifically telling us that these words are for our benefit.
The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
We need to realise that whether or not we ‘feel’ loved by God or love towards Him, He has credited righteousness to our account. Our sins have been deleted by the death and resurrection of Christ and His perfect record has been transferred to our record. This is a fact and cannot be undone by satan, anything in the world or anything in ourselves. We simply cannot base our faith on feelings because feelings are so situation-dependant. Faith is God dependant not situation–dependant.
The feelings that we so crave come when we meditate upon Christ’s love for us and His work on our behalf and when we walk by faith. We need to make that inner resolution that I will walk by faith no matter how I “feel”. Richard Wurmbrand knew all too well what this meant. He was incarcerated for his faith in a communist prison and was kept in isolation for many many years. After a particularly long stint in isolation in a cold dank stone cell with little or no light he remembered the call to dance before the Lord. He recalled that the command was given irrespective of one’s life situation, so he made that inner resolution to rejoice before God even though he “felt” miserable. Each day he danced before God even though he felt dejected and despondent. The guards thought he had gone crazy!
If we wait until we feel good or positive before serving God life will always be a drudge and a misery. Life will never have any joy. However, if we serve God and resolve to live by faith then joy, an inner, pure joy, will rise as surely as the sun rises each morning.
Prayer:
Given today’s reading jot down your own prayer points:
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to show you and your congregation the depth and the value and the relevance of having righteousness credited to us by faith.
¥ Pray that our faith would lead to an inner irremovable joy that is not situation dependant but God dependant. Pray that this joy would be infectious and that it would spread to everyone in your congregation.
Word Moment:
The OT is filled with faith stories like that of Abraham. Read them and be encouraged to live a life of faith.
Know that God can and does work today every bit as powerfully as He did back then.
1. Jaden feels betrayed by his friend who shared his secrets with another person. Jaden wants to blast his friend and ‘defriend’ him permanently. What would be a godly way for Jaden to act in this situation?
2. What would a life of faith look like for a husband who felt unloved by his wife?
3. How can faith help a young single man who desperately wants to find a life partner?
Intro: Imagine that your best friend tells you that she no longer likes you but likes that other girl now. How would you feel? How would you feel towards that other girl?
Share about a time when someone has stopped being your friend for no apparent reason. Discuss how you felt in yourself and how you felt towards that person.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:7
What does it mean to live by faith and not by sight?
What would it look like to live by faith in this situation?
What can you do when it seems just too too hard to do the faithful thing?
Pray for the ability to live by faith and to please God in everything you do and say and in the way you react.
Intro: Imagine that your best friend decides to pick a fight with you and when you refuse he stomps of yelling that he no longer wants to be your friend.
Share about a time when someone has stopped being your friend for no apparent reason. Discuss how you felt in yourself and how you felt towards that person.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:7
What does it mean to live by faith and not by sight?
What would it look like to live by faith in this situation?
What can you do when it seems just too too hard to do the faithful thing?
Pray for the ability to live by faith and to please God in everything you do and say and in the way you react.
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