Make It Count: Lessons from Abraham's Faith

Abraham's story teaches us a powerful lesson about faith and righteousness. In Romans 4:3, we read: "For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." This simple yet profound statement reveals how we can make our relationship with God truly count.

What Does It Mean to Make Your Faith Count?

Making your faith count isn't about religious performance or checking spiritual boxes. It's about having a genuine relationship with God that transforms your life. Abraham, considered the father of faith, demonstrates this perfectly.

Abraham was called by God out of paganism. He left everything familiar behind and followed God's direction to an unknown land. Throughout his journey, God made promises to Abraham - promises about blessing him, giving him an heir, and making him the father of many nations.

What's remarkable is that Abraham simply believed God, even when circumstances seemed impossible. He was 75 years old and his wife Sarah was 65 when God first promised them a child. Years passed - about 15 years - before God revisited this promise. By then, having a child seemed even more impossible, yet Abraham continued to believe.

Why Is Abraham's Example Important for Christians Today?

Paul uses Abraham's example to illustrate a critical principle: justification comes through faith, not works. The Jewish Christians in Rome struggled with this concept because they had grown up in Judaism, which emphasized following the law and doing good works to earn God's favor.

But Paul teaches that our goodness is never enough to satisfy God's righteous demands. We cannot be self-righteous or make up our own rules. We need God's help with our "gospel problem."

Truth: The Earmark of Faith

The first key principle we learn from Abraham is that truth is the earmark of faith. Whatever God says or promises is true, and if you don't believe it, you haven't truly tried trusting Him.

Genuine faith begins with placing our trust in God through all of life's twists and turns. Abraham didn't see everything clearly, but he simply believed God's word and waited for it to come to pass.

Our faith, like Abraham's, forms the groundwork for our relationship with God. How close you are to God depends entirely on you. As one teacher wisely answered when asked how much of God one can have: "How much of God do you want?"

If you want a great return in your relationship with God, you must make a great investment. Those who invest little receive little in return. Those who invest much receive much.

Transformation: The Effect of Faith

The second principle is that transformation is the effect of faith. None of us have faith just for the sake of having faith - we expect something because of our faith.

In Abraham's case, God gave him something to expect. He promised to bless Abraham, to make him a blessing to others, and to give him an heir. Abraham believed these promises, and God "counted it to him as righteousness."

This word "counted" comes from a financial term meaning "to be credited" or "to become attributed as an asset in someone's financial account." Before we confess Christ, we are in deficit - we're not meeting the bottom line of what God is owed. But when we believe, God credits righteousness to our account.

Abraham had a good "credit score" with God. What's your faith credit score? Do you have enough faith to be "well-qualified" in God's eyes?

How Does Faith Lead to Righteousness?

The word "righteousness" comes from a Greek word meaning "a status of legal rectitude that satisfies the moral requirements of God's character." God is holy, and He calls us to be holy as well.

Many of us consider ourselves righteous by earthly or worldly standards, but what matters is our standing before God. Have you been justified of your sins by your faith?

The good news is that we all come "prepackaged" with enough faith to get us into heaven. The Bible says that to every person has been given a measure of faith. Some measures are small, some are large, but all of us have been given enough to get us into heaven.

So the only one standing in your way of getting into heaven is you.

Trust: The Enablement of Faith

The third principle is that trust is the enablement of faith. Romans 4:4-5 says: "Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It's something they earn by working. But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in Him."

We can't curry God's favor based on our good deeds. God only accepts sinners because they have faith in Him. This shifts the focus from human effort to divine grace.

Just as Abraham was justified by faith, all who believe in Christ are credited with righteousness through faith. This reaffirms that Christ is central to God's plan of salvation for humanity.

Why Must We Trust the Process of Faith?

Many of us have heard the phrase "trust the process" from coaches, teachers, or managers. Whether we like it or not, there's something about going through a process that makes us appreciate the outcome more.

The same is true with God. It starts with the faith you have, and for the rest of your life, you just have to trust the process. What's the end of the process? As Job said, "When I am tried, I shall come forth as pure gold."

The process includes:

• Living: He loved me

• Dying: He saved me

• Buried: He carried my sins far away

• Rising: He justified me, freed me forever

• Coming again: Oh, what a glorious day!

The question is: Will you be ready when He comes?

Life Application

Making your faith count requires action. Here are some practical steps to apply what we've learned from Abraham's example:

1. Believe God's promises: Take time this week to identify specific promises in Scripture that apply to your situation. Write them down and meditate on them daily.

