Child of The Promise
Dearest Father, Thank You that I am a child of The Promise, like Isaac, and it is through Your Promise that I will inherit the riches of the Kingdom and not through human effort, like Ishmael. As written in the First Reading today.
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But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in Him, you may have life (John 20:31 GNBDK) - the rich and satisfying life in Christ. (John 10:10 NLT)
Today's Readings
First Reading: Genesis 21: 5, 8-20a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 34: 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Alleluia: James 1: 18
Gospel: Matthew 8: 28-34
Reading 1
[5] Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born.
[8] The child grew, and on the day that he was weaned, Abraham gave a great feast.
[9] One day Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, was playing with Sarah's son Isaac.
[10] Sarah saw them and said to Abraham, “Send this slave and her son away. The son of this woman must not get any part of your wealth, which my son Isaac should inherit.”
[11] This troubled Abraham very much, because Ishmael was also his son.
[12] But God said to Abraham, “Don't be worried about the boy and your slave Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I have promised.
[13] I will also give many children to the son of the slave woman, so that they will become a nation. He too is your son.”
[14] Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar some food and a leather bag full of water. He put the child on her back and sent her away. She left and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
[15] When the water was all gone, she left the child under a bush
[16] and sat down about a hundred metres away. She said to herself, “I can't bear to see my child die.” While she was sitting there, she began to cry.
[17] God heard the boy crying, and from heaven the angel of God spoke to Hagar, “What are you troubled about, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy crying.
[18] Get up, go and pick him up, and comfort him. I will make a great nation out of his descendants.”
[19] Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave some to the boy.
[20] God was with the boy as he grew up; he lived in the wilderness of Paran and became a skilful hunter.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for nought is lacking to those who fear him.
The great grow poor and hungry;
but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you desires life,
and takes delight in prosperous days?
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
[28] When Jesus came to the territory of Gadara on the other side of the lake, he was met by two men who came out of the burial caves there. These men had demons in them and were so fierce that no one dared travel on that road.
[29] At once they screamed, “What do you want with us, you Son of God? Have you come to punish us before the right time?”
[30] Not far away there was a large herd of pigs feeding.
[31] So the demons begged Jesus, “If you are going to drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
[32] “Go,” Jesus told them; so they left and went off into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.
[33] The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and went into the town, where they told the whole story and what had happened to the men with the demons.
[34] So everyone from the town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.
Dearest Father,
Thank You that I am a child of The Promise, like Isaac, and it is through Your promises that I will inherit the riches of the Kingdom and not through human effort, like Ishmael. As written in the First Reading today.
Genesis 21:12 GNBDK
[12] But God said to Abraham, “Don't be worried about the boy and your slave Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I have promised.
It is through Isaac, the child of the promise, that I will have the descendants You have promised.
Two sons in today's First Reading. Isaac, the child of promise. And the child of the slave woman, Ishmael.
When I first read this story, I thought how God was so unfair that He allowed Abraham to just let go of his son like that just because Sarah, his wife, didn’t want the son of the slave woman to share the inheritance of her child.
But now I finally understood that God was making a point.
The two sons represent two realities: living in faith and living in hustle.
Isaac was a child borne of God's promise and Ishmael was a child borne out of human effort and means. By human power and might.
Isaac was born through supernatural means, in Abraham and Sarah’s old age, way past the natural birthing age for Sarah, just as God has promised that they would have a son, a promise made 25 years prior.
Genesis 12:1-3 NABRE
[1] The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. [2] I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.
Ishmael was borne of natural means, through human effort. In essence, through hustle. Sarah thought she would help bring about God's promise of a son by giving her slave to Abraham for her to bear him a son.
Culturally, it was acceptable practice and because Hagar, the slave woman, was Sarah's property, Hagar's child would essentially be Sarah's child.
But God made it very clear that His promise of many descendants to Abraham will come about only through Isaac, the child of the promise.
Genesis 21:12 GNBDK
[12] But God said to Abraham, “Don't be worried about the boy and your slave Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I have promised.
The people of God are to inherit the Kingdom by His promises and not by human effort.
Hustle has no place in God’s Kingdom. Only inspired action, as led by His Spirit. Obedience in faith. His people will receive all the goodness of the Kingdom by believing in God's promises and obeying them. Even when they seem impossible in the eyes of men.
It was naturally impossible for Sarah to bear a child. But God promised, and she did.
I've learned to live by God's promises and not by mere hustle. Not by my own power and might.
Oh, I've tried hustling.
When I started working online, I worked 12 hours a day wanting to earn as much, as I'm paid by the hour. And I did. I'm able to buy what I want whenever I want.
