Bible Studies

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The Scriptures
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 – Reckoned

Key Verses: (NRSV)

• 1: "After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” - Abram had traveled great distances and had endured many hardships as he followed God’s plan for his life. But in the midst of it all he remained dedicated and righteous. Even so, fear had crept into his heart…
  
  
• 2-3: ²“But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ ³And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’” – The promises had been made, yet Abram was losing patience. He and Sarai were growing old and he could not see how God was going to fulfill the promise of greatness…time was running out, or so he thought.
  
  
• 5: “He brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall you descendants be.’” – The promise restated. The dream reconfirmed.
  
  
• 6: “And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” – Abram was a righteous man; made so by his faith in the Lord.
  
  
• 8-9: ⁸“Be he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ ⁹He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer…’” – Righteous, faithful, and filled with God’s promise of amazing bounty, yet Moses still struggled with doubt and in need of reassurance.
  
  
• 18: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…” – God provided Abram with visible assurance that His covenant would be fulfilled.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you fearful? Do you have doubts? Abram had followed God’s plan for his life for many years yet he was fearful of where he was being led. It did not appear, from his perspective, that God’s promise would be fulfilled. In what ways are you able to set your fears and doubts aside? What has taken place in your life that gives you the assurance that God is with you? What experiences do you draw from that gird your faith?
  
  
• Will your reward be great? Does this comment from God indicate that we are rewarded in some fashion for our faithfulness? Do we earn “brownie points?” Is the destination of our life’s journey with God somewhat dependent upon how successful we are at following His lead? If we stray or head off into pathways that stop our spiritual growth, do we limit the rewards that God has in mind? Are these rewards earthly or heavenly? Bruce Wilkinson has written a book entitled “A Life God Rewards”¹ that provides a challenging perspective to God’s reward system. Will your reward be great?
  
  
• Do you ever lose patience with God? Have there been times when you have a clear sense of what God has in mind for your life and, yet, it doesn’t ever seem to happen? Is your ministry God-inspired, yet, seemingly, mired and bogged down? Have you done everything you should, followed every path that God has set before you, and still wonder why? Is it difficult to see the progress in your ministry that you expected to see? What steps can you take to develop the patience that God is asking you to develop? Does it help to remember that all God’s promises are fulfilled? Will this thought instill in you new faith?
  
  
• Are you righteous? What does it take to become righteous? Does it infer some level of perfection? What character in the Bible achieved perfection in their life? If perfection is not the criteria maybe it is holiness. Do you need to lead a holy life to be known as a righteous person? Or is this an issue of faith? Was Abram considered to be righteous by God simply because he had faith in God’s promises? Are you righteous?
  
  
• Do you need reassurance? Even after “the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness,” Abram had questions and was in need of reassurance. Do you need proof that God will fulfill His promises for you? Do you need a miracle before you will fully accept His plan for your life? Have you notice that God is active in your life in many ways? Have you felt the Holy Spirit open up new insight and inspiration? Have you felt God’s presence in prayer or in worship? Have you seen God at work through the ministries of your church? What more assurance do you need?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

The story of Abram is very familiar to us. We know that he was chosen by God to be the father of all nations. Abraham was blessed beyond his wildest imagination. We also know Abraham to be a righteous man. That because of his faith in God and because he followed God’s plan for his life every step of the way, he became the shining star that we all aspire to follow. But Abram had doubts. He feared for his future. He could not see how God would be able to follow through with his promise of many descendants. He took steps on his own, just in case. He lost patience. As we look closely into Abram’s life we see our own doubts, fears, anxieties, and lack of patience revealed. We know how Abram felt because we feel that way every day. But just as Abram wrestled with his fears, he also experienced God’s presence. Abram’s faith grew strong through those God-moments and because of his faith, God deemed him to be a righteous man. It is a promise and a destination available to us all.

¹“A Life God Rewards – Why Everything You Do Today Matters Forever” by Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, Multnomah Publishers, 2002.

FUMC Devotionals

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