God’s Promise of Growth

(27) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
(28) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

(4) Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”
(5) He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

(20) Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
(21) being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
(22) This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
(23) The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,
(24) but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Leviticus 26:3-5 (NIV)
(3) “ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,
(4) I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.
(5) Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

 

Leviticus 26:9 (NIV)
(9) “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.

(23) But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

(16) If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

(41) Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
(42) They all ate and were satisfied,
(43) and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

(46) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
(47) praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

(14) “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
(15) To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
(16) The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
(17) So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.
(18) But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
(19) “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
(20) The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
(21) “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
(22) “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
(23) “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
(24) “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
(25) So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
(26) “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
(27) Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
(28) “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
(29) For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

(18) Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

(19) Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
(20) Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

Then the Lord took Abraham outside and said to him, “look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”