Happy Monday! It is January 8, 2024. Today’s reading in Genesis will require a bit of context. If a king saw a woman he wanted, and if she were married, he’d eliminate the husband so that the lady would now be “free to marry.” That’s a bit drastic, but that’s how they did it back then. Abraham learned a trick from his days in Egypt (see Gen. 12:11-21), so he thought he’d repeat the “slight-of-spouse” with Abimelech, the king of Gerar. This time, though, he is caught red-handed. A great lesson for us all lies within these verses. Read on …
Today's Reading:
Genesis 20,21,22; Luke 8
Scripture
"Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her.” (Genesis 20:4-6)
Observation
Abraham was trying to save his own hide! He told Abimelech a fib to save his life, in case the King wanted Sarah as his wife, just like it happened in Egypt. But, King Abimelech was visited in a dream, and he held a conversation with God. Due to Abraham's deception, Abimelech was about to take Sarah, but God warned him of his impending error. God restored him because He knew that Abimelech's mistake was made in the integrity of his heart. Maintaining a heart of integrity saved his life and that of his people!
Application
There are many mistakes I have made in my life. So have you, but God looks at the state of our hearts more than the results of our attempts. We will all be victims of a business error or a poor purchase decision. However, Romans 8:28 tells us that God is able to reconfigure the mistake into a miracle. What He looks at is the heart. Of course, we want to increase our business skills and decision-making acumen, but if we maintain a heart of integrity, God is able to do His best work in our lives, and His grace makes us whole again
Prayer
Father, please make my heart like Yours. I wrestle with emotions, and I lose sleep over mistakes. I worry whether my decisions are correct, and I am burdened whenever the church or college is burdened. In all of these scenarios help me to maintain a heart of integrity and, at the same time, increase the skill of my hands.
“So David shepherded his people with a heart of integrity and skillful hands.” -Ps.78:72
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