Patricia A

[ Yes, there have been many times when I have felt frustrated when God's promises have not been fulfilled immediately. However, I am aware that the more I grow spiritually, the more I am willing to be content with the Lord's timing. I have become more aware that God's timing is best as I do not see the full picture but He does.

[ Christians may believe in God with respect to the common concerns of this life; but the faith by which they are justified, always has respect to the person and work of Christ. Abram believed in God as promising Christ; they believe in him as having raised him from the dead, Romans 4:24. Through faith in his blood they obtain forgiveness of sins. Justification is the legal act where God declares the sinner to be innocent of his or her sins. It is not that the sinner is now sinless, but that he is "declared" sinless. This declaration of righteousness is being justified before God. This justification is based on the shed blood of Jesus, "...having now been justified by His blood..." (Rom. 5:9) where Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

God is my "Shield" in that He is my constant protection. One part of the exceedingly great reward is the peace of knowing God is faithful and will keep all of His promises. A great reward that He promises is eternal life with Him for those who Believe and Trust Him. God is called my Suzerain or Sovereign in that he has complete control over everything which happens in my life and I know I can trust Him to protect and watch over me. All I need to do is turn my life over to Him to have joy and peace.

Abraham's objective is not to destroy the Mesopotamian army, however, but to rescue Lot. Indeed, Lot and all the captives, plus all the property seized by the Mesopotamians during their Palestinian campaign, are recovered. This shows that Abraham is not greedy and does not desire to destroy the Mesopotamian army but rather to rescue Lot. He is very organized and has ability to plan what needs to be done. I feel Abraham knows any special abilities he has comes from God. Abraham acted to help when needed and this is something we need to remember.

By tithing to God's priest Melchizedek, Abraham is worshipping God for giving him the victory. Melchizedek as king hadn't helped in the military victory and wasn't entitled to a share of the spoils, but Melchizedek, the priest and representative of God, received Abraham's gift as an act of worship of God Most High. Tithing today can represent the same kind of worship if done in the right spirit. We should tithe to God first as that is a way of showing God is first in our lives.

By tithing to God's priest Melchizedek, Abraham is worshipping God for giving him the victory. Melchizedek as king hadn't helped in the military victory and wasn't entitled to a share of the spoils, but Melchizedek, the priest and representative of God, received Abraham's gift as an act of worship of God Most High. Tithing today can represent the same kind of worship if done in the right spirit. We should tithe to God first as they is a way of showing God is first in our lives.

Material wealth can be a blessing if used to God's glory. Material wealth does not always reflect God's blessing just as physical poverty does not always reflect God's curse. We must accept whatever God's allows in our lives and use it to His glory. Then whatever happens will become a blessing.

Abraham has made a covenant with Abraham and will be faithful just as he will be faithful to us. God is faithful even when we are not worthy. This was true for Abraham and is true for us.

I don't believe being deceitable is what God wants us to do but also we need to remember that we can't be the one to decide why others choose to do certain thing. I understand scripture to say we must not be dishonest but on the other hand, it's not my call to decide if another's actions were done because of dishonesty. As we read this scripture, we don't see evidence that Abraham and Sarah's faith became stronger in these times of trial. However, we don't know how they related to God. Maybe they prayed and asked God's strength and guidance. We can learn that no matter the circumstances, God will be faithful. What a blessing.

From this story, we learn that God views adultery as a very serious sin. God can forgive a person who has committed adultery just as He will forgive anyone of any sin if the sinner seriously repents and asks for forgiveness. What a wonderful gift to know that God will forgive us and that with His strength we can overcome temptations in our lives.

These plagues descended when Sarai moved in. Pharaoh quickly realized the problem. Truly he laid the problem where it belonged, at Abram's feet. He realized she was Abram's wife, and God was displeased with Abroham for saying she was his sister. Pharaoh asked Abram "why did you lie to me?. You got me into trouble. Hurry up and get out of here, so God will stop this plague." Our lesson to be learned in all of this is two-fold. #1. We should not lie to protect ourselves. #2. God will be with us to help us out of whatever mess we get ourselves into, if we are His. In this, I believe Abram saw that he had sinned, and went back to find God, to get forgiveness, and begin again. That is where so many people fail. When a Christian realizes he has sinned, he should repent, and go back to his first love of God, and begin again. I know, personally, I have to constantly ask for God's help in this area and I am so thankful for His grace.

Dangers Abraham and his family faced physical dangers of being attacked, robbed, raped, kidnapped or ridiculed as not being accepted by people of this culture. They faced being oppressed by king, war Lords, king's court, common people of Egypt and any who did not want foreigners in their land. In my neighborhood which is very cosmopolitan, we have God's chidren from a number of various countries. Most are have done well economically and are well educated. There is little, if any, discriminating of which I am aware. However, many foreigners are not as fortunate as these, may lack eduacation due to no fault of their own and are often discriminated. Any church could do God's will by helping these folks gain job skill and an education, help instill in them their value as a child of God and help provide needs such as housing, food, clothing while they are trying to get established so they can support themselves. The church which I attend has Project Light which is a remedial reading lab to help anyone who needs to improve reading and language skills.

Abraham and his family had no legal right in Egypt. They were vulnerable to any people who acted in evil ways such as robbery, rape, murder, etc. They might be oppressed by the King or any in authority. I live in a community where there are a mixture of cultures. Most of the people are well educated and there doesn't seem to be oppression and prejudice. However, I visit in a city in my state where there are migrant worker who live in poverty and there is much prejudice and oppression. The church in this city which I attend when viisting there has a ministry to help with food, personal needs and there are also ministries to help with language understanding and tutoring.

Abraham and his family had no legal right in Egypt. They were vulnerable to any people who acted in evil ways such as robbery, rape, murder, etc. They might be oppressed by the King or any in authority. I live in a community where there are a mixture of cultures. Most of the people are well educated and there doesn't seem to be oppression and prejudice. However, I visit in a city in my state where there are migrant worker who live in poverty and there is much prejudice and oppression. The church in this city which I attend when viisting there has a ministry to help with food, personal needs and there are also ministries to help with language understanding and tutoring.

When Abraham called on the name of Yahweh, he is showing he believes in only one God. To call on the name of the Lord is a wonderful privilege. We are turning to the Lord to ask for something. Patricia A

We feel vulnerable when starting an endeavor without any assurance that it will turn out as we would like. However, we can be confident that if is in obedience to God, the final result will be good although much patience may be needed. Remember Roman 8:28 Patricia A

Abraham was blessed with an heir in Isaac and with other children as well as with material wealth. His name is famous and his life continue to inspire many people. All of the people of the Earth have been blessed in having a Savior, Jesus Christ. I strive to use my life to make people aware of our Savior. What a privilege it is to be able to do this and what a blessing it is to know this Savior. Patricia A

I find that it is so important to spend time with God daily (I like first hour in AM) and seek his direction daily. Otherwise, it is so easy to get sidetracked in doing his will and following through with plans we feel are according to His will. Patricia A