Two Natures

John 3:6,  "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit."

Apparently Sarah thought that God was either unwilling or unable to keep His promise that she and Abraham would have a child, so she decided to help God out.  She gave her handmaid Hagar to Abraham so they could have a child by her, and Ishmael was born.  But Ishmael was Sarah's plan, not God's plan, and it caused much heartache.  After Ishmael was born, Hagar began to despise her mistress, and this greatly distressed Sarah.  After Isaac, the son that God had promised, was born, Ishmael must have been jealous because of the great excitement over the baby.  On the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast to celebrate the occasion.  That day Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, and she insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away.  This caused Abraham much unhappiness, but when God told him to send them away Abraham obeyed God.

    We can find a spiritual analogy in this story.  Christians have two natures--a fleshly, sinful nature with which all people are born, and a new nature, God's nature, which He gives all people who accept Jesus by faith.  When God gives Christians this new nature, He doesn't remove the old nature, so the two natures reside together and are in constant opposition with each other.  Each person decides which nature will be in control at any time.

    Ishmael, the result of Sarah's plan, represents the old sinful nature, the flesh.  Isaac is representative of the new nature,the spiritual nature, that only God can give, as only God could have given a baby to a couple as old as Sarah and Abraham.  The new nature urges us to put to death the desires of the old nature and be controlled by the Holy Spirit instead.  It was painful for both Abraham and Ishmael to separate, and it is often difficult and painful to give up our old habits and desires.  But, as John Phillips writes,  "That which was born of the flesh must be cast out.  There was to be no compromise, no middle ground.  There must be a complete break with the old nature if the new nature is to develop and occupy all the believer's heart."

Father, help me to give up all the sinful habits of my old, fleshly nature and allow Your Spirit to control my every thought, word, and deed.  Amen.    

Lot's Escape

Luke 17:33,  "Remember Lot's wife!  Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it."

    It's a good idea to stay close to people who are close to God.  Sometimes some of the benefits God bestows on them will overflow to us.  And those who are friends of God will pray for their friends, so even if people aren't praying for themselves, God will answer the prayers their friends have prayed on their behalf.  The angels went to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family in answer to Abraham's prayers.  Who has prayed for you and your family?  For whom are you praying?

    At dawn the angels urged Lot and his wife and daughters to hurry out of the city to escape its destruction.  But Lot hesitated, so the angels took the hands of Lot and his family and pulled them out of the city.  Apparently they were reluctant to leave their worldly possessions.  Does God ever have to urge or push or pull us in order for us to obey Him?

    Lot and his family were warned not to look back, but Lot's wife disobeyed those instructions, and she turned into a pillar of salt.  She became a monument to a divided heart and a warning to us all.  Do you think that you would have looked back?  Could you leave your house and possessions and friends and lifestyle and never look back if God called you to do that?  Or do we look back with longing when God calls us onward?  Where are our hearts?

    The lack of godly men in Sodom is a sad commentary on Lot's life.  When the angels arrived in Sodom, Lot was sitting at the gate of the city.  This was the place where business was transacted.  Lot's seat there indicates that he had a position of some power and influence, but we do not see any evidence that he used it to bring men to God.  I can't help but compare my own life to Lot's.  God has blessed me greatly, and it is a real temptation for me to just sit back and enjoy all that I have, as Lot apparently did.  He wasted his life and his influence as far as furthering God's kingdom.  But God wants, and expects, us to use all the resources He has placed at our disposal to tell others about salvation, about the way of escape that He has provided for all people.  He wants us to take every opportunity that is presented to us to share Christ with those who do not know Him.  Who told you about Jesus?  Who might you tell, or influence, to know Him?

Father, thank You that You have made a way for us to escape the penalty and power of sin through the cross.  May we take every opportunity to share that wonderful news with those around us.  Amen.

Intercessory Prayer

James 4:2c,  "You do not have because you do not ask God."

James 5:16b,  "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

God decided to take His friend Abraham into His confidence and tell Abraham of His plans to destroy the wicked city of Sodom.  Abraham's nephew Lot and his family had moved into that city and were living there.  Abraham's concern for Lot prompted him to pray the first intercessory prayer recorded in Scripture.  His plea was based on God's justice, with the hope that God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked.  He asked God to spare Sodom if fifty righteous people were found in it, and God agreed to do that.  Notice Abraham's courage as he continues to lower the necessary number of righteous people in Sodom to forty five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and then ten.  As long as Abraham prayed, God answered affirmatively.

    What a tragedy that there weren't even ten righteous people to be found in Sodom.  This does not speak well for Lot's influence in the city.  What was Lot thinking anyway when he moved his family into such a wicked place?  Were it not for Abraham's intercession, Lot and his wife and daughters would probably have been killed along with everyone else when the city was destroyed.

    God did more than answer Abraham's prayers.  He spared Lot and his family in spite of the fact that there weren't ten righteous people in the city.  Many times God, in His wisdom and love, gives us even better answers to our prayers than we have asked.

    We are probably more like Christ when we are praying for others than any other time, because Jesus is presently interceding for us in heaven.  God has warned us that He is going to judge this world as He judged Sodom.  We stand in the place where Abraham stood--in the place of intercession for those we love.  Remember, God kept answering as long as Abraham kept asking.  Will you keep praying?

Father, may I not be guilty of neglecting to pray for those I love and for all You put on my heart and mind.  Thank You for the privilege and promises of prayer.  Amen.

The God of All Possibilities

Matthew 19:26b,  "With God all things are possible."

Hospitality was considered an obligation in Biblical days.  There were few inns, so when strangers came by, people usually fed them and often took them in to spend the night.  Abraham hurried to prepare a meal for the three men who came to his tent, and he shared generously.  He told Sarah to bake bread for them with the finest flour, and Abraham himself chose a choice, tender calf to cook.  I don't believe that Abraham knew that he was entertaining two angels and God Himself when he first greeted the three strangers and began to prepare food for them.

We, too, are exhorted to show hospitality to others.  Romans 12:13 tells us to "Share with the Lord's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."  I Peter 4:9 says we are to "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."  And Hebrews 13:2 adds,  "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."  Who knows  what people we may be entertaining, or what blessing may be in store for us, as we share our homes and meals with others.  Actually we will be ministering to our Lord every time, because He has said if we show kindness to the least of people, we are showing kindness to Him.

God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of descendants too numerous to count.  The three visitors added some important information about that promise on this visit.  Sarah would be the mother of all these offspring, and she would have a baby within a year.

Sarah and Abraham were old, and Sarah was past her child bearing years.  God had waited until this couple would need a miracle from Him to have a baby.  It was obvious that only God could make it happen.  But what is impossible with men is always possible for God.   Nothing is ever too difficult for the Creator of this incredible universe.  No problem, trial, or temptation we will ever face will be beyond His power to bring us through.  And God is faithful.  His promises are always true and dependable.  We can count on Him even when we are facing a seemingly impossible situation.  He wants us to continue to trust Him, as Abraham did, and see what wonders He will perform on our behalf.

Father God, thank You that You can do all things.  May I always trust Your power, Your goodness, and Your love for me.  Amen.