Tag Archives: Abraham

Becoming Abraham

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Map of Abram's journey


We know Abraham as the father of many nations. Arabs and Jews both claim him as their ancestor. His life story forms the very foundation of the basic Christian concept of justification by faith. He did not start out that way. We first meet him as a name at the tail end of one of the tiresome genealogies that make parts of the Bible so dry: “After Terah had lived 70 years he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran” (Genesis 11:26). How did this Abram grow to become the Abraham so many people revere?

God called Abram and he answered.… Read the rest

How to become wise

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Silver-Chlorargyrite-159470



Want to be wise? Wisdom requires some knowledge, but think of wisdom, in part, as knowing what to do about knowledge. The book of Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a female character, sent by God to accomplish God’s purposes. It often presents wisdom as advice from parents to children (Proverbs 2:1-5). Wisdom consists of both moral instruction on how to live a righteous life and practical advice that covers a wide variety of situations. No one is born with wisdom, and no one becomes wise without effort.

Seeking wisdom

Read the scripture, emphasizing the “if” written or implied before every verb.… Read the rest

Hope deferred? Don’t let it happen

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“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled (lit. coming) is a tree of life.” — Proverbs 13:12 (NASB)

I have still not seen very much of what I hoped for when I was in my 20s. I used to ache over this verse. For years, I asked God fervently why my hope was still deferred. My heartsickness was obviously all his fault.

As I thought about it again much later, I guess my prayer was answered in a way. God answered that I had misinterpreted and misrepresented the verse for years. I eventually realized that hope is not the same as the thing hoped for, and desire is not the same as the thing desired.… Read the rest