Abraham's 3 qualities

When I think about Abraham, I imagine a man who was the pillar of his community, one who was looked up to and respected, not only by his wife and family, but also by his trained servants and even his enemies. But what made him such a recognised figure before God and those around him?

Read these 2 verses below, then you will have an idea where I'm coming from.

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
James 1:19,20

There are 3 qualities that I think Abraham possesed in which he epitomises faith.

Firstly, I REALLY believe that Abraham was swift to hear, or i.e. a good listener. He firstly listened when God spoke to him without any doubts in his mind. I'm sure he listened to his wife and valued her opinions. We all know he did so when she suggested he sleep with her maidservant."...And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." Gen. 16:2.
Abraham thought he was doing God's will and wrongly listened to what his wife told him, but he listened all the same. So don't you think he showed her respect by listening to her in other instances as well, giving advice on things that only a wife sees in her husband?
I think he also valued his servants, by listening to their concerns and needs, that's why they were loyal to him when going to war.

Secondly, I REALLY believe that Abraham was slow to speak, i.e. he only spoke when necessary. We do not read of Abraham saying many things in the Bible. He spoke little and when he did speak, it did not get him into trouble. When Abraham answered God, his words were simply "...Here I am." Gen. 22:1
Generally, the less a person speaks, the more they will be able to listen to other people's ideas, opinions and suggestions.

And finally, I REALLY believe that Abraham was slow to wrath, i.e. he had to have a very good reason to be angry.
Abraham did not lose his temper when Lot was taken captive. He did not shout at his wife for telling him to sleep with her maid. He did not set out for revenge when his wife was taken by Abimelech, king of Gerar.
Though he had many reasons to get angry, he was able to channel that anger into action that brought positive results - he possessed self-control.
"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Prov. 16:32

When we lose our temper, we lose control of ourselves. We are then capable of doing anything in our anger - e.g. lie, swear, shout, lash-out, physically and verbally abuse, even murder.

Abraham not only possessed these qualities but there was also something else that was very special about him.

"Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:5,6

Because Abraham believed and obeyed God from the beginning, not answering back or blaming Him for things that may have gone wrong, his uprightness (righteousness) made way for God to perform His faithful promises in his life.
If you have not seen God's righteousness, it is because your actions or behaviour have not provoked God to perform those promises in your love life.

God wants you to be an exemplary figure; in your relationship with your partner or spouse, your relatives, the wider community and even to those who dislike you.

I think I have spoken a lot, so I will leave you with this:

1. Be a good listener
2. Speak less
3. Control your temper

Why not apply point 1 (at least) this week and email me the changes you have noticed in you, or your partner.

Leave no stone unturned

When someone is desperate for an answer they will do whatever it takes to find one, no matter what the cost or how long it may take.

To answer the next question sincerely, you will need to be brutally honest with yourself.

Have you noticed the ridiculous things you used to do and how long you did them for in order to find happiness in your love life? You made a fool of yourself, slept around, wasted money on worthless cures, potions, pendants, ointments however, there was little or no change at all and in most cases, things got even worse.

I have noticed that when people finally look for an answer by attending church, they do not adopt that same 'do whatever it takes' attitude as before. Picture the scene...

They come in having set an appointment to speak to someone regarding their love life. They say they have been unlucky having been married once, dated many others and now they are not sure if the person they are seeing presently is the right one, as like the others, they are not getting along.

We listen, ask questions, listen again, and then offer them a solution - The Chain of Prayer; 7 weeks where you will discover and learn new things, guided by the Holy Spirit, to shape YOU into the new person that God wants and deep down you want to be too. They are advised that it will not be easy but God can make all things possible - and so they start the Chain.

In the first few weeks all seems to be going well, but then we do not see them anymore. We call to find out how everything is and the answer is normally the same: "Things have gotten worse between us." "I don't think it will work." "I think it's best we go our separate ways."

It's funny how the person was prepared to persevere for years doing the wrong things and now they want to give up after just a few weeks of doing the right things  - the right things that will guarantee their future success.

And then you get those who stop because they say that they have now met 'the one' thinking that God is some sort of magician that will give them what they want without any effort on their part.

