Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Consolation And Salvation
Date: Friday January 06, 2012
Today's Chapters: Genesis 21-23
Preview of Today's Message: True Christians have put their faith and trust in the Savior to save them from death and hell, they are fully trusting in Christ alone for their salvation. Here is the question, if we can fully trust Christ to save us from hell can we fully trust Him with our lives? All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

The truth is, the majority of Christians, while they say they trust Christ, have a hard time trusting Him completely with their lives, especially during times of tribulation. No one wants to go through tribulation, but it just cannot be avoided sometimes, it is actually through tribulation that we learn to trust Christ more than any other times. The sufferings of the Christian are the sufferings of Christ, He is right there with us, enduring the same suffering that we are. When we truly share the sufferings of Christ, we have in Him peace in the midst of all our tribulations, and the grace to bear it through Him.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation...But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” -2 Corinthians 1:3-7,9.

The word consolation means comfort; alleviation of misery, or distress of mind; the word salvation means the act of saving, preservation from destruction. We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The Lord is able to give peace to the troubled conscience, and to calm the raging passions of the soul. These blessings are given by Him, as the Father of His redeemed family. It is our Savior who says, Let not your heart be troubled. All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in Him. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” - John 14:1.

Today we read about two children who had to face tribulation at a very young age, Isaac and Ishmael. First, we learn of Ishmael, he was the son of Abraham that came about after Sarah suggested that Abraham have a child with her handmaid Hagar. Sarah absolutely despised Hagar and did not want Ishmael near Isaac, she demanded that Abraham cast her and Ishmael from their presence. Although it grieved Abraham to let his son go he talked it over with God and He assured him that it was the right thing to do.

“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.” - Genesis 21:12-19.

Talk about tribulation, here is this young boy having to deal with not only his father sending him away from his home, but his mother leaving him to die in the wilderness all by himself. What was he thinking as he watched his mother walk away from him? What was he thinking as he sat there all alone? We do not know, but God knew, He heard him. “And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.” -Genesis 21:17-20.

Now, we come to Isaac, the blessed, miraculous seed, from God who was promised to Abraham and Sarah. The unthinkable happens when God commanded Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. He gathers up everything needed to build an altar and walks with his son to the place God instructed him to go to offer his son as God commanded him.

“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” - Genesis 22:2,3,6-10.

Isaac was well aware of a sacrifice needed to offer to God, he even questioned his father. What was he thinking as his father ties him up? What was he thinking as he places him on the altar? What was he thinking as the knife comes at him? We do not know, but he had to have some kind of faith in God to help him out of that situation. And God did, “And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” -Genesis 22:11-13.

God places tribulation before us to get us to trust Him, to seek only Him, to increase our faith in Him, He is our consolation and salvation. It does not matter how old we are, if we trust God He will put us through tests, but He will also help us through every situation. It all comes down to hope, we have hope that Christ will save us from hell. Well, we need that same kind of hope in everything that we do. Remember, God knows what we need, and while some things He does makes us question why we needed to go through it, it all works out in the end.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:24-28.

Today's Psalm: “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” -Psalm 18:2.

Today's Proverb: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” - Proverbs 13:12.

Today's Prayer: God, in the midst of tribulation we can find peace and comfort in You, for You are our consolation and salvation. While I may not understand what is going on I am confident in Your protecting and guiding hand as You carefully watch over me and deliver me from all my troubles. I pray for those who are facing tribulation that You will bring consolation and salvation to their weary souls too. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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