Sunday Reading: James 2:23
Key Verse: James 2:23
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
Key Verse: James 2:23
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
Devotion:
This refers back to Genesis 15:6 which states “And he (being Abraham) believed in God. And He (being God) counted it to him (Abraham) for righteousness.” That verse gives us evidence that Abraham first believed in God and that then brought out the righteousness that was shown. In other words, believe in God and through that belief, or because of it, you will do things differently and God will treat you differently. Abraham’s belief and total trust in God was demonstrated aptly by the way that he was willing to sacrifice his own son because God asked him to. He knew that there must be a solid reason why. He trusted that God would still deliver on His promises. His actions did indeed speak louder than any words.
This refers back to Genesis 15:6 which states “And he (being Abraham) believed in God. And He (being God) counted it to him (Abraham) for righteousness.” That verse gives us evidence that Abraham first believed in God and that then brought out the righteousness that was shown. In other words, believe in God and through that belief, or because of it, you will do things differently and God will treat you differently. Abraham’s belief and total trust in God was demonstrated aptly by the way that he was willing to sacrifice his own son because God asked him to. He knew that there must be a solid reason why. He trusted that God would still deliver on His promises. His actions did indeed speak louder than any words.
Abraham was justified before he went up the mountain to offer up his son; it was not because of this action that he was justified. This action was an open demonstration of his faith. An open demonstration of our faith to God may be as simple as going to church even if our friends are skipping a week; some simple act that will show God that He is the one you trust.
But the best part of this for me is that Abraham was called a friend of God. What better title could you ever get than being a friend of God? How often do you try to make friends with the most influential people you meet just so that you can go a bit further? How often do you make friends with others just so that you can be seen to be in with the “best” people? We do it all the time because we are easily swayed by little things that people do and recognise. What we miss most of the time is the fact that God does so much around us; He is the one we should be looking up to rather than our friends or the people around us. He is the one we should be aiming to be our best friend because He is the one that will never let us down because He cannot die. Being in a total trust friendship with Christ will allow us to see just how awesome He is and just how much we can trust Him in absolutely everything.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look for friends based on popularity?
Are you aiming at making God you best friend?
Do you look for friends based on popularity?
Are you aiming at making God you best friend?