Writing It Randomly

Inspired by Krista Williams' 'God's Promise to Abram' on First5 , I want to share with you what I've learned today. God's promises are unchangeable and eternal, and through Jesus Christ, we've already been blessed to receive them. ['He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. ' - Gal 3 :14] All we have to do is obey, wait, and (through unwavering trust in God) drive away the vultures of doubt, fear, and discouragement. This led me to look into what exactly His covenant blessings are and it's all good news, people! THE OLD COVENANT(S): 1. God's covenant with Noah [ ' 18  But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.  19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive wi...

How Can A Step Back Take You Forward? The story of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood taught me how. I reread it alongside Wendy Blight's 'Obeying When It Seems Impossible' teaching on Genesis 7. At the end of it, she asks whether there are any seemingly impossible tasks in our lives, and what we can do to take a step closer to accomplishing them. My life so far had nothing as daunting as Noah's instructions from God, but I recalled advice my father once gave me. He said that I need to surrender control once I've asked/prayed for help. You see, my dad jokingly told everyone that my very first words were "Ek wil self" ('I want to do it myself'). Although this paints a clear picture of me as a toddler, I have since learnt that it is important to ask for help. The only part of this whole thing that I haven't mastered yet, is to allow enough time and opportunity for others to help me after I've asked them to. Rainbows are a sign tha...

Some First5 teachings make me feel like I just have to tell someone about what I've learnt. That is why I chose to start telling you about them one-by-one. One of the first few that I thought was enlightening, was Wendy Blight's teaching on Genesis 13, titled 'Choose Humility'. The chapter tells the story of Abraham & Lot. These two brothers, as well as their growing families, herdsman and surrounding tribes, all stayed on the same piece of land. As you can imagine, this crowded set-up eventually led to "in-house" fighting.   [' But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram's herders and Lot's.' - Gen 13 :16-17 NIV] Fortunately, Abraham (with God's guidance, I believe) realised that a peaceful compromise is always possible. He gave Lot first choice, and promised to go the opposite way, believing th...