But life soon lost meaning for me. Just an endless cycle of walking up, eating, working, sleeping, then repeat.
So I began to seek God again and His Kingdom - what He wants of me, His GodX vision for me. Not what I want.
God opened my eyes to the vision He has for my life, a vision so great and humanly impossible it could only be brought about because He promised it and not because of my own effort.
Isaiah 55:1-5 GNBDK
[1] The LORD says, “Come, everyone who is thirsty — here is water! Come, you that have no money — buy corn and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk — it will cost you nothing! [2] Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all. [3] “Listen now, my people, and come to me; come to me, and you will have life! I will make a lasting covenant with you and give you the blessings I promised to David. [4] I made him a leader and commander of nations, and through him I showed them my power. [5] Now you will summon foreign nations; at one time they did not know you, but now they will come running to join you! I, the LORD your God, the holy God of Israel, will make all this happen; I will give you honour and glory.”
Here's more:
2 Samuel 7:8-11, 16 GNBDK
[8] “So tell my servant David that I, the LORD Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel. [9] I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world. [10-11] I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants. [16] You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last for ever. Your dynasty will never end.’ ”
A family, a business empire, and a dynasty that will never end. Fame like the great leaders of the world. A leader and commander of nations, summoning peoples and foreign nations, who at one time, they did not know me, but now they will come running to join me.
How great is that? As great as God, our Father, is. That great.
Just like He opened Hagar's eyes, the slave woman, to see the well of water that would save her and her son and gave her a vision so big - God will make a great nation out of her son.
Genesis 21:15-19 GNBDK
[15] When the water was all gone, she left the child under a bush [16] and sat down about a hundred metres away. She said to herself, “I can't bear to see my child die.” While she was sitting there, she began to cry. [17] God heard the boy crying, and from heaven the angel of God spoke to Hagar, “What are you troubled about, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy crying. [18] Get up, go and pick him up, and comfort him. I will make a great nation out of his descendants.” [19] Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave some to the boy.
God blesses human effort, and indeed, when we do our best, God will do the rest.
But God's people are called to receive, in faith, His promises. To live by faith and not by sight. To trust in God's supernatural power to bring about what He promised and not rely on their own efforts alone.
Zechariah 4:6 NET
[6] Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord who rules over all.”
We are God's children of The Promise, first of all. That's our identity and everything we do must spring from that identity, not from desperate effort to make it on our own.
So drive out your slave mentality. Or you cannot share in the inheritance of the children of The Promise.
Genesis 21:10 NABRE
[10] so she demanded of Abraham: “Drive out that slave and her son! No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance with my son Isaac!”
Like Isaac, we are children of The Promise. Jesus Christ is The Promise of God.
Genesis 3:15 NABRE
[15] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.
Promised to save God’s people from the slavery of sin and death, with its curse of painful toil and sweat, which was brought about after our First Parents committed high treason against God.
Galatians 4:4-7 NABRE
[4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. [6] As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
We are heirs in Christ, The Promise of God. What is our inheritance?
Luke 15:31 NABRE
[31] He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.
Here's a video I was listening to yesterday that really blessed me. I’m sharing this here cause this video brings this message home.
If you want to live by God's promises as a child of The Promise, live in Christ. Join me in our SpeakChrist RichLife Club. We'll do it together. St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.
Live the RichLife in Christ today 🤟
You are a child of the Promise,
The Promise from God.
The Promise that is Jesus.
By His Spirit, not by your might.
So, child of the promise,
Live by faith, not by sight.
Free 🎁 for you.
Live by God's promises,
O child of The Promise.
Live by faith, not by sight.
By His Spirit, not by might.
Nothing will be impossible for you.
Say Amen! 🙏
Genesis 21:12 GNBDK
[12] But God said to Abraham, “Don't be worried about the boy and your slave Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I have promised.
Now Your Turn
(Questions to ask yourself when scripture journaling)
What verses spoke to me strongly and powerfully from the scripture readings?
What is God saying to me in these verse or verses?
What does God want me to do today?
Journal prompts of the day
Are you hustling to make ends meet?
Are you pursuing GodX vision for your life?
Are you living in Christ, The Promise of God fulfilled?
Let us pray:
Thank you, Father, for Jesus, Your Promise fulfilled. Help us live by faith, by His Spirit, and not by our own hustle and might. In Jesus’ Name.
This is it for now. Until next time.
Vivo dives vitae in Christo. Live the RichLife in Christ.
P.S
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Helping dreamers, like me, live the RichLife in Christ daily so we can go from being tired doubters and dabblers to becoming thankful believers and doers consistently achieving what God wants us to be, do, and have, without struggle, becoming God’s sources and symbols of blessing, extremely blessed and blessing others.