Day 3 of the 31 Days of Christmas…we are preparing our hearts the entire month of December. Not to unwrap presents but to enjoy the Reason for the Season and celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ! This week we are discovering some of the people who are linked to the lineage and genealogy of the Savior and how we can compare and contrast their lives to our own. You can catch up Day One, super short, and Day Two first if you like, they will open in a different window. I will wait for you…“What was that promise again, Abraham? It’s been so long!”

“I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly…and you shall be a father of many nations.” Genesis 17:1,2 NKJV.

“Oh yes, but there is more!”

“Yes, Sarah, there is more…”

“As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Genesis 17:15, 16. NKJV.

That was The Promise Sarah was waiting on…the one that concerned her the most. This Promise caused Sarah to laugh when it was prophesied over her, and then in shame she denied her laughter.

Abraham and Sarah waited for The Promise, their promise was physically impossible! They were beyond child-bearing age, they had never had a child of their own together. Here they were approaching the century mark and Almighty God tells them they are to have a child!

Not only would they have a child but the Lord tells Abraham he would be the father of a great nation, of many nations, his descendants would be innumerable.

We know they received their promise, the child. “And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.  And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.” Genesis 21:1-3 NKJV.

But what about the other part of The Promise? Did not the Lord vow to make him a “father of many nations”?  “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:  Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob… (skipping way down…) Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

There is Abraham, the father of Isaac, the father of Ishmael too. But, more importantly, the father of many nations, just as the Lord had promised!

Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.” Matthew 1:1-17 NLT.

You mean there is more?

“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:14.

That blessing of Abraham was surely to be the father of many nations and he brought forth The Promise, Jesus, through his bloodline! That is our blessing (the Gentiles)! What a hope! What a promise!

(Of course we know that it didn’t stop with the Baby in the manger, but that Promise of the Spirit now resides IN us, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ alive inside of us, leading, guiding, comforting, protecting, and walking with us each and every day!)

As exciting as this is, many of these great patriarchs that we talk about may have never realized their place in history! They were just following the will of God.

The lineage of Jesus is full of people like Abraham, great and mighty leaders who made a difference in their world, impacted nations and changed the course of history. They are listed in the ancestry of Jesus, the Messiah!

In it you will also find amazing people like Rahab, (see Day 2’s post here) just an ordinary person who recognized the God of Israel to be like no god she had ever come in contact with before! Because of her curiosity, she risked her life to save herself and her family and she too, alongside great men like Abraham, is listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ!

It’s not about what we do today, not about the glory we receive. It’s about walking with Him daily, walking in The Promise!

What is the promise that you are waiting for? How about if  what you are doing today, walking with Him, following His leading, IS your promise? At least for now?  I heard a long, long time ago that whatever place I found myself in, until God moved me or told me to do otherwise, that WAS His will, so walk in it! Work in it!

Is there something from God that you have waited years for an answer? Don’t give up! Remember Sarah! At 90 years old the Lord promised her a child, is there anything too hard for God?!

Are you wondering if your ministry is of any value? Will it make a difference in anyone’s life? Remember Abraham! Generation after generation, times thousands of generations, and here we are today still modeling our lives after this hero of the faith.

I would love to hear your thoughts today on The Promise. What do you see in Abraham and Sarah? Are you struggling with a promise of your own? I would love to pray with you! You can always contact me privately if you wish at the top of the blog under CONTACT ME or email me at ynannette@gmail.com. Join in the discussion today!

Remember the Reason for the Season…Remember Jesus.

 

 

Sharing with Women Helping Women, Teach Me Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays, Unite, The Gathering Spot, Testimony Tuesday