Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body, will be your heir. He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:4-6
Paul writes that if justification by faith proved true for Abraham, it was also true for the Jews and the Gentiles and for us today. When we put our hope and faith in Jesus Christ, when we choose to believe that He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 4:24), we are given a credit statement that says “paid in full.” I am always elated when my credit card statement has a zero balance. By believing in Jesus Christ, God writes across the statement of our lives “debt canceled!”
We are credited with righteousness and justified before God. God’s grace and His unmerited favor are imputed to us, and we can only offer ourselves back to Him in gratitude. Undeserving as we are, we can offer ourselves to the Lord as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1) and freely surrender to the God of grace.
Each time I read Genesis 15: 4-6, I am reminded that Abraham not only believed in God, He believed God. You see, we can believe that God exists, that He is the Creator of the universe. We can believe in His Son, sent to die for our sins, but we must go one step further and believe God – that is, believe in His promises and believe that His Word is true. Abraham was an old man and his wife Sarai was beyond child bearing years, but Abraham, knowing and believing in God, also believed God’s Word, and he was credited with righteousness.
Do you believe God? Do you believe that what He has told you He will fulfill? What promise are you waiting for God to fulfill? Today chose to trust and believe God.
Heavenly Father,
I have been waiting on a promise for a long time. Today I choose to trust You to fulfill Your promise. Like Abraham, I believe Your Word because You are a trustworthy God.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
