Abraham, God's Friend

 

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James 2:23 Good News Translation

²³ And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God's friend.

 

The faith chapter of Hebrews devotes 13 verses to Abraham, far more than to any other person of faith.

We are encouraged to increase our faith by reading the Word of God. And that is indeed a great source of faith. Romans 10:17 KJV states, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The same verse in the Good News Translation indicates that faith comes through hearing: “So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.” We are urged to read Scripture and thereby increase our faith. In this day of audio books, we can listen to God’s word while driving down the street or highway. So even listening while driving can become a faith building event.

Now think back to the times of Abraham. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether Abraham could read or write. That really doesn’t matter because there was no Bible to read. None! So how did Abraham build his faith?

“Hey, God spoke to Abraham all the time,” you might reply. God did indeed speak to Abraham in person, in dreams, and in visions. Read Gensis again; it was only about 5 or 6 times that Scripture records God speaking to Abraham. That’s something like once about every 20 years or so! That would hardly be frequently enough for me to build my faith.

Furthermore, Abraham came out of an idolatrous culture in Chaldea. Where did Abraham get his religious training to worship the one true God. There is evidence that the worship of Yahweh always had followers in the Near East. These included the wise men who came to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Christ some 2,000 years later.

Studying the genealogy lists in Genesis gives me a hint. Noah’s son Shem was born 100 years before the flood and survived the flood by about 500 years. He lived with righteous Noah for at least 100 years, and he outlived Abraham after the flood. Maybe, just maybe, Abraham encountered Shem and spent some time with him when he was young. Shem may have instilled the faith in God that gave Abraham the direction he needed to serve God.

Lord, thank You for making a friend out of Abraham who has passed the friendship down to us, some 4,000 years later. Please keep encouraging us in our faith, that we too may be known as friends of God.

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[1] ConformingToJesus.com

Power, Love, and Self-Control

 

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2 Timothy 1:7 Good News Translation

⁷ For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.

 

We were on our way to teach at Ikizu in Tanzania. We had been waiting in Zambia for ten weeks for a work permit to enter Tanzania. Finally, we got word that the work permit had been issued, and I could pick it up in Livingstone. Not accustomed to the ways of Africa, I took just enough money for the train to and from Livingstone.

I went into the consul’s office and handed the consul our passports and requested the permit. He took them and said, “Come back at 4:00, and I’ll give them to you!” I encouraged him briefly to do it now, to no avail.

I wandered around the small town of Livingstone all day and showed up at the consul’s office at 3:45—they closed at 4:00. He looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t get it today! You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” I had flaming red hair in those days and was tempted to give him piece of my mind. But the Spirit urged me to practice self-control.

One straight-backed chair stood over against a wall. I walked over to it and sat down. I looked around the large nearly empty room. The consul’s old wooden desk occupied the back-center of the room and this chair along one side—nothing else.

At 3:55 a South African Truck driver walked in and asked for his permit to enter Zambia. The consul rifled through a small pile of papers stacked neatly on the left side of his desk. He pulled out one of them, looked at it, and announced, “I’m sorry, it’s not ready yet; come in tomorrow!”

The driver remonstrated with him. “I have been told this for two weeks now. The materials I have are needed up north!” But the consul dismissed him.

I understood. He was waiting for a bribe. I had no bribe. I barely had enough money to buy a train ticket back to Monze. I sat there quietly. I knew that the recent colonial regime had made people wait interminably. The consul was merely doing what he had undoubtedly seen done in the past.

I prayed silently and sat upright. The consul sat upright, too. He did nothing. He evidently was aware of me, but he did not look my way. I was amazed and thankful that he hadn’t chased me out. After 4:30—and well past closing time, the consul, picked up his phone, dialed, and in due course said, “What is that number for Clarke?” I heard no reply. “Thank you!” He reached down into the neat pile and drew out our passports. He opened each one, wrote down a number, and stamped each a couple times. Looking at me, he smiled, “Here are your passports!”

I stood up, walked unhurriedly across the room, and took the proffered passports. “Thank you very much, sir!” I said—and meant it. With passports in hand, I walked straight out the door without a backward glance, fearing lest he might change his mind and call me back. 

Thank You, Lord, for giving me the power, love, and self-control I needed at that time. And thanks for changing the consul’s heart!

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[1] https://jenmansafaris.com/the-town-of-livingstone-zambia/