Don't miss this story of Hagar. It is one of the sweetest, most tender interactions between God and humans in the Bible. We learn wonderful truths about God: He HEARS, He SEES, He LOOKS AFTER. He Challenges too.

And dear Hagar. She asks, and she NOTICES and then OBEYS. She is asked to do the #1 and #2 HARDEST things in the world. Watch 7 minutes on this video and see how she does. Subscribe if you like it.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

The spiritual life is all about ENTRUSTING when it is HARD. If it was easy, anybody could do it. Hagar is asked to do the hardest thing: SUBMIT. She's also asked to give evidence of it by returning. Along with forgiveness, these make the top-five of spiritual difficulty.

Hagar will beautifully adorns herself in submission. I think she teaches the concept to Sarai who is later lauded for demonstrating it. In so doing these hard things, Hagar helps Sarai, and all of us who admire her.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

A Covenant is a promise that you pledge with YOURSELF. That is, your personal bodily integrity. If the promise is broken, somebody dies.

Abram and Sarai, surrounding the conception of Ismael, are anything but All-Stars. Nobody does their job well before God. They serve to remind us to Entrust in the HARD STUFF. Fortunately the middle of the story is not the end of their story.

God is a great covenant keeper. He pays the penalty toward our failures to keep up our end of the bargain. Go be an All-Star today.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

God "cuts a covenant" with Abram. Though Abram doesn't know it, God knows that in cutting this covenant, the Lord will have to CUT HIMSELF. To keep covenant with mankind, extraordinary measures will have to be employed. Eventually, He'll have to sacrifice HIMSELF.

Watch 7 minutes here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

God tells Abram some pretty unpleasant things. His descendants will be sojourners in a foreign land, servants x 400 years. Ouch. He might have paused to ask, "WHY IS THERE EVIL?"

God also tells Abram that He is doing some sovereign work regarding the punishment for EVIL in another people group. The reason Abram's people are seeing "evil" is because of stuff they do not see. The good news is that God sees; He is sovereign.

"If God knew my sin, He'd never want me." If that is your thought, GOOD! You are ½ there. We all wear filthy rags to a splendor party. In fact, ONLY sinners are invited. He tells us that by belief, we are credited with some stuff that we just don't deserve.

What happens to Abram must happen to us. Heaven by works is unobtainable. We too must follow in his footsteps and in his knee-steps. It is the hurdle we jump on our knees.

Watch 7 minutes here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

How do sinners go to heaven? Specifically, how do UNholy people enjoy fellowship with a HOLY God forever? How can these 2 unequal things co-exist? God has got to do some generous heavenly math on our behalf.

He CREDITS us. He COUNTS us as RIGHTEOUS. He chooses to SEE US as righteous by our faith. Abram, and us, believe the Lord, and it is counted to us as righteousness. Listen to this favorable news x 7 minutes! or watch:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA

Imagine if your $100 contribution to your 401K was "matched" by your employer to the tune of $1,000,000,000. This is similar to the spiritual math that Abram sees in his spiritual account: He believes. Then God credits him with RIGHTEOUSNESS. God makes Abram spiritually acceptable before him.

Here's the kicker: We should care about this because WE MUST DO THE SAME as Abram, and GOD MUST DO THE SAME for us in grace. Listen. Better yet: watch this one here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNijvDWAn2Wv2KFun2AnvCA