Our God is awesome. He could have said, “For nourishment, take a pill.” Instead He said, “For food, here’s a thrill. The colors and textures and tastes of bananas, mangoes, guavas, avocados, tomatoes, and celery are all yours to enjoy.”

“He satisfies our mouth with good things,” David declares (see Psalm 103:5).

“Every good and perfect gift is from above,” James echoes (1:17).

“He has given us richly all things to enjoy,” Paul affirms (see 1 Timothy 6:17).

“If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your kids, how much more will the Heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?” Jesus says (see Matthew 7:11).

“Then why haven’t I received what I’ve been asking for?” you ask.

The answer is, because it’s not a good gift. If it were good, God would give it to you, for He withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

Why would God place in the garden a tree from which Adam and Eve were not to eat?

Because God desires a loving relationship with man, and true love is built on choice. Therefore, in placing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, it was as if God said to mankind, “If you want to kill our relationship, if you want to turn your back on Me, I must provide this opportunity. All you have to do, Adam, to end our relationship is to eat from that tree.”

The Lord is so good because He made it as scary as possible. He said, “If you eat from that tree, it’s going to kill you.” What else could the Father have done? He provided a choice, but He also made the right choice obvious.

Notice God did not say, “If you eat of that tree, I’m going to kill you.” He said, “If you eat of the tree, it will kill you.” Perhaps there was something carcinogenic in the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, something that would cause men to begin to die. For many years, I thought that if I did something wrong, God would track me down. No, the Bible says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). It is sin that tracks us down; it is our sin that wipes us out. Wise is the man and of utmost intelligence is the woman who stays as far away from sin as possible, and instead draws ever nearer to the side of the One who gives life.

When Adam was in a deep sleep, a bride came forth from his side. Down the tunnel of time, another Bride would come forth from the side of another Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ. When a Roman soldier stuck a spear in His side and the birthing fluids of blood and water poured forth, a Bride was born: the Church - you and me.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it,” Paul instructed the Ephesians (5:25). Husband, you are to love your wife as Christ loved the Church. In other words, you’re to die - to your needs, your desires, your dreams - because that’s what Christ did for us.

Wife, you came from the side of man, and you will find fulfillment at the side of your man - neither leading him nor lagging behind him, but standing by him, standing with him, submitting to him. But know this, wives: Your husbands will never be all you want or need them to be. A rib was taken from Adam, and men have been missing something ever since! There is only One who has it all together. He’s not called the second Adam, which would mean that there might be a third one. He is called the last Adam because there is no other. And He’s not missing a thing. Therefore, He will be the One who will listen to you by the hour and walk with you in the garden in the cool of the day. He will be the One who will hear not only the words of your lips, but the cry of your heart. He will be the One who will truly understand you.

Gang, as we spend time with the last Adam, with the Altogether One, with Jesus Christ, we take pressure off our mates and are then able to enjoy them without expecting something from them that they cannot give to us.

“Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh” is a Hebrew idiom meaning, “exact counterpart.” I believe it was a matching of body, soul, and spirit that caused Adam to realize Eve was truly bone of his bones.

“Marriage and misery go hand in hand,” wails the world. Not God. He says, “I want marriage to be a taste of Heaven for you. If you’ll go My way, it can be just that.”

“It’s a little late for me to hear this,” you might be thinking. “I married the wrong person.”

That’s what Jacob could have said . . .

After seven years of working and waiting, he woke up to find he had wed Leah instead of Rachel - the older sister instead of the girl of his dreams. But at the end of his life, when deciding where he would be buried, Jacob again had to choose between the two women. And this time, with eyes wide open, he chose Leah. Why? Because Leah produced a son whose name was Judah, from whom would come Yeshua, Messiah, Jesus.

So too, I have known people who have difficult marriages. However, they have developed, out of necessity, a deep walk with the Lord which never would have been developed if they had had an easier, simpler marriage. I know people who have hung in there and now say, “If I could do it all over again, I would willingly choose my husband or wife because our marriage has brought me to a richness with Jesus I never would have known had it been easier.”

If you have gone through a divorce, if you have dropped the ball, if you have missed the mark, know this: We all have. Every one of us has totally blown it (Romans 3:23). But the good news is that the work of the Cross completely takes care of my failure, my shortcoming, my sin. And it takes care of yours as well. All we have to do is say, “Lord, I’ve failed. I determine by Your grace and with Your help to walk rightly to the greatest possible degree. And if my hurts or mistakes can help others, use my wounds.” If we confess our sins rather than cover them up, excuse them, or justify them, our points of failure can be our points of greatest ministry.

After questioning the Word of God, Satan questions the way of God, intimating that God is withholding something good from Eve. This is the same strategy Satan uses today. He slithers up to our friends, our children, and our neighbors and hisses in their ears, saying, “You know why you’re not ssssupposed to do that? Because it’s really fun. And God doesn’t want that for you. He wants you to be ressstricted and missserable.”

Not true. As I tell my kids, “If you think sin is fun, if you want to eat from the tree of forbidden fruit, look first at another tree - the tree of Calvary - and you’ll see what sin ultimately does: it crucifies. And if you think God is holding something back from you or doesn’t want the best for you, look at that tree again, and you’ll see Him with outstretched arms and nail-pierced palms, unequivocally proving that He loves you passionately.”

“In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,” said Satan to Eve, “and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Unfortunately, Satan was right. You see, before man ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he had to ask the Father about every matter and about every situation in order to discern good from evil. God and Adam walked together in the cool of the day in constant communion because Adam had to depend solely upon God for his knowledge. After the fall, Adam grew independent from God, and knowledge apart from God is always deadly.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is as deadly for us as it was for Adam. It can squeeze the life out of our relationship with the Lord if we’re not oh, so careful. Even Bible knowledge can be deadly to anyone who says, “I’ve been to Bible school; I’ve been to seminary; I’ve been reading the Word for years. I know good from evil.”

“But aren’t we supposed to know the Bible?” you may ask.

Yes. But as we study the Word, we are to fellowship with the Lord intimately, talk to Him personally, worship, praise, commune, and listen to Him constantly.

You see, as parents, our job is to help our kids to become independent. When they take their first steps, we say, “Way to go!” When they learn to tie their shoes, ride a bike, drive a car, or move out, we say, “Hooray!” But our Heavenly Father wants just the opposite for you and me. He wants us to be totally dependent upon Him. He wants us to be constantly talking to Him just as Adam did before he ate of the forbidden fruit.

The desire of the woman would be for her husband. The man, on the other hand, would work by the sweat of his brow. And therein lies a foundational dilemma in marriage to this day.

“Why won’t my husband slow down? I want him to take a walk with me, talk to me, listen to me,” she cries.

“I show my love most clearly by providing for my family,” answers the weary husband. “That’s why I work three jobs.”

She wants to talk. He needs to work. She wants to enjoy. He can’t wait to get going. It’s all part of the curse. When husbands and wives realize what the curse has done and how it works, no longer will they try to change each other. Lowered expectations will replace futile ideas of transformation. Don’t raise the bar for your marriage. Lower it. And as you lower your expectations on earth, raise your sights toward Heaven.

This is what Paul meant when he said, “Let those who are married be as though they’re not” (see 1 Corinthians 7:29). In other words, “Life is short. Keep your focus on the Kingdom, your eyes on eternity.” What will setting your sights on the Lord do? It will make you a better husband or a better wife because as His love flows from you, time with your husband or wife will be sweet and rich.

It’s amazing what happens when we do what the Lord tells us to do. When we seek first the Kingdom, everything else will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). When a woman and man both deeply love Jesus Christ, they each find their ultimate satisfaction in their walk with Him. The pressure is removed. The bickering stops. They are a joy to be around.

To replace Adam and Eve’s itchy fig leaves, a sacrifice was made - illustrating the fact that mankind’s sin and nakedness would never be covered by his own efforts, but by the sacrifice of an innocent One, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. Nothing. There’s nothing I can do to make God love me one ounce more than He already loves me right now. If I pray all day today; if I fast for a week or a month; if I worship constantly, He will not love me anymore than He loves me right now. Likewise, there is not one thing you could do to make Him love you less.

This amazes me because, like you, I am under the impression that I have to do something to earn God’s favor.

“No,” says God. “Your efforts will be like fig leaves. They will be scratchy. They will crumble. They won’t work. Let Me give you that which you could never provide for yourself: matchless grace and infinite mercy to cover you completely and eternally.”

A sacrifice had been made to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. Cherubim and a flame followed. This same picture will be painted again in the Tabernacle, for over the mercy seat, sprinkled with sacrificial blood, were cherubim and the bright shekinah glory of God.

But the place we see this picture painted most powerfully is not in the Garden, nor in the Tabernacle, but in an empty tomb where two angels clothed in light sat at either end of a slab stained with the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God.

Genesis 3 keeps man away from the Tree of Life. Jesus Christ, however, invites mankind to eat of the Bread of Life (John 6:35). And as we do, we begin to experience power over the curse as well as a sneak preview of coming attractions, when the curse will be obliterated in Heaven. Oh, glorious day!

Although I feel like a prophet crying in the wilderness as I go against the flow of what our culture says about depression, I remain biblically persuaded that many people today are seeking medical help for depression when in reality it is often a spiritual issue. You see, the psychiatrist and the pastor differ not in the diagnosis of depression, but in the cure.

The psychiatrist says, “Take a pill.” The pastor says, “Make a choice.”

That is, we can choose to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). We can choose to rejoice in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:16). We can choose to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We can choose to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We can choose to think on whatever is pure and lovely and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” David asked when he faced depression like ours. What was his prescription? “Hope thou in God” (Psalm 42:11).

“My bones ache. My eyes weep. I feel as though there’s gravel in my teeth,” cried Jeremiah in his own deep, dark depression. His cure? “I will lift up my heart with my hands unto the heavens” (see Lamentations 3:41).

Although I am increasingly convinced that there are people who, because of difficulties in life, can benefit from wise and prudent medical help in this arena, such is not the norm, because as you read the Bible from cover to cover, it becomes clear that the issue regarding depression is primarily an issue of choice.

God didn’t say, “I know you’re sad, Cain. Here, drink this; swallow that; and you’ll be better in the morning.” No, He said, “Your bitterness is causing your countenance to fall. If you don’t choose well, you’ll be eaten up. But if you choose to do well - to obey My Word - you’ll be lifted up.”

Unforgiveness, hatred, and bitterness have repercussions far greater than I might think. That is why in the book of Jude, God specifically says to watch out for the way of Cain, which is bitterness, unforgiveness, and hatred (verse 11). Make sure there’s no one you’re mad at, upset with, or angry about because it only takes one person to affect many. Ask Cain.

“The blood of your brother cries out to Me.” The writer of Hebrews picks up this metaphor when he declares, “Jesus’ blood speaks better things than the blood of Abel” (see 12:24). What does Abel’s blood cry? It’s a message of condemnation, judgment, and accusation. What does Jesus’ blood cry? It cries, “Forgiven.”

If there is an old boyfriend, ex-spouse, parent, or boss you’re mad at, whose name still comes up when you talk to people, God would say, “My Son was slaughtered on the Cross for the very sin that person committed against you. Let it go. Give it up. Put it under the blood that speaks better things. Lay it at the Cross.”

In calling Adam and Eve “Adam,” God called them one. You see, knowing our propensity to think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and knowing our tendency to want to trade this year’s car for next year’s model, God made it really simple for us. He ordained marriage for life. Those who understand this find glorious peace and freedom when they look at their spouse, because they know there’s no one down the line or around the corner who will give them a greater thrill. There’s not another person on earth who will make them happier, more content, or more fulfilled. Such is the amazing mystery of matrimony.

I have known couples who weren’t perfectly matched body, soul, and spirit - but they stayed together because they understood the way of the Lord. And as I’ve watched them over the years, as I’ve seen their hair turn gray and their backs bow a bit, as I’ve seen them blessed with children and grandchildren, I’ve heard them say, “Wow. It’s worth it to go God’s way.”

There is no greater joy than watching your kids grow and walk in the way of the Lord. But all that is thrown away by the one who says, “If I have an affair, I’ll be forgiven.” But there is no thing and there is no one worth losing your family for. God talks more about the sin of adultery than about any other single sin because adultery uniquely brings long-term, irreversible repercussions.

If you have been one of the fortunate few who have experienced a miraculous resurrection of your marriage following the deathblow of adultery, rejoice. You have been graced. Go your way and sin no more.

Dear people, determine that no matter what you’ve been through, no matter where you’ve been, you will do whatever it takes to guard the sanctity of your family.

So begin the “begats” - the genealogy from Adam to Noah. Often, people come to sections of Scripture like this and become frustrated and wonder why the Lord made some Scriptures so seemingly tedious and mysterious. Why didn’t He simply write a section on marriage, a section on finances, and a section on parenting? Why all the stories and rules and ordinances and parables and pictures and types and illustrations?

Solomon shed light on this question when he wrote, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2). God purposely conceals some things because even though initially a certain story, passage, or section of Scripture might not make sense to you, as you meditate on it, pray about it, and wrestle with it, a week, or a month, or a year later, when a light goes on and you finally understand it, you’ll never forget it.

I have often found that the passages I wrestle with the most are the ones I learn the best. How many wonderful truths I would have missed had I not read the Word consistently - even when I didn’t necessarily understand it. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit will “bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). In other words, the Holy Spirit will bring to our minds and make application of that which the Lord has said to us in His Word. He cannot, however, bring to mind that which we haven’t read.

Wondering why God was doing certain things and why He wasn’t doing other things, Habakkuk said, “I will go up into a high tower and I will wait and see what the Lord will say unto me” (see Habakkuk 2:1).

The Lord did indeed speak to Habakkuk, saying, “Write the vision” (Habakkuk 2:2), and Habakkuk didn’t have to borrow a pencil.

What does it mean to read with expectancy? I believe it means you come to your devotions, to Bible studies, or to church with pencil and paper in hand, ready to take note of what the Lord would speak to you.

I wonder if, in our morning devotions and study times, we’re not speaking volumes through our casual, lethargic approach. “Ho hum, Lord,” our actions say, “I don’t expect You to say anything to me today. You never do. So let’s see, where should I read today . . .” No wonder the Lord doesn’t speak to us. No wonder the Word isn’t real to us.

I want you to do well, gang. Approach the Word with anticipation and expectation. “For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“Who shall I say sent me?” asked Moses of God.

“Say I AM THAT I AM hath sent you” (see Exodus 3:14).

And with this, Moses must have come to realize that if God is “I AM,” like Enoch, he “was not.”

