Looking Back, Pressing Forward

So many times, I thought all was lost,

That all was for naught

But you always led me home…

Looking back, pressing forward;

My life’s like a puzzle,

But I know You’re leading me…

I can count on You!

Heaven’s fiery Lion,

My eternal Champion!

Jesus, Lord of All…

Looking back, pressing forward;

I know You’re watching over me!

I’m no longer chasing the wind

And life’s no longer an impossible dream…

The flower of Your Grace opens wide before me!

The power of Your Love totally surrounds me!

Like a brilliant torch, a new day is dawning;

Your Grace is at work, and Your Grace is enough…

Looking back, pressing forward,

Your Word opens the way for me;

Like a star, Your Grace shines free

And I know I’m not alone…

Anchored in the strength of Your Grace,

Waiting for the Day when we’ll meet face to face;

I’m looking back, always pressing forward… (this line x2)

The message that inspired this song: “Looking back” in this song doesn’t refer to looking back in doubt or nostalgia for the past. No, it’s not looking back in the sense that Lot’s wife did, for she turned into a pillar of salt. “Looking back” refers to the sense you get that when you review the events of your life and take stock of your past, you can see God in it…always waiting, always watching, always with you. It’s like He is making the whole Universe conspire to ensure your success. God is rooting for you. He is on your side, and that makes you UNSTOPPABLE…This is a song of encouragement to those who have seen God lead in the past; He will take care of your future! To those who can’t seem to see Him in your past, look more carefully…because He is there!

The Scriptures behind this song: Phil 3:10-14, Rom 8:28-31, 2 Cor 12:9-10

NOTE: The last instalment of the series on Grace in Genesis will continue next week.

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 4

Genesis is a book which shows us that God is, and always has been, a God of Grace. We have a distinct advantage over Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the other Patriarchs in Genesis. They were journeying with God, discovering His Grace one day at a time in a period when no written record of His Grace yet existed. Today, although we still journey through life experiencing God’s Grace one day at a time, we can also look back into the pages of history as recorded for us in the Bible and see God’s gracious dealings with people in bygone eras.

As we journeyed through the pages of Genesis the last three weeks, we have observed that God’s Grace is unconditional. Abraham did not do anything that made him worthy of God’s Grace, yet God nevertheless showered His unconditional, unlimited Grace upon him and not just him, but his whole family! In fact, it is recorded that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed!  (Gen 12:1-3)

Abraham’s son Isaac, did nothing to merit the extension of God’s Grace to him but he received it because God made a promise to his father which He intended to keep, for God is not a man that he should lie. Isaac made the very same mistakes his father made in trying to preserve his life by lying that Rebekah, his wife, was his sister yet God still blessed him and extended the covenant promise to him too. (Gen 26:3-4, 6-13)

Jacob was worse than his father and grandfather! His very name meant “deceiver”. He was a self-absorbed character who stole his brother’s birthright and deceived his uncle Laban by  using selective breeding and attributing his gains to the blessing of the Lord! He was a “wheeler and dealer” by nature. Everything to Jacob was a business deal. He was so used to haggling that he even tried to bargain with God, making vows that God would only be his God if He would feed him, clothe him, preserve and protect him and bring him safely to his father’s house. If anyone was audacious, it was Jacob! After all, who would dare bargain with the Almighty? (Gen 25:28-34, Gen 27:1-36, Gen 30:31-43,  Gen 31:7-12, Gen 28:20-22)

Jacob made mistakes and some of them were premeditated, yet we see no dimunition in God’s grace to him. God sent angels to protect him and allowed him to see them! In Bethel, he was given a vision of a ladder that reached to Heaven and angels ascending and descending on it. The more Jacob sinned and let God down, the more it seemed God’s Grace increased! Sin could not overcome Grace. (Gen 28:12-15, Gen 32:1-2)

In Genesis 32:10-11 and 33:5 and 11, we see the result of God’s Grace. Jacob was the first Patriarch to verbally affirm God’s Grace. After wrestling with God and with men, his name was changed to “Israel” which in Hebrew means “a prince who prevails with God and men.” God showed Jacob that he could get away with bargaining and deceiving men, but he couldn’t do the same with God. Jacob saw the face of God and his life was spared (Gen 32:30). His day of reckoning happened to be his greatest experience of God’s Grace, which changed him forever. (New Testament ref: Romans  5)

God's Grace in the Old Testament -Part 3

In Gen 15:9-21, God made a covenant with Abram while he slept, signifying that He alone would do everything to bring the covenant to pass. God alone passed between the slain animals, signifying the cost of the covenant. It would cost the life of His Son to ensure that our salvation was sealed.  Just as the pitch  (black tar-like substance) that God instructed Noah  to paint the Ark with prevented the vessel from sinking, so it would be Christ’s blood which would seal our atonement (Gen 6:14). All Abram and his descendants had to do was to bear the sign of the Covenant i.e. circumcision (Gen 17:1, 10-11).

