July 29, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then H e said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to Him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15.4-6)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

What battles are you going through right now?

Are you fighting for your survival mentally, physically, socially, financially, emotionally and/or spiritually?

Are you fighting against giants looming over your life waiting for your failure at work, at school, at home, at church and/or any other place where you are connected to people personally, professionally or in some activity?

Are you fighting with the quiet whispers of doubt, grief, remorse, regret, temptation and/or opportunity where you are caught between “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure” and “What difference does it make” and “I know what is right and good and what I should be doing.”

Abram just finished with one of those battles, or a combination of several of them, as he led an attack on the king who took Lot and others into captivity for his own purposes. He was successful in that campaign. It came with tremendous loss and sacrifice. He grieved with the loss. He honored God when he received righteous praise. He shunned gifts that would have compromised him. He certainly was not without a desire to be appreciated even greatly. We do not hear of Lot’s thankfulness for his deliverance at the hands of his uncle. He might have been one of those people who would have said afterward, “I could have handled it; you just don’t think I can.” Of course, we know that shortly Lot would find himself in another virtually inescapable mess that he tried to handle and failed. So, it is not unreasonable to think that it wouldn’t be much different here. And while Lot had his struggles, so too, did Abram. Abram was fighting a whole different battle- the lack of an heir.

We all take a look at our mortality from time to time. We find ourselves in desperate and challenging situations which might even cause us to think our life is coming to an end. It is in those times, we truly take stock of our lives and wonder how we will be remembered, what will we miss and have we done everything we can for those who are left behind. In many ways, it all adds up to “what is my legacy?” Abram must have considered these things as he engaged in a war of liberation against incredible odds. As his men fell in battle, he must have wondered if he was next. We see those flashbacks in movies as in the swooning moments of losing consciousness, memories come flooding back of family, friends, achievements, failures and unfinished business. For Abram, at least in this moment, was dying without a true heir. Strange, for me at least, that this was a concern when he was willing to pass his wife off as his sister to saves his own life. That’s what it boiled down to. So, now he has survived a heroic and epic battle garnering the attention of many kings who come to pay him tribute for liberating them as he liberated Lot. He defers most of the praise while giving others the opportunity to bask in the “spoils of war.” But, the thought of his legacy lingers on. It becomes the prayer he wrestles over with God. God confirms that His promise to Abram wasn’t just about land and property but children, too. In this confirmation, we find not an exaggeration (you will have as many children as there are stars in the heaven or grains of sand by the sea) but a continuity of “faith and faithfulness.” God’s favor wasn’t offered because Abram won the battle. Abram was blessed because he dared to believe in God and put his future on the line to follow Him. If we think Abram followed God because of the reward, we would be mistaken. While Abram is not totally altruistic, he still wants affirmation and reward but not as his first concern. He follows God because of the promise of a future that will not be compromised in any way. Isn’t that what we hope for ourselves, too?

Don’t we truly come to faith in God through Jesus Christ because we want, desire and hope for a future that cannot be taken from us? Don’t we want a future that we can believe in for all eternity? And it isn’t just about our future but about the future of our legacy. A legacy not just in being remembered for who we are but the legacy of lives touched and brought into being because of us. This is the promise of God made to Abram about “more than stars in the heavens and grains of sand by the sea.” It is the legacy of faith for those who like Abram choose to believe and follow God. We hear a similar offering made by Jesus to Peter upon his profession of faith. Jesus said, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but God alone. Upon that faith, I will build My Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” It is a promise He wants to make with us as well. Do we want to enter into that promise and know that it is not by works but faith that makes it possible. That is righteousness!

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.