DAY 92 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE PROMISE

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 12:3

 

Reading: Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:22-25

There is yet another part to the Promise that God gave Abram. He tells Abram that through his faith and obedience, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

We can see how that Promise has been fulfilled. Abram's life of trust in God has become an example for all of us who seek to walk with God and be called His friend. Abram’s life was by no means a perfectly sinless life of obedience, but it does show us what happens when someone grows in trust and believes the Promises that God makes. This flawed man who had so many obviously sinful traits in his life, believed God and was declared righteous because of it. Oh the wonder and joy of God declaring a person forgiven and thereby righteous because he believed God’s word is too high a thought to grasp!            

People are blessed through the example of Abram’s life. It’s a living example of how to walk in faith and how to believe God’s word despite all the many obstacles that come to defeat it. Thanks to Abram, all people can see that the way to righteousness is not by achieving a perfect life but by believing in God’s word. Righteousness is not achieved, it is received - by faith. Righteousness is received humbly, as a gift from God, by those who know that it cannot be achieved by self-effort.

Prayer

Lord I am struggling to grasp that you have forgiven me of all my sin and declared me righteous. I admit that I often fall into thinking I must achieve righteousness by my own effort. Help me to stand in faith.

FOR THE FAMILY

Explain

How have all the people of the Earth been blessed through Abraham? Explain that there are two main reasons:

  1. Jesus came from the line of Abraham
  2. Abraham showed us how we should walk with God – by believing His word and having faith.

Engage

Learn the Promise song together that is part of The Big Picture for Little People curriculum. Here are the lyrics.

THE PROMISES

Chorus

1 and 2 and 3, 4, 5 the promise-keeping God's alive

You count me and I'll count you

His promises come true

Verse

When God spoke to Abraham

long ago in Canaan land

5 great promises He made

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1 - I'll make your name great

2 - give you lots of children

3 - I'll give you a land and keep it by My own right hand

4 - I will greatly honour you and bless the one's who do..

Whooops...where's number 5? 

 

Let's hunt high and let's hunt low

Find number 5 before we go

Count with me now 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Coda

Every word that God said

Abraham believed and more

He trusted in God and followed Him

So God spoke number 5

All the people of the Earth will be blessed by God above

through you.....