Doyle Smith Daily

Genesis 18:13-14a (ESV) Originally published 11/03/2014  At age 90 for Sarah and 100 for Abraham they had apparently stopped asking for a son. But when God promised a son to them Sarah laughed because it was humanly impossible. "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:13-14a (ESV). This does not mean that God will do everything we ask,  but that he can do anything we ask if it suits his purpose and is best for us. Most of all it means that he will do everything he tells us he will do no matter how impossible it seems to us. Lord, I want to live with confidence that everything that you promised in the Bible you will do. Give me the courage to take the risks of obedience. 

Genesis 17:15-17 (ESV) Originally published 11/-1/2014 God shows his power and majesty by doing things that are impossible to us. "And God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her.  I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.' Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'" Genesis 17:15-7 (ESV). To undertake the impossible when God has not directed it is presumption, but to fail to undertake the impossible when God has directed it, is unbelief. God asks us to do things that seem impossible to us to help our trust in him to grow and prepare us to face even more difficult situations and to demonstrate who he is. Lord, help me to know today what you want me to do and to ...

Genesis 17:1 (ESV) Originally published 10/31/2014 In talking to Abram God identifies himself. "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless, ...” Genesis 17:1 (ESV). This is the foundation of our faith that the God of the Bible has all power and authority over all the universe. He can do whatever he chooses to do. To fail to recognize his position and authority is rebellion against the greatest power in the universe. Lord, I acknowledge you as the ruler of the universe and of my life and ask that you help me to submit to your every wish this day. I will fear nothing with you as my master.

Genesis 16:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 10/30/2014 It is easy to get frustrated with God when the promises we read in the Bible don't happen when we think they should. Sometimes we try to make them happen. "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai" Genesis 16:1-2 (ESV). Sarai didn't trust God to keep his word, and Abram trusted Sarai, not God. Lord, today when things don't go as I expected, remind me to react as you want me to, instead of acting on my feelings or human wisdom.

Genesis 15: 13-16 (ESV) Originally published `0/29/2014 We might think that planning 10 years ahead is long range planning for us, but not for God. "Then the LORD said to Abram, 'Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not complete'" Genesis 15:13-16 (ESV). God knew what he was going to do 400 years in the future to the Israelites, Egyptians, and the Amorites. His knowledge and wisdom are beyond anything we can imagine. Lord, I cannot know the future, but if I can obey your instructions one day at a time, I am assured my future is secure. Show me wha...

Genesis 15:7 (ESV) Originally published 10/28/2014 It is hard for us to recognize when God is speaking to us, and God understands this. God made a promise to Abram, and Abram believed it, but God knew he needed assurance. "And he (God) said to him (Abram), 'I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess" Genesis 15:7 (ESV). God wants us to be sure we know when he is speaking to us, as much as we want that. We can check what we think God is saying against Scripture to make sure it is God. But there is also for us the assurance from the Holy Spirit that lives within us. Lord, help me to recognize your guidance in my life today so that I will follow you.

Genesis 15:5-6 (ESV) Originally published 10/27/2014 Faith is to believe the things God says, even though there is no human evidence that they will happen. God promised Abram that through him all the world would be blessed, but Abram was over 75 and had no children. Abram could not see how this could happen at his age, but God said he would have a son. "And he bought him (Abram) outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness" Genesis 15:5-6 (ESV). Lord, guide me to know the differences between my plans and your promises. Don't let me fool myself. Give me the faith to trust you when your promises seem impossible, so that the world might see your power.

Genesis 15:1 (ESV) Originally published 10/25/2014 God responds to our trust in him. Abram had recovered the people and goods taken from the king of Sodom, and the king offered the goods to Abram, but he turned this offer down for fear that people would think that Abram’s wealth came from people, not God. "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield: your reward will be very great" Genesis 15:1 (ESV). God's response to Abram's trust in him was to offer protection and great reward. Lord, it is a great comfort to know that when I trust you by being obedient, you stand between me and anyone or anything that would destroy me.

Genesis 14:21-23 (ESV) Originally published 10/24/2014 It is God who provides for his followers. Abram defeated the kings in battle, and all the spoils were his. "And the king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.' But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'" Genesis 14:21-23 (ESV). Abram wanted everyone to know that it was God who provided and not his skill or wisdom or any person. We have trouble giving, and we get afraid because we think our finances depend on ourselves, not God. Lord, everything I have is yours. Give me a spirit of gratitude and a willingness to give back to you anything you have let me use or hold for you.

Genesis 14:17-18 (ESV) Originally published 10/23/2014 God is at work in many ways that we will never know. Abram had gone to battle to rescue Lot, his nephew who had been captured. "After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High)" Genesis 14:17-18 (ESV). The Bible does not tell us all the things that God has done in the world, but here is a priest of God, and we know nothing about what this priest did, except this blessing of Abram. Lord, when I get discouraged about the spiritual condition of the world, remind me of Melchizedek and that you are doing your work all over the world and in people that I could never imagine. In Heaven perhaps we can learn of all the things that you did that have not been in the Bible.

Genesis 13:14-16 (ESV) Originally published 10/22.2014 Sometimes when we obey God, it looks like we lose. Abram and Lot had conflicts, and Abram "called on the name of the LORD" and was led to give Lot choice of the land, and he chose the best land. "The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are. northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever'" Genesis 13:14-16 (ESV). Lord, many times it seems like what you ask me to do does not seem like the best choice. Give me trust in you to do today what I know you want me to do, regardless of the apparent cost to me.