-
Browse by Books of the Bible
- Old Testament
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Job
-
Psalm
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
- 118
- 119
- 120
- 121
- 122
- 123
- 124
- 125
- 126
- 127
- 128
- 129
- 130
- 131
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- 137
- 138
- 139
- 140
- 141
- 142
- 143
- 144
- 145
- 146
- 147
- 148
- 149
- 150
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
- New Testament
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
- Revelation
- Browse by Topics
-
Browse by Series
Daily Devotions
A systematic reading of the Scriptures, portioned to complement your daily time spent with God.Pastoral Letters
- Meditation
A weekly pastoral column that complements the pulpit messages and bimonthly theme. - Grace Works
A weekly pastoral letter to minister to young adults, inspired by the grace of God. - Youth Walk
A weekly pastoral letter written to encourage young people in their daily walk with God. - Parenting by the Book
A series from the Book of Proverbs that teaches us how to bring up children and build good Christian homes. Study Notes
- Morning Worship Messages
Message notes from every Sunday’s Morning Worship with a common bimonthly theme. - Evening-Bilingual Worship Messages
Message notes from every Sunday’s Evening-Bilingual Worship with a common bimonthly theme. - Prayer Meeting Notes
Notes from our weekly Monday Prayer Meetings - Bible Study Notes
Notes from our weekly Tuesday Bible Study - Senior Sunday School 4 Notes
Notes from Pastor Charles’ Sunday School class - Combined Sunday School Notes
Message notes from Combined Sunday School focusing on the Life and Teachings of Christ Jesus - Young Adults’ Group Messages
Message notes from our weekly Young Adults’ Group meetings. - Young People’s Group Messages
Message notes from our weekly Young People’s Group meetings. - Family Camp Messages
Message notes from our annual family camps where different themes are explored every year. - Spiritual & YAG Retreat Messages
Message notes from our biannual Spiritual & YAG Retreats that serve to instruct, correct and regenerate. - Youth Conference Messages
Message notes from our annual youth conferences where young people learn the relevance of faith. - Intermediate Sunday School
Message notes from the Intermediate Sunday School
Daily Devotions
Genesis
"I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness…" 1 Chronicles 29:17
Text: Genesis 12:1-20
THE PRINCIPLE OF TESTING
The concept of God testing the faith of an individual is an age-old practice. Adam and Eve were tested with reference to their obedience to the Lord (Cf. Genesis 3). So were Cain and Abel (Cf. Genesis 4). The principle of testing was stated more formally in the Book of Exodus.
“There He made a statute and an ordinance for them,
and there He tested them, and said, ‘If you diligently heed
the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight,
give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes…”EXODUS 15:25-26
“…That I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.”
EXODUS 16:4
The Lord Jesus also employed the principle of testing with reference to the training of His disciples.
“But this He (Jesus) said to test him (Philip),
for He Himself knew what He would do.”JOHN 6:6
A TOUGH TEST
No test is “easy”. It is unrealistic to give “easy tests”. They would be of little meaning or significance. What was Abram’s test?
“Now there was a famine in the land,
and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there,
for the famine was severe in the land.”GENESIS 12:10
1. Abram did not expect to experience a severe famine
It must have been difficult for Abram to experience a severe famine. Perhaps he had to struggle with reconciling himself to famine in the promised land! How could they go together?
2. Abram did not fare so well in this test
Abram somehow did not know how to apply his faith in this tough situation. There were immediate and dire needs to be met. His family members had to be fed and taken care of. He also had servants who worked for him. Then there was the livestock! If the famine persisted, or got worse, then he would have lost everything he possessed!
There were a number of things that he could have done. He could erect another altar and call on the Name of the Lord. He could have chosen to stay on in the land of Canaan and exercise trust! He did none of these things. Instead, we read
“…And Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there
for the famine was severe in the land.”GENESIS 12:10