In Gen 15:6, we read that Abram believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. His righteousness was by faith, and good works naturally followed. In fact, Abraham’s faith was so strong that not enough his love for his only son, Isaac, could surpass it! Did you know that Abraham believed God could raise the dead long before the Lord had raised anyone from the dead?

In Gen 22, we read the story of how God commanded Abraham (previously “Abram” until God changed his name) to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mt Moriah. Isaac was the son given to Abraham and Sarah in their old age through the promise of God that Sarah, previously barren, would bear a child. God had promised that through Isaac, he would bless Abraham and make him the father of many nations yet now He asked him to sacrifice his only son! Abraham may have lied and doubted God on many occasions, but this time his faith did not waver. He clung to the Promise God had made to him, even as he walked with his young son to the foot of Mt Moriah. He told his servants in Gen 22: 5 to wait for them, that they would return after worshiping God. Abraham had faith that both he and his son would return home. God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice, and even if He didn’t and Isaac had to die, that God, by His Grace would raise him from the dead just to fufil the Promise that was made and confirmed so many times to Abraham.

We know the rest of the story. God did provide a lamb for Abraham’s sacrifice and Isaac’s life was spared. We see a picture of salvation in this story, salvation by God’s grace alone. Isaac was the son of promise, but he was not the promised Messiah (“seed of the woman”) of whom God spoke of in Gen 3:15. Through Isaac, Abraham would be a father of many nations, but through Jesus Christ would come the provision for every one of those nations to be saved from their sins.

In John 1:29-36, the Baptist upon seeing Christ cried: “Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world!” On Mount Calvary, a Father and a Son fulfilled what was only a picture at Moriah. Jesus carried the wood of the cross up Calvary as Isaac did at Moriah. He was and is the Lamb whom God provided through His Grace,  the Saviour of those who trust in Him. He died the death we deserve, so we could live a life honouring God for His marvelous Grace. (Jn 3:16)

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 2

God’s grace is revealed in Gen 12 when God chose Abram and made him a promise that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abram did not choose God, neither was he immediately the man of faith that Hebrews 11 refers to.

It was a gradual transformation as Abram learned to trust in God’s grace. In Gen 12, God instructed Abram to leave  his country, kindred and father’s house and journey to a land which God Himself would show him. Abram obeyed God, but not totally. Instead of leaving everything he knew behind, he took his nephew Lot with him (Gen 12:1-4).

Many times Abram doubted God’s Promise. In Egypt, he was fearful and sought to preserve his life by lying that Sarai, his wife was his sister (Gen 12:13). Abram was still learning to trust in God. God was gracious, preserving King Abimelech from sin because He could see the integrity of his heart when he took Abram’s wife into his royal court. God was patient with Abram, blessing him with great riches, honour and favour despite his failures. When Lot chose the best land for himself, God in His grace reaffirmed His Promise to Abram. Abram became a generous and respectful man. He respected the property rights of others even though he knew that God would give his descendants the whole land. God’s grace was already changing him (Gen 13:10-18). He was learning that it was God’s great grace that made him a prosperous and successful man and he gave God all the glory for his success, attributing none of his success to others or to himself (Gen 14:22-24).

In Gen 15, God affirmed His Promise to Abram yet again. Abram had a crisis in faith, as he had no idea how God planned to fulfil the Promise; all he knew was that he remained childless and he couldn’t  see past his  circumstances. God was patient with Abram, conceding to his request for a sign or assurance that God would indeed give him the land as promised. God asked Abram to prepare some sacrifices and Abram fell into a deep sleep as God revealed in prophetic vision to him the things that would befall his nation.  The 400 years of oppression under Egyptian rule was revealed to him as well as the glory of the exodus from Egypt. God’s grace to the Amorites was also revealed to Abram; God was giving them time to turn to Him and repent of their evil. While Abram’s descendants were yet to possess their inheritance, the Amorites would have opportunity to turn to God.

God Himself passed between the slain animals. The Almighty Himself condescended to make a covenant, binding Himself on pain of death as an earthly king would bind himself when making a covenant with another. The difference was that it was a one-sided covenant. Abram did not pass between the animals for it was God alone who had made the Promise and He alone who would see it to completion through His plan of redemption by the blood of His own Son, “the seed of the woman”. Abram could not break the covenant for he had no part in the making of it. Neither his good works, nor the lack thereof could change the Promise and God’s plan to fulfil it. God’s grace was, and still is, beyond comprehension.