Hmmmmm... We know the reason for such quick decisions or results...and it wasn't God!

The problem is that the person, being so anxious to find a quick answer, has been caught  'hook, line and sinker', believing that their 'prayers have been answered'.

Though with God all things are possible, He does not give us things cheaply. There is a price to pay for receiving His blessings. In this case the cost is time, perseverance, trust, patience, denying yourself in order to learn how to do things God's way.

There is a saying: You get what you pay for!

If you get something quick and cheaply without any effort on your part, firstly, it will not last long and secondly, you will not value it. However, when there is blood, sweat and tears, i.e. sacrifice, then you will NEVER be disappointed with the final result God Himself will give you.

Don't opt for quick results. Just ask anyone who has fought to get married today about the hardships they faced, and how easy, cheaper alternatives were offered to them. But they resisted those fake, cheap imitations, denied themselves and kept on going. They searched within themselves, asked questions, accepted to be corrected where necessary, asked for advice, dug deep.

Do all you can so that God has no other option but to bless you - LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5

The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory!

The 'Root' Finder

Take a look at the tree below. The tree that does not flourish above ground has deeper issues at its roots.
Have you been blaming the failures that have taken place in your love life (above ground) only on the surface, or are there things hidden (below ground) that still need to be uprooted and thrown away for you to eventually have the success you have always desired, but could not achieve?

Ask yourself why am I having this problem in my love life? The more you ask yourself "Why am I acting or being the way I am" as you delve deeper into your love life problems, the closer you will be to identifying the REAL root of your love life problems.



What have other people’s problems got to do with you?

Why is it that, when we ask some people, “Are you going through any problems?” their response is, “Everybody’s got problems.” I ask again, “What have other people’s problems got to do with you?”

If they were so concerned about other people’s problems that they mention it all the time, what are they doing to help people that they are so “concerned” about? NOTHING! In fact, what they are actually saying when responding in this way is that they have done one of 3
things:

1. They don’t think there is a solution to their problems.

2. They have not faced up to dealing with the problem; they have accepted things the

    way they are.

3. They know what to do but can’t be bothered to do anything about it.

Of course there are people who at present don’t have “problems”, but what happens when they come to a point in their lives where they don’t know what to do that day will come to everyone! When someone replies, “Everyone has problems,” they have, without realising it, acted in accordance with the standards, attitudes and practices that society has force-fed them into accepting.

This undoubtedly numbs the person from facing up to the problem and uprooting it.

I remember in one of the countless arguments I used to have with Chris during the first 5 years of knowing each other (we were attending UCKG for a few months already), I was so frustrated and, at the same time, fed up with fighting nearly every day that a thought, as clear as someone speaking to me, entered my mind saying, “Look, Mum had two failed marriages, so it’s normal to argue like this too. It’s part of life, so just accept it.”
And so I did for a short period until something clicked and we sought help. We had to get to the root of the problem and, when we both faced up to it, it was then that we found out what we needed to do. To tell the truth, the answer was right under our noses.

We were just too stubborn and proud to see it and do something about it. Instead of going to the root of our problem, we took the quick and easy way out to blame the other person for why things were the way they were.

That’s what people do too. They look for the quick and easy solution to avoid even mentioning their problem to someone; they think that just because there are people worse off than them, it’s OK to accept what life has thrown at them.

Of course, there are people who will need to be guided, as they genuinely have no idea what to do to find the solution. That’s why the Root Event will be starting on Sunday, 11th September 2011.

It’s time to face up to the past. Dig deep in your closet and unmask the skeletons that you chose to hide there. It’s also to force yourself to retrace your steps and mentally discover why that problem has ended up where it is today. That’s the only way you can unearth the root to the problems in your life and lay down positive “seeds” (actions) that will prosper in the future.

Don’t you think it’s time you stop listening to negative thoughts that always bombard your mind? Just because everyone you’ve spoken with, heard about or listened to has the same problems as you and they chose to deal with it by accepting it, you don’t have to do the same thing.

The solution starts on Sunday, 11th September. This can be the first positive seed you sow towards finding solutions to your problems by being there!

Will we see you there?

Pastor Michael Boodram
Email me: love@uckg.orgwww.partners4life.tv

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