John the Baptist must have come to the same conclusion, because when he was asked if he was the Messiah, he emphatically declared, “I am not” (John 1:20). Oh, how we as a culture, as a body, and as individuals need to grasp what Enoch, Moses, and John the Baptist understood so clearly: that God is, and we are not. You see, I believe the problem for most of us is that we are constantly trying to figure out who we are, what we should do, how we should minister, where we should go. Yet the more we think about how we’re doing, where we’re going, or what we’re thinking, and the more we talk about ourselves, make reference to ourselves, or draw attention to ourselves, the more misery we heap upon ourselves.

Do you ever get tired of hearing your own voice, of dealing with your own stuff, of taking your own pulse? I do. That’s because we were created not for self-indulgence or introspection, but solely to give pleasure to God (Revelation 4:11). It is only logical, then, to join Enoch, Moses, and John the Baptist in losing our lives in the wonder of His glory, and in decreasing so that He might increase (John 3:30).

Because Adam sinned, and because the wages of sin is death, everyone in Adam’s family tree ends up the same way: dead. There is, however, one exception. There is one guy who never dies. After walking with God three hundred years, one day the Lord simply snatches, grabs, raptures Enoch.

The wages of sin is still death. But, like Enoch, there will be a people who will not die. Paul put it this way: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). I believe we are the generation who will see the rapture of the Church. But even before that glorious day, you and I can experience rapture in our hearts presently. You see, the Latin word raptus speaks of the physical event that will take place when Jesus comes to call His Church home. But it also speaks of an emotional event that can take place right now.

“I was enraptured by that music,” we say. Or, “The poem she sent me enraptured me.” Is your heart enraptured? Maybe you’ve walked with the Lord for ten years; maybe you’ve been a believer for twenty years; but maybe you haven’t found the Lord to be all that enthralling lately. Instead, maybe you’re discouraged, defeated, or depressed. Maybe you’ve read that happy are the people whose God is the Lord (Psalm 144:15), and the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10), but you’re feeling anything but happy and joyful.

Why is this?

It is because you’re not doing what Enoch did. Look at our text: Enoch pleased God. That is, as he walked with God, Enoch brought pleasure to God. The closer you walk to God today, the more you’ll be enraptured, taken, caught up with Him. The godliest people I know don’t talk about themselves. The happiest people I know are not focused on themselves. The folks I truly admire are not those who live to please themselves. The people who are the most godly and happy, the people who are just a joy to be around are those who live for one reason: to simply walk with and please God. May we be such people.

That Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord does not mean that God showed grace to Noah exclusively. Yes, a flood eventually wiped out everyone else, but not before God gave them one hundred years to repent of their wickedness and receive salvation. Yes, the planet was deluged, but every man had opportunity to hear His message as they observed Noah building the huge barge. But the world refused to grab hold of the good news of salvation, and they drowned in their sin. It wasn’t that God looked at Noah with grace and everyone else with condemnation. God looked at everyone with eyes of grace and mercy. It’s just that Noah found the grace.

The question I want to ask you today is this: What have you found in the eyes of the Lord?

The story is told of the time a London traffic jam prevented C. S. Lewis from arriving at a certain religious symposium on time. The panel, comprised of the world’s most highly esteemed religious thinkers, began without him, their first question being: What is unique about Christianity? Although the Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, and Taoist discussed the question, they could arrive at no conclusive answer. In the midst of their debate, C. S. Lewis burst into the room.

“Dr. Lewis,” said the moderator, “tell us what is unique to Christianity.”

“That’s easy,” Lewis is said to have replied. “It’s grace.”

C. S. Lewis was right. No other religion or philosophy provides unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. Every other religion, every other philosophy says there are things we must do - devotional exercises, good deeds, or righteous acts - to earn blessings from Allah or to gain favor from Buddha. Only biblical Christianity says, “It’s all grace, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”

Noah walked with God because he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Peter was another who, like Noah, looked into the eyes of the Lord. And what he saw therein caused him to weep. What did Peter see in the Lord’s eyes? I believe your answer is a good indication of where you are in your relationship with God. You see, Peter fell asleep when he should have prayed, denied the Lord when questioned by a young maid, and forsook the Lord because he was afraid. Thus, it would be natural to think that it was the look of disappointment in the eyes of the Lord that caused Peter to weep. But such was not the case, for Jesus had already told Peter that Satan sought to sift him like wheat, but that he would eventually make it through, regardless of his failure (Luke 22:31–32). No, Peter didn’t find disappointment or discouragement in the Lord’s eyes. He found the same thing Noah found. He found grace.

The writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). If you want to experience the blessings of God in a world that’s falling apart, if you want to experience the blessings of God no matter your situation, you have the privilege of gazing constantly in the eyes of the Lord. You have an invitation to find grace.

Not coincidentally, I believe, due to its density and strength, gopher wood was used to make coffins. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,” Jesus declared (Matthew 16:24). Salvation begins with death. It begins when we say, “I’m dying to self, Lord. I no longer demand my own way, but rather give myself completely to You.”

The Hebrew word translated “rooms” is literally “nests.” On the good ship salvation, there is an abundance of rooms, where Episcopalians and Presbyterians, Baptists and Lutherans, Catholics and Methodists alike can nest. How careful we must be to allow room, to give our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ space to “work out their own salvation” (see Philippians 2:12). Each of us thinks we see clearly. But Paul reminds us that on this side of eternity, each of us only sees “through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Therefore, we need each other. The ark had plenty of room. So does the Kingdom.

This is the only time in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word kapher is translated “pitch.” In many other passages this word is translated “atonement” - a wonderful word that essentially means “at-one-ment.” Just as the salvation God provided Noah was surrounded by the pitch of atonement, so God provided us “at-one-ment” with Him by sending His Son to die for our sins.

In whatever storm faces you today, be assured, fellow sailor, that there is no safer place to be than in the ark of God’s election and provision, in the hold of His astounding mercy and amazing grace.

Because it was God who shut him in (Genesis 7:16), Noah had no control over the door of the ark. But he did have control over the window. So too, I control how much illumination and understanding I have in life by how much I allow the Word of God to be in my thinking (Psalm 119:105). I can either remain in the dark, or I can gain light and insight by opening up the window of the Word. Sure, sometimes it would be easier to just watch Jeopardy. Sometimes it would be easier to sleep in and skip morning devotions. Sometimes it would be easier not to take the time to study Scripture, but I will walk in light only to the extent that I choose to open the window and allow the light of the Word to flood my soul and renew my thoughts.

There was only one door in the ark. There was no back door, no emergency exit. “Why can’t you just be broad-minded? Why can’t you just say there are many ways to enter into a relationship with God?” people ask us. The reason is because Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father but by Me” (see John 14:6). And I’m real glad about that. You see, if God had five ways to enter into salvation, five ways to be able to make it to Heaven, five ways to cultivate a relationship with Him, Satan would come back with twenty-five counterfeit ways. If God had ten ways, Satan would come back with ten thousand. God says, “I don’t want anyone to choose the wrong door. I’m going to keep it real simple. There’s only one right door.”

Eight souls were to enter the ark. Yes, there would be some bobbing up and down, some noise and confusion, some questions and concerns, but guess what? They would be headed to a fresh start, a new beginning, a new world. And that’s what’s happening with you and me. The reason we have morning devotions, the reason we keep plugging away in Bible study is because we’re saved. And when all is said and done, that’s all that matters. Let’s never lose sight of that. Let’s never get so caught up in the esoteric understanding of Scripture that we miss the underlying base of all things - that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Three-storied, the ark contained 97,000 square feet of space. How big is that? It’s equivalent to 520 boxcars. Would this be enough space to hold all of the animals? Taxonomists tell us that on the earth today there are 3,500 species of mammals; 8,600 species of birds; 5,500 reptiles and amphibians. (Fish obviously weren’t on the ark; and the 25,500 species of worms could fit in the cracks.) Added together, there were 17,600 species of animals. Double that to include male and female, and the figure becomes 35,200. The average size of the 17,600 species of animals on the ark is equivalent to a full-grown sheep. Thirty-five thousand, two hundred sheep would easily fit within only 120 boxcars. Even doubling the number to include species which may have become extinct since Noah’s day would only require 240 boxcars - leaving 280 boxcars worth of space for Noah’s family and food.

“But what about dinosaurs?” you ask. Due to the biblical account in Job 40 and 41, as well as the discovery of fossilized footprints of dinosaurs adjacent to footprints of men, I believe dinosaurs and men lived simultaneously. If that is true, dinosaurs would have to have been on the ark.

Wouldn’t they take up the whole ark? Not if they were babies!

What if Noah hadn’t done all that God commanded him to do? What if he had completed the sides of the ark, but hadn’t put the roof on? If Noah had given it a pretty good shot, but then said, “Oh well, close enough,” then we wouldn’t be here. Noah did all that God commanded him. He finished the ark. As great as Noah’s accomplishment was, however, God’s Word speaks of a far greater accomplishment by another carpenter - the Carpenter from Galilee, Jesus Christ.

Noah held a hammer in his hand.
Jesus absorbed the blows of a hammer upon His hand.

Noah built with wood.
Jesus was pinned to wood.

Noah constructed a door.
Jesus said, “I am the door” (John 10:9).

Noah covered the ark with pitch.
Jesus covers us with His blood.

May God give us the ability to understand and remember that we are of all people most blessed. No matter what’s happening in our lives today, we’re most blessed because we’re saved.

Based on Genesis 5:32, Genesis 6:3, and Genesis 7:6, we know that Noah was 480 years old when he began building the ark, 500 years old when his first son was born, and 600 years old when the flood began. This means that when God instructed Noah to make a place for his sons in the ark, He did so twenty years before Noah’s first son was even born!

Twenty years before his sons were born, God said to Noah, “As the leader of the family, as the patriarch of the clan, as the father, Noah, you are to expect your sons and their wives to be in the ark - the place of salvation - with you and your wife.”

Could this be why blood on the doorposts during Passover spared not only the one who applied it but the entire house (see Exodus 12:13)?

Could this be why the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his house (see Acts 10)?

Could this be what Paul meant when he said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (see Acts 16:31)?

Could this be what the writer of Hebrews referred to when he wrote: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Hebrews 11:7)?

I believe so. Am I suggesting a new doctrine: Dad, get saved and everyone else is included? No, I’m not talking about a doctrine - but about a dynamic. By faith, Noah prepared a place for his family on the ark even before his kids were conceived. So too, open your heart, Dad, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and by faith say, “I am believing my sons and daughters and their spouses and our grandchildren will be on board the good ship salvation.”

Certainly, each man, woman, and child must make his or her own decision regarding salvation - but they do so more easily when they see the reality of faith lived out before them, just as Noah’s family observed him pounding away on the ark day after day.

“There went in two and two unto Noah.” In other words, Noah didn’t have to round up the animals. As He did in the Garden of Eden when He brought the animals to be named by Adam (Genesis 2:19), God brought the animals to Noah. How could the wolf and the pig, the fox and the rabbit come together into the ark? Second Corinthians 5:17 declares that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. So too, somehow in preparation for the new creation which would take place after the flood, the Lord caused the animals to enter the ark by twos and sevens without antagonizing each other. This shouldn’t be that hard to understand, however, since similar miracles occur daily in the animal world . . .

Sitting on ice floes, dressed in identical tuxedoes, millions of emperor penguins are mirror images of each other. And yet, after she lays her egg and dives into the Arctic waters for a three-month eating binge while the father incubates the egg, Mama Penguin is able to pick her husband out of the look-alike crowd upon her return.

From the North Pole, terns fly to Hawaii for the winter. But they leave their young behind because the young aren’t ready to fly. Several months later, having gained enough strength to make the journey, the young terns fly in formation on their own - without a single travel agent or map - straight to their parents in Hawaii.

I can’t explain terns or penguins, but I do know this: God can do whatever He chooses to do with the animal kingdom, just as He can do whatever He chooses to do with you and me if we simply give Him permission to change our beastly behavior.

When it was time for Noah and his family to enter into the ark, Noah went first. He didn’t say, “There’s the ark, kids. Go ahead. I’ll catch up.” No, Noah led the way. He was an example, and that’s the key. Mom and Dad, what you are personally will be communicated to your kids individually, and it will impact them very powerfully.

Think with me. When David was a young man, he killed a giant. The list of David’s “mighty men” in 2 Samuel 23 includes those who also killed giants. This means that, even though most of David’s men didn’t see him kill Goliath, they became giant-killers simply because of their link to David.

Dad, you be a prayer warrior and watch how your kids will be prayer warriors too. You be a witness at work, and watch your kids follow your example at school.

Who we are very definitely affects what our kids become. Therefore, if I am a man who loves the Word, who is devoted to prayer, and who is committed to the Kingdom, my kids will be impacted deeply. Your kids will either be spiritual wimps who get wiped out and are intimidated by the Enemy, or they will be giant-killers who overcome and are successful in the things of God.

Mom and Dad, lead the way in the things of God, and your family will follow.

Now the door is shut, and Noah and his family are sealed in the ark. There’s no way for them to open the door to escape or to change their minds. This speaks to me because the One who said, “I am the door” (John 10:9) lets us know we are likewise secure in our salvation. “You are in My hand,” Jesus declares, “and no man can pluck you out” (see John 10:28).

Do I believe in eternal security? Yes, I do. I am absolutely secure, because the Lord has “shut me in.” You see, it wasn’t Noah who shut the door of the ark, hoping he latched it right and that it would stay shut. God shut the door of the ark - just as He seals our salvation on our journey to Heaven.

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I thought there will be some who won’t make it into Heaven even though they once made a profession of faith.”

That’s also true. And I believe the story that most clearly explains this dichotomy deals with a ship like the ark and a storm like the flood . . .

On a ship bound for Rome, Paul advised the captain to winter in a port due to bad weather. Ignoring Paul’s advice, they sailed on, right into a storm that grew so fierce that the sailors feared for their lives. “Be of good cheer,” Paul said. “There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar: and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:22–24).

When the storm continued, some of the sailors decided to bail out. But just as they were about to leave, Paul said, “Except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved” (Acts 27:31). In other words, “If you choose to go overboard, you’ll be wiped out. You are secure, safe, and sealed only as long as you stay on board.”

Gang, no one can pluck us out of God’s hand - but that doesn’t mean we can’t leave on our own. I’m shut in the good ship salvation because I have no intention of going overboard, of sailing off in another direction. Yes, I sin. But I am determined, and have decided that I will love the Lord all the days of my life. I pray you have too.

Although Noah had heard the voice of the Lord telling him to go into the ark, there is no record of God speaking to Noah while he was on the ark. In fact, he would not hear the voice of God again for a total of 377 days.

Maybe that’s your situation presently. Maybe 377 days ago, the Lord made Himself known to you through a very real revelation of some sort and you said, “Okay, Lord. This is awesome!” And you did what you knew you should do. But now, as you are cooped up and bouncing around on rough seas, you wonder why God isn’t speaking.

Folks, all of us wish God would speak more frequently than He does. But unlike some people, God isn’t a chatterbox. Why doesn’t He speak with greater regularity on specific issues? It’s not because He is callous. It’s not because He doesn’t care. It’s because there’s a bigger issue at stake: “But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:3–5).

