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Posts Tagged ‘Genesis 21’

Two Words Change Everything

Posted in Abraham, Assurance, Faith, Trust, tagged on March 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. – Genesis 20:3

A powerful king took Abraham’s wife, Sarah, to be his. Out of fear Sarah and Abraham had pretended to be siblings and now that a king was involved they were in a pickle!1

Then came two little words, “But God…”

We get ourselves into situations that look really bad – sometimes it’s our fault sometimes not. That’s when we need to remember, “But God…”, pray, trust, and obey.

How many “But God…” incidents can you recall. He’s got plenty more!

-fritz
1) Phrase: “In a pickle“

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God opens eyes

Posted in Hagar, Repent, See, tagged , , , on June 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; – Genesis 21:19

Hagar, banished to the desert with only a bottle of water, thought she and her son were going to die.

Of interest is the Bible’s unique description of God’s response. It did NOT say God made a well for her or led her to it; God just opened her eyes, the well was already there. Without that eye opening she would have died of thirst with unlimited water right before her.

How many other essentials are, like Hagar’s well, awaiting our eyes to be opened?!

God’s kingdom is one! When Jesus preached, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 1, he wasn’t saying it was soon coming from afar off but that it was already here and experienced by “repenting”; a term literally meaning “turning around” and facing it.

Again, when Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”2, the emphases was on seeing (or not) something already there.

Not just for newbies, Paul tells us looking at the unseen is an ongoing experience for believers.

“we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2nd Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Jesus, open my eyes to perceive what you have already provided that I, like Hagar, may be refreshed and grow.

-fritz.
Matthew 4:17
2 John 3:3

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