February 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Three world religions claim Abraham as their father. Rightly or wrongly, all Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider themselves the offspring of Abraham.

Undoubtedly people in each of these three groups believe they have good reasons for their claim on father Abraham. However, if any among these millions should think that this link with Abraham entitles them to preferential treatment with God, they are mistaken. God does not honor such credit cards.

God's people are counted by the faith of Abraham. Only those who believe as Abraham believed receive the promises of God. Abraham lived with God. This is a kind of life most people do not know.

Perhaps some reader of this page recently got married. He or she is now finding out what it means to live with a wife or a husband. At first you have to get used to it. Time and again you are amazed by the all-pervasive influence of your partnership. Later you find that you cannot even think of your own life apart from your spouse.

But a life lived with God is even stranger to an outsider than married life is to a single person. It's an amazing partnership that affects every thought, word, and deed.

Models for this kind of life are hard to find. Perhaps you are fortunate enough to have a friend or relative who is your picture of a person who lives with God. Let's hope so. But for an authentic model of this kind of life, you still have to go to the Bible. The life of Abraham, in particular, shows what it means to live with God. Abraham is the father of all whose lives are governed by the presence and promise of God.

REFLECTIONS

Who do you look to as a person who truly "lives with God"? What influence has this person had on your life?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.