Abraham - What a man of Faith!

I just finished reading chapter 2 of The Story - all about Abraham. What a guy!  There are a number of things from his life that we should continuously work on and build into our own lives - Obeying, Trusting, Waiting, and and Expecting (God to keep his promises) - which all take humongous faith so it seems.  Wait - that's not true!  We are told by Jesus that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed.  Let's see what that kind of faith includes and look at four aspects of simple faith from Abraham's life.

Obeying - We are told that at the age of 75, Abraham was called by God to go to a place where he didn't even know where that was going to be and that he obeyed the call and went.  I am not 75 yet but I am trusting that I will be willing to go or do whatever God is calling me to do (without question).  Are you willing to obey when God gives you instructions?  He still speaks to us by His Word and by His Spirit and some will even have visions and dreams. Model this kind of faith that obeys to those in your small group and to others that you have influence over. Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.  God will do the same for us.

Trusting - God promised Abraham that he was going to be the Father of many nations.  That is almost laughable considering His age.  He was very old.  Sarah was very old.  It would take a miracle to have just one child let alone become the Father of nations. But it says "against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the Father of many nations ... without weakening in his faith".  Will you trust and keep on believing despite the odds against you? With God all things are possible ... only believe.  We can model this kind of faith in front of those who are watching us.

Waiting - 25 years go by before the promise of the "child of promise" is fulfilled. Abraham was 100 years old now and he has one son.  That's a long time to wait!  Are you willing to wait that long (if necessary) to see God's answer to a prayer or to see God's promises fulfilled in your life.  Guess what, we have no choice unless we decide to run ahead of God and do it our way. We must wait, we must persevere, we must continue to cry out to God, we must believe, we must keep on walking with Him and trusting Him to direct our paths.  He promises to provide and promises to bless our lives as we become a blessing to others. Encourage others with these principles of faith.

Expecting - When Abraham was tested ... and we will be too be tested when we step out in faith and trust and obey...God instructs Abraham to sacrifice (kill) his son, Isaac. Can you believe it! ... without argument, Abraham simply obeys, trusts and expects God to show up and provide.  God did provide a lamb so that he didn't have to sacrifice his only son.  God was very pleased with Abraham's response and says to him, "I will surely bless you" and He did.  Abraham never saw the result of all the nations and peoples that came from his seed but we see the results of his faith to God's promise as hundreds of millions have become a part of God's kingdom today.

If you have time, Read Hebrews 11 again and see how much space is given to Abraham and his life of faith. We can be like Abraham in our faith as we seek to obey, trust, wait, and expect God to come through at just the right time! Let your light shine before others in these practical ways of demonstrating your faith!