Everyday Christianity
Posted on October 21, 2007
Genesis 25:19-23; 26:1-35 (Key Verse: 26:25)
ONE GREAT TRUTH: Everyday Christianity (what most of us are trying to live out) requires dedication to God, detachment from this world, and dependence on God’s word.
Isaac is low-profile, sandwiched between the larger narratives of the lives of Abraham and Jacob. We see only about four or five moments in his life, but one verse gives us a snapshot of his lifestyle. We learn a lot from his example…
I. Building altars: DEDICATION.
Altars were places of prayer and worship in the ancient world. Isaac is seen praying for his wife, and his wife is seen conversing with God as well. If you’re going to live on this earth everyday, live a life dedicated to a continual conversation with God.
II. Pitching a tent: DETACHMENT.
Isaac lived a pretty consistent life. He had a lot of weaknesses, as we’ll see in the next study about some of the major problems found in his home, but the Bible has little negative to say about him. God used him to continue the lineage of Jesus.
A. He learned about integrity, which is the basis of everyday living. (26:6-11)
B. He learned about success, God’s way. (26:12-16)
C. He learned about relating to difficult people. (26:17-25)
III. Digging wells: DEPENDENCE.
Isaac learned to be dependent upon God. Abraham had fled to Egypt during a famine, but Isaac is obedient to God’s command to tough it out in Caanan and depend upon Him. We, too, are dependent upon God’s provisions in this life. Wells are representative of the unlimited spiritual resources of God.
Ephesians 1:3
Then we see the end result in 26:26-33. People respected him as a man of God because he had lived his life with a great deal of consistency. He was now an average believer with above-average influence.
How does your everyday life look? Not just Sunday, but the whole week, the whole life?
Add A Comment