Faith & Obedience Test

From today's reading in the One Year Chronological Bible...

Genesis 22
1a Later on, God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience.

Abraham has already packed up his family and left the land of his forefathers to take up residence in the land promised to him & his descendents. Abraham has been faithful and obedient in believing that he would be the Father of a Great Nation even when he was 99 years old. Abraham has already been described as one whose faith was credited to him as righteousness, and he has already been described as a friend of God. Yet, in Genesis 22, we read that God was going to test Abraham’s faith and obedience. If Abraham was not immune to further tests from God, why should I think that I would be? I am certainly no Abraham! May I always pass the test, and may all who follow Christ do the same.

Seeing Clearly

I had my annual eye exam this morning. s I type this, the words are very blury on the computer screen because my pupils were dialted as part of the examination. It will take a good portion of the day for my eyesight to return to "normal" which for me, means the need for a slight correction for distance, and a little correction for reading. Yes, bifocals have been a way of life for me for the past several years. Not that I HAVE to wear my glasses all the time, or even when I am reading, but they help.

As I contemplate the words of the gal who did much of my exam this morning, I can't help but think about the notion that people think if they wear their glasses that their eyesight will actually deteriorate and they will be more dependent upon those glasses. She said that the rality of the matter is that your brain gets used to being able to see better, and recognizes the difference when you don't wear them.

When I spend time daily in God's Word, my life really is more closely aligned to God's plan for my life. Oh, I can "get by" when I don't spend time in the Word every day, but I am only fooling myself into thinking that it is okay. Just like "getting by" without wearing my glasses may be okay, I can "get by" with the reading I do for lesson prep, sermons, etc. But that is not what is best for me.

Just as wearing my glasses helps me see clearly, spending time daily in the Word helps me stay focused on my relationship with Christ. I don't need an annual exam to see how I am doing in this regard, I just need to be held accountable for my personal daily devotion time each day. I have a couple of accountability partners to help me in that regard. Do you?