Friday, February 23

Romans 4:1-12

In this passage, Paul refers to  Genesis 15:6 as he recounts the phrase, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  In other words, righteousness is seen as moral behavior that conforms to God’s law. This is reflected both in our relationship with God and in our lifestyle.  Simply put, it means being in a right relationship with God that presents its integrity within our daily life.  It’s living our lives as God intended.   

So, how do believing and righteousness connect?  

When Abraham BELIEVED God, he was showing a faith that was not dependent upon his current situation.  Actually, when he believed that God would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens, he may have seemed irrational.  Yet, he held firm.  

Do you ever struggle to hold firm?  Are there times your faith seems irrational to others?  I’ve been there many times.  As a child and teenager, I attended church camp every summer.  During one of those weeks, the speaker shared that when he struggled with his faith, he would go back to the time when he “knew that he knew God was present.”  The teenager beside me opened his Thompson Chain Reference NIV Bible and wrote that phrase in the front cover.  Coincidentally, I married that teenager and saw that phrase over and over in the front of his Bible.  There have been many times when my faith has been weak, that I have thought of that phrase.  Those times will come, but having anchor events in our past can help prepare us for current and future times of hardship.   As I prepared to write this devotional, I sat down and wrote a list of those moments in my life where I “knew that I knew” that God was faithful, real, and present.  It keeps me steady.  It holds me secure.  
Where are you at on this belief and righteousness pathway?  Make a list of your anchor experiences and tuck it away for when those moments come.  You’ll be steady.  You’ll be secure.   Anchor yourself and the righteousness will mature.

Beth Stark