The Blessing
By William M. Self, Sr.
Getting the blessing of God comes from
Living the truth
Getting the Blessing
Abraham is the only one in the Bible called the friend of God.
Abraham’s faith in God’s promises is nothing short of
incredible.
But Abraham had his
weaknesses.
Abraham twice lied when he came
to a potentially dangerous land.
The lie was a half-truth as he and Sarah agreed for the sake
of
protecting Abraham’s life to say Sarah was Abraham’s sister.
Sarah’s father was Abraham’s father,
but they had
different mothers.
Abraham and Sarah concocted a plan for Abraham to have an
heir.
It is thought that Hagar could have been one
of the slaves given to Abraham by Pharaoh.
Abraham did not live a life of separation.
God allowed Abraham and Sarah to follow through with their
sin.
And even blessed Hagar and her son Ishmael.
God did not spare the rod of correction.
When Abraham took Hagar as his wife,
he also took her customs and got in serious trouble.
The same is true for every Christian man and woman.
When we do our own thing, we bring trials into our lives.
As long as we stay close to our Lord and Master,
we will enjoy the
blessing.
We may have worries and trials, but they will
be blessed worries
and blessed trials.
If we take on the world’s customs…
If we try to work out the blessing
through our own means…
We will reap what we sow.
So when we lie even a half truth,
when we do not live a separated life…
God’s blessing comes as discipline.
The sting of the rod may never go away…
As with Abraham and Sarah.
Today there is still pain from their plan.
Yet, God still blessed Abraham.
Live a separated life…
Be in the world and not of it.
What is influencing your life?
Get the blessing.
Scripture
Reading
Genesis
12:1-3 NIV
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.
2 "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.
3 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
16:1-12 NIV
16 Now
Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian
maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me
from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a
family through her."
Abram agreed
to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai
his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be
his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she
knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to
Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant
in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the
Lord judge between you and me."
When she
knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to
Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant
in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the
Lord judge between you and me."
6 "Your
servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you
think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel
of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is
beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where
have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm
running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the
angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to
her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that
they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel
of the Lord also said to her: "You
are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall
name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will
be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone
and
everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his
brothers."
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