Bobbing around on the ark, sometimes there’s nothing to do but learn patience. Then, when I finally settle down, when I finally quit squawking, God says, “Good. Now you’re getting it.” And it is then when I begin to gain some experience.

Looking back over the years, I have discovered that the things I’ve done, the words I’ve said, and the attitudes I’ve held of which I’m ashamed are all directly linked to a loss of hope. I suggest the same is true for you. What you are ashamed of today happened during the times you thought, “What’s the use? Why even bother? Why try so hard to follow the Lord?” That’s precisely why hard times - times when we feel shut up in an ark with no word from God - are vital to our development. They make us patient, which gives us experience, which leads to hope.

What else took place on the seventeenth day of the seventh month? The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Just as the ark rested on the Resurrection Day, so too, our faith rests on the fact of the Resurrection. If Christ is not risen, then we are, as Paul said, most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19). We don’t know what to say to the Taoist, to the Mormon, or to the Buddhist. If Christ did not rise from the dead, we do not know if we’re headed in the right direction. If, on the other hand, He did rise from the dead, He did something no one else in history has every done. The Resurrection is conclusive proof that we are on the right track. Our ship of faith rests on the mountain of the Resurrection.

I visit Israel almost every year. Every time I go, I check the tomb. And guess what? It’s empty.

“That sounds good,” says the scoffer, “but maybe it’s the wrong tomb.”

Believe me, when the word started spreading that Christ had risen, the enemies of Jesus would have searched frantically to make sure that the empty tomb was not a case of mistaken identity. You see, the leaders of Judaism desperately desired to see Christianity wiped out. All they would have had to do would be to say to the Christians, “Here’s the body of this One who claimed to be the exclusive way to Heaven. Here’s proof He couldn’t validate His claim.” But they didn’t.

“Well, maybe the disciples stole His body to perpetuate the myth of a resurrected Jesus,” claims the cynic.

Peter was crucified upside down. Thomas was speared in the back. James was sawn in half. Matthew’s brains were beaten out with a club. With the exception of John - who was banished to the isle of Patmos after an unsuccessful attempt to boil him in oil - each of the disciples died a torturous death. To believe that eleven men would have allowed their wives and children to be martyred, and their own bodies slaughtered to propagate what they knew to be a lie requires an incredible leap of faith.

“It was the Romans who took the body,” declares the doubter.

Christianity was such a threat to the Roman Empire that they launched ten waves of persecution in which sixty million Christians were killed. Indeed, Christianity would eventually cause the Empire to split in two - East and West - and ultimately fall. Certainly the Romans didn’t have the body, for producing it would have saved their Empire.

“No one stole the body because Jesus didn’t really die,” muses the mocker. “One of the disciples put some drugs in the vinegar that was lifted up to Jesus as He hung on the Cross, which caused Him to go into a coma. After the cool air of the tomb revived Him, it appeared as though He had resurrected.”

The scourging Jesus suffered before His crucifixion was in itself enough to kill a man. Jesus went on, however, to endure spikes through His hands and feet and a spear thrust into His side. Then He was put in a tomb for three days without food, water, or medical attention. To suggest He then stood up, single-handedly rolled away a two-ton stone, and took on the Roman soldiers guarding His tomb requires infinitely more faith than I could possibly muster.

He who studies the Resurrection honestly and intellectually must finally rest on the mountain of evidence that says, “He is risen. He is risen, indeed!”

The act of the Resurrection impacts my entire understanding of spirituality and Christianity. Paul put it this way: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The Resurrection means that Christ lives in you. It’s not imitation - trying to be a “good little Christian boy or girl.” It’s impartation . . .

As a high school discus thrower, I constantly watched a film loop of the world record throw of four-time Olympian Al Oerter. Over and over, I’d watch him drive his hip, thrust his shoulder, cock his arm, steady his grip, and make the toss. Then I’d go out to the rink and I’d try to do it all, just like Al. But although I knew exactly what to do, did I ever do it like he did? I didn’t even come close.

And that’s the problem with religion and philosophy. They tell you what to do, but fail to give you the power to do it. Not so with Christianity. If Al Oerter could have squeezed into my body and thrown the discus through me, I could have set world records just like he did. So too, because Jesus is risen, His Spirit lives in me. It’s not a matter of me trying to figure out what to do, reading certain books, going to certain seminars, or listening to certain tapes. It’s a matter of Him living in me, giving me the power to do what the Word tells me to do.

In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on a mountain named Ararat, the ark came to rest. The seventh month would become the first month in the Hebrew religious calendar to mark when the Jews were delivered from their Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:1–5). And it was on the fourteenth day of the first month - Passover - that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was nailed to a Cross.

The ark rested on the seventeenth day - three days after Passover. What took place three days after Jesus was crucified? He rose again. “Because I live, you shall live also,” declared Jesus. “It’s a pact I’m making with you.” If Christ had not risen, we would have no hope of eternal life ourselves. But because He lives, we shall rise as well.

Jesus is risen, and He is returning. And while that gives me great peace, it also stirs me. You see, Peter tells us that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, we will receive a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). The events in the Middle East indicate to me that Jesus’ coming is very near. And even if it’s not as soon as I think it’s going to be, life goes by oh, so rapidly. Very soon I’m going to face Jesus personally. I will stand before the Chief Shepherd to give an account for what I did with all that He so graciously gave me. So will you.

God has given you money, talent, time, ability, freedom, health, opportunity, and calling. He’s given you vision, direction, and instruction. And, because He lives within you, He’s given you power. One day, you will give an account of what you did with the graces and gifts He has given you.

“I hear what you’re saying,” you might be thinking, “but I’m still young. As soon as I get married, I’ll serve Jesus.”

So you get married, and then not too much later, you hear yourself saying, “We’re really serious about serving Jesus. But right now, we’ve got a home to build and diapers to change. When our kids are in elementary school, then we’ll get busy and serve the Lord.”

But with elementary school comes Cub Scouts, piano lessons, and Little League. And church gets shoved down further because, after all, who’s going to cheer junior on if you’re not there? So he misses Sunday school because he’s learning to hit a curve ball!

Then you say, “As soon as our kids are out of the house, we’re really going to get serious about serving God.”

But then a funny thing happens. I have discovered that right about the time the kids leave is the time people start to remodel their houses.

Gang, there will never be a day easier than this one for you to say, “I will seek first the Kingdom.”

Most of us need pictures and stories to understand theology. I know I do. The text before us provides just such a picture, for it pointedly and powerfully portrays what it means to be empowered by the Spirit . . .

The first animal to leave the ark was a raven - a black bird that goes “to and fro” eating the carcasses of dead animals.

When Satan came before the Lord one day in Heaven, the Lord said, “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been going to and fro,” said Satan, cruising around just like the raven (see Job 1:6–7).

Peter tells us Satan is always on the lookout for those whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But the good news is that, as the raven circled, Noah released a dove, which throughout Scripture, speaks of the Holy Spirit.

Why?

The dove is the purest of all birds, for not only is it white in color, but it secretes more dirt-repelling oil on its feathers than any other flying bird. The dove is also sensitive because it is one of the few animals that mates for life. Finally, the dove is a symbol of peace because, unlike vultures or buzzards, doves vacate places of frenzy or fighting.

As Noah saw the dove circling overhead, he could have said, “If the dove wants to land on me, he can. I’m open.” But that’s not what he did. Noah extended his hand, grabbed the dove, and brought it in.

So often, with regard to the power and presence of the Spirit, people say, “If the Holy Spirit wants to bless me and empower me, I’m open.” But that kind of passivity will never bring the potency of the Spirit in the greatest possible degree. If you want to be empowered by the Spirit, you cannot be passive about the work of the Spirit any more than you were passive about the work of salvation.

This is where so many people err. You see, God is looking for those who will partner with Him, and not just be passive about Him. Noah didn’t simply fold his arms and watch. He stretched forth his hand and reached.

“Noah, what are you doing?” the world would say. “There’s a whole planet to repopulate, and you’re burning up limited, valuable resources. It’s a waste, Noah. Be practical.”

Whenever I find myself thinking this, I realize I’m in very bad company.

A woman poured an alabaster box full of perfume upon Jesus. “Wait a minute,” said Judas. “That’s a waste of resources. The poor could be helped with that money.”

“What she has done, she has done unto Me,” said Jesus (see Matthew 26:12).

And in this I begin to understand that God values worship more than work.

“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve,” declared Jesus (Matthew 4:10). Did you notice the order? Worship comes first, service second. You might not be a missionary to Africa, an evangelist in a big stadium, or a singer on the radio, but every person can do that which most blesses God, for the highest priority of ministry is not work, but worship.

Worship is the highest, most precious ministry you will ever perform.

Worship will bless you the most, and honor God in the greatest way.

Worship will “altar” your life - it will change who you are.

Even though the external flood couldn’t deal with the internal depravity of man, the fragrance of Noah’s sacrifice - a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord - overpowered the stench of sin. A burnt offering was made, and that made all the difference.

Every Old Testament sacrifice points to Jesus Christ - the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God slaughtered on the Cross for the sin of the world. It’s the fragrance of the work of Christ that overrides the stench of my depravity. The flood didn’t clean up the culture. The flood didn’t solve the problem. No, it was the sacrifice that caused God to say, “Neither will I again smite every living thing” (Genesis 8:21).

You might feel terrible. You might feel like you’ve blown it badly. But even now you can worship God, and He will smell a sweet savor. He knows our imaginations are evil continually, yet He still finds sacrifice sweet. God doesn’t command you to worship Him today, but some of you will. He won’t command you to worship Him tomorrow, but some of you will. And in so doing, you’ll bless Him.

God blessed Noah, for in building an altar, Noah had blessed God. So too, if you choose to bless the Lord by sacrificing to Him, like Noah, you will be blessed, for God will be a debtor to no man. You will always get back more than you give.

Noah, here, is essentially told to start over. Even as God had initially told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, Noah and his sons and their wives are hearing the same command. This time, however, earth is not paradise, but neither is it perdition. Due to man’s perpetual propensity toward sin, our planet is not what it was in Adam’s day, but neither is it as bad as it could have been.

I say this to remind you that although you may not think your life is going great, it’s going a whole lot better than you deserve. We deserve to be frying in hell. God is so good to us. Anything we have, everything we enjoy is due to His mercy and kindness. We’re headed for Heaven, where all things are right and perfect. Yet even in the meantime, we have so much today for which to be thankful.

How could this be? After all, Noah was the one who preached for one hundred years to the whole world. Noah was the one who built the ark, and who didn’t complain when he was sealed for 377 days within a floating zoo. Noah was the one who built an altar, who blessed God, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

When he was going through challenging times, difficult days, and thundering storms, Noah walked with God. But when things became normal, he became vulnerable. And the same is true with us. It’s when everything is going well, when our vines are growing, when our jobs are going fine, when life is on “automatic pilot” that we are in danger. No longer are we on guard, no longer are we dependent upon the Lord or desperately crying out to Him.

It’s when things are going well that we must be especially careful. When the storms are brewing and when trials are coming, we have a tendency to pray and seek the Lord. But when things are on “automatic pilot,” we, like Noah, often fall into trouble.

Ham saw his father’s nakedness. That’s always the way it is, for whether it’s regarding our birth family or our church family, those closest to us are those who will see our weaknesses. Why Ham talked about his father’s nakedness, I do not know, just as I don’t know why we are so eager to talk about one another’s weaknesses. But this I do know: Shem and Japheth wouldn’t look at their father’s nakedness themselves. Why did they stretch a garment between them? Because they didn’t want anyone outside the tent to look in and see their dad’s nakedness. They didn’t want those outside of the tent to be distracted by their father’s condition.

Folks, people are looking for reasons not to believe our message of hope and salvation. And hearing us talk about each other’s weaknesses gives them reason not to come in and join us.

But not only did Shem and Japheth keep others from viewing their father’s nakedness, they did not look upon it themselves.

Why?

Because even though I know someone may be forgiven, and even though I know sin is common to everyone, looking at someone’s sin or listening to reports of someone’s iniquity taints the way I view him in the future. You see, if you come home from work upset with your boss and you start complaining and exposing his mistakes and weaknesses to your wife, although you end up feeling much better, your wife stores that information away. And the next time she sees your boss, there are daggers in her eyes, and you wonder why she no longer wants to go to the company picnic. So too, if I listen to reports of the sin or iniquity of another, it will taint the way I view that person. Malicious exposure is damaging, destructive, and divisive.

Shouldn’t we talk about problems? If it’s your problem, yes. But if it’s someone else’s problem, someone else’s sin, someone else’s weakness, nakedness, or vulnerability, follow Shem and Japheth’s example: walk in backwards and conceal it from others. Not only will this protect the one who sins, but it will protect you as well, for the person who talks to you about someone else will invariably also talk to someone else about you.

How do I know this?

Because Paul warns, “Take heed that you do not bite and devour one another because you will be consumed one of another." Paul summarizes this by saying, “the entire law is fulfilled in the one word: love” (see Galatians 5:14–15).

When Noah awoke from his drunken state, he knew what Ham had done and cursed Ham’s son. No doubt Ham thought, “I’ve got big shoulders. I can handle the repercussions of my sin.” Unbeknownst to him, however, was the fact that the repercussions didn’t fall on him. They fell upon his son. How bad were the repercussions? The Canaanites were the worst culture in the history of the world. Totally immoral and completely perverted, they were eventually annihilated.

Dad and Mom, if we sin, we must not think we alone will pay the price. Sin doesn’t work that way. The consequences will often come in ways that will break your heart as they relate to your family. The children of parents who expose the weaknesses of bosses and neighbors, of sisters and brothers; the children of parents who are dour and sour and critical grow up unmotivated to go to church, bitter about the things of God, and uninterested in the Bible.

So what are we to do?

We are to say, “I’ve been forgiven of so much that I will not talk about the weakness of my boss, my neighbor, my pastor, the person sitting next to me, my friends, or my enemies. I will not speak or listen to negativity.” Every one of us will fail at some point or another. But if you choose today to be like Shem and Japheth - to cover the nakedness of others - you will likewise be covered when you fail.

Man builds with brick. But because brick is man-made, it cracks and chips easily. That’s why God uses stone.

The massive stones used for the Temple were cut to size in a rock quarry a mile away from the Temple site so that when the stones arrived at the building site, the Bible says the sound of neither hammer nor chisel was heard (1 Kings 6:7). How close did the stones fit? So close that not even a knife could fit between them. There was no need for cement or mortar, for the stones fit perfectly.

God still uses stones to build His Temple. We are living stones being fit together for a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). This means the world is the rock quarry wherein the chipping takes place so that when we get to the true Temple in Heaven, there will not be the sound of a hammer or chisel heard.

