Day 14 - a Vision

Todays reading is from Genesis 15. Here is vs. 1-6:

After this, the  word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Aram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said., "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Two things spoke to me about this passage. First, God spoke to Abram in a vision. I want a new vision from God.  I also want the strength to believe God about the vision and the strength to see it completed. It was many years before Abram had any children. During that time of waiting, there can be many doubts and questions and wondering if the vision were even from God. The second thing that spoke to me about this passage was verse 6, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Abram didn't have to DO anything to be called righteous by God. He was righteous because he BELIEVED what God had told him. There are many religions, beliefs, denomination...whatever you want to call it....that say you have to "do" for God to get approval. I believe that we are already approved. John 3:16 starts out, "For God so loved the world..." God started out loving us, not because anything we did, but because who He is. I think once we really believe who God is and what he says, he does his own work through us. My prayer for today is that I put myself aside so he can do what he needs to do through me.