Tag: Abraham

Posted in My Journey

The God

Posted on by Jack Flacco

There really is no other god than God. He is the I Am, the First and the Last, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David’s God. And he is my God. I love him. He rescues me from this world’s trials. He shows me the way through the darkness. He has given for me his most precious son Jesus as a sacrifice so that I may live. I cannot fathom a moment without having him in my life. He is my joy, my comfort and my every desire.

I try so hard to do his will, but so many times, I fall short. I read how the apostle Paul grappled with the very same thing (Romans 7:19). I do the things I do not want to do and the things I want to do I do not do. Oh, wretched man that I am. How is it that I have his spirit living in me and I hurt inside for seeing sin that lives in me? How can I live one life while I live another? Why do I have to have this warfare tearing me up inside?

Then I think how wonderful it is to have his spirit living in me, that I can see sin clearly living in me, to recognize it, and to hate it for what it is, instead of walking aimlessly in darkness to the beat of the world’s drum.

Oh, how beautiful it is to know I am no longer in bondage, no longer in fear, no longer with regrets, to know God intimately with absolute pleasure and being satisfied with him always.

He is God. There is no other god besides him. All other gods are dust. They cannot hear, see, talk, smell, or taste. They are rot. God is the awesome God. He hears my cries in the night when I need encouragement. He sees my hands extended to the sky for him when I worship him with all my might. He talks to me through the bible, showing me the way to go. He smells my sincere offerings and tastes my love for him through my deeds, which honor him.

My God, the God, is real. And I love him.

Posted in My Journey

Having Faith

Posted on by Jack Flacco

Why do bad things happen in waves? I mean, I know sometimes bad things happen for a reason, but why all bunched up, one after the other?

Just this past Saturday morning, for example, I needed to drive my son to his part-time job. We woke up early, ate, and we were out the door right on schedule. I clicked the remote several times and there was no response from the car. I even tried to use the physical key to get in, but the car would not cooperate. It was dead.

My son ended up taking the bus, while I ended up on the phone with the rental car company trying to sort out the roadside assistance call. I am thankful for the insurance company paying for all the expenses until we received our car back from the repair shop for the accident my wife had had two weeks ago. Still, I was left scratching my head trying to make sense of it all.

Sometimes God allows things to happen in order to test our faith.

I cannot help but think of Hebrews 11. This chapter of the bible is often referred to as the faith chapter, and the one scripture that pops into my mind, when I think of all that has happened these past few weeks, is the one scripture that demonstrates absolute faith in God:

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Heb. 11:17-19 ESV).

I find it inspiring that even though my family may feel the burden of multiple trials, I have yet to hear God’s voice asking me to sacrifice my son as a means to test my faith. In other words, I would gladly suffer these minor setbacks to relieve myself of the responsibility of deciding between life and death.

I know, it sounds extreme. But God is an overwhelming God. He strengthens me when I am weak. He picks me up when I have fallen. And, most of all, he shows mercy to me when I cry out to him in repentance.

Oh, how I wish I could come into his full glory now.

What a wonderful God I serve.