Gen 25-26
What strikes me most in this passage in Genesis right now is God’s statement to Isaac in Gen 26:4b-5. “And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice…”. Think about that – all the nations of the earth are blessed because Abraham obeyed. That’s big! We know that the fulfillment of this promise is found in Jesus Christ, through whom salvation – restored relationship with God – is made available to ALL.
Did Abraham get it right all the time? No – he had lapses in trust where he took things into his own hands multiple times. But overall, he lived his life in obedience to God, and God chose to use him as one piece of the puzzle of His very big Plan. What a ripple effect his life had!
When God asks things of me, obedience can be hard. I must realize, however, that every act of obedience to God is an opportunity to be a part, however small, of God’s greater plan and of His good work. I may never know the ripple effect a simple act of obedience might have. God does not need me to fulfill His plan, but why would I not want to be a part of it?
Matt. 18:1-20
Lots of good (and confusing) stuff in this Matthew passage, but I failed to strike on any specific application. Instead, I fell down a rabbit hole. I thought the Church was established after Jesus’ death and resurrection, so I wondered about His use of the word “church” in verse 17. Evidently, this is a different Greek work that Jesus used only one other time – when He tells Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church.” The Greek word refers to a “called out assembly”, to put it briefly, which seems to indicate the whole body of believers called out and set apart at the final judgment. Or so one commentator noted in what seemed to be a reasonable way. Trouble for me is, while this definition makes great sense for the use of the word with Peter, I fail to understand its application in this particular verse. I know this verse ends up being used to determine Church politics, if you will, but I’m still not sold on Jesus’ meaning here. So much I don’t understand.
So perhaps the takeaway today is to keep seeking, because God promises that those who seek will find.