Harmony of Grace

Psalm 22:23-31 Today's Psalm is a reminder that all of creation worships God. We have the option to join in with the worship or to fight against the natural order and try to go our own way. Which option will you choose? You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you, I will fulfil my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— thos...

Romans 4:13-25 Today we carry on with our reflections on Abrahams story.  Many believe that Abraham was called and sent by God because he was such a good person. The apostle Paul reminds us, in his letter to the Roman church, that Abraham was seen as righteous because of his faith, not because of his actions. Paul goes on to remind us that Abraham's faith was not only accredited as righteousness to him personally, but to his descendants as well. Isn't it incredible how one person's faith can have such a tangible, lasting impact on generations of people to follow? Abraham's faith is praised because he "gave glory to God, even in the midst of doubt and unbelief" (verse 20). We are going to struggle with doubts and unbelief in our life, but to have faith like Abraham means continuing to trust in God and "being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what God has promised" (verse 22). If we have faith in God in this way, then even when we fail to li...

Genesis 17:1-7 Abraham was 99 years old when God called him and made a covenant with him. It is true that Abraham lived for longer than the average human today, but even he thought that he was too old to be of any use as a servant of God at his age. I think that too often we let age define what we are able to do, especially when it comes to God's work in the world. We constantly hear people say, "I missed my opportunity to get involved in that ministry," or "I wish I had signed up earlier in my life so that I could have made a greater impact here." It is never too late to answer God's call on your life.  Even if you are only able to contribute to a certain calling for a few months or years, the influence that you make could have a lasting impact for many future generations.  Abraham's main contribution to the story of God's people was that he was a pioneer for generations to come. Even though he doubted his ability, he was faithful to God's call ...