Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Month: April 2016

Altar-native

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On April 29, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord God appeared and assured Isaac of his blessings, because of his faithfulness to Isaac’s faithful father, Isaac built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, pitching his tent there and Isaac’s servants digged a well there.

The right response when the Lord God appears in our life and assures to bless us for his faithfulness extends to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9), we must worship (call on the name of) the Lord God, and build in our hearts his altar and pitch our tent there – becoming natives of the altar. We must dig into our life, as an altar-native, so that living waters (Holy Spirit) may flow out of our lives.

Points to ponder:
Are you an altar-native? In the presence and promises of the Lord God, there should be no other alternative for us except us being an altar-native. Are you an altar-native?

Genesis 26:24-25 (KJV)
24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

The Lord’s perpetuity, presence and promise

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On April 27, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord appeared to Isaac at Beersheba, he assured Isaac of:
– his perpetuity (I am the God of Abraham thy father),
– his presence (I am with thee), and
– his promise (I will bless thee and multiply thy seed).

Points to ponder:
Jesus said that before Abraham was he is (John 8:58) and that Abraham saw his day and rejoiced (John 8:56). Jesus also established that he and the Father God are one (John 10:30). Jesus is everlasting chosen from even before the foundations of the world (1 Peter 1:20). Jesus is perpetual.
Jesus said that he is with his followers, always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Jesus is with all who open their lives to him (Revelation 3:20), believing in him and have receiving him as their Savior, Master and Lord (Revelation 3:20).
In Jesus Christ, we are blessed in heavenly places with spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-6).

If you think your life is short, come to Jesus who is perpetual and in whom is eternal life.
If you think that you are all alone, be assured the Jesus has promised to be with you always.
If you think that your life is a curse, in Christ Jesus, you are blessed with spiritual blessings (chosen by God, cleansed by God, adopted as a child of God, credited into the Lamb of God’s book of life) in heavenly places.
The question that remains is: Are you blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, by a perpetual, ever-present, promise keeping God? In other words, are you in Christ, having believed in him as Savior, Lord and Master of your life? The contrary is a dire situation. Are you blessed in Christ Jesus?

Genesis 26:24-25 (KJV)
24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Ephesians 1:3-6 (KJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

For my servant’s sake

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On April 26, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 26:24 records an interesting phrase – “For my servant Abraham’s sake.”

In this account, we see that Isaac, the son of Abraham, is assured of God’s blessings because of Abraham. Not only does this signify the faithfulness of God in keeping the covenant, God made with Abraham (Genesis 22:16-19) in the same place (Beersheba) where Isaac was now (Genesis 26:23), but it also assures that God blesses others for the sake of those who serve him. Isaac was not blessed on account of his own merit, but because of God’s faithfulness to Abraham, who was faithful in serving God.

Points to ponder:
Jesus, the Son of God, who was prophesied as the Servant of the Lord (Zechariah 3:8; Isaiah 42:1), took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7) and demonstrated that we ought to serve one another just as he served – in action and not just words (John 13:14-15; Matthew 20:28).

For the sake of Abraham, Isaac (and subsequently the nation of Israel) was blessed.
For the sake of Jesus, the Servant Son of God, all of the nations (Matthew 12:21; Colossians 1:27) are blessed.

Remember, the greatest accolade that one can receive is the title of a ‘good and faithful servant.’ Let us live our lives in a manner looking forward to the greatest honor we can receive, when we face Jesus face to face, when he says “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord.” (Matthew 25:23).

The questions we need to ask ourselves then are:
– Are we servants of the Lord?
– Are others around us (especially our family – both natural and spiritual/church) blessed for our sake by the Lord?

In other words, can God say “I will bless so and so for your sake, because you are my (good and faithful) servant?” Now don’t leave this question unanswered.

Genesis 26:24 (KJV)
24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Fear Not – what does that mean?

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On April 25, 2016

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Grammy Award winning singer, Chris Tomlin beautifully expressed this motif, that if God is with us, then there is nothing or no one that we need to be afraid of, in his song, Whom Shall I fear? (The God of Angel Armies). Now hold that thought.

Genesis 26:24 gives the account of the Lord appearing to Isaac, on the very same night, that he had moved up to Beersheba and the Lord first identifies himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac’s father. Then the Lord says that he will bless and multiply Isaac, for the sake of Abraham, but before this reassurance is given, the Lord starts out by telling Isaac to Fear Not. Why? Because the Lord says that he was with Isaac.

Isaac was in a foreign land. His servants had just been in contention with the servants of the king Abimelech of Gerar. And while these events could have given him the sense that he was alone in battling the circumstances and life issues, the Lord comes through with the assurance that he was with Isaac and so Isaac had no reason to fear. There was nothing Isaac had to be afraid of because God was with him.

Points to ponder:
When fear seems to grip your heart and you feel that you are all alone, battling the issues of life, you can call on to the Lord and when he is with you, you have nothing to fear. No matter what the situation is and how dire things seem, when you have the God of angel armies with you, fear not.

Jesus’ name was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and proclaimed by the angel Gabriel to Mary that he shall be called “Emmanuel” meaning God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). And Jesus promised that he is with those who love him and obey his commands, following him, always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).

The question that remains is “Are you afraid?”. In other words, that can be translated into “Is the Lord with you?” Now take note, if the God of angel armies, the Lord is not with you – then that is a dreadful thing!

Genesis 26:24 (KJV)
24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

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