It's interesting to me that all Abram had to do was to believe in the Lord and God counted it to him for righteousness. This agrees with the New Testament when it says, " (Act 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.(KJV) So many try to add their good works to this. They get the cart in front of the horse when they do this. The good works don't count for anything when it comes to salvation. God doesn't save us on account of our good works. They are all tainted by sin. He saves us on account of our faith in Him. It's only after God saves us, that the good works mean anything at all.
Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Abram's mistake was listening to his wife and doing as she asked. His wife should never have suggested such a thing. She was not acting in submission to God or her husband. Abram did not take the spiritual leadership as he should have and said, "no". The same thing happened with Adam and Eve.
We wives have great potential for influence. Do I use my influence with my husband for evil or for good? Am I acting in submission to God and to my husband?
Matthew 6:25 ¶ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.(KJV)
I don't need to worry about the basic necessities of life. God will see that I have what I need if I seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. Of course this doesn't mean that I sit back and do nothing but read my Bible and pray because even the Bible says a man should not eat if he will not work.
God expects us to be hard workers and to earn our bread.2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.(KJV)
There's no need to fret about the future. Today has plenty of issues and trouble to deal with. No use adding tomorrow's troubles on top of today's trouble and making the pile insurmountable. Of course this doesn't mean we should not set some plans in motion to help make tomorrow better. It just means we should not fret and worry. Worry just paralyzes us so we can't do the things we should.
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