"And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised" (Romans 4:12).
The Jews of Paul's day wanted to use circumcision as the link that made them true descendants of Abraham. In this section of scripture, Paul was explaining that Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised; therefore he could not have been counted righteous because he was circumcised.
Romans 4:3 says, "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Paul noted that Abraham’s faith was unhampered by the fact that he was almost a hundred years old. His body may have been getting weaker, but he was never weak in faith. He was strong in faith.
Faith is a deep conviction that God’s words are true and that God will perform all that He promises. Abraham simply believed that God always would do what He said He would do. This verse encourages us to have faith like Abraham.
Looks Like ...
George Müller (1805-1898), was a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England. Over his lifetime, he cared for 10,024 orphans. He also established 117 schools which offered Christian education to over 120,000 children, many of whom were orphans.
It was Müller's unshakable faith in God's providing hand that made the Bristol orphanages so unique. Some leaders visiting the orphanage asked the matron of the home, "Of course you cannot carry these institutions without a good stock of funds. . . Have you a good stock?" The matron quietly replied, "Our funds are deposited in a bank which cannot break."
Tears came to the eyes of the visitors, who gave a donation to the work -- a very timely gift because at the moment there were no funds on hand to feed the children. The orphanage never accumulated a surplus of funds, but daily relied on the Lord for their provisions. That is a true walk of faith.
Ask Yourself ...
Abraham's walk of faith was demonstrated by his trust in God's promises, even when things looked bad. Does your walk show confidence that God can bring you through? Or does the world see fear or desperation in your face when troubles come your way?
