January 9

Genesis 20:1-22:24, Matthew 7:15-29, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 2:16-22 

Pray: Wow, as you pray, think about how the stories in today's reading are rich with God’s promise being fulfilled through the birth of Isaac by his 90 year old mother and 100 year old father. Is there anything too big for God? You are under this covenant if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. So, ask God today to open your understanding and give you new insight as you read the text.

Read: Today’s reading is full of complexity with a beautiful promise fulfilled for two elderly people of God and then a test which seems quite unfair in light of the promise being fulfilled. Why on earth would God give a gift to Abraham and Sarah in their old age of a son and then take him away through a pagan-like sacrifice? We have to read the text with covenant in mind and sacrifice. The sacrifice which Abraham was willing to make was to determine who Abraham truly worshiped and put first in his life. As you read this story you may entertain this question, “What or who would you give up for God? Would you leave family and familiar surroundings to go wherever God would send you?” Abraham did when he left the home of his father.

Edify: Abraham does take Isaac up to the top of the mountain and he is willing to sacrifice him there if this is what the Lord requires. This is also believed to be the future foundation for the Temple in Jerusalem. When God sees his unyielding trust, God sends the angel to withdraw His request of Abraham. This seems very cruel on the part of God. Yet, it is also true that far too many people, even today, worship their children over God. The children even know it and often rule the home and lives of their parents. Instead of giving the children a bedrock of faith and allegiance to God, parents will put their children’s sports and extracurricular activities above worship and service to Christ. God wanted to know if the one whom He had chosen to be the father of the Hebrew faith would actually put God first in all things. Do you put God first in all things?

Practice: Jesus gives us definitive guidance here to build our spiritual and physical homes upon “my words” and to “do them”. If we listen and build our faith upon Christ’s teaching, then we build our lives and our homes upon the rock. If we ignore the words and instructions of Jesus, then we build our homes and lives upon the sand. The foundation will crumble when the storms of life hit it and the storms will come, you can count on it. What words or teachings from this passage will you act upon today? What will you put in place? Let’s build a solid foundation!