January 7

Genesis 18-19

The first question that comes to mind after reading Genesis 18 is “Can we change the mind of God?” The short answer is no. It is most likely that God changed Abraham’s mind.

Here are some notes from the Life Application Bible:

“Abraham knew that God is just and that he punishes sin, but he may have wondered about God’s mercy. Abraham seemed to be probing God’s mind to see how merciful he really was. He left his conversation with God convinced that God was both kind and fair. Our prayers won’t change God’s mind, but they may change ours just as Abraham’s prayer changed his. Prayer helps us better understand the mind of God.”

“Was God being unfair to the people of Sodom? Did he really plan to destroy the righteous with the wicked? On the contrary, God’s fairness stood out.
(1) He agreed to spare the entire city if only ten righteous people lived there.
(2) He showed great mercy toward Lot, apparently the only man in the city who had any kind of relationship with him (and even that was questionable).
(3) He showed great patience toward Lot, almost forcing him to leave Sodom before it was destroyed.

Remember God’s patience when you are tempted to think he is unfair. Don’t ask God for justice, ask for his mercy. God doesn’t owe us anything, we owe God everything.

Here is the question for us as we live in Fairfield County? Why does God hold off his judgment on us?
We have Bibles in all of our homes. We can turn on our TV and radios and hear the gospel message everyday. Yet we have turned our backs on God. We have kicked him out of our schools, courts, work places graduation ceremonies, Christmas, and even our families. People today have a higher commitment to taking their kids to soccer practice on Sunday morning than worshiping God.

We should all say thank you to God for not treating us with justice at this time. Every day of life we are experiencing the mercy and grace of God.

Take time right now and offer your thanks to God for treating us with mercy and grace.