How does God react when we complain to Him?

   In Genesis 15:1 Abraham is initially called "Abram," (Heb. "Av-Ram"), meaning, "exalted father" or "lofty father."  Yet he is childless.  In verse 2 Abram says "I remain childless."  Then in verse 3 Abram repeats that he has "no children."  Here we see Abram complain to God, not just once, but twice.

   How does the Lord react to Abram's complaint?  Did God show impatience towards Abram?  Surprisingly, there is no rebuke!

   In verse 5 God speaks to Abram these words, "Look up at the sky and count the stars …. So shall your offspring be."  In the phrase "Look up" (Hebrew "habbet-na"), note the word "na."  this is a very important word.  The word "na" is a word of endearment, a polite personal speech, a word that shows the tender side of God towards Abram.  "Na" can be translated "please."  Here is the Almighty God requesting Abram to "Please look at the stars." 

   The lesson is clear: even in our complaints, God remains patient and tender towards us.  What a God we serve!

The relationship between my marriage 40 years ago and the immigration issue today

   My wife and I were wedded 40 years ago in a small evangelical church in the Philippines.  As we took our wedding vows before onlookers, a Bible passage hanged behind us in the background.  The passage was taken from Ruth 1:16-17, "For where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried."

   In this Biblical account, Ruth, a Moabite woman, left her homeland to accompany and live with her mother-in-law, Naomi, in Israel.  But note carefully the words of Ruth.  In entering her new homeland, she vowed to fully assimilate herself to the people of her new land.  She would make Israel her people and Israel's God her God.  She fully accepted the culture, tradition, and customs of her newfound country.

   It is undeniable that we are a nation of immigrants.  But, like Ruth, it is essential that immigrants who come to live in our shores, accept our values, acclimate themselves to our way of life, and adopt to our Judeo-Christian moral code.  My wife and I arrived in the United States as immigrants in 1986 and steeped ourselves in the American way of life, and we have never regretted that decision.  

Endued with Power from on High

    Apart from the Holy Spirit, there is no power.  The Lord Jesus, just prior to His ascension, commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were "endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49, KJV).

    Thankfully,  our Lord did not leave us in the dark.  He offered the prescription on now to be endued with spiritual power.  Acts 5:32, "… the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. " Complete obedience to God and submission to His will are essential qualities for the Spirit's filling.  The Holy Spirit will not fill a disobedient heart.  Obedience to the Lord must include what God wants, not what we want.

Biblical Prescription of Success

   The word "success" only appears once in the KJV.  Joshua 1:8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."  Success is predicated on meditating on and observing the Scripture.  Obedience to the Word will result in success because it will help you make right choices.

   In the NIV, "success" appears 25 times and is predicated on walking faithfully with the Lord (Gen. 24:40); and obedience to His Word (1 Chron. 22:13).  Furthermore, success is from the Lord (Gen. 24:56, 1 Sam. 18:14, 2 Kings 18:7).  God gives success. 

   Every worldly success is ultimately from the Lord.  Therefore, all glory must point to Him.

Isaac and the God of the Superlatives

   Text: Gen 16:12-14, "Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, ¹³ and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him." 

   Does God bless? A definite "Yes!"  in our text, God blessed Isaac in three ways.  First, Isaac had a huge bumper crop.  The text says he reaped 100-fold.  Second, he not only became rich, he continued to grow richer and richer; so rich, in fact, that he became wealthy.  And thirdly, he had such a vast herd of cattle that even the people of the land envied him.  Our God is a God who loves to bless, and bless abundantly.  Is there a reason for God blessing him?  Isaac was a weak man, a man with many failures.  But there is one beautiful characteristic in the life of Isaac: wherever he went, he built altars to the Lord.  He had placed the Lord at his right hand, so to speak.  Place your priority on where it should be: on the Lord Almighty.

What is the Greatest Commandment?

   Many will reply that to love the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and mind is the greatest commandment, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is the second greatest. 

   Lilliet Garrison says otherwise.  She espouses that the greatest commandment is to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).  When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she is then able to love God and neighbor as one should, and able to keep the rest of the Lord's commandments.  One cannot truly love God, neighbor, or oneself without the filling of the Spirit.  To love without the Spirit's fullness is a work of the flesh, and the works of the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63).  Furthermore, any work done in the flesh, without the Spirit's fullness, cannot please God.   Seek His filling first, then we can love God, others, and ourselves as God intended.  I must say to Lilliet: I concur.