Genesis 15-17; Luke 6

Genesis 15:6

And he (Abram) believed in the Lord, and He (the Lord) accounted it to him (Abram) for righteousness.

Abram, later renamed Abraham, didn't ask for a sign. He didn't require God's signature on a receipt. He just believed in the Lord and His promise. And this doesn't say Abram believed AND sacrificed before God accounted it to him as righteousness. Abram believed and God considered him righteous based on his faith.

I'm not going down the whole faith/works path here. I do believe one's works, how they live, reflect the faith or lack there of. But this simple verse says the belief resulted in the acounting of righteousness towards Abram. Oh, and after this Abram did make a few blunders trying to help God out in keeping His promise so it's not like Abram was perfect. It seems sometimes our actions, our works aren't the best way to show our faith. We need to trust God's timing for fulfilling His promises even when we completely believe He'll keep His word.

I need to learn how to wait better. You know how sometimes when you are driving across town and there seems to be some very slow traffic ahead. Sometimes you'll take an exit and drive fifteen minutes out of your way to avoid waiting in crawling traffic for five minutes just because you want to keep moving, to feel like you are at least getting somewhere. I really believe God has something in store for my future. It's very tempting to take an exit and try to find my own way to that destination when I feel like I'm just crawling along in traffic.