Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God

23 June 2025

Reading From Acts 7:1-21

“So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.”—Acts 7:4-5

Stephen begins his defense before the Sanhedrin by giving a testimony of how Yahweh has dealt with His people from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, and the prophets of the Old Covenant. At every turn, God was faithful to treat them righteously and preserve a remnant by His undeserved favor through the ages until the moment Stephen stood before them.

Here the connection is made between the promises of God to Abraham and the very location where the Sanhedrin met and the land they lived on. Were it not for His faithfulness to keep His commitments, the elders questioning Stephen would not be where they were that day. Abraham had traveled a great distance from a foreign land on the basis of faith and was told he would leave an inheritance when he had no children to give one to. And yet God made a way where there seemed to be no way and fulfilled all of His promises.

“Heavenly Father, I am so very grateful that You are faithful to keep Your Word to Your sons and daughters. Thank You for who You are and all that You do. The earthly life and ministry of Your Son Jesus is the fulfillment of Your hundreds of promises given through the ancient prophets and proves Your Word to be true and trustworthy. I desire to build my life upon the bedrock of Christ who is the embodiment of Your Word for Your glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray these things. Amen.”

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

—Deuteronomy 7:9