Transcendent Praise

Galatians 3: 6 – 9 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

If you have been wondering what the life of Abraham has to do with you, the answer is in the excerpt above from Galatians 3. It takes us back to Genesis 15:8 when the Lord appeared to Abram before he changed his name and said I AM THE LORD. The Lord had a lot of information for Abram about what his future would look like. He took him outside and declared that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. It was at that point it was recorded “Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

Romans 3:20 tells us: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” Trying to obey the commandments or doing other “works” to gain God’s favor or obtain salvation is a failed system. The Israelites could not keep the commandments and neither can you. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that  without faith it is impossible to please God.

There are many religions, each with its own practices that presumably bring its adherents close to the divine and make promises of rewards in life or after death.  But it is God who sets the standard of righteousness or what is acceptable to him. Thus, in the same way that Abraham believed God and it was accredited to him as righteousness, God has decreed that for those of us alive today who want to please him, we are called upon to believe in Jesus Christ and honor him for the sacrifice of his life in our place. “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22).  That is the new and better covenant. After my reading of Galatians 3 and 4 this is what the Holy Spirit said to me:

“For I have ordained that children of faith and not works shall inherit the kingdom. This gift of God, this inheritance is for those who believe on the Son of God. All others are aliens to the household of faith. It is not for them to attain to the promises and blessings of the kingdom. So in vain they work and do works to gain my favor. But it will not profit for that is not the path I have ordained for men to come to me. It is my Son and my Son alone that can draw all men to me. It is those who respond in faith that I will call my children.”

Hebrews 11:11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.

Sarah, the wife of Abram was an interesting personality, like most women are.  She was beautiful. (Standards of beauty differ from one culture to another). In hers, she was considered beautiful not just to her husband but twice in her life she caught the attention of kings. In both instances, by agreeing with her husband to say she was his sister, she could have compromised her marriage if God had not intervened. Sarah was beautiful but also barren.  Not a happy situation. She had faults too – she was manipulative of both her husband and her maid at times.

After Pharaoh had instructed Abram and his family to leave and take his belongings with them, they left Egypt. Years later, the Lord appeared to Abram again and entered into a new covenant with him concerning his circumcision and that of all male descendants in his household. At that point God changed his name to Abraham (“father of a multitude”) and revealed that the name of his firstborn with his wife would be Isaac. The Lord also told him that his wife’s name henceforth would be Sarah (“mother of nations”) instead of Sarai. (See Genesis 17) A defining moment indeed – divine purpose was established for both of them. She laughed at the notion of becoming a mother at age ninety and the Scriptures say she lied when confronted with the fact that she had laughed. (Genesis 18:15). After her son Isaac was born, Sarah manifested a malicious streak as she demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her child away to ensure they would have no inheritance with Isaac.

With all of this evidence, one is tempted to ponder how it is then that, in general, Sarah seems to have survived in our consciousness as someone who was squeaky clean. It is interesting to me that Abraham had also laughed when he first received the promise that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age. It was a normal human response to what seemed impossible. They were not perfect people.

My conclusion from the life of this couple who clearly loved each other deeply is that God is sovereign and he chooses whom he will, despite their shortcomings, to fulfill his purposes. That means even you – God gave you a new name ‘beloved child’ (1 John 3:1) when you were born again and he desires to work his purpose out in your life. Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. Abraham and Sarah made it into the Hall of Faith because they were pliable in the hands of a covenant-keeping God.

Genesis 12:18 – 19 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. What have you done to me? He said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?  Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’, so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go.”

Abram’s next stop was at a place called Bethel and there he built another altar and called on the name of the Lord. Then he went on from there toward the Negev.  There was a severe famine in the land and so he went down to Egypt to live there for a while.  As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” (See Genesis 12: 10 – 13). [Editor’s note: Sarai’s name was later changed by God to Sarah].

What an argument for self-preservation! On the face of it, it is hard to poke any holes in Abram’s reasoning. And Sarai went along with it. Why? It seemed plausible enough. Didn’t she see the danger of compromise for her own dignity or was she willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of her husband? This is all about human reasoning and we are all vulnerable, even as believers.

Dependence on Almighty God is a lesson that every child of his has to learn. Sometimes it takes repeated failure on our part but we have to go through that process. We cannot, practice deceit or place the prospect of personal gain above the call of God on our lives. Abram was supposed to turn to God with this challenge when he came face to face with it. Instead he devised what he thought was a workable solution all by himself. That is a prescription for failure.

Fortunately, God sees our weaknesses and extends his loving-kindness over and over again.  Once you become a child of God, he takes responsibility for you and he begins to teach you things. God in mercy intervened just in time and let Pharaoh know through diseases which he inflicted on him and his family that Abram belonged to him.  God is your defender and he wants you to recognize him as such whenever you are faced with challenges, large or small.

