Lessons in Life from the Life of Abraham

By Maxwell R Watson

There is much to be learned for living in the 21st century from people who have lived before our time. This book examines some life lessons from Abraham's life that we can well learn from.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maxwell R Watson
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781494720643

Maxwell R Watson

I am now retired. I spent 20 years as a Pastor and then worked in International Humanitarian Aide work. In 2004 I survived a massive stroke and like to encourage people to not give up in their life circumstances.

Book preview

Lessons on life from the life of Abraham

By

Maxwell R Watson

Copyright Max Watson 2013

ISBN: 13-978-1494720643

Published at Smashwords

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Note

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Call

Chapter 2 So You Want to Go To Egypt

Chapter 3 The Problems that Arise

Chapter 4 Spiritual Warfare

Chapter 5 The Covenant

Chapter 6 Dealing with the Flesh

Chapter 7 The Power of Total Commitment

Chapter 8 The Ultimate test of His Will

Epilogue

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife Christine Watson. She has stood by my side as a true partner through every part (the beautiful and the extremely difficult) of life for over 33 years; she is an amazing woman of God a wonderful mother to our four, now all adults, children and is now an ideal loving and caring Grandmother.

I also add here the dedication to God’s Church. I have been in love with the church for 50 years, even though it is full of both weird and wonderful people. I still am drawn to it as the best thing this side of heaven; for I truly believe that is just what the church is supposed to be.

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge those who have had critical input into my life. Those who have been mentors in my life include: the late Mr. Bob Weeding; Mr. Frank Kimpton & the very much still with us Mr. Kevin Craik, Dr Keith Farmer, Dr Lionel Berthelsen & Mr. Dennis (professor) Nutt. These men saw something in me that was worth bringing out. For some, it was leadership, while for others, it was to excite my thinking. I am truly grateful to each of them; and yes those who have gone before me, I still miss. To my wonderful amazing wife of over 33 years, your ability to love me regardless of what life has thrown at us and to, always challenge my thinking to a higher level. To my Heavenly Father, who seems to be always waiting for me to catch-up, get the plan and to move me to act.

Note

I am purposeful in having the text spaced a bit wider than most books. I find reading easier this way, and I feel sure most do. The same is applied to the font I use. It is my sincere hope that you find this book both easy to read and inspirational.

All scriptures quoted are from the New International Version, unless otherwise stated.

Introduction

In these ‘modern’ times, I feel that many Christian folks are ignoring the wonderful lessons to be learned from the pages of the Old Testament. Actually, I’m horrified at how rare it is to hear Scripture read out loud in church, simply for the sake of hearing it read out-loud. Maybe It’s just me as my original background was in a church where every Sunday. There were both Old & New Testament readings. While I was in Pastoral ministry, I tried to do this every week, but I know it can end up looking and feeling too religious. Anyone who knows me knows I am certainly NOT religious – I am a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. A while ago, I was chatting with my wife about the things I was writing, and she reminded me of a sermon series I had preached on Abraham, some years ago, and suggested I could go look at my notes as her words were ‘it would make a good book.’

So I came into my office and pulled up my notes on Abraham and began reading. When I finished reading the very first of the series of notes, I was in tears and said to her ‘hey, I was good.’ Now I set aside my pride for those notes came at the cost of much prayer and study. However, she was correct and I have put in many hours of writing out each of those sermons as a chapter. I know the Holy Spirit has been with me, and I honour him first and foremost, but I also honour my wife Chris for reminding me. I truly believe that there is a great lesson for us in the life of Abraham. I hope you see it and also pray that you too will be inspired.

Chapter 1 The Call

"We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine."

Dwight L. Moody (via www.brainyquote.com/)

Genesis 12:1-9

The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ²I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. ⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. ⁵He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. ⁶Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷The Lord appeared to Abram and said, To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. ⁹Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

John Newton (1725-1807)

I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, of which I have not since seen reason to be satisfied that, had it taken place in season and circumstance just as I proposed, it would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least it would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me.

Pursuing the will of God can be the most frustrating experience of one's Christian life, but it dose not need not to be that way. What does God want me to do? Where does God want me to be? Who does God want me to marry? Etc ., the list of questions I have been asked is close to endless.

Many older people that I've known stopped talking about the will of God, at some point in their lives, because they deemed themselves too old for that stuff, they are in the latter stages of life and no longer feel that the will of God could involve them. How wrong could they be? I say completely and totally wrong. While we live and breathe, God has a plan for us.

Abram was 75 years old when God called him to leave everything he knew, all the comforts of home, and head off to an unknown destination, in an unknown timeframe, and in unknown circumstances. 75 years of age is no chicken, we could say he was not in the prime of his life. Wouldn't it seem to our way of thinking that God made a mistake? Certainly, if left to our human thinking, knowing what was ahead, we would select a much younger, fitter, person would have been chosen. Someone who in their late 20's or early 30's perhaps. Someone, who, didn't have all the goods and chattels of life to cart with them. Or perhaps: Someone, as we shall see who would obey a bit more readily.

The pursuing of God's will is the responsibility of every Christian, regardless of age, circumstances, financial standing, educational background, social standing, or family size or any other standing we care to think up.

The whole key in pursuing the will of God is the will of God, not the individuals will, or any corporate will, or any good idea, or any scheme or project, regardless of how small or grand the idea may be. God seldom works democratically. Just because the majority might agree on something or a particular course of action, doesn't make it the will of God. Willingness, availability, humility these are the keys in pursuing the will of God. We need to adopt Abraham's initial attitude; Hebrews 11:8 says:

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

The choosing of someone who is in this his or her advanced stage of life was going to be something God did throughout Biblical history, and I believe still does to this very day. I have been