Therefore, we should not be surprised when the living stone we’re sitting next to or married to rubs us the wrong way. It’s all part of God’s plan to knock off our rough edges so that when we get to Heaven, we’ll fit together perfectly.

No matter how hard they tried, no matter how sincere their attempts might have been, people could no longer communicate. So they separated into language groups and began to form their own cultures. The good news, however, is that the necessary curse of Genesis 11 was reversed in Acts 2 when one hundred twenty believers in an upper room began to praise God in languages they had never learned, causing the people from Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Egypt, Arabia, Galatia, and from all parts of the world on the streets below to hear the Gospel in their own language.

And now I begin to understand that the only way for people to truly communicate cross-culturally is to be focused on the Cross of Christ and to be empowered by His Spirit, for apart from Christ, all of our efforts at unity are nothing more than slime and chipped brick. Without Christ, we can try to build a foundation of unity; we can have all kinds of rallies and seminars and marches, but there will be no unity apart from the power and person of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. It is only in Christ that there is neither male nor female, bond nor free, Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28). It is only in Jesus that division is obliterated.

God said to Abram, “I’m going to give you a name, make you a nation, and protect you. Those who bless you will be blessed; those who curse you will be cursed.” In other words, you’re going to have primacy, identity, and security.

I find this intriguing because those were the three things man had wanted so desperately at Babel (Genesis 11:4). “Let us build a tower,” said man, “whose top may reach unto heaven (primacy); and let us make us a name (identity), lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (security).

The same is still true. We want something meaningful to do in life - primacy. Or we want to discover who we are - identity. Or we need security relationally or financially. Jesus said, “If you seek first the Kingdom, all these things will be added to you” (see Matthew 6:33).

Abram was fifty years old when he initially heard God’s call. But he didn’t leave Haran until he was seventy-five. Obviously, Abram faltered in his obedience. But guess what? God didn’t give up on Abram. Rather He waited for Abram.

“Lord, why aren’t You directing me?” we cry.

“I already did,” He answers. “Twenty-five years ago, I told you what to do. And I won’t give you more to do until you do what I’ve already told you.”

Many people are confused about God’s will because, like Abram, they’ve delayed doing what He has already asked of them. It might concern intercessory prayer, witnessing, or Bible study. I encourage people to keep journals - to write down things God lays upon their hearts because so often we ask, “What’s going on?” when, if we would just look back at what God had told us previously, we could see the problem.

God wasn’t mad at Abram - and He’s not mad at you. When your kids take their first steps, you don’t yell at them when they fall down. You celebrate their steps rather than berate their stumbling. God is the same way. He knows this is how we learn to walk by faith. Take hope, stumbling saint, Abram was in a twenty-five-year slump, and God didn’t give up on him. God gives us a second chance, and a third, and a ninety-ninth. His mercy is new every morning. His grace is limitless.

When the astronauts went to the moon, they planted a flag. So too, upon entering the Promised Land, Abram leaves a mark. As we will see, wherever Abram goes he leaves two marks: he builds an altar, which shows he’s a worshiper; and he pitches a tent, which shows he’s a pilgrim. Abram never builds a house. Why? Because “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). He realized that what he really craved was Heaven.

Abram - the father of faith, the friend of God - shows us the real way to live. Wherever you go, build the altar of worship. It will alter who you are, how you feel, and the way you think. Wherever you go, go with a “tent” mentality. We may think we’re looking for a ranch in the country or a house on the lake, a ski boat or a ski cabin, a dream car or a dream date. But what we’re really craving is Heaven. No other city has foundations. Everything else is shaky and wobbly.

Abram pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Hai on the east. Bethel means “house of God.” Hai means “heap” or “dump.” Therefore, Abram had the house of God ahead of him and a dump behind him. That’s basically where you and I live. With Heaven before us, and the world behind us, we’re camped out in the middle, waiting for the culmination.

Throughout Scripture, whenever people go to Egypt, they always go “down to Egypt” because Egypt is a type or symbol of the world. Abram was doing well, but now he falls again because he didn’t remain in the land God showed him. A famine made him think he had to take matters into his own hands - always a dangerous thing to do.

Here’s the father of faith faltering in the arena of faith because man always struggles and stumbles in his area of strength . . .

Righteous Noah fell when he got drunk in his tent (Genesis 9:21).

Moses, the meekest man on the face of the earth, struck his rod against a rock and said, “You rebels, must we fetch water for you?” (see Numbers 20:10).

Unsheathing his sword, Peter was ready to take on a whole army in order to defend Jesus in Gethsemane. Yet, only hours later, he faltered when a young girl asked him, “Aren’t you one of His?” (see Mark 14:67).

The area in which you think you’re strongest is the area you’ll be most vulnerable because you’ll depend on your own strength. At the point you say, “That’s not a problem for me; I’ll never fall there,” watch out because that’s the very area in which you’ll experience difficulty. Where you know you’re weak, you rely on God. So consider yourself weak in all areas, and instead, rely solely on His strength.

There is no record of Abram pitching a tent or building an altar in Egypt. Here, however, we see him return to the place where he had pitched his tent; we see him going to the altar once more.

When you find yourself in Egypt, when you know things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be, what do you do? To the Church of Ephesus - a group of believers who had strayed from their passion for Him - Jesus said, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works . . .” (Revelation 2:5).

Maybe your relationship with the Lord was great five years ago. Maybe things were really happening spiritually four months ago. Jesus’ word to you is the same as it was to the Church of Ephesus. Remember, repent, and repeat: go back and do what you used to do. Perhaps you were enjoying a season of morning devotions. Maybe you were attending mid-week worship services. Maybe you were memorizing Scripture or aggressively sharing your faith. What were you doing when you were on fire, when things were really cooking? Do it again.

Notice how Abram emerged from Egypt a wiser man, for here he shows directness. That is, he goes to Lot and deals with the issue directly. “There’s strife between our herdsmen,” he says, “and the heathen are watching us fighting. It ought not be.” Such is often the case today. Christians fight and bicker while the world watches and wonders. It ought not be.

Notice also Abram’s deference. He doesn’t place blame on Lot. He says, “Let there be no strife between me and thee, between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen.” While he will assume the secondary position when it comes to choosing the land, Abram assumes the primary position when it comes to shouldering responsibility for the problem.

Notice finally Abram’s discernment when he says, “We be brethren.” In other words, “There is more that unites us than divides us. Sure, there are some complications with the cattle and some hassles with the herdsmen, but we’re brothers.”

How we need to realize the truth of this within the Christian community, in our country, and around the world. Because we all embrace the person and work of our Lord Jesus, there is more that unites us than could possibly divide us. If there’s a “Lot” in your life who is causing a lot of problems, follow Abram’s example, and see how peace will follow you.

Contrast the wisdom of Abram with the worldliness of Lot. First, Lot was weak in devotion, for we never read of him building an altar. Like Lot, you may possess a “tent mentality,” knowing you’re headed for Heaven. You may even have a ministry, with herds to tend. But if you’re not an altar builder, you’ll be weak in devotion, which will lead to real problems.

Second, Lot was worldly in desires. He lifted up his eyes, but not high enough. He didn’t lift his eyes to Heaven and say, “Lord, show me the best place for me and my family.” Instead, he lifted up his eyes only high enough to check out the financial possibilities and the greenest pastures. Lot saw a good place to raise cattle, but failed to see that it would be a lousy place to raise kids because he fixed his gaze short of Heaven.

Third, Lot was wrong in decision, as seen in the series of wrong decisions he made based on his own reasoning . . .

In verse 10, he looked toward Sodom.

In verse 12, he pitched his tent toward Sodom.

In chapter 19, he became a leader in Sodom.

Lot left Ur, but he became entrenched in Sodom. A lot of people are like that. They say yes to Heaven, but they never say no to the world. And, like Lot, they end up in a terrible predicament.

From cover to cover, the Bible calls us to set our hearts on things above and not on things of this world (Colossians 3:2). Jesus put it this way: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

How do we practically seek first the Kingdom and set our hearts on Heaven? Jesus told us when He said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). If your treasure is on earth, that’s where your heart will be. So God in His wisdom, kindness, and love for you and me says, “Lay up your treasure in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves don’t break in and steal. Put your treasure in Heaven because, in so doing, your heart will follow” (see Matthew 6:19–21).

If your treasure is in your house, your retirement account, or your Mercedes, that’s where your heart will be. Knowing this, the Lord demands that the first tenth of whatever we make on any given day or in any given week be given to Him in order that our hearts will be set on our Heavenly destination.

Jesus talked more about money than He did about Heaven. He talked more about money than He did about hell. In fact, He talked more about money than He did about Heaven and hell combined. Why? Because He knows it’s a huge issue for you and me, and that it speaks of larger principles. One of the things Jesus said about money was this: “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon [money] of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations” (Luke 16:9).

In other words, the money you have “made friends of,” that you have used rightly, will greet you when you die. Now, the old adage is true: You can’t take it with you. But you can send it ahead. And what you send ahead - through the tithe that God demands, and through the offering which He deserves - will meet you there.

“But I don’t make much money, so there won’t be much to greet me,” you say. Consider this: When Jesus saw a widow giving two mites - less than a penny - He told His disciples that she had given more than they who, out of their abundance, had given much, because she gave all that she had (Mark 12:41–44). Jesus acknowledged just two mites, given by a woman who will receive a “mite-y” big welcome in Heaven!

In Malachi, we see three promises God makes to those who tithe . . .

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. - Malachi 3:10

“I will reward your faith.” Immediately after lending Jesus his fishing boat for use as a floating podium to teach the multitude on the shore, Peter caught so many fish that his net broke (Luke 5:2–7). The little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus was himself filled, along with the rest of the five thousand (John 6:9–12). So too, if you’ve ever given anything to God, you know from experience that it’s impossible to out-give Him.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. - Malachi 3:11

“I will rebuke your foe.” Some people are perpetually plagued with problems. The money they make goes through their pockets; the labor of their hands never comes to fruition. It is especially to them that God says, “If you tithe, I will rebuke the world’s hold on you, which devours your happiness and eats away at your possessions.”

And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. - Malachi 3:12

“I will renew your fruit. Put your trust in Me, and I will make you a fruitful land,” declares the Lord. He who tithes will experience renewal and revival.

I would rather teach on any other subject. But the Bible has much to say about tithing because it shows where a person’s heart is. Therefore, I would be shirking my responsibility to declare to you “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) if I were to ignore it. The tithe is the Lord’s. It’s not yours. Whether it’s ten cents or ten thousand dollars, the first tenth is the Lord’s and is to be brought into the storehouse - the place where the Word is proclaimed and worship ascends.

Heaven is right around the bend, gang. And I don’t want a single one of us to regret the stuff we’ve accumulated with God’s tithe or the ways we’ve indulged ourselves with His offerings.

Maybe you have been robbing God (Malachi 3:8). Maybe you have been wasting your time and treasure and talents. The good news is: It’s not too late! Today you can say, “As I race toward Heaven, I understand the wisdom of God’s way, the rightness of His Word. Therefore, I am going to give Him the tithe. And I am going to see, even as He asked me, what He will do in blessing, in rebuking, and in renewing.”

Precious people, you’ll be blessed all of your days if you go God’s way. Begin today, then watch and see what He will do.

That God said, “Fear not” to Abram indicates Abram was fearful. This is not surprising. After his spiritual victory in resisting the material temptation of the riches offered him by the king of Sodom, as well as his military victory in rescuing Lot, Abram hit an emotional slump. This happens. Challenge often follows victory. Think of Jesus. When He was baptized in the Jordan, He heard a voice from Heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and empowered Him for ministry (Matthew 3:16–17). It was a great day. But immediately following this, He was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan, to wrestle against the Enemy for forty days (Matthew 4). Therefore, don’t be surprised if after you experience victory spiritually, like Abram you face a time of discouragement emotionally.

“Fear not.” This is the first time this glorious command appears in Scripture. But it is certainly not the last . . .

“Fear not,” the angel said to a bunch of frightened shepherds (Luke 2:10).

“Fear not,” Jesus said to a crew of seasick disciples (see Mark 4:40).

“Fear not,” the angel said to a disheartened Paul (Acts 27:24).

“Fear not, little flock,” Jesus says to us (Luke 12:32).

Perhaps it suddenly hit Abram that he and his rag-tag army of servants had made enemies of four powerful kings with four huge armies. “I am your shield,” God told him. “Yes, you came home empty-handed materially, but I am your reward.”

In this, I am reminded that what every person ultimately desires is not something from the Lord, but simply more of the Lord.

“I’m not going to show you the way,” Jesus declared, “I am the Way” (see John 14:6).

“I’m not going to give you bread; I am the Bread” (see John 6:35).

“I’m not going to share with you truth; I am the truth” (see John 14:6).

Those who come to the Lord not looking for something from Him, but simply to cling to Him, find all kinds of blessings in all sorts of areas they never expected. Are you disappointed with God because you asked Him for something you have yet to receive? Maybe it’s because you’re looking for some thing. God loves you too much to toss a boxed little package your way. The issue is bigger; and He wants you to discover today that He will satisfy your need, He will be your reward.

With his naked eye, Abram would have been able to see at most twelve hundred stars. “I’m going to have a family of twelve hundred?” Abram must have thought. But wait. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Abram could see approximately twelve hundred stars. But how many stars are there? Far beyond anything Abram could even begin to ask for or imagine in his wildest dreams.

How many stars are there? Scientists tell us that there are as many stars in the sky as there are grains of sand on the seashores of the world. This should not surprise the student of Scripture, for God made the same correlation when He told Abram that his family would number as the stars and as the sand on the shores (Genesis 22:17).

According to the psalmist, the only other thing as innumerable as the grains of sand are the thoughts of God toward us (Psalm 139:17–18). This fascinates me because the Pentium computer chips made of silicon (sand) perform one trillion calculations per second. Clear back in antiquity, God measured His thoughts with the substance that would come to epitomize our own computer age.

Like the one who said, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief” (Mark 9:24), Abram says, “I believe, but how will I know the land is mine?”

I would think that at this point, the Lord would tire of Abram. I mean, God had told him He would be his reward, only to have Abram ask what He would give him. The Lord promised Abram a grand family and a glorious land, only to have Abram ask for proof.

In answer to Abram’s request for proof that God would give him an inheritance, God instructs Abram to draw up the equivalent of a modern-day contract. You see, in Abram’s day, when two people entered into a legal agreement, they did so by splitting an animal in two, standing in the midst of the carcass, and clasping each other’s wrist to show that they were deadly serious about keeping their end of the bargain.

If I were God, I’d say, “So long, Abram.” But that’s not what our Father does, and I’m oh, so glad. If God continues to be patient with the struggles and doubts of Abram, one of the giants of the faith who should know better, I know He’ll be patient with me.