Genesis 12: 6-7 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land. So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.”

Abram pulled up sticks and left home with his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, his servants and all the possessions they had accumulated up to that point. They walked in the direction of Canaan. It must have seemed the most logical place to head to since their destination had not yet been identified by God. It was an act of faith for them. Stepping out represented an act of obedience and soon God broke in upon Abram with new information: “To your offspring I will give this land.” Now, wait just a minute. Abram doesn’t have any offspring … yet! And what about his immediate need for direction? Ah, but he just encountered the Eternal God, the Alpha and Omega, the one who knows the end from the beginning. Abram was wise enough to acknowledge that and so took the time to build an altar at that spot. That act would remind him of what God had said the next time he came face to face with doubt.

The Eternal God knows the way ahead and trusting him means listening for his voice and taking note of every promise along the way. This is so important because this is the way you will know you are on the right path even if circumstances seem contrary and out of your control.

A personal story will help to illustrate. My husband was ill for a long time and at a certain point I was required to go on a business trip but I was hesitant to leave him. My mother-in-law also became ill and I was afraid to tell her how sick her son really was because I thought this would kill her. The Holy Spirit spoke into my consciousness: “She will not mourn for her son.” I was astounded and very grateful. That revelation allowed me to know that as long as she was alive, my husband would be also. I did not share that information with anyone but I flew my sister in to be his caregiver for the week I would be away. I had complete peace for the duration of my mission. Sure enough, years later my mother-in-law passed away eighteen months before my husband. The Eternal God has the lives and future of his children in his hands. Trust him with the future and give thanks for every victory – build your altars!

Genesis 12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

Several generations after Noah, God singled out another man, a 75 year-old named Abram (exalted father) and called him into a special relationship with himself. Really! You mean God has plans for 75 year-old people too? Yes. Abram was told to leave everything which was familiar to him for a destination which was not even identified by name. God just said “I will show you.” Even at that age he was being called by God into a new life, not just to get up and go but to walk by faith in the God who created him. That is such good news because in today’s culture it seems like the nursing home is the only address one is expected to contemplate at that age.

It is true that back then people lived a lot longer (Abram’s father Terah lived to be 205) but clearly God’s purposes for Abram’s life were just being set in motion and would be accompanied by great blessing: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  (Genesis 12: 2 – 3) Wow!

Rest assured, the call to Abram was unique to his time and circumstance, but the Sovereign Lord has purpose for every individual regardless of age.  Whether young or old, the secret is to listen and obey whatever the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do for the Kingdom of God. When you do, you will discover that it is a life in which God provides, protects, and increases your influence so that you can be a blessing to others.

Genesis 9: 12 – 13 And God said, “This is the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

In Genesis 1 we encountered God the Creator, he who needed no raw materials to make anything, the God who created order out of chaos. In Genesis 2 he manifested himself as the God who knew what was best for Adam and so provided for his needs, including companionship. In chapter 3 we saw that God’s desire was to have ongoing fellowship with the creatures he had created and that that fellowship was broken when Adam sinned. Since then God has pursued that desire relentlessly beginning with the sons of Adam and Eve – Cain and Abel, then his covenant with Noah, Abraham and his descendants, and even with us now as believers.

Generations after Adam, we are told that in an atmosphere of corruption and violence in the earth, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord because he was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (See Genesis 6: 8 – 9). God revealed to Noah that he would bring judgment on the earth but desired to save him and his family. To this end God instructed him to build an ark of safety and to fill it with seven pairs of ‘clean’ animals and a pair of every other animal and birds of every species, together with enough food for all of them. Noah obeyed and once the door of the ark was closed, it rained for 40 days. Everyone and everything outside perished.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.” (Genesis 8: 1 – 2).  After the flood, God once again provided for man’s needs and set him on a fresh path but set boundaries for his conduct. He gave him responsibility for all creatures and accountability for the life of his fellowman. God sealed his part of the covenant with a rainbow in the clouds as a promise to never destroy the whole earth again by a flood.  (See Genesis 9: 1 – 17).

I am intrigued with the concept of a God who makes covenants with his creatures, knowing full well that we have a very short attention span and even smaller capacity for fulfilling his demands. Yet because of his love, he continually seeks to engage us with himself. This is called grace. Wherever did we get the idea that we are free to do as we please?

Galatians 2: 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul figured it out. If we are hoping to live a life pleasing to God in our own strength, it is never going to happen. Christ lived out the life God wanted him to live and Calvary was always in view. That is why he came. By the time the end of his earthly life approached, his will had merged with his Father’s on his knees in Gethsemane. Every man, woman, boy or girl who the Father draws into relationship with Christ is on a journey with God. The path is obedience, submission, then transformation and then great blessing – peace with God.