2. Trust the process: What difficult circumstance are you facing right now? Instead of fighting against it, ask God to show you how He's using it to transform you.

3. Check your faith credit score: Examine how you respond when problems arise. Do you immediately panic, or do you trust God to work things out?

4. Make your relationship with God count: Invest time in prayer, Bible study, and worship. Remember, you can have as much of God as you want.

   
   

Ask yourself:

• Am I trusting in my own works or in God's grace?

• What would it look like to truly believe God in my current situation?

• If my faith were counted as righteousness, would there be enough evidence to make a difference?

• Am I making my relationship with God count, or am I just going through religious motions?

Remember, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Will you make your faith count today?

By the Grace of the Lord: Understanding God's Unmerited Favor

Grace is one of the most powerful concepts in Christianity, yet many believers struggle to fully grasp its meaning and impact. The Apostle Paul understood grace deeply when he wrote, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:10). This profound statement reveals how God's grace shapes our identity, purpose, and effectiveness in the Kingdom.

What Does It Mean to Live by God's Grace?

There's a story about a man who died and went to heaven in his dreams. When he arrived at the pearly gates, Peter told him he needed 100 points to enter. The man began listing his accomplishments:

• Regular church attendance: 2 points

• Faithful tithing: 2 points

• Supporting church ministries: 2 points

• Sharing Jesus with others: 5 points

Frustrated by his low score, the man exclaimed, "At this rate, I can only enter by the grace of God!" Immediately, the gates swung open as Peter declared, "By the grace of the Lord—that's worth 100 points!"

This illustrates a fundamental truth: we cannot earn our way into heaven. It's not about our church attendance, tithing, ministry support, or evangelism efforts. We have access to God by His grace alone—what theologians call "sola gratia."

Why Did Paul Need to Explain Grace to the Corinthians?

The church at Corinth was struggling with several issues. Paul had spent a year and a half with them during his second missionary journey, but after he left, problems arose. The Corinthians were confused about doctrine, and many were either misunderstanding or abusing God's grace.

One significant issue was their disbelief in bodily resurrection. While they believed Jesus had risen from the dead, they couldn't accept that believers would also be resurrected. Paul needed to correct this misunderstanding by explaining that Christ's resurrection was the "first fruits"—meaning more resurrections would follow.

How Does Paul Define His Identity Through Grace?

Paul makes a powerful statement about his identity in 1 Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am." This reveals the ascribed value of God's grace. Paul acknowledges that everything he is comes from God's grace, not his own merit.

Before meeting Christ, Paul (then Saul) persecuted the church. He was the least deserving to be called an apostle. Yet God's grace transformed him completely. This teaches us an important lesson: our value doesn't come from what we do but from God's love for us.

When you experience moments of low self-esteem or feel disrespected, remember Paul's words: "By the grace of God, I am what I am." Any good you've done, skills you possess, or authority you've been given is by God's grace.

Is God's Grace Ever Wasted?

Paul continues by saying, "and his grace toward me was not in vain." This addresses the avoidance of vanity in grace. Paul wanted to make it clear that God didn't waste His grace on him—he put it to good use.

This raises an important question for all believers: Am I a waste of God's grace? What does wasting God's grace look like?

• Being saved but not serving God

• Being too busy serving others to glorify God

• Only serving when others are watching (eye service)

• Serving only to receive recognition and praise

Remember, we're not saved by our works, but we are saved for works. As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones said: "I'm not what I used to be. I'm not what I shall be. But by the grace of God and through the blood of the Lamb, I shall become what I'm supposed to be."

How Does Grace Empower Our Service?

In the final part of the verse, Paul says, "On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." This reveals the astonishing vitality we receive from grace.

Paul wasn't bragging about working harder than the other apostles. Instead, he was acknowledging that God's grace empowered him to serve beyond his natural abilities. Grace gives us supernatural strength and endurance:

• Grace gets you up when you want to sit down

• Grace makes you speak out when you want to keep silent

• Grace takes you farther than you want to go

• Grace keeps you longer than you want to stay

• Grace costs you more than you planned on paying

Like an iceberg, where most of its mass lies beneath the water's surface, your faith has more depth than what others can see. That deep-rooted faith, empowered by grace, carries you day by day.

How Did Jesus Demonstrate God's Grace?