Throughout Scripture, birds almost always symbolize evil. The picture here is that while Abram waited for God to meet him, he did his best to keep evil at bay, shooing away the birds of doubt and unbelief. Exhausted by his own efforts, Abram fell asleep. As he slept, God told Abram that, although He would indeed give Abram’s descendants a grand and glorious land, they would first spend four hundred years as slaves in a foreign land, which, of course, was Egypt.

“The Amorites” - a generic term for all of the people living in the land of Canaan - refers to a culture so diseased, defiled, and depraved that it was doomed. Nonetheless, God gave them four hundred years - the period in which the Jews were held captive in Egypt - to repent.

While it may be popular to construct the false image of an angry Old Testament God who needed Jesus to come and calm Him down, nothing could be further from the truth. God waited four hundred years for the Amorites to turn to Him. It would take four centuries before their iniquity demanded that He order their extermination at the hand of Joshua.

The patience of God is incomprehensible. Because God is love, no wonder that the first attribute in Paul’s classic definition of love is patience (1 Corinthians 13:4). God was patient with Abram. He was patient with the Canaanites. And He will be patient with you. If you really grasp this, rather than taking advantage of it, His patience will make you long to please Him all the more.

When Abram awoke, he saw that the meat on either side of him was barbecued. God had been there, not meeting Abram halfway as was the custom, but walking the entire length alone.

This is still the way of God. Oh, we try and chase away the birds of evil which threaten our families and our country. We hold rallies and sign pledges; we make vows and make promises. But, because “in our flesh dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18), like Abram, we eventually become exhausted in trying.

Although numbering over one million in attendance, a Promise Keepers rally in Washington, D.C., was not the biggest Promise Keepers convention in history. One three times as big took place at the foot of Mount Sinai, when three million people heard the voice of God and witnessed a divine pyrotechnic display that so impressed them, they said, “All the words which the LORD hath said, we will do” (Exodus 24:3). Those in attendance at that first Promise Keepers convention weren’t playing a game. They were sincere. They truly meant to keep the Ten Commandments. After all, they had heard God speak and had seen a mountain quake. But when Moses came down the mountain forty days later, he found them worshiping a golden calf.

Times don’t change. People with sincere hearts say, “We will keep our promises.” The problem with signing contracts, making vows, and keeping promises, however, is that people fail to factor into the equation a huge component: the flesh.

God’s aware of this, gang. That’s why He says, “I will wait until you’re as tired as Abram was. Then I’ll come through on My own. I don’t want you to sign a contract or make a promise. I know what you’re made of. I know your frailty. So I’m not going to meet you halfway. I’m going to do the whole thing.”

The promise had been given. God said to Abram, “You’re going to have a family as numerous as the stars in the heavens.” But time passes, and guess what? Abram starts wondering. Abram is now eighty-six, Sarai seventy-six, and they think, “This is not working.”

Always remember this, saint: When God gives a promise, there is often a gap of time between the giving of the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. In Abram’s case, there was a thirteen-year gap.

Maybe you’ve been waiting on God for the fulfillment of a certain promise. Is His delay due to procrastination on His part? No. Is it due to preoccupation? Is He just too busy? No. God’s delay is due to preparation; He is preparing you in the arena of faith. You see, the gaps between God’s promise and its fulfillment provide opportunities for our muscle of faith to be exercised. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, if there is no struggle, faith never soars.

This is the first time the phrase, “the angel of the LORD,” appears in Scripture. The word translated as “angel” means “messenger.” Throughout Scripture, angels adamantly refuse to be worshiped. Thus, because this angel of the Lord receives worship, we know He is no ordinary angel. Here, the “angel of the LORD” refers to the second person of the Trinity - Jesus Christ.

How like Jesus to appear not to a man, but to a woman; not to one who sought faith, but to one who was running from the family of faith. After all, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who left the ninety-nine to find the single sheep who had gone astray.

So too, the person who is in the greatest need, the person who feels he’s blown it the worst is the very one in whom the Lord is most interested. It would seem more logical to stay with the ninety-nine. But that’s not the heart of our Shepherd. He goes after the one. He goes after Hagar. He goes after you.

Keep in mind that there are great gaps and spans of time between these appearances of the Lord to Abram. This intrigues me. Abraham is called the friend of God (James 2:23). Why then would God wait fifteen years between conversations? Perhaps you’re wondering the same thing with regard to your own situation. “Why don’t I hear more frequently from the Lord? Why do I go through weeks or months or years when I don’t seem to hear direct words from Him in my spiritual ears?” Keep in mind that Abraham was not only called the friend of God, but he is also referred to as the father of faith (Romans 4:11). Here, God is making a man of faith out of Abram - and he’s making a man or woman of faith out of you. Faith means we walk not by what we see physically, hear audibly, or know intellectually. Faith means we hang on to what God had said previously. We just hang on.

Think back for a moment to a time in the not too distant past when you thought, “This will never work. Everything’s going wrong. I’ll never make it.” Yet, here you are today. Why did God allow those things to happen in that way? To teach you to be a man or woman of faith, to teach you to quietly and confidently believe that God is on the throne, that He is in control, and that all things work together for good.

The heat of the day in Scripture is often a picture of the hard times that come our way. So often in my walk, I’ve seen the Lord in a fresh way in the heat of the day, in fiery trials. You have too. This is not surprising. After all, it was when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were cast into a fiery furnace that they saw the Lord (Daniel 3:25). Consequently, when I hear about believers who are going through fiery trials and hot times, on one hand my heart goes out to them. But on the other hand, in a sense, I’m envious of them because I know the Lord will make Himself known to them in a special way in the heat of the day.

Is anything too hard for the Lord? We have a tendency to think of God’s ability in relation to degrees of difficulty.

If someone comes to me and says, “I’m struggling with a headache. Would you pray for me?” I say, “Sure.” “Bless Bob, Lord. Take away the tension and allow him to experience a healing touch from Your hand.”

But if someone comes to me saying, “I just came back from the doctor’s office and he told me I have a malignant tumor. Would you pray for me?” I act as if it’s a whole different deal! “Pastors, brothers, gather round,” I say. And I fervently plead with the Lord as though cancer is harder for Him to heal than a headache.

Oh, there’s nothing wrong with praying passionately, but not because there are degrees of difficulty or because we need to get God’s attention emotionally. The prophets of Baal slashed their bodies and cried loudly to get his attention, all to no avail. Elijah, on the other hand, simply prayed two sentences, and through them moved the hand of God (1 Kings 18).

The Lord would give Abraham information and revelation not based upon the accumulation of his knowledge, but upon the communication to his family. “I will give Abraham understanding of what I’m about to do,” said the Lord, “because I know he is a man who will teach his children.”

The same is true today. The revelation God wants to give us concerning what He’s doing, how He’s moving, or where He’s going is not based upon our journal entries or our Bible study notes. It’s based upon whether or not we will share what He tells us with our children.

People often say to me, “If I could go back and do it all over again, I would not go into the profession I’m in presently. I would go into the ministry.” While I have found the ministry to be absolutely delightful and a wonderful calling, the fact is if you have children or grandchildren, you are in the ministry. No clerical collar or pulpit compares to gathering your family around you, giving a simple Bible lesson, singing songs, sharing with each other, and praying together. That is the ministry. And anyone who takes seriously this call will, like Abraham, receive fresh revelation. I know this to be so, for the most wonderful insights and sweetest revelations of God to my heart have not come as I have prepared sermons, but as I have simply shared in worship with my family.

Although three men had appeared to Abraham in chapter 18, only two go to Sodom because the Lord Himself does not enter into the city. Why? Psalm 66 tells us that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us. That is, if I am purposely, rebelliously, intentionally, and arrogantly holding on to sin, when I pray, the Lord won’t hear my prayer; He’ll not come into my city; He’ll not enter into my situation.

You see, even though the sin to which I so stubbornly cling was paid for completely on the Cross of Calvary, the Lord loves me so much, He says, “I love you too much to let you go on your merry way, day after day, as though there’s nothing wrong. If I did that, you would continue in that sin, and that sin would destroy you. Consequently, you won’t feel My hand. You won’t sense My presence, not because I’m not with you - for I will never leave you nor forsake you - but because your spirit senses something is not quite right.”

When I feel as though my prayers bounce off the ceiling, it’s not because the Lord is angry with me or mad at me, disappointed in me or turning away from me. Rather, it’s an indication He’s lovingly given, to show me that something’s not right.

The angels went into Sodom, but the Lord did not.

“Wilt Thou destroy the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham asked the Lord (18:23). The answer, as illustrated here, is “No.” Before judgment could be poured out upon Sodom, before fire and brimstone would come down to destroy Gomorrah, God rescued Lot and those of his house. He rescued the righteous.

Lot righteous? A guy who calls perverted people his brothers? A guy who offers his daughters to a homosexual mob? A guy who lingers when angels tell him to leave? Lot righteous?

Yes. That is what Peter calls him (2 Peter 2:7). How can Lot possibly be considered righteous? It is because righteousness is imputed solely on the basis of simple faith. I am righteous and so are you if you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and have believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9–10).

I love this chapter because there are a lot of people I care about deeply who, like Lot, made a profession of faith but ended up in Sodom, not living the way they know they should. If you’re worried about a friend or a family member, take hope. While we don’t want anyone to follow Lot’s example because sin brings all kinds of pain and problems presently, as well as empty-handedness eternally, know this: If that son of yours confesses with his mouth that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and believes in his heart that God has raised Him from the dead, he will be saved.

The Lord communicated through this powerful picture, “I’m going to rescue people you may have thought were hopelessly lost.”

In telling Lot to escape to the mountain, the Lord wanted to turn a city boy into a mountain man. Throughout Scripture, the Lord continually calls His people to the mountains . . .

Through Abraham, who was ready to sacrifice his son in obedience to the Lord’s command, He calls us to Mount Moriah, the mount of devotion.

Through the Israelites, who gathered to receive His commandments, the Lord calls us to Mount Sinai, the mount of instruction.

Through Moses, who viewed the Promised Land, He calls us to Mount Pisgah, the mount of vision.

Through Elijah, whose prayer brought down fire from Heaven, He calls us to Mount Carmel, the mount of passion.

Through Peter, James, and John, who beheld the glory of the Lord, He calls us to Mount Hermon, the mount of transfiguration.

But the most important mountain God calls us to is Mount Calvary, the mount of crucifixion, where He calls us to die to self.

Here is the first time in the Bible where the word “prophet” appears. Now, if there was ever a time God wouldn’t want to introduce Abraham as a prophet, I would think it would be right here. I would think God would be embarrassed by, upset with, and ashamed of Abraham for claiming his wife was his sister. But such is not the case, for God says to Abimelech, “That man who told a lie, who misled you, who jeopardized his wife and your nation - he’s My man; he’s My spokesman; he’s My prophet.”

Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” That means when God gives a spiritual gift, a calling, a ministry to a man, woman, or church, He doesn’t change His mind. He doesn’t take it back. If God has given you a gift, be it ministry, music, prophecy, teaching, or evangelism; or if He’s given you a skill, be it carpentry, mechanics, or athletics, it’s yours to keep.

Perhaps you’ve seen people stumble, fall, or drop the ball, and you wonder how God could still use him, her, or them. The answer is that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Sin will always bring about its own sadness, depression, defeat, and despair, for the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15). The fact remains, however, that because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, God will still use sinners.

I say this because I have found that the thing which hobbles so many people in their service for the Lord is thinking, “God can’t use me. God wouldn’t use me. God won’t use me because I’ve failed so miserably. I’ve botched it so badly.” That’s the voice of the Enemy. The voice of the Lord says, “Because you didn’t earn the gifts I gave you or the calling I sovereignly placed upon you, there’s no way you can lose them.”

If you’ve been on the sidelines because you think you’ve messed up once too often, remember this story and the mercy of our Master, the grace of our God, and the kindness of our King. Truly, there’s no one like Him.

Although Abraham would be used in other arenas and would go on to live a life of blessing before Abimelech, at this point Abraham couldn’t preach to Abimelech because in his eyes he was a liar and a coward. Yet even though Abraham couldn’t preach to or share with Abimelech, he could still pray for him.

So too, because you have fallen short in their eyes or hurt them badly, there are people to whom you may not be able to preach or with whom you may not be able to share. But this story tells me that although I may not be able to preach to them or share with them, I get to effectively bless them through prayer.

When I pray for my enemies, not only does it release blessing upon them, but it keeps me from getting involved in a cycle of bitterness which will only destroy me. You cannot pray a blessing on a person and remain angry with him. It’s impossible. That’s why Jesus said, “Pray for your enemies” (see Matthew 5:44).

I challenge you to pray for the people toward whom you feel bitterness or hostility, for the people you just don’t like. Pray that they’ll be healed, that they’ll prosper, that they’ll do well. God will answer your prayer, and you’ll be blessed in the process.

God made the promise to Abraham, and reiterated it several times, that Ishmael would become a mighty nation. Here Abraham wisely decided not to give God a hand in fulfilling what He had promised. After all, that’s how Ishmael was conceived in the first place.

Consequently, Abraham shows incredible peace. He gives Ishmael and Hagar a bit of water and a bit of bread, in effect saying, “I trust the Lord is going to do what He said, not because of my provision, but because of His promise.”

Mom and Dad, let this be a comfort to you today. The promises of God toward my children are the same as toward yours . . .

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). No matter what desert your child is in, no matter in what dry region he finds himself, even when he is old he won’t depart from the way he’s been trained.

“For I know whom I have believed,” said Paul, “and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him” (2 Timothy 1:12). Have you committed your kids to the Lord? God is able to keep them. This doesn’t mean He’s merely capable. It means He’s committed to keeping that which has been entrusted to Him.

I hate it when I panic. I get worried, I get uptight, and I run around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to make something happen. Faith is the opposite of panic. I love it when I’m not panicking, when I’m walking in faith. When I walk in faith, I’m not irritated, anxious, or upset. There’s a peace deep within me and a serenity that overflows from me. I like it when I walk in faith like Abraham.

Abraham said, “Ishmael, Hagar, here’s some water and some bread. God be with you.” He is maturing, this mighty man of God. He is growing, this giant of faith. He’ll miss Ishmael, but he trusts God completely, knowing God will do exactly what He said He would.

And He’ll do the same for you.

Paul calls the story of Ishmael and Hagar an allegory (Galatians 4:24) in which Ishmael is a type of the flesh and Isaac a type of the Spirit. As the story continues, we see Ishmael mocking Isaac - something that happens in each of our hearts constantly.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Galatians 5:17

There’s a constant battle going on, and here’s the question: Who are we going to allow to win? The Bible says the solution is to cast out Ishmael, the flesh.

How do we cast Ishmael out?

By doing what Abraham did: by giving him no provision.

