how then was it counted to him? was it before or after he had been circumcised? it was not after, but before he was circumcised. he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. the purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised. . .[romans 4:10-11a]
only Jesus can save you.
nothing you can do can save yourself.
these facts are distorted in our culture. we’re told that we control the world around us. that if something bad happened, it was because we didn’t change it, because of bad karma or a bad aura. we are told to “grind” and make more money. only then will we be happy and have purpose. we’re told that if we do this or that, we can be forgiven. we are told if our bodies look a certain way that we will have better self-esteem and will be confident. we are told that we can save ourselves….
i’m encouraged by this verse,
the purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised. . .
God made Abraham righteous BEFORE he did any work that could’ve been perceived as his own doing. this shows us that his salvation was purely because he believed God. it’s a reminder of how simple salvation is and how complicated we make it.
i’m not sure about you, but “simple” isn’t always easy. I tend to reason, seek to understand, challenge, etc. no matter how many of these processes i entertain, the thing that usually makes it stick has nothing to do with any of these. he just changes my heart.
today i pray for changed hearts. i pray that something would “just change” because you finally believe God, like abraham did.
whatever lie you are believing, give it over to Jesus. spend a few minutes and just sit with him. don’t make it complicated. just speak it, listen, and let him save.
~ joe lorsung