Meditation
Monday of Easter Week Three emphasizes promises. The Psalmist promised that those who care for the sanctuary (temple) of God will be blessed. The epistle to Peter reminded the Jews of the promise of eternal life—that being born again was an eternal life force—something that came from the Word of the Lord.
The Old Testament lesson returned to the original man of the Promise—Abraham. God had promised Abraham that he would be a great nation and he had traveled from Ur across the Fertile Crescent to Palestine. He and his wife, Sarah, had built up considerable wealth and status, except that Sarah was well into her seventies and had never given birth. In that time, it was great shame for a woman to be barren. Of course, we know that at seventy-five, the king of Egypt was so taken with Sarah’s beauty that Abraham feared the Pharaoh and lied about her being his sister. We should all be so lucky to be gorgeous at seventy-five.
But Abraham, with all his wealth, sat in the shade of his tent and suddenly saw three men approaching. To someone living in the city, that may not seem extraordinary, but if you were living in the dusty land of Palestine, anyone could be spotted at a distance because of the dust stirred up.
“Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.”
Abraham knew instantly that these men were different from others. His encounters with the angel of the Lord before might have given him an ability to recognize. He spoke with God, at the time of the original promise; he spoke with God at the time of promising he would be a great nation—not from Ishmael (Genesis 17) and the ‘stranger’ circumcised Abraham (at ninety-nine years old) and his servants. In Genesis 18, the three men ‘appear’ nearby and Abraham acknowledges them by bowing down and being hospitable.
The three men state again, “Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”
This is the third time that promise had been given. Ishmael was over 13 years old—Sarah’s attempt at fulfilling the promise through her servant, Hagar. The Scriptures said,
“Abraham and Sarah were very old. Since Sarah was past the age when women normally have children, 12 she laughed to herself, “My husband and I are too old to have a baby.”
The promise had been made before they left Ur. It had been made again by a ‘stranger,’ who circumcised him. The three men must have seemed a harsh joke on her, so she laughed.
The Scriptures have promises for all of us. We, too, may feel that things take too long and we may give up hope. But the story of Abraham occurred to demonstrate God’s power. Nothing is too difficult for God to accomplish. We don’t need to give up hope despite the odds, despite the concerns.
“Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” vs 11
The three men said that within the next year, Sarah would give birth to her own son. Even when it seems impossible, we must return to these stories and hold onto faith in God to fulfill the promises made.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.





Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen







Season of Easter Bible Readings
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 134;Genesis 18:1-14;1 Peter 1:23-25&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)





Monday, Easter Week Three

Psalm 134
Genesis 18:1-14
1 Peter 1:23-25

Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating


Psalm 118:24
King James Version (KJV)
24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.






Single Bible Study chapter to study


Genesis 18:1-14
King James Version (KJV)
18 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

OBSERVE:

Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.

2.

3.

INTERPRETATION:

What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?




APPLY:

Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.


Prayer of Encouragement

Almighty God, With you, nothing is impossible, and we struggle to believe that you want to work that way in our lives. Help us to hope in you and believe that you are at work in our lives for our good. We praise and give you thanks for all the abundance you give through your grace. In Jesus name, Amen









Conclusion
Monday of Easter Week Three offered three lessons in hope and God’s promises. God promised Abraham a son. It took nearly 50 years before the heir of promise arrived, but the heir would arrive. God gave Abraham clues that the promise was still in the making. It was clearly tough to believe that it would come true. The smart and sassy Sarah had given up and no longer believed she would be the mother of a great nation. She even doubted that Abraham at 100 years old would be a father to her son. Yet, the lesson stated specifically that nothing was impossible for God.
We must cling to that same belief. Nothing is impossible for God to do in our lives.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.