Even Jesus operated through grace. To Him was ascribed the value of grace when God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Jesus avoided the vanity of grace by humbling Himself to death on a cross. His work was not in vain, and His grace was astonishing.

Despite the agony and pain, Jesus stayed on the cross to save us. He rose on Sunday morning with all power in His hand and now sits at God's right hand, dispensing grace daily:

• Walking grace

• Talking grace

• Loving grace

• Forgiving grace

• Living grace

• Peace that comes with grace

• Blessings because of His grace

Life Application

As you reflect on God's grace in your life, consider these questions:

• Do you recognize that everything you are and have is by God's grace alone?

• Are you using God's grace effectively, or are you wasting it?

• How is God's grace empowering you to serve beyond your natural abilities?

• In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on God's grace?

This week, challenge yourself to acknowledge God's grace in every aspect of your life. When you succeed, remember it's by His grace. When you face difficulties, rely on His grace to sustain you. And when opportunities to serve arise, allow His grace to empower you.

Amazing grace will always be our song of praise, for it was grace that brought us liberty. God didn't love us because we were valuable—we're valuable because He loved us. By His grace, we've come a long way, and by His grace, He'll lead us home.

It's Just Temporary: Understanding Our Earthly Journey and Heavenly Home

For believers, our time on earth is temporary. While we often get caught up in the challenges and struggles of daily life, Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5 that we're merely living in a tent that will one day be replaced by something far more glorious.

The Difference Between Temporary and Permanent

Think about working a temporary job versus a permanent position. When you're a temp worker, you get paid for the hours you work, but you don't receive benefits, health insurance, retirement plans, or paid time off. Similarly, our earthly bodies and lives are temporary, but God has something permanent and far better prepared for us.

Paul uses the metaphor of a tent to describe our current bodies. As a tent maker by trade, he understood that tents are designed to be temporary dwellings. They wear out over time - zippers break, fabric tears, and stitches come undone. Our bodies experience the same deterioration - they get sick, injured, and wear down as we age.

What happens to believers when we die?

Paul gives us this assurance in 2 Corinthians 5:1 (Passion Translation): "We are convinced that even if these bodies we live in are folded up at death like tents, we will still have a God-built home that no human hands have built, which will last forever in the heavenly realm."

While we're in these earthly bodies, we "groan" and long for our heavenly dwelling. This isn't because we're eager to die, but because we're eager to receive our eternal, glorified bodies that will never experience pain, sickness, or death.

How do we know we have a heavenly home waiting?

God has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee or down payment of what's to come. In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul explains that when we believe in Christ, we are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance."

Think of it like an inheritance. Often, we don't know what we'll receive until the will is read. But God has been telling us all along what awaits us in heaven. The Holy Spirit within us is the confirmation that these promises are real and waiting for us.

Living with eternity in mind

Since we know our time here is temporary, how should we live? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:9 that "whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him."

Many people are so focused on building their lives here that they neglect to prepare for eternity. But Jesus warned us not to store up treasures on earth "where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19). Instead, we should be storing up treasures in heaven.

Will there be judgment for Christians?

Yes, but it's different from the judgment for unbelievers. For Christians, it's not about determining salvation but about evaluating service. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

This judgment isn't about the quantity of our service but the quality and character behind it. Did we serve to be seen by others, or did we serve because we love Christ? As 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 explains, our works will be tested by fire. Those that survive will receive a reward, while those that burn up will result in loss, "though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

What will heaven be like?

1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." Heaven is beyond our comprehension, but we know it will be perfect.

In heaven, we won't need medications, surgeries, glasses, or any other aids we rely on here. Our bodies will be like Christ's glorified body - perfect and eternal. As 1 John 3:2 says, "When he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."

Life Application

Since our time on earth is temporary, we should live with eternity in mind. Here are some questions to consider:

• Am I living as if this world is all there is, or am I setting my affections on things above?

• If my church attendance reflected my eternal attendance, what would my eternity look like?

• Am I sharing my faith with those around me who don't know Christ?

• When I serve God, am I doing it for show or from a heart that truly loves Him?

• What temporary struggles am I facing that I need to view through the lens of eternity?

Remember, whatever difficulties you're facing right now - whether sickness, heartbreak, or financial struggles - they're all temporary. As the Psalmist wrote, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

Build your hopes on things eternal, not on the shifting sands of this temporary world. When Jesus returns or calls us home, may we be found ready, with our affections set on Him and our lives lived for His glory.