Monday, February 15th, ‘10

Monday, February 15^th, ‘10

ONE TIMES GOD EQUALS…

“…when he was one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him” (Isaiah 51:2 NASB)

KJV says of Abraham, “…when I called him alone”, which implies that God never works through a committee. He started humanity with one man, Adam, then the Hebrew people with one man, Abraham. The Law came by one, Moses, and grace came by one, Jesus Christ. If you feel you “can’t get no help”, don’t be dispirited, there is always Another in your corner of the ring. “When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me” (Psalm 56:9). What a promise! David was saying, “I can’t speak for you, but one thing I’m sure of, God is for me”. A Dynamic Duo.

Our text from the NASB adds, “…when he was one I called him”. Big projects have small starts. Abrahamic descent now numbers as the sands of the seashore just as was prophesied from old, but it began with one. Sire is singular, seed is beyond count. Each individual is a factory of ideas, dreams, potencies and possibilities. Notice, “he was one”, but, “I called him, then I blessed him…” The mathematics is astronomical. One times God equals…whatever. First generation growth is figured with a plus sign, Isaac added to Abraham and Sarah makes three. But extrapolate that out a few generations – “May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are…” (Deut 1:11) If you have the guts to see it out and work it out, addition becomes multiplication, the miracle of compound interest.

All that is required is an assent to divine partnership. Abraham was only “one”. That is, he had little else to show for his efforts. The résumé was quite incomplete at that point and unimpressive. But in that “one” was the power of faith – “By faith Abraham when he was called obeyed…” (Heb 11:8) Galatians calls him the father of faith. The partnership functions like matching funds. When you give yourself God matches the offering. One plus one equals two. But then He blesses the sacrifice and begins to multiply it. Jesus took five loaves and two fishes and blessed it. The sum then being, not 5+2=7, but 5+2 X God equals enough to feed 5,000 men, not counting the women and children. I know you don’t have any spare cash laying around and are a bit short on degrees. Yea, yea, the banker wants another signature. Heard that.

But you are not alone. David took after Goliath all by himself but he did so shouting, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…” (1 Sam 17:46) Two partners, “the Lord” and “my hand”. That’s a majority. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31) I’m sure many will try, but the deck is stacked against them – “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who have set themselves against me round about” (Psalm 3:6). A big brother is near, our Elder brother. That tips the scales heavily to the side of faith. Move forward in that assurance. He will never leave nor forsake you. You may only be one, but one times God equals…enough.