Spiritual Growth

When I first studied Genesis 15, I was honestly offended by Abram. God had just rescued him from Egypt (Genesis 12). He had just defeated powerful kings in battle with 318 trained men (Genesis 14). God had been repeatedly promising him land, nations, and blessings in Chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15! He was wealthy, protected, visibly blessed. Then God appears and says: “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” And Abram responds: “O Lord GOD, wh

I was once a runner in my thirties. I trained for and completed a half marathon — a huge milestone in my life. Shortly after that race, I went for my 40-year-old annual checkup. The doctor smiled and said, “Welcome to the aging club! Now that you’re in your forties, you’ve got to take good care of yourself. If you don’t want knee injuries, you’d better stop running.” And guess what? I listened. I stopped running. Part of it was fear — fear of injury. Another part was practica