Abimelech answered Isaac, “We saw clearly that the
Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to
be a sworn agreement between us…’”
(Genesis 26:28)
Thoughts: There are no weekend readings scheduled in our New Testament plan in order to give you a chance to make up any readings or journaling you may have missed during the week. You are also encouraged to read three chapters in Psalms and two chapters in Proverbs over the weekend. This will allow you to go through these two books during the year along with the New Testament.
If you are reading through the One Year Bible, you will read through the Old Testament as well. In today’s reading, you came across the account of God’s blessings upon Isaac. One of the interesting interchanges in this story is the conversation that took place between King Abilelech and Isaac regarding Isaac’s success.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone like the one captured in the verse above? Shouldn’t the people of God be attractive to non-believers because of the Lord’s blessings on their lives? Shouldn’t the benefits of walking with God be visible, at least to some extent, causing those who observe us to also admire us?
Of course, not all of God’s blessings are visible, external, and in particular, financial, but we should expect that some blessings will be. For Isaac, God had blessed him with herds and servants to the point that the leaders of the community in which he lived took notice.
Yet even those blessings that are internal and spiritual in nature should also have some observable outward manifestations in our lives. The joy, peace and favor of the Lord ought to translate onto our countenance and into our voices and out through our actions. The knowledge of eternal life ought to give us such a security and confidence that others become aware of “sometime they can’t quite put their finger on” about us, and that ought to cause them to want to know more.
Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Jesus wants that for you—a blessed life, life to the full. For sure, first and foremost, that means spiritually. But that fullness ought to impact you in every other area as well: emotionally, physically, relationally, and financially.
It is that kind of blessed and blessable life that is perhaps the most compelling Christian witness of all.
My prayer for you and me is that we may become “Kingdom magnets” because of the abundance of God’s continual blessings upon our lives!
Prayer… Father, as Jabez prayed in II Chronicles 4:10, so I pray, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” God, you granted his request, so now I ask that you would grant mine, too.
One More Thing… “If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.” —Saint Augustine
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