15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,your very great reward.
Just to put the 'after this' in context, Abram had just rescued Lot and taken loads of treasure which the king offered him. Well, Abram refused, saying he wanted the glory to go to God alone, and the next thing we read is the above - an almighty promise. It was after Abram's integrity that God brought a blessing and a vision, proving that sowing good things means you will reap good things.
15: 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
This bit is about God promising Abe a baby, even though he and his wife were dead old! Abram didn't reason or think about the circumstances, he just (like Noah) believed!
His faith was credited to him as righteousness; I love this one. Even though the Lord himself spoke to Abram, he was still honoured for believing God. Do we always believe God? What does he promise us in the Bible, and do we believe it?
This makes me wonder why Abram found it so easy to trust God. Was it because of what he had been through up to this point? I mean, he was 75, and clearly his life experiences had made him the man he was. He'd left his country, people and family, and was totally reliant on God, who was blessing him mightily. This makes me think about how we need to remember that the good things we have come from God alone, and we mustn't get proud about them.
Finally, Abe had walked in generosity, been prepared for attack, and shown himself to be a man of integrity. This is a challenge to me to walk in God's ways, so that I will believe him and do whatever he wants me to do, just like good old Abram.
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