heatherdills

I think it was a great study to build foundations for Christian living. Maybe to have a study suggestion guide for new believers that will enrich and help them grow in their faith.

Now that I am finished with the Faith of Abraham, I got out of this study of his life that the life of seeking and trusting God is rewarded. I would evaluate the study as very helpful. One thing that could be improved that stands out to me was that it took the first few lessons to get into this study. I didn't see how trying to decide one's morality suggested their faith. They were products of the era and thought of others questions that would have been more topic related. But the last lessons were very topic related and helpful.

Of Abraham's achievements, his faith and obedience inspires me the most because as much as I want to be able to do that myslef, my "rational" mind wants to kick in and make me doubt. As I reflect on his life, his unconditional love for God stands out for me. He gave up/would give up every earthly possession he cared about at the command/desire of God.

I think the servant's prayer and test of God took a great deal of faith in God to hear his prayer and to answer quickly. The servant did find the right girl on the basis of his hasty prayer because the servant recognized God's answer to his prayer and acted obediently to His answer.

The significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property is that his reward will be greater in heaven. This tells us about his faith that it grew and developed until he solely relied on God.

Sarah's strengths are resilience, strength, and steadfastness. Her weaknesses were doubt, jealousy, and self-righteousness. She showed faith by trusting God to get her and Abraham out of their situations. She lacked faith in God's perfect timing.

Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac helps me understand better Jesus' crucifixion in that it shows ultimate devotion and obedience to God. Abraham loved God more than any earthly stronghold, including his promised heir Isaac. God loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus to die for us to break our earthly strongholds.

I have learned to trust God to provide for me by having faith in His Word. He has provided security, comfort, and renewal for me in the past. I am facing serious debt right now that will require God to be my Jehovah Jireh. He has been faithful and continues to be so.

We cannot really know God until we can trust him with our whole lives because He reveals himself to us according to the measure of our faith. I have surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, although I fall on a daily basis. Surrender has entailed changing my thoughts, my feelings and my actions. God has blessed me in return by proving that when I rely on Him, my needs are met. He is Jehovah Jirah, Jehovah Rappa, and Jehovah Nicci.

The effect Satan wants trials to have in our life is to destroy our faith in God and in ourselves. God wantS them to have a positive and strengthening effect on our faith. The effect really depends upon how we respond to the trial. I have been through a trial that strengthened/invigorated me at the end although it took hindsight to really appreciate it. I am not aware of any trials that inspired others, but I have been inspired by others trials.

The realization that God is El-Olam, the Eternal God, blows my mind. I like to think I understand what eternity means, but I honestly have no concept. This alters the way I live my life by trying to make the right decisions and to consider how God would view those decisions.

God has blessed Abraham in this difficult chapter 21 by fulfilling His promises regarding both Isaac and Ishmael. Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12; 25:18), Abraham was blessed that he sent him away because he would have ruined Isaac's relationship with Abraham and God would have had to step in at some point later to achieve His desired result. Isaac has been blessed with the covenant with God forever. If Ishmael hadn't been sent away Hagar and Sarah would have made a divsion in the house and the children would have suffered and grown deeper resentment. Yes I have been rejected. God is the master planner in all of this.

The birth of Isaac motivates Sarah to demand Ishmael's expulsion from Abraham's family encampment. She is righteous in this because Isaac was originally on God's plan, whereas Ishmael was in Sarah's plans. I have never tried to force my husband to act against his principles. I have been forced myself to keep peace in my house.

The name Isaac means "he laughs." Sarah's laughter is now hapy and exuberant compared to her laughter in 18:12-15 and Abraham's laughter in 17:17 wheich was anguished and doubtful. God's sense of humor is wacky. He definitely has one.

Lot's daughters turned to incest to preserve their family line. This tells us that their value lied in their lineage. That their faith was little. Lot turns to intoxication to numb his conscience to what he knew was wrong. This incident tell us about his faith that he had little to none. His hope was nonexistant. His influence gone. His choice of residence earthly. Lessons we should learn from this story are that if we trust God that He will restore what is lost, to not take matters into our own hands, and that we reap what we sow.

After nearly being delivered, Lot's wife stopped and gazed rather than focused on escaping to soak in final moments of her life in that city. Her heart may have had many things going through it, except for the reverence and obedience to God. I have struggled and continue to struggle with this in my heart. The lesson Jesus draws from Lot's wife in Luke 17:31-33 is that if we hold to earthly things we will persih along with them; however, if we obey and trust in the Lord, we will endure forever.

Lot and his family hesitated because they did not know where they were going and what lied ahead for them. I have hesitated when I should have been fleeing a danger because I was afraid of the unknown. The lesson for us is that judgment is going to come into our lives and we have to be ready to deal with the consequences and have faith in God to get us through it.

Christians can keep balance on the issue of homosexuality in our day is to realize that we all have some sort of sin to deal with and that their sin is just as wicked as ours. It really is possible to be loving and compassionate toward practicing homosexuals at the same time as you condemn the sin, especially when they are in your family. You love them, so it makes you aware that they are human, just as we are. The church should not be silent about homosexuality. They should make members aware that it is a sin just as alcoholism, adultery, murder, etc. This should be taught at the church to the youth, to the congregation, and the church's position should be stated in any paraphenilia stating their beliefs.

Abraham address God so boldly to save his family. I do think God desires us to do the same because he wants to shape us and uses people and circumstances around to achieve that purpose. I think Abraham's intercession pleased God because Abraham kept pushing even when God already knew the answer. It is going to take boldness, persistence and integrity for us to please Him in our prayers.

A lifestyle of "keeping the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just" in the twenty-first century is to be in the world, but not of the world. This is difficult because there are so many destractions. This can also be easy because of the many sources for education and ministry. The special challenges this presents is using the world and reclaiming it for the glory of God.

Fathers and husbands can strike the right balance -- of being godly, caring leaders without being dictators by being firm, but kind. Mothers and wives strike the right balance -- of being submissive and at the same time being open about their needs and desires by compromise and honesty.

We can tell if we really believe in God's present willingness to do miracles in our day by how we think and act. There is not one indication in Scripture that God will stop doing miracles that I can think of right off the top of my head. There are many indications that God continues to do miracles if we open our minds and hearts to them. He gives me small ones all the time. We can regain an active faith in the God of miracles by recognizing them when they happen and to give the glory to God who made them possible!

Circumcision is now obsolete for Christians since baptism is now the sign of the covenant because women have no way of being physically circumcised. However, Jesus Christ came to redeem all of the world and every person, man or woman, can be baptised. Also, circumcision is an act of the flesh and can carry no significant meaning to the recipient because it has become a common practice, regardless of religious backgroud. Baptism requires a personal commitment.

To have your heart circumcised means that the junk has been cut out of your life and the remainder of it is wholly devoted to God. This is a necessity for all true believers, both Jew and Christian to be able to be in the will of God. We can keep our faith active as an inward expression of love rather than become only an external religion by reading scripture ans participating in active prayer. I struggle with this every day.

Circumcision signifies for Abraham, his household, and his descendents that they have confirmed their covenant with God. This kind of definite act on Abraham's part is important to confirming the covenant because it shows that the covenant is now two-sided. Each side now has an obligation to keep the covenant intact. Abraham's obedience on the very same day signifies that he was taking no chances on breaking the covenant with God.