A Time To Weep, A Time To Laugh Series

But it doesn’t mean they have developed a saving faith in Christ, and they are often the rocky soil, who believe for a while, but in time of testing they fall away.

Now last time when the angel of God came to Hagar, the word used for God was Jehovah, the God of covenant and redemption, because she was still under Abraham’s care. Now the angel is the angel of Elohim or the God of power and creation, because she has now become a stranger to the Abrahamic covenant of promise, and requires God’s power and provision to survive.

God shows up to provide in their time of need even though they are no longer under the promise to Abraham. But God will only provide when it serves his purpose and will. He doesn’t want any to perish, so his promise of provision applies to everyone, even sinners and unbelievers. We know this is true because look how much some sinners and unbelievers have from a worldly perspective, and how little some Christian saints have. Of course it depends on your definition of provision.

His hope is that through His provision people will turn to Him in gratitude and love. But even though he provides materially, it doesn’t mean you’re going to receive his ultimate promise of eternal life in His presence. His provision may be hit and miss depending on His will at the time, but His major promise is completely available at all times to everyone. In other words, just because he provides for us in this life does not mean we are also covered by His promise of eternal life.

God’s promise of eternal life, which is also really his main provision, is for everyone who cries out to him, to Ishmael and to Isaac. Anyone who lives by faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah, are all Abraham’s descendants adopted into God’s family, Jews and Gentiles, even though we make mistakes.

The only criteria is true faith in Christ. We can then all give ourselves away and be a blessing, trusting that God will provide for us either in this life or the next.

Now in terms of an Action Plan for this week. I am going to suggest that we look at where in our lives we may be focused too much on what we are doing as Christians, and how it distracts us from developing the relationship with Christ that He desires. Perhaps we need to start doing fewer things that seem to make us good people, and use that time to be with the Lord.

Now just to clarify, the doing I am talking about is more the service work, and the trying to good people. We need to keep doing some of that. But works that take the place of prayer and reading the Bible, need to be limited somewhat, because those are the two major ways we develop the relationship with God through letting him speak to us, and us speaking to him. We need more of that, and less trying to be good. Our goodness comes from Him as more of Him dwells in us. Does that make sense?