On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram saying, To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates..."

and Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children; go into my maid; it may be that I shall obtain children through her." And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 15:18; 16:2, RSV 

 

Through Hagar, the maidservant of Sarai whom Abram took as a second wife, Ishmael was born. From Ishmael came twelve sons who became a mighty nation. The Ismaelites became enemies of Abram's (soon to be called Abraham) other descendants - the Jews. They fought down through the centuries and, if you believe Mohammed's claim to be a descendant of Ishmael, are still fighting one another to this day.

 

What do you suppose would have happened if Abraham and Sarah had just trusted God in the first place?

 

Now think about us in our day. Just look at how many "improvements" men have made to Christ's church. They have "improved" God's plan of salvation, they have "improved" the way the church worships, and they have "improved" God's commands for our everyday lives when it comes to identifying what sin is or is not.

 

How do you think that all of these "improvements" will turn out? How did Abram and Sarai's "improvements" work out for them?

 

This is why we study. It's so that we can see what has happened to others so that perhaps we will not repeat their errors. This is how Jesus put it:

 

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21, NIV

 

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord", and do not do what I say?

Luke 6:46, NIV

 

Today is the 4th day of the 120 day challenge to study through the Old Testament, with Genesis 13-16 being the text for today. May God richly bless you as you seek to do His will, without "improvements", in His way!