My son, pay attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body. (Proverbs 4:20-22 BSB)
As Solomon speaks to his son in this passage, so today our Heavenly Father speaks to us, each of His children….
“Leslie, pay attention to My words; keep My word as your focus, remain in My word, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom’ … (Colossians 3:16) My Word, ‘The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.’ (John 6:63) My words are salvation for your soul and healing for your body.”
What you behold, you become … Where is your daily focus?
Your heavenly Father knows what you need; seek first His Kingdom, and His righteousness. He has and will meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:22-23)
“We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22)
_____
The temporal and the Spiritual …
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
“When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21 BSB)
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NASB)
With Jesus’ completed work on our behalf, once for all; as believers, the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. We live and move and breathe and have our being, in Christ. We are eternal sons and daughters, BOTH seated at the right hand of the Father (spiritual / unseen) in the Heavenly realm, with Jesus; AND His corporate body – the visible representation of His nature and character – here on earth, in the natural (or temporal / seen) realm.
As the temporal (the heavens and the earth) was created out of the eternal (God), the greater reality IS the spiritual realm.
Therefore, we are to fix our eyes, see through the lens from the Eternal. We are to believe in the One the Father sent (John 6:29). Living from this place is called faith.
Through the eyes of faith, we enter into the abundance that Jesus’ death and resurrection provides us . . . . what He always intended for us.
“For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, BSB)
“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” (Romans 4:16, BSB)
What does a faith response look like? . . .
Let’s explore Abraham’s faith response to God’s word for him:
“And not being weak in faith, he (Abraham) did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead….” (Romans 4:19-24, NKJV)
(From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: Impute = 1.a) to take into account, to make account of: τί τίνι, (4); metaphorically, to pass to one’s account, to impute)
Genesis chapters 12-25 detail a beautiful walk between God and Abraham, including the 25 year span from when God called Abraham from Ur to when Isaac – the son of promise – was born.
In Romans chapter 4, Paul exquisitely summarizes Abraham’s choices and responses to God’s promises. Looking in detail at these verses, we are offered practical and tangible examples for our own walk with God:
*He considered not his own body:
Verse 19 connects weakness of faith to one’s focus upon the body (the natural / temporal), rather than on the spiritual / unseen realm.
Today, this is true for us, as well. We are not to consider any natural circumstance above the truth of God’s word.
*He did not waver at the promise of God:
Verse 20 states that wavering happens through unbelief. Abraham did not waver; how did he avoid wavering?
*He was strengthened in faith … how? He gave glory to God.
An internet AI search found that to give God glory means: “to honor, praise, and magnify Him by acknowledging His greatness, holiness, and worthiness. It involves reflecting upon His character, making Him the central focus of life, and expressing gratitude for His works rather than seeking self-glory.”
Through giving God glory, Abraham guarded his heart against unbelief by being diligent in what he chose to focus upon – God’s nature and character, and His promise to him, rather than the condition of his or Sarah’s bodies.
*As a result, He was fully convinced:
Verse 21 declares that – because Abraham believed God, because Abraham guarded his heart against accusations and doubt in his thought life, because he chose to strengthen himself by giving glory to God, resulting in his faith being strengthened – Abraham was FULLY CONVINCED that what God promised, God would perform.
*Therefore, it was accounted to him as righteousness:
Abraham was not justified by anything he did. God imparted righteousness to Abraham because of what Abraham believed, and for believing God’s word to him. Faith in our Heavenly Father, His beloved Son, and the precious gift of Holy Spirit is God’s greatest desire for each of us.
*And this is not just for Abraham, but also for us:
Verse 24 reveals, “it shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
_____
Therefore, let us “consider not” our natural circumstances. Let them not define our reality. Rather, let us pay attention to God’s words; focus our attention upon His sayings. May His words be ever present before our eyes (lens/ perspective) and pervasive in our hearts, governing our thoughts.
For indeed, His Word is life to our spirits and healing to our body.
