Pound Foolish (Windy City Neighbors Book 4) by Neta Jackson, Dave Jackson Read Free Book Online Page B

plastic pulpit and plopped his open Bible on it with a thud. “Continuing our series, ‘God’s Blessings for You Today,’ turn with me this morning to Galatians three, beginning with verse thirteen.”
         Since the Scripture passages were always projected on the screen, Greg rarely opened his Bible, sometimes wondering why he even bothered to bring it to church. But Nicole always looked up the verses, explaining, “I like to see them in context. Sometimes it matters.”
         As soon as the words were on the screen, Pastor Hanson began reading. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us . . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus . . . through faith . . . Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made . . . For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”
         “Wait,” Nicole whispered as she pushed over close to Greg. “He skipped some parts.”
         “Of course,” Greg pointed toward the screen. “That’s what those dots are for, those ellipses. He’s just trying to make it clear.”
         Pastor Hanson continued, “Now there are three questions before us today: One, what did God promise Abraham? Two, who is Abraham’s seed? That is, who’s in line to inherit the blessing? And three, how is it received?”
         The pastor had Greg’s full attention. He’d missed last Sunday by being up in Waukegan, but this series was so exciting.
         “Stay with me, now. I’m gonna be moving kinda fast, but in Genesis chapter twelve we find God calling Abraham and making promises to him. Verse two: ‘I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great.’ Verse seven: ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ In Genesis thirteen-fifteen He promises, ‘for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.’ God is promising unimaginable material wealth here, brothers and sisters.” Every verse the pastor quoted flashed on the screen. “And He can deliver. Don’tcha know that He owns ‘the cattle on a thousand hills.’ ‘“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,” says the Lord of hosts.’ This is the promise God made to Abraham, and we’ve got a big God! He can deliver!”
         Most of the congregation was cheering and clapping.
         “And did God deliver, brothers and sisters? Perhaps you haven’t noticed when you’ve read the Word, but in that ancient culture, Abraham became a wealthy man, a filthy rich man. We’re talkin’ Donald-Trump rich! And that’s for you too.”
         Greg stood up and joined in the clapping.
         “Anybody here have 318 male servants in your household? According to Genesis fourteen and fourteen, that’s how many Abraham had. When Abraham sent his most trusted servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, the servant described Abraham this way in Genesis twenty-four, verse thirty-five: ‘The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.’ You gettin’ the picture, folks? You gettin’ the picture?” A swell of laughter filled the auditorium.
         Having established that God had promised Abraham great material wealth and delivered on that blessing beyond anyone’s imagination, Pastor Hanson proceeded to answer the other two questions he’d pulled from the morning’s primary text: Who’s in line to inherit the blessing? And how is it received?
         “We’re a Bible-believing church,” Pastor Hanson often said. “That’s why I always preach from the Word.” And he did, too, floating every point of his sermon on a verse like individual snowflakes swirling in a Chicago blizzard.
         “Don’t you know we are the ‘Gentiles in Christ Jesus’? Galatians three-fourteen says, ‘the