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"Abraham's Intercession"
Middle school for me was the purgatory of school years. I was too old to go to elementary school and still too young for high school. And just when I felt like I got to the top of the hill, I found myself back at the bottom of the hill. Even though I had changed schools, the bullying still continued. Everyday, kids would either make fun of my looks or yell slurs at me. In my eighth grade year, I had to fundraise money in order to go on a trip to New York. As part of the fundraising, we sold chocolate.
One day, Iset my chocolate box down and before I knew it, a group of boys grabbed my box and stole the money I had fundraised and some of the chocolate. If the kids in my middle school found themselves in a similar situation to the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they had to depend on me to intercede on their behalf, I probably would have asked God why He didn’t destroy them sooner.
Fortunately, God is more merciful than I am.God lets Abraham know about His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their persistent wickedness and greed. However, Abraham intercedes on behalf of those who are in the city that might be righteous. He pleads with God to save the city and the righteous in it. All throughout the Bible, people intercede or ask mercy on themselves or on their family, but here is a rare glimpse at someone interceding for salvation on those who appear to be guilty.
Many times when we intercede, we pray for those who are nice to us, or our friends and family members. But, how often do we pray for the guy who just cut us off in rush hour traffic to find salvation or someone who is antagonistic to us at work? Abraham demonstrates compassion for others out of the compassion the Lord has shown him.
It’s easy to want to pray for the salvation of those we want to see in heaven (friends and family), but at this time, let us put some prayer towards those who rebuke or scorn us, who don’t know the Lord. Let’s pray that those who antagonize us receive the mercy, compassion, and salvation that were received by us.
Keep an eye out for those people in your life that are giving you a hard time or are hyper-critical of you. Ask the Lord, “Who in my life fits this description and how can I best pray for them?”
About this Plan
Character and integrity are qualities that we most want in our bosses, leaders and spouses. However, are we cultivating character and integrity in our own lives? These are hard fought for qualities and ones that come through much pain and humility. Fortunately, God’s word provides us with wonderful accounts of what integrity looks like and what it doesn’t’ look like. We can look at these wonderful examples to help guide us towards Godly character. Allow these 30 devotionals to sharpen and inspire you towards Godly character and integrity.
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