Abraham didn’t give Ishmael a Visa card and a Ford Explorer. He gave him nothing more than prisoner’s rations - a little bread and water. That is why Paul emphatically tells us to “make no provision for the flesh” (see Romans 13:14).

Every fleshly thing I see or hear is a seed planted in the soil of my soul that will come up eventually. Likewise, every godly thing I take in will also come to fruition. Perhaps the best illustration of this is one I shared recently with a group of junior highers . . .

It’s as if there are two dogs inside of you: one black, one white. The white dog is life, the black dog is death. At any given point, you’re feeding one of the dogs - through the type of people with whom you associate, through what you choose to listen to, watch, and take in. If you feed the black dog, he gets bigger and stronger. He bares his fangs and starts ripping on the white dog while the white dog gets smaller and smaller. Once the black dog decimates the white dog, he turns on you and begins to sink his jaws into your innermost being, leaving you wondering why you’re so down, defeated, depressed, and discontent. On the other hand, if you feed the white dog, the spirit, by doing what’s right in God’s sight, the white dog grows bigger and stronger as the black dog grows punier and weaker, until he’s no bigger than a Chihuahua. At any given moment, you’ll feed one of the two dogs. Which will it be?

In Galatians 4, Paul says Ishmael is not only a type of the flesh and Isaac a type of the Spirit, but Hagar is a type of the law and Sarah a type of the new covenant. Hagar represents Mount Sinai, where the law was given. Sarah represents the Heavenly Mount Zion, from whence grace flows.

My natural tendency is to say, “The best way to deal with the flesh is to lay down the law. I’m going to set up rules and regulations to keep my flesh in check.” But whenever I do, I am bound to fail badly because, although the rules and regulations might be wonderful, I cannot keep them. Oh, for a while I might be able to, during which time I’ll say, “What’s wrong with you? Why is your Ishmael running about wildly? Why can’t you deal with the flesh like I have?”

But eventually I will fall under the weight of my own rules, and I will fail miserably. Then I’ll say, “I was doing so well for three days, or three months, or three years, but then I blew it. So why even go to Bible study, why even pray? I’m a failure. The Lord will never use me.”

This is why the law doesn’t work. It makes you either a self-righteous prude or a self-condemned dude. It causes us to say either, “What’s wrong with you?” or “What’s wrong with me?”

So what’s the answer? Do what Abraham did. Send Hagar away and embrace Sarah. Don’t put yourself or others under regulations or rules. Rather, hold fast to the new covenant, and walk in grace.

Who is “the angel of God”? It’s Jesus.

“What’s wrong, Hagar?” asked Jesus, just as centuries later He would ask His disciples, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26). Referring to the Sea of Galilee, He said, “Let us go over to the other side” (Matthew 8:18). He hadn’t said, “Let us sink out in the middle,” or “Let us go down in an attempt.” No, Jesus had given the word to His disciples that they would indeed make it to the other side. So too, Jesus had already told Hagar that Ishmael would be blessed (Genesis 16). Thus, the Lord here lovingly rebukes Hagar, “Didn’t I give you My word, Hagar? Have you already forgotten?”

What Word has God given to us? He’s told us all things work together for good (Romans 8:28), that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), that He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). He’s told us that our sins are forgiven (1 John 1:9), that His love for us is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3), and that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Therefore, “what aileth” us?

As I read this, I was reminded of a journal entry I made recently during an Alaskan cruise on which I was speaking . . .

So many blessings, so many thoughts while cruising these waters of Alaska’s inland passage and seeing the mountains tower above us, the stars shining over us, the unseen but teeming life beneath us. I am deeply impacted. Not only by His majesty, creativity, power, and glory, but especially and surprisingly by His humility; for this majestic, creative-beyond-genius Being tells us that He stretches the heavens out like a curtain (Isaiah 40:22), He sits upon the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40:22), He measures the heavens with the span of His hand (Isaiah 40:12), yet He did not give us the take-your-breath-away data, facts, and figures of the size of other stars, the range of our galaxy, the puniness of our planet in comparison to the billions and trillions of other objects. He simply allows the vastness of space, the mysteries beneath the sea, and the power of the atom that He holds together (Colossians 1:17) to slowly be discovered. As man’s technology and ability increases, he only discovers more wonder. And I wonder at His humility. I would have laid it all out, let it be known what I have done, how great I am, with facts and figures and data. But God allowed Himself to be discovered, uncovered, in due season. And that season will fill all eternity. Real power, true genius, creative ingenuity, spiritual authority, if indeed real, can wait, indeed should wait to be discovered slowly, quietly. For only what is real can dare to wait. And only what is humble will ultimately be exalted.

God is the epitome of humility. Only true greatness can be humble. And that’s what Abraham is showing us as well. He doesn’t try to prove he’s a great guy. He just goes about his work, and after years of observation, Abimelech says, “I can see that God is with you.”

As your margin notes may indicate, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree - and in so doing, he finds a creative, spontaneous, and innovative way of worshiping.

When my son Benjamin was three years old, he came out of his room one day holding a picture attached to a helium balloon.

“What’s that, Benny?” I asked.

“It’s a picture of me and Jesus,” he said, as he went out into the backyard, let his balloon go, and watched as it soared Heavenward.

Such is innovative, creative worship from the heart of one who loves God.

When you love God, it’s not enough just to sing the same songs as everyone else. It’s not enough to go through the motions during worship sessions.

A lover of God finds a way to plant a tree and say, “Lord, this is for You.”

A lover of God finds a way to break the alabaster box and say, “This is my dowry, and I’m giving it to You” (see Mark 14).

A lover of God finds a way to dance in his undergarments before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14).

A lover of God finds ways of fresh, personal, intimate expressions others may never see.

Sitting only a couple hundred feet above the city of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah is technically only a ridge. But when the Lord said to Abraham, “I want you to take your son, your only son, to Mount Moriah,” father and son set off on the greatest mountain climbing expedition in world history, second only to the one another Father and Son would make to the very same destination centuries later.

Put yourself in Abraham’s sandals and you will see this is an incredible journey, for God had asked him to sacrifice his son - his only son, the promised son, the one of whom he was so proud, the one in whom he saw such potential. How could Abraham have had such a heart to obey such a command? I couldn’t have done it. But Abraham did.

How? The reason Abraham could climb Mount Moriah is the same reason Sir Edmund Hillary could climb Mount Everest. You see, prior to Hillary’s ascent up Mount Everest, he spent five years acclimating his body to the altitude, five years allowing his lungs to expand to deal with the lack of oxygen he would encounter at that height, five years to get in shape, and five years to make preparations and gather gear.

So too, Abraham would climb an infinitely higher mountain because, like Hillary’s team, there had been great preparation.

“It came to pass after these things that God did tempt, or test, Abraham” (22:1). After what things? Fifty-seven years of things . . .

Leaving his home in Ur for a land God would show him was step number one in training for the Moriah moment.

Saying goodbye to his nephew as Lot headed for Sodom was step number two.

Refusing the spoils of battle offered to him by the king of Sodom was step number three.

Obeying God’s command to send his son Ishmael into the desert was step number four.

Nothing in Scripture is accidental or incidental. Thus, when we read, “It came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham,” it means that the testing didn’t take place until after these things - each of which prepared Abraham for this moment.

God will never, ever give you a test He has not thoroughly and painstakingly prepared you to navigate successfully. Never.

We look at Abraham’s Moriah moment and think, I couldn’t do that. And we’re right. We couldn’t, because God hasn’t prepared us for that - yet.

Paul tells us there are three great virtues: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Abraham’s faith was developed first when God called him out of Ur.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. - Hebrews 11:8

But God didn’t stop there, for He proceeded to build hope into Abraham, as Abraham waited for his promised son . . .

Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. - Romans 4:18

Nor did God stop there, for the greatest of these is love. Our text contains the first use of the word love in Scripture. It’s as if God is saying, “Let go of the one you love because of greater love for Me. This is a chance for you to take a quantum leap in growth.”

If you say, “I don’t want faith or hope or love. I want to be frazzled and afraid and frustrated,” don’t go down the path that leads to Moriah, the path that leads you on a journey of trials and testing. But if you want to be entire and complete, lacking nothing, there’s only one way . . .

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. - James 1:2–4

There’s no other way to be complete than to say “okay” to tests, temptations, and trials.

It’s as if God says to Abraham, “I’ve prepared you to do something which may seem unbelievably difficult because I want to show people a picture of My Son. Even though it will be difficult for you, Abraham, your trial will touch multiple millions of people throughout history.”

Gang, your Christian life will change radically when it finally sinks in that God does not exist for you. Most believers go through a chunk of time believing God does indeed exist for them. “Bless my marriage. Bless my house. Bless my job. Give me abundant life. Give me joyful days,” we pray, as if God exists for our pleasure.

With mountains on either side of them, their backs to the Red Sea, and Pharaoh’s army barreling down on them, Moses cried to the Lord.

“Know this, Moses,” He answered, “I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts. . . . And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” In other words, “Moses, this isn’t about you or even the people with you. I’ve got work to do. I want to show the Egyptians who I am. To do that, I’m putting you in a tight spot, a tough place. But word will get back to the Egyptians that there is no God like the God of Israel” (see Exodus 14:17–18).

So too, God says to us:

“I’ve got a big job for you - to let people around you know who I am. This means the doctor may say, ‘It’s cancer.’ This means the business may go under. This means the relationship may not work out, that people might see how in your pain, in your difficulty, or in your dilemma I come through not to solve your problem, but to be with you in your problem. I will show Myself in the way that can most effectively reach the people I want to reach through your life. That may mean you go through real problems physically or that things don’t work out in the way you thought they would in your family. It may even mean death. But it’s not about you. I love you deeply, but there’s a bigger thing happening than your comfort.”

Because we exist for God, gang (not the other way around), our part is to say, “However He wants to direct His drama on the stage of my life, be it a comedy or a tragedy, so be it.”

Abraham was the friend of God (James 2:23). Why, then, would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? Friends don’t let friends have Moriah moments - or do they?

Paul put it this way:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. - Philippians 3:10

Most of us long for the power of Jesus’ Resurrection, but know little about the fellowship of His sufferings. Yet the power of His Resurrection doesn’t come without the fellowship of His sufferings.

I love to laugh with people. But the people I’m closest to are not the ones with whom I’ve only laughed. They are also the ones with whom I’ve shed tears. The same is true for you. There’s a closeness that occurs when people navigate deep waters together.

Thus, God the Father says to Abraham, “I want you to experience something of what I will do because when you do, you and I will be bonded together uniquely.”

There they were - walking around in the fiery furnace.

“How many men did we throw in?” asked Nebuchadnezzar.

“Three,” said one of his aides.

“Then how is it that I see four, and the fourth is like the Son of God?” asked Nebuchadnezzar.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego could have come out anytime they wanted. But they didn’t come out until Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to because it was in the fire where they had fellowship with the Lord, a vision of the Lord, and a closeness to the Lord they had never before known (Daniel 3).

You have found this to be true as well. It’s when you’re in the fire of affliction and adversity that you have real communion. Don’t fear, flock. Don’t shy away from the Moriahs that loom over you. God will train you. And when you’re there, He’ll see you through.

Even though he was a giant of a man, the friend of God, the father of faith, we see Abraham was also a man who mourned and wept. This being the first mention of weeping or tears in the Bible, God waits until chapter 23 to introduce this concept. It’s curious to me that there is no record of tears at the fall of man, when the flood came, or when the people were scattered at Babel. The Holy Spirit purposefully waits to record weeping until the time a giant of a spiritual man was separated from a godly woman.

“Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle,” David wrote. “Are they not in Thy book?” (Psalm 56:8). Evidently, God keeps scrapbooks in Heaven. Malachi 3:16 tells us every time one of His children talks to another person about Him, God hearkens to it and writes it in a book. And here, we see Him keeping another book - a book of our tears.

Concerning hard times, God doesn’t say, “Deal with it.” He says, “I understand what you’re going through. It’s precious to Me.”

In Jesus’ day, women wore tear bottles - little vials which fit against their cheek and caught their tears. A very precious possession, a woman would give this bottle of tears to the one she loved most. It could be this practice to which the account of the woman washing Jesus’ feet with her tears refers (Luke 7:38).

Tears are unique. Under a microscope, you’ll see the saline crystals in a tear are shaped in the form of a cross. It’s as if the Lord is saying, “I understand. I know. I wept too” (see John 11:35).

“You’re a mighty prince,” said the children of Heth to Abraham. This intrigues me because although Abraham lived very simply in a tent, he had a huge impact on the heathen. Abraham’s nephew Lot, on the other hand, wanted to be involved in the cultural climate of Sodom. Yet when he tried to correct them, so little did they think of him that the men of Sodom said, “Who are you?” (see Genesis 19:9).

You might hear the saying, “You’re so Heavenly minded, you’re no earthly good.” Abraham proves just the opposite - that you’re no earthly good until you’re Heavenly minded. If you want to make a difference on earth, your focal point, priority, and passion should be that of one who lives for eternity.

Often, people wonder how God will lead them. “How will I know whether to take that job, get involved in this relationship, or take on a new ministry?” they ask.

Here, Abraham’s servant says, “Being in the way, the Lord led me.” I find his phraseology interesting, for centuries later, Jesus would declare, “I am the way” (John 14:6); and the early Church itself was called “the Way” (see Acts 19:23).

If you are walking in the Way, gang, and if you’re obeying Jesus, you will end up at the right spot. You don’t have to waste your time struggling and striving to find God’s will. Simply walk day by day in the Way, and as He did with Abraham’s servant, the Lord will also lead you.

Knowing that his father had sent the servant to find a bride for him, Isaac doesn’t go and look for her himself. According to Jewish tradition, the father would arrange the marriage of his son. Upon agreement of both fathers, the bride and groom-to-be would then be betrothed at a simple ceremony in which cups of wine were exchanged and a dowry was given. Then the son would return to his father’s house to build a dwelling place for his bride either close to or adjoining the house of his father. When the father deemed all had been properly prepared, he would send his son out to call for his bride - and she would run out to join him.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions,” Jesus, our Bridegroom, said. “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2–3).

When will this day be? “No man knows the day or the hour - not even Me,” Jesus answered (see Mark 13:32).

But this much is sure: Like the brides of old, when our Bridegroom calls for us, we will run to meet Him not in the streets, but in the air (1 Thessalonians 4).

Most of us are watching for the Lord. But there is something more important than that. That is, the Lord (as seen in the person of Isaac, being at the well of Lahai-roi, or “The Lord sees”) is watching for us. The Lord longs for us more than we long for Him. Why? Because while we can only speculate concerning the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), He knows all about them and is eager to share them with us.

