Prayer-Soldier Newbie
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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:27 pm Post subject: The God of All Generations |
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The God of All Generations
Scripture:
And he brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if you can. And he said to him: So shall your seed be. Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. And he said to him: I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land, and that you might possess it. But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it? And the Lord answered, and said: Take me a cow of three years old, and a she goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon. And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other; but the birds he divided not. And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him.
And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace and a lamp of fire passing between those divisions. That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To your seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates. ( Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 )
Be followers of me, brethren, and observe them who walk so as you have our model. For many walk, of whom I have told you often (and now tell you weeping), that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction; whose God is their belly; and whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory, according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto himself. Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, and most desired, my joy and my crown; so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. (Philippians 3:17-4:1)
He took Peter, and James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray. And while he prayed, the shape of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and glittering. And behold two men were talking with him. And they were Moses and Elias, appearing in majesty. And they spoke of his decease that he should accomplish in Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep. And waking, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. And it came to pass, that as they were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus: Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing what he said. And as he spoke these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them; and they were afraid, when they entered into the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son; hear him. And while the voice was uttered, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of these things which they had seen. (Luke 9:28B-36)
Reflection:
Within the Bible, we observe the relationships of God with the children of His creation. Through each generation, lives are set in motion with the choice to turn to God or away from Him. The choice of Abram was to walk with God. Although Abram was not able to see what the future would bring, he trusted in the promise of God.
We see that Abram had a close relationship with God and that through Abram, much was set in motion, but we are tempted to ask, what does this mean to us today? We read the story of Abram through the lens of modern times. The generations of the past are distant to us. We might ask, how are we to consider ourselves in relation to this time, a time without the conveniences, past times or concerns of our day? What should any of this mean to us? What we should reflect upon is that from the relationship between God and Abram, generations were put into motion, each with the same choice as to the relationship with God they will choose. Each also carries the responsibility to prepare the generations which come after them. They must seek to enable understanding of the choice which is before them as well as the blessings or consequences which may come from their decisions.
If we are not careful, we may find ourselves to be like those Paul described in his letter to the Philippians; those who are concerned with the politics of the day over what God asks of them, concerned with their needs over the needs of others, concerned with pride over humility, concerned with what they may learn within the world before they are concerned with what they may learn from His Word. Paul reminded us, though, that our conversation should be of heaven. In other words, we should be more concerned with to what we are called to by the Holy Spirit than what the world seeks to dictate to us as our beliefs and values.
This choice is the challenge of every generation for though the choice should be clear, we are often blinded to the ways of God because of what we perceive of the world. Though the world received the law of Moses and the inspiration of the prophets, the people did not fully comprehend what was asked of them by their creator. The people became so engaged with their perceptions of the law that they became more enthralled with following the letter of the law over the purpose for which God passed it to them.
In days past, God sent His prophets to teach the people, but while some listened, many did not. Because of the treatment His prophets received and because of the blindness of many to the truth of His Word, God sent His only begotten Son to become the teacher of the people. Through Him a new covenant was made. Through the voice of heaven, we are told to listen to He who was sent as the Word made flesh.
Though we must be concerned with the daily work necessary to provide for our physical sustenance and our health, we should have ever greater concern as to our spiritual sustenance and health. Our physical existence is but for a blink of an eye within the expanse of time, but our spiritual health determines our eternity. If we understand this, then, we might ask ourselves, do we approach life with the appropriate priorities?
As we prepare for each day, we should ask of ourselves whether we are more concerned with the world or our preparation for the life to come? Our answer is found within our pursuits and where we decide to apply our time. Though we are faced with many demands and distractions of the world, we should still seek to make time for prayer and the sharing of His Word so that we may better prepare for the world to come. In this same way, we must also seek to fulfill our responsibilities to the generations which come after us so they may comprehend His Word within the context of their lives and so that they may be prepared to trust in and walk with God.
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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