“You mean to say there is no bonanza like great riches and influence right now?”  Perhaps! Beginning with Abraham, the Bible gives us many examples of men of substance and power, women too. God uses the wealthy and prominent as often as he does anyone else. Very often it is such people who can change the course of history, spread the gospel on a large scale, or lead great programs to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the dispossessed.

Is riches and influence what you want out of your relationship with God? Then talk to God about it. Can you be trusted with great riches in the earth? What have you done with what you have had so far?  God is not miserly and he works miracles. He is the fountain of wisdom and knowledge. He can release creativity in your life beyond your wildest dreams. Bear in mind, however, that crucifixion entails the negation of self-centered ambitions. Better to seek the path God desires for you since whatever you gain in this life is temporary and will never equal or surpass the beauty and joy of being totally his.

Romans 12: 1 – 2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The whole point of the Christian life is to become more like Jesus. So how do we become the radical kind of person Jesus was? We have to get to know him and the only way to do that is by studying the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation – he is in there. Open up your mind and heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit, he will teach you. Much of the Old Testament centers on God the Father and his dealings with men and women but those dealings are equally radical and so the more you delve in you begin to understand that doing God’s will was the pre-eminent purpose of life for those he called. It was God’s desire to lead and guide individuals into relationship with himself.

When you study the New Testament, the book of John especially, you begin to see that the life of Jesus was all about doing his Father’s will. “You mean I have to begin to think and talk and walk like Jesus?”  Precisely! Not in the sense of mimicking the physical motions but in realigning your priorities as he did. Paul, in the verses quoted above from  his letter to the Romans, helps us to understand that this realignment includes both the body and the mind. The point is that the life you live as a believer will often run counter to what is popular and you will have to stand your ground. It is the result of a mind in the process of being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The challenges for each of us come in every-day life – different arenas: marriages, workplace, parenting, friendships, school, sports, you name it. A phrase much bandied about nowadays is “What would Jesus do?” That simplifies it but in essence that is the crux of the whole matter. You can no longer have a knee jerk reaction to your issues and you can’t live your life in the public square by asking guidance from your friends, neighbors or social media. You must start asking: “Father, what do you want me to do? How do I resolve this issue in a way that pleases you?” Practice listening for his response. It will come and as time proceeds, the transformation will amaze even you. In my book “Listening to God will transform you” I give glimpses into how the Holy Spirit worked in my own life in various circumstances to bring about conformity with God’s will.

John 13: 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Here is Jesus the Son of God down on his knees washing the dirty feet of his disciples. What is that all about? Is this the same Jesus whose birth was announced by angels and of whom it was said: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”? (Luke 2: 11) And when he was baptized by John did not the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend in the form of a dove and didn’t the voice of God the Father say: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”?  (See Luke 3: 21-22) What on earth then is he doing washing dirty feet?

Jesus was demonstrating to those who follow him that in order to serve him, we will often have to take the lowest place, that of a servant. How radical is that? This makes me squirm. What about you? It made Peter squirm too as he asked in amazement “Lord are you going to wash my feet?” He resisted with every fiber of his being until Jesus said: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Peter then gladly submitted because he realized that separating from his Lord was more than he could bear.

Taking the place of a servant runs counter to everything in our culture which worships self-actualization, self-promotion and instant gratification. But Jesus lovingly explained that if we recognize him as Teacher and Lord, which he is, then we must also humble ourselves and follow his example because no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. (See John 13: 12 – 17). A servant serves, and a true servant serves willingly.

1 Timothy 2: 1-4 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness . This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

God is all about order and decency. And one of the ways he has ordained for us to take some responsibility for the maintenance of order in the earth is to pray to him. If there ever was a need to pray it is now, especially for those in authority. It is not a time to be wringing our hands or to succumb to frustration. The people of God have specific instructions: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7: 4). God’s Word gives us numerous examples where God changed the course for men and nations in response to prayer and repentance.

Pray for preachers of the gospel and for missionaries at home and abroad, some of them in places where we must ask God to dispatch angels for their protection. Pray for Christians who are being persecuted around the globe daily. Pray for their daily anointing by the Holy Spirit and that they will always be aware of God’s presence. Pray for these groups or individuals by name where possible.

Pray for educators and the young minds that they are influencing daily. Pray for the health care system in your nation that God will grant wisdom and compassion to the Administrators. Pray for health care systems to be established where there are none. Pray for the doctors and nurses who daily give tirelessly of themselves to help save lives. They too are caught in the vicious cycle of being made to do more with less and for less.

Pray for parents that they will have the courage to live God-centered, exemplary lives before their children and teach them that they are of value to God and that he has purpose for their lives.

Pray for our armed forces and uniformed protective services and their families who sacrifice so much for the maintenance of order in our society.

Pray for refugees, the hungry, the homeless and the dispossessed. It is the beginning of a new year so pray, and pray some more. Add to this list as you see fit.