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 1

Most people are comfortable with the notion of grace in the New Testament, but find it difficult to reconcile to the God of the Old Testament. Most, when reading the Old Testament, see a God of judgement and wrath whereas the New Testament reveals through Christ, a God of mercy and Truth.

As much as we cannot in our finite minds hope to understand God, the Bible assures us that He never changes (Heb 13:8). That means His character is constant. He has always been a God of grace! God does not have a split personality. Genesis is the book of beginnings, foundational to our belief and doctrines, and I have learned some amazing lessons on Jesus Christ, faith and grace right from page one of the Bible! In order to understand the deep truths in God’s Word, it is essential that one have a strong foundation and what better place to start than in Genesis?

What is “grace”? Many have described it as “unmerited favour.” Somone once described it as “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” The very essence of grace means that it is God -initiated; grace is not a reward of obedience. Rather, it inspires obedience by the transformation of the heart that it engenders. Let’s look at some examples of grace in Genesis.

Gen 12 records the call of Abram. God makes a promise to Abram, a heathen man living in Ur of the Chaldees (otherwise known as Mesopotamia). The people of this nation were known for polytheism, the worship of many gods (Josh 24:2).  In Gen 12:1-3 God makes a promise to Abram to bless him and make him a great nation and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Only a God of grace would choose to make an idolator into a great nation! God affirms this promise  to Abram many times, eventually even making the promise part of his name by changing it from “Abram” (exalted father) to “Abraham” (father of nations). (Gen 13:14-17, Gen 15:1-5, Gen 17:5).

The fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram did not rest on his obedience, but rather he believed in God and God accounted it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). Our salvation is not based on our good works or lack thereof; it is based entirely on God’s grace. If the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram were based on Abram’s works or obedience, he would have failed on many accounts. He lied on more than one occasion that his wife was his sister; he doubted and conceded to his wife’s plan to “help God fulfil His promise” by sleeping with Hagar, etc. God intervened through all of this to ensure that His plan would come to pass. Abraham’s future obedience was only a response to God’s grace that radically changed his heart. In Gen 17:1 God commands Abram to walk before Him and be blameless. God was merely telling him to let the result of His grace (the “credited righteousness” in 15:6) to shine through Abram’s life. Have you experienced God’s grace? He  wants you to let His grace transform you into a shining light for Him in the world today so others may experience His grace too!(Matt 5:16, Eph 2:1-10)

Scripture references: Gen 12-15

Creation Epic

The worlds were framed by the Word of the Lord

And the earth embraced by His Spirit of Love;

He spoke and boundless light poured forth…

The mantle of darkness was peeled away,

Revealing the marvelous miracle of the very first day;

His powerful Word like a sword did split

The highest heights of the firmament

From the broiling depths of the ocean deep,

Which seemed to have no end…

He sent forth the heavenly decree

Which established the border of the seas

Bringing forth the dry land,

Soon to be the home of man…

With tender love did His voice forth

The pleasant herb of the field,

The abundant bounty of fruit trees,

The  blessed Orchard of Eden…

The earth needed not the moon, nor sun

For it was illumined by the Holy One;

Nevertheless, for the dividing of time did He them create…

In one breath did He decorate the tapestry of heaven

With the star-spangled banner of Love,

Their dazzling beauty like sequins

In an exquisite garment above…

With just a word He created

The teeming multitudes in the sea,

Leviathan frolicking in the waves

And birds flying high on the breeze…

He spoke the Word and there appeared

The varied beasts of the field,

The creeping things of the earth;

After their own kind they would yield…

On the sixth day God had a special work in mind,

The crowning glory of creation,

Distinct from every kind…

“Let us make Man in our image” He said,

“And put the crown of dominion upon his head;

Let him  rule the earth and the sea,

Custodian of all that have life by Me…”

And God stooped down and gathered dust,

With His own hands, He fashioned a bust;

On the earth did Adam lay,

Beautiful, but lifeless man of clay…

God breathed His own breath into him

And the man came to life;

“Adam, my son,” thought God,

“Your loneliness will soon require a wife…”

So our first parents were made,

In the similitude of God

To multiply and replenish the earth

And rule it with hearts of love;

Their home was carpeted with the plush mossy meadow

And the windows of heaven a roof over them…

And God looked upon His creation

And declared it very good;

The sons of God shouted for joy and heavenly anthems raised

As the earth broke forth in chorus of resounding praise…

All was rest and beauty on that hallowed first Sabbath day,

Precious memorial of creation that forever would remain…

This poem/song was inspired by: Genesis 1, Job 38