I believe the names of the sons born to Abraham and Keturah parallel the prophetic picture of the people of Israel. You see, when the Church is taken up in the rapture, the veil will be lifted from the eyes of the Jewish people, and all of Israel will be saved at the end of the tribulation. Then, she will play a primary role as God rules and reigns from Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20). What a glorious time that will be! Nature will be restored to what it was originally meant to be: the mountains shall sing; the trees of the field shall clap their hands; the lion will lie down with the lamb. Not only will nature react, but also a complete disarmament by all nations and people will result in swords being turned into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks (Isaiah 2:4).

But wait. There’s a dark side, as seen in the sons of Keturah. Zimran means “Song.” Jokshan means “Snare.” Medan means “Strife.” Midian means “Contention.” Ishbak means “Man will leave.” Shuah means “From the pit.” What begins with a song ends in the pit.

You see, Scripture tells us man will live to be one thousand years old in the Millennial Kingdom. Consequently, the world’s population will mushroom. At the end of the Millennial Kingdom, multiplied generations that have never known anything but perfect harmony will become bored with peace, love, and prosperity. Thus, perfection will be a snare to them. Strife and contention will follow. Although many of them will want to do their own thing and leave the way of the Lord, they’ll not be able to because righteousness will be enforced in the Millennial Kingdom. But because God will not force His will on anyone, He will allow Satan to be released from the pit for a short season at the end of the millennium. Satan will lead a rebellion before he is cast permanently into the lake of fire, along with those who, bored with perfection, choose to follow him.

Although the names of Abraham and Keturah’s sons paint a prophetic portrait, they also point to a very practical principle. That is, we too live in the age of the Kingdom of God, not where the lion is lying down with the lamb externally, but internally where righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost abound (Romans 14:17). This being the case, like those living in the Millennial Kingdom, we are at risk of taking the righteousness, peace, and joy of the present Kingdom for granted.

Dear brother, precious sister, may we never be those who take lightly the work God has done in our hearts; for if we stop singing the sweet song of salvation, we will become ensnared in strife and contention, and be lured away from the rule of our King by lies from the pit.

Here we see Abraham disposing of his wealth to his son Isaac even as the Father in Heaven gave all things to His Son (John 17).

Because all things will find their ultimate destination in Christ, anything I do that isn’t for Him results in hopelessness, while everything I do for and in Jesus positions me in the center of God’s will.

How does this work practically?

Suppose you are a UPS driver. God’s will for you is that you be a UPS driver for His glory. As you pull up to every stop, pray that God will bless those inside. And suddenly, your job will not be a matter of how many deliveries you can make in a day, but of how many people God can bless through you in a day. Whether you’re a teacher, a realtor, a mechanic, a doctor, or a homemaker, allow God to use you in and through your profession to bring Him glory. To the extent that you do this in any given day is the extent to which you will experience purpose and deep contentment.

“The days of the years” is a Hebrew phrase which speaks of quality of life, which is made up of days - individual, specific days. In his 64,000 days, Abraham, the friend of God, walked with God. The Christian life is not called the Christian leap, the Christian jump, or the Christian bounce. It’s called the Christian walk because it takes place one step and one day at a time.

What am I going to do tomorrow? Will I choose to walk with God, or do I expect somehow to bounce, leap, skip, or hop and end up a spiritual man at age fifty? What I do today will affect how I arrive at the end of my life. One of the greatest misconceptions in spiritual life is that when we’re old, we’ll automatically be spiritual. I need to know God’s Word today. I need to know God’s ways today. If I don’t, the end of my life will find me nothing more than an old fool.

We see Ishmael and Isaac brought together at the death of their father Abraham because true reconciliation can only happen through death.

God reconciled us to Himself through His own death (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). Then, once we were reconciled, He gave us the ministry of reconciliation - to reconcile people to God as we share with them the good news of the Gospel, and also to reconcile people to each other.

So important is reconciliation to Jesus that He said something quite shocking: “If, while you are at the altar worshiping the Lord, you become aware that something is not quite right with someone you know or once knew, leave the altar and reconcile yourself to the one who is offended” (see Matthew 5:23-24).

The Greek word translated “reconcile” is diallasso - a word used by tailors and garment-makers with regard to alteration. Thus, Jesus was saying, “If, at the altar, you realize a relationship doesn’t fit right, get it altered.” In other words, the ill-fitting garment is not to be discarded, taken to Goodwill, or stuffed in the back of the closet and forgotten. “If a relationship isn’t right,” Jesus declared, “I want you to deal with that matter before you continue to worship.”

How will reconciliation happen practically? There’s only one way: someone has to die. If there’s to be reconciliation with your wife, your husband, your daughter-in-law, your boss, your coach, or your neighbor, you have to die.

“I don’t want to die,” we protest. “How come she can’t die? It’s his turn to die. I’m sick and tired of dying. Why does it have to be me?”

I recently met with dear friends. He’s been a pastor for years; she’s a godly woman with a passion for Jesus. But they’re on their way to divorce. And it’s a tragedy. There’s no real issue - just irritations that have grown over the years. Both argued their points, yet as the hours passed, all I could say was, “One of you has to die or there will be no reconciliation.”

Their answer? “Why me? It’s his turn. It’s her turn.”

Many couples drive to church in virtually the same situation. As the husband sits behind the wheel, his words are few, but his thoughts are many. “Why is she so cold?” he wonders. Meanwhile, as she sits on her side of the car, hugging the door handle, she thinks, “Why is he so demanding?”

And the silence is deafening, broken only by the sounds of construction on the wall between them, which is growing higher and higher every day. They come to church and lift their hands in worship, but the Lord would say, “If you’re bringing your gift to the altar and you remember that he or she has something against you, don’t even continue worshiping until you alter the hurtful situation.”

1. Reconciliation delights our Father.

Every parent knows the delight of reconciliation. When I hear one of my kids say to another, “It’s your turn. You go first,” all I can say is, “Glory hallelujah! The age of miracles is not over! These kids are working it out. They’re dying to self. They’re letting the other have their way!”

If you are fortunate enough to have a child who goes out of his way to be a peacemaker, you know the place he has in your heart. So too, any one of us who says, “I’m going to die so that there can be reconciliation,” brings a great deal of joy to the heart of the Father.

2. Reconciliation defeats our foe.

Satan has one tactic he’s used from the very beginning: division. As the worship leader of the angelic chorus, Lucifer persuaded one-third of the angels to see things his way. They joined his rebellion and are now demons, destined for eternal damnation. Because Satan’s strategy remains the same, he who says, “I will die before I allow separation between me and another” deals a deathblow to Satan. The person who binds Satan is not the one who loudly declares, “I bind you, Satan.” The person who binds Satan is the one who dies to self and reconciles with another person. The binding of Satan comes about not through a statement we make verbally, but through a choice we make actively.

3. Reconciliation destroys our flesh.

The reason we’re depressed, the reason for the gnawing ache within us is found in one word: flesh. We think if we could indulge or pamper our flesh, we’d be happier. The opposite, however, is true. Jesus taught that the one who loses his life will find it (Matthew 10:39); that the one who follows Him must deny himself and take up his cross (Matthew 16:24).

The cross you are to bear is not getting the flu or losing your job. It’s not even divorce or death in your family - as tragic as those events are. The cross is not something that comes uninvited. Rather, it’s something we choose to do which causes pain and agony to our flesh. The cross is what Jesus endured when He prayed, “Not My will, but Thine be done.”

“I’m tired of being married to her,” or “I’m tired of my dad treating me this way,” or “I’m tired of my in-laws. Nevertheless, Lord, not my will but Thine be done. And Your will is that there be reconciliation, which means I must die.” That’s the cross.

The Roman soldier knew Jesus had died when he struck a spear in His side and there was no reaction other than the blood and water that flowed forth. So too, when that person with whom you’ve had a hard time pokes you yet again and you don’t respond, you don’t react, and you don’t retaliate, you’ll know you’ve died to your flesh.

Designed to be the most torturous death possible, crucified victims would often hang on a cross for two or three days before they died. Jesus hung on the Cross for six hours. He was in a hurry because He knew the sooner He died and completed the work of redemption, the sooner Easter Sunday would come! What if He had decided to struggle hour after hour, day after day? Easter couldn’t happen until He died. That’s why He said, “If you deny yourself, you’ll have life. But if you seek to hang on to your life, you’ll only prolong your misery.”

Precious people, it’s not that we have to die. It’s that we get to. Will you be the one today who loves God so much that you will delight Him by dying to your rights, your way, your self?

If so, reconciliation is sure to follow as you race toward Resurrection day.

The term “springing water” is correctly rendered “living water” in some translations. “If any man thirst,” Jesus said, “let him come unto Me, and drink, and out of his innermost being shall gush forth torrents of living water. This spake He of the Holy Ghost” (see John 7:37–39). When did Isaac find living water? When he was in the valley. That’s often the way it is. At least it was for me . . .

As a twenty-year-old teaching the book of Jonah at a junior-high retreat, it hit me in the middle of my teaching that I didn’t care at all about the kids sitting before me. It was as if the Lord held up a mirror and I saw the ugliness of my soul. I saw that I wanted to teach, but that I didn’t care about those whom I was teaching. I realized, much to my dismay, that they were just a means for me to do what I wanted to do. Here I was, studying for the ministry, involved in teaching and serving, and yet I knew my heart was calloused and hard. At the end of the weekend, in deep despair, I hopped in my van and drove for a couple of days. I finally pulled into the parking lot of the church I was attending - Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. As I did, I saw a pastor I recognized from the Saturday night concerts there. His name was Tom Stipe.

“You need the Holy Spirit,” he said. He laid hands on me, prayed for me, and something happened. I felt a warm sensation in my inner being, and I began to worship the Lord in a way I had never done before.

That was a huge watershed for me. I understood that, although previously I had the Holy Spirit inside of me, I lacked the overflow of the Spirit through me. And so I say to you, if you are in a valley spiritually, you’re in the perfect place to find the living water because it’s there in the valley where you recognize your own inadequacy. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness - those who realize their need - for they shall be filled” (see Matthew 5:6).

When, like Isaac, you say, “I want to be used to water the flock around me,” be it your family, your friends, your neighbors, or a Sunday school class, the Lord will truly empower you in a fresh and dynamic way (Acts 1:8).

Now that Isaac had found living water in the valley, was everything smooth sailing for him from that point on? No, Esek means “Contention.” It was immediately after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River - where He was filled with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit - that He was led to the desert to be tempted and challenged by Satan. So too, when we are filled with the living water of the Spirit, we must understand that challenges are sure to follow.

Again, Isaac found water, and again he was challenged - thus the name Sitnah, or “Hated.”

With the exception of Moses, there is not a man in the Old Testament meeker than Isaac. After all, when Ishmael taunted and teased him, did Isaac fight back? No. When his dad laid him on the altar to sacrifice him, did thirty-year-old Isaac try to escape? No. When his father’s servant selected a bride for him, did Isaac question his choice? No. When Abimelech rebuked him, did he rationalize his cowardice? No. When his water rights were challenged, did he stand his ground? No.

“Blessed are the meek,” Jesus said, “for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). And here we see that happening. Isaac is a man of remarkable meekness. And he will indeed inherit earthly blessings.

As I look back, I see my own life as a series of digging wells and moving on, until finally I found my Rehoboth, for Rehoboth means “Room.” Over the years, I’ve watched lots of talented men and women who had an anointing, a calling, and a gifting miss great opportunities because they dug a well and there was strife. When they dug a second one, there was contention. Yet, instead of digging a third well, they gave up, thinking, “What’s the use? I won’t be used. Why go on?” God’s plan is that we keep digging, keep digging, keep digging until we find our Rehoboth, where there’s room.

Every one of you, without exception, has a Rehoboth awaiting you. But the Enemy will try to discourage you through contention and strife. Why does God allow this to happen? Because He has a twofold task: not only to prepare a place for you, but to prepare you for the place. This means you’ll go through some trying times, some stretching points, and some questions, but you must not throw in the towel, or the trowel. You keep digging, move down the road, dig again, move down the road, dig again, and eventually you’ll find your Rehoboth. I promise.

It was clear that Jacob was to be the blessed one (Genesis 25:23). Because Rebekah knew this, when she heard Isaac was about to bless Esau, we see her doing what you and I can fall into oh, so easily: knowing God’s Word and doing God’s work, but not in God’s way. You might have a sincere heart and pure motives in wanting to see God’s work done in the ministry or in your family, but God’s work must be done God’s way. Ask Moses . . .

Wanting to see his Israelite brothers set free from the tyranny of the Egyptians, one day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew children, he rescued his Hebrew brother and killed the Egyptian, thinking he would be a hero in the eyes of the Hebrew people. But because God didn’t direct Moses to do this, the end result was the rejection of Moses by the very people he was trying to help (Exodus 2:11–14).

God’s work must be done God’s way. Ask David . . .

He knew the people would be blessed, and the glory of God would be experienced if the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the capital city of Jerusalem. To transport the Ark from where it was, six miles outside of Jerusalem, David built a cart and stationed a man named Uzzah, or “Strong,” upon it. In front of the Ark, leading the way was a man named Ahio, or “Friendly.” It was a great set-up. Mr. Strong controlled the cart; Mr. Friendly led the way. It seemed like such a wonderful way to bring in the glory of God. But you know the story. On the way, the cart hit a rut in the road, and the Ark began to wobble. Thinking he had better give God a hand, Uzzah reached out to stabilize the Ark. But when his hand touched it, God killed him (2 Samuel 6).

Completely disheartened, David pouted for several months. But when he got back in the Word again, he discovered that the Ark of the Covenant was to be carried on the shoulders of priests rather than on a cart. Why? Because carts are nothing more than boards and big wheels, whereas priests are people who praise and pray. All too often, people call board meetings and bring in big wheels to make God’s work happen. But such is the Philistine mentality. God’s way is to work through people who praise and pray.

Although Jacob didn’t sound like Esau, he felt like Esau. Therefore he must be Esau, thought Isaac, trusting his senses rather than the word that he heard.

Joshua made the same mistake when, rather than asking “counsel at the mouth of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14), he decided to sign a peace treaty with the Gibeonites based solely on the fact that he could see that their sandals were worn and that their bread was moldy.

Whenever we make decisions based upon what we feel, what we smell, or what we see rather than upon what we hear in the Word, we will be deceived. If an experience, trend, or phenomenon isn’t seen in the New Testament record of the life of Christ and of His Church, it’s Jacob parading as Esau, and we will be as deceived as Isaac was if we choose to follow our senses rather than the Word.

Abraham sent a servant to find a bride for his son, Isaac. Isaac, however, sent his son Jacob to find his own bride. So too, Paul would write, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13).

Your salvation is going to be worked out or exercised a little bit differently than the salvation of the person sitting next to you or of the generation that went before you. Oh, we’re all saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But it’s all going to work out a little bit differently in each of us.

This allows me to give freedom to people whose salvation is being worked out a little differently than mine might be. We can give each other lots of space because, within the parameters of grace and faith, God deals with each of us uniquely.

