Day 592: As it is WrittenRomans 4:17a
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."
Thoughts for Today:My eight year old daughter Amanda has a love for the game of basketball. With the new season approaching, Amanda has been asking a lot of questions: "Are the boys [she plays on a boy's team] going to be really pushy? Will they pass me the ball?" You see last year Amanda thought the boys didn't pass her the ball much because she was a girl. I told her: "When you are a better basketball player they will pass you the ball -- trust me." So we've been practicing -- a lot. As a result, in her first game Amanda scored 14 points. Afterward when we talked about the game, and with a big smile upon her face, she said: "You were right, I'm better and the boys passed me the ball -- a lot."
As I read our passage today, I thought about Amanda's basketball experience and the difference between the way I talked to Amanda and the way God speaks to us. I spoke to Amanda in the future tense: "When you are better..." However God speaks to us (just like Abraham) in the past tense about future events. In Abraham's case when God spoke to him, he wasn't even a father -- he was old and his wife Sarah was barren. Yet God spoke to him as if his fatherhood of many nations was already written in the history books ("As it is written"). God speaks His promise of salvation to us in the past tense as well -- even though from our perspective it hasn't happened -- but from God's perspective it is an absolute certainty!
Questions to Ponder:I really like the idea that God speaks to us in the past tense (from His perspective the future has already happened). Unlike Amanda and the concept of more practice leading to greater basketball proficiency -- God has promised we have already won the greatest prize of all: eternal life. Are you living as a victor or one who still has more work to do? Will your work ever be finished? God's already is.
As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."
Thoughts for Today:My eight year old daughter Amanda has a love for the game of basketball. With the new season approaching, Amanda has been asking a lot of questions: "Are the boys [she plays on a boy's team] going to be really pushy? Will they pass me the ball?" You see last year Amanda thought the boys didn't pass her the ball much because she was a girl. I told her: "When you are a better basketball player they will pass you the ball -- trust me." So we've been practicing -- a lot. As a result, in her first game Amanda scored 14 points. Afterward when we talked about the game, and with a big smile upon her face, she said: "You were right, I'm better and the boys passed me the ball -- a lot."
As I read our passage today, I thought about Amanda's basketball experience and the difference between the way I talked to Amanda and the way God speaks to us. I spoke to Amanda in the future tense: "When you are better..." However God speaks to us (just like Abraham) in the past tense about future events. In Abraham's case when God spoke to him, he wasn't even a father -- he was old and his wife Sarah was barren. Yet God spoke to him as if his fatherhood of many nations was already written in the history books ("As it is written"). God speaks His promise of salvation to us in the past tense as well -- even though from our perspective it hasn't happened -- but from God's perspective it is an absolute certainty!
Questions to Ponder:I really like the idea that God speaks to us in the past tense (from His perspective the future has already happened). Unlike Amanda and the concept of more practice leading to greater basketball proficiency -- God has promised we have already won the greatest prize of all: eternal life. Are you living as a victor or one who still has more work to do? Will your work ever be finished? God's already is.
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