Listen

But the scripture that says it was credited to him wasn’t written only for Abraham’s sake. It was written also for our sake, because it is going to be credited to us too. It will be credited to those of us who have faith in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over because of our mistakes, and he was raised to meet the requirements of righteousness for us.

Romans 4:23-25

Think

The Apostle Paul does an amazing thing here by connecting Abraham and Sarah of Genesis (the first book of the Bible) to Jesus, the central figure of the New Testament. Across hundreds of years, he pulls a thread to help us see God’s redemptive work in all creation. One of the reasons the church keeps telling the same stories generation after generation is because they represent truths that endure across all time.

Imagine a flowing stream of water like the Mississippi River that runs from the northern reaches of the United States all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and along the way draws in water from 33 states. Through faith, we become part of such a stream of God’s history that combines past, present, and future in one mighty movement. That’s how it is that Abraham and Sarah’s faith was not for their sake alone but for us also.

Mark Wingfield

Pray

God of all generations, thank you for the old, old stories that nurture and enrich my faith. Let my faith be not for my sake alone but also for the sake of generations to come. Amen.

Go

Go, empowered by the real truth of God’s promises and commit to be a truth-teller yourself.

Go in peace, live in truth.