“God is here, and I didn’t know it.” Why wouldn’t Jacob know this? Because of his circumstances. He knew he was nothing but a conniver, hiding out in a seemingly God-forsaken, rocky region.

That may be your story today. You may feel like you’re stuck in a rocky situation, a rocky marriage, rocky finances, or on a rocky road. But God would say to you today, “I’m with you in this place, even though you may not know it.”

What can separate us from the love of God? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature (Romans 8:38–39). Why? Because there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). There is no separation because there is no condemnation. Why is there no condemnation? Because Jesus Christ - our hero, our Lord - took all of the sin that would separate us from the Father - the sins we committed last year, the sins we’re committing now, and the sins we’ll commit tomorrow - and paid for them all.

If you find yourself in a rocky situation, you have a choice: you can either say, “God is nowhere,” or like Jacob, you can look at your surroundings, add the space of grace, and with new eyes say, “God is now here.”

If your Bible has margin notes, perhaps you see the phrase “went on his journey” rendered as “lifted up his feet.” In Hebrew, the literal idea is that of “happy feet.” In Genesis 28, God appeared to Jacob, reiterating His promise, presence, and plan for Jacob. As a result, as Jacob heads to Padan-aram, he does so with “happy feet.” He does so with enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm, or en theos, simply means “full of God.” An encounter with God - the giver of joy, the source of all true happiness - manifests itself in a changed walk. And such was Jacob’s case.

How I love to be around people who are enthusiastic, who are full of God. Their faces seem to radiate His joy and I find myself more joyful in their presence, able to continue my own journey with “happy feet.”

Maybe you have been looking to your husband, wife, friend, or pastor to meet the barrenness, emptiness, or lack of productivity in your life. “Meet this need,” you cry, “or I’ll die.” But the reality is, they can’t.

When asked who he was, John the Baptist identified himself by who he was not. “I am not the Christ,” he said. “I’m not the answer. I’m not the Savior. I’m not the solution. My whole role is to point to the One who is the Christ” (see John 1:20).

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. - Romans 8:20

For the creature -

You and me

Was made subject to vanity -

Or emptiness

Not willingly -

We don’t want to feel empty

But by reason of Him -

By God’s divine design

Who hath subjected the same in hope -

In order that we would look to Him.

The only way you’ll be truly satisfied is to be extremely close to God, totally dependent on God, and passionately in love with God. Sunday morning Christianity will never fill the hole in your soul. The hunger in your heart can only be filled through intimacy, dependence, and an ever-deepening relationship with the One who created you for His own pleasure (Revelation 4:11).

“Give me children, or else I die. I demand that you give me kids.” Such are the prayers of those who say, “We need to speak the Word and demand from God that we not be barren, but that we be rich, healthy, and successful.”

Wait a minute. When Rachel finally had a son, she named him Joseph. Why? Because Joseph means, “May God add.” In other words, Joseph wasn’t enough. Rachel wanted more.

That’s always the way it is. When you’re looking to something or someone to meet the need of your soul, it’s never enough. And here’s the real irony: as a result of having another son, Rachel did in fact die.

As she was dying in childbirth, what did she say? Not, “Oh, praise God, another son”; not, “Oh Lord, You’re awesome to give this barren woman two children.” No, as she was dying in childbirth, Rachel named her son Ben-oni, or “Son of my sorrow.” The last word on beautiful Rachel’s lips was “sorrow” (Genesis 35:18).

Rachel demanded her way and it killed her.

Why did Rachel’s life end this way? Because she looked to the wrong person and asked in the wrong fashion. So too, a husband, wife, friend, pastor, or parent cannot fill the hole in your soul, because you were created for a deep yet humble relationship with God.

A broken Rachel named her son Ben-oni, “Son of my sorrow.” But a wiser Jacob renamed him Benjamin, “Son of my right hand.” So too, as the Son of Man, Jesus was called the “Man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). But as the Son of God, He sits at the Father’s right hand (Colossians 3:1).

Rachel said, “Give me children, or I die.”

The Father says, “For My children, I will die.”

God says, “I am so in love with you, I’m not demanding something from you, but I’m dying for you. I love you to death. And the sins and mistakes you’ve made so foolishly, I will wash away completely so that you can live with Me eternally.”

As we’ll see in chapter 31, Laban isn’t a believer, yet even he recognizes he has been blessed by God because of Jacob. The number of his herds, flocks, and grandsons had multiplied radically. Everything was going well for Laban. And in a rare moment of honesty, he says to Jacob, “You have brought the Lord’s blessing to my household.”

No wonder Laban wanted Jacob to stay. In addition to being supernaturally blessed, Jacob was industrious - which isn’t surprising since throughout Scripture God often called men who were already hard at work. When they were called to ministry,

Moses was watching his father-in-law’s sheep (Exodus 3:1).

Elisha was plowing behind the oxen (1 Kings 19:19).

Peter was casting his net into the sea (Matthew 4:18).

Matthew was collecting taxes (Matthew 9:9).

“Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” Jesus said, “and ordained you” (John 15:16). We’re all in the ministry, gang. Christians must be, can be, get to be the very best workers in whatever field the Lord places them, for then even the Labans will be drawn to the One we serve.

Many times, we’re in a place where we wonder if God is trying to get us to make a move - geographically, professionally, or in ministry. I believe Jacob’s story provides key clues to this question.

First, notice that the situation around Jacob soured. Jacob could see that Laban was no longer looking kindly upon him. So too, the Lord can speak through our circumstances to begin to nudge those who have eyes to see and ears to hear His leading.

Second, the Word of the Lord within Jacob sweetened. As Jacob’s situation soured, the Word within him stirred. The same thing happens today. When the Lord wants to move us, the Scriptures we read day after day all seem to point in that direction.

While Jacob was right in his assessment of Laban’s deceitful ways, he failed to see the most obvious truth about Laban: that is, Laban was in actuality a full-length mirror, a life-size reflection of his own flawed character.

I have discovered that the flaws and faults I see most clearly in others are my own. The more flawed a person is, the more he will see others’ flaws. Jacob will point out over and over that Laban is a deceiver, because it was Jacob’s own tendency to be a deceiver, a conniver, and a cheater. My prayer is that, before I die, God will deliver me from a Jacob mentality and will work in me the agape love that doesn’t even notice when others do wrong (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Both at the beginning and at the conclusion of his prayer (verse 12), Jacob is insistent in that he says, “Lord, You are the One who told me to go back home. You are the One who promised You would save my life.” In so doing, Jacob takes the promises given to him and lifts them back to the Lord in prayer.

This is a great, great key to praying effectively. “Concerning the work of My hands command ye Me,” the Lord declares (Isaiah 45:11).

“Command Him?” you say. “That sounds an awful lot like the ‘name-it-and-claim-it’ mentality.”

However, contextually you will see God is talking about the promises and prophecies He had already made to the people. Listen to what Jesus would say along the same line: “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). In other words, “If you’re abiding in Me, hanging around Me, and clinging to Me, you can ask anything of Me because within you will be My Word.”

What word? “Exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4).

It has been said that there are between three and five thousand promises given to us in the Word. Therefore, it is as if God says, “I want you to take these exceedingly great and precious promises, and I want you to command Me.”

Too often, we live like spiritual paupers. We don’t see our families, our friends, or our country being blessed. Why? Because we have not asked (James 4:2). It is only as we pray the promises of God that we are able to draw from the inexhaustible resources the Lord has provided. Jacob understood this. That is why he was insistent in prayer.

Why did God wrestle Jacob? Why does He want to wrestle with you and me? For the same reason I used to wrestle with my sons. It’s something called intimacy. God likes to wrestle things through with me and you because He enjoys us. It’s as if He says to us, “Let’s wrestle this thing through hour after hour, day after day, even month after month because not only will you find that I’ll come through eventually, but in the process, we will develop a wonderful intimacy.”

That’s why the original Greek text makes it clear that we are to “keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking” (see Matthew 7:7), for that is how intimacy is developed; that is how prayer is answered.

Wrestling provides unique opportunities for discovery. As you measure your strength against that of your opponent, as you assume various positions and are held in numerous holds, you discover things about yourself and your opponent you couldn’t have known otherwise. So too, God invites us to wrestle with Him in order that we might discover things about Him and ourselves we could learn in no other way. As you wrestle in prayer, you might find that what God gives to you and does for you is entirely different than what you had expected. Jacob asked to be blessed, instead he was broken, but the answer was better, because our Father knows best.

Keep on wrestling, gang. You’ll have intimacy with the Lord. You’ll make discoveries about the Lord. And you’ll be changed radically by the Lord in the very process of praying.

Does this mean the Lord didn’t know with whom He was wrestling? No. The Lord knew Jacob’s name, and now He’s giving Jacob an opportunity to be reminded of it as well. You see, years earlier his dad had asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am Esau,” Jacob had answered (Genesis 27:19).

It’s as if the Lord is saying, “Let’s try it again, Jacob. What is your name?”

Perhaps the great majority of people wish they were someone else. Jacob certainly did. “I want to be firstborn. I want the blessing. I want to be Esau,” he said. So too, you can go through life trying to be someone you’re not. You can copy the way she dresses or the way he talks, but it will lead to nothing but frustration until you have come to the moment when, in total honesty, you say, “I’ve tried to be this guy, tried to do that thing, but now I admit who I am. I’m Jacob.”

No sooner does Jacob confess and come clean regarding his true identity than the Lord changes his name entirely - from Jacob to Israel, from “Heel snatcher” to “Governed by God.”

“When did I prevail?” Jacob must have wondered.

And God would answer, “It was when you were broken, when you were pinned by Me, when you were weeping, but wouldn’t let go of Me, when you said, ‘I can’t go through another day without You,’ that’s when you prevailed.”

And that’s when we’ll prevail as well.

To this day, the Orthodox Jews don’t eat the thigh meat of an animal in honor of their great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Jacob. Thus, down the tunnel of time, Jacob’s descendants commemorate not his cleverness, intelligence, or charisma. They commemorate his pain.

A can-do kind of guy, Jacob was clever, charming, skilled, intelligent - a man any smart CEO would want to hire. God, on the other hand, said, “I have big plans for you, Jacob. You are going to have a huge impact on the history of the world, for from you will come an entire nation. And from that nation will come Messiah. I have big plans for you, but you’re too smart, too self-confident, too clever. Therefore I’m going to break you.”

Dear sister and brother, you must understand that no matter how charming, intelligent, or clever you are, or how good you may be in any given area, your skill is puny, your intelligence is nothing, and your strength is scrawny in comparison to God’s. So God says, “I’m going to allow this pain in your life because then, and only then, will you lean on Me every step of the way, knowing that if you don’t, you’ll fall flat on your face. And as you lean on Me, you’ll draw strength from Me and you’ll be governed by Me instead of trying to make things happen in your own energy.”

“Okay, Lord,” we say. “I understand I have to be broken that I might learn to lean on You. But once I’m broken, can’t You heal me? Once I’ve wrestled with You about a certain issue, can’t You make me like new again?”

I am reminded of the story of another man who was lame . . .

He had laid on the deck of a pool in Jerusalem day after day for thirty-eight years, hoping against hope that somehow, according to tradition, when an angel stirred the waters, he would be the first one in the pool and would be healed. Then, one day a young Rabbi came his way and asked him, “Wilt thou be made whole?”

“I can’t,” he answered, “because I don’t have anyone to help me into the water.”

And then something amazing happened - when the Rabbi told him to take up his bed and walk, the once-lame man was able to do just that.

“Whee!” he said. “I can walk! I can run! I can leap!”

“Hold on,” said some Pharisees who had observed the scene. “It’s the Sabbath day. You’re not supposed to carry your bed on the Sabbath day. Who told you to do this? Who is this One who healed you?”

“Hmm,” said the newly-healed man. “I don’t know. I’m just so happy to be walking. I don’t know who it was” (see John 5:2–13).

That’s the issue, gang. We all would like to be healed, to have the pain go away, to have the hurt be gone. The fact, however, is if that were to happen, like the lame man, we would say, “Whee!” but we wouldn’t know Who. Therefore, the pain stays; the limp continues day after day, year after year, that we might lean on Him, talk to Him, and draw strength and insight from Him, which we would never have received if we were just saying, “Whee!”

Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, the degree to which your kids and grandchildren see you limp through life, leaning on God and drawing from Him strength, character, and depth is the degree to which they will value your legacy. They won’t remember how successful you were in climbing the corporate ladder, how big your bank account was, how skilled you were mechanically, or how gifted you were musically. They will remember what they learned as they watched you limp.

“I know I have to lean on Him,” you might be saying, “but sometimes I lose my way. Sometimes I forget. What do I do then?”

“Do this in remembrance of Me,” Jesus would say to you. “It wasn’t just My hip that was dislocated. My entire body was broken for you.”

Thus, it is at the Cross that I am reminded, in light of what Jesus did for me, that the pain He’s allowing in my life is because He wants my very best. Communion is essential because we can get mixed up; we can get confused by pain and sadness and sorrow. But when we come to the Lord’s Table and are reminded once again of His inexpressible love for us, we gladly exchange the leap of the lame man for the limp of Jacob because it is in limping that we remain close to Him all the days of our lives.

When, at last, Jacob and Esau met again, Esau asked the reason for the gifts Jacob had sent him.

“I sent them to you in order that I might find grace in your sight,” Jacob answered.

And in Jacob we see an illustration of our tendency to think we have to give something to the Lord in order to receive grace from the Lord. Why is it so difficult for us to receive grace graciously? It’s because we’ve been so convinced that “there’s no free lunch.” But guess what? There is a free lunch, and breakfast and dinner too! “Come and dine,” says the Lord (John 21:12). “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat” (Isaiah 55:1).

Now if Esau, who is a type of the flesh, says, “That’s not the way it works,” how much more our Lord, who is the epitome of grace and goodness, would say, “You don’t have to do this, do that, or give up the other before you come into My presence.” “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

If you’re in need today, know this: There’s nothing keeping you from going boldly to the throne and saying, “Father, I’m stuck,” or “Father, I don’t understand,” or “Father, I need help.”

This is the genius of true spirituality, the uniqueness of biblical Christianity. Every other philosophy and religion is based upon responsibility - the responsibility of its adherents to fast, to chant, to give, or to work. Christianity isn’t based on responsibility. It’s based on response - the response to unconditional love, unrestrained mercy, and undeserved grace.

For many years, I thought my salvation was based on my responsibility to pray, my responsibility to tithe, or my responsibility to be at church. But then I began to understand that God blesses, God gives, and God avails Himself not on the basis of what I do or don’t do, but on the basis of what He did in sending His Son to die on the Cross in order to pay the price for my sin. And when that pressure was taken off me, I wanted to study the Word. I wanted to be in church. I wanted to pray, not to earn blessing, but because I had already been so blessed.