"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" -Genesis 12.1-3
In Genesis 12 the focus of the story shifts. Up until this point the Bible has focused on humanity as a whole. The Bible starts with creation and then moves to man's ever increasing wickedness. God destroys the world with a flood, giving man a fresh start, but the corrupt and sinful heart of man has not been dealt with and so man once again falls into sin. In Genesis 12 God begins the specific work that will lead to the redemption of the hearts of men. Here God selects one man who will become a nation, and from that nation the Savior will be born.
In Genesis 12 God speaks to Abram, telling him to go from all that is safe and familiar into the unknown. God will show him where to God, and God will do many other great things for him. God will make one man into a great nation, and give him renown. God will bless him, and make him a blessing. God will protect him, blessing and cursing others based on their attitudes and actions towards him. God will make him a blessing to all the nations of the earth. God will do all of those things.
Abram has one job to do, to go. His only responsibility is to trust God and follow His leading. Everything else is up to God. The one making the promises here is God. God will show him the way, make him a great nation with a great name, God will bless him and make him a blessing. God will.
As I think about this passage, the command to go and the promise of God's presence I am reminded of another command to go. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28.19-20)
Jesus is commanding His followers to go to an unspecified place and promises to be with them until the end of the age. In Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, all the nations of the earth will be blessed, and the Great Commission of Matthew 28 is the command to fulfill this final promise to Abram in Genesis 12. Jesus commands His followers to go, and as they are going to teach those around them to obey everything that He has commanded, and He promises to be with them always.
God will do everything that He says He will. The only role we have is to step out in faith and follow His leading. We follow and obey, God fulfills His promise. God will.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label Genesis 12. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 12. Show all posts
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Self-Preservation
"It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife"; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.'" -Genesis 12.11-13
Here we see one of the classic traits of humanity, that of self-preservation. What is it about life that we cling so desperately to it, even at the expense of others? Here Abram travels to yet another foreign land in order to escape famine in the land God has promised him. But forgetting the promises God has just made him, he fears for his life because his wife was a beautiful woman. And so to save his own skin he asks her to lie, and in that puts her at risk. When we seek to save ourselves, others are put at unnecessary risk.
And yet how many times have we done this as men? In an attempt to save a job, we lie and throw someone else under the bus. In an attempt to save face, we ask someone else to jeopardize their own reputation. We sacrifice morals and values, just to try and save something. We risk more than we have to gain.
Near the end of Kingdom of Heaven Saladin has laid siege to Jerusalem unsuccessfully, and is ready to discuss surrender. The Bishop, Patriarch of Jerusalem, says to Balian, "Convert to Islam... repent later!" He is a coward of a man, who seeks only to preserve his life. Earlier he tries to convince Balian to flee the city with the other nobles, abandoning the people. This is the way of the coward. Self-preservation is a cowardly act.
A man does not seek to save and preserve his own life, as the Bishop, or Abram do. A man chooses as Balian did, to stand in defense of the helpless, no matter the cost to him. He is not afraid of death if it means saving the lives of others. A man puts his own life at risk before the life of anyone else. He takes the risks, and embraces the consequences of his actions and choices.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Here we see one of the classic traits of humanity, that of self-preservation. What is it about life that we cling so desperately to it, even at the expense of others? Here Abram travels to yet another foreign land in order to escape famine in the land God has promised him. But forgetting the promises God has just made him, he fears for his life because his wife was a beautiful woman. And so to save his own skin he asks her to lie, and in that puts her at risk. When we seek to save ourselves, others are put at unnecessary risk.
And yet how many times have we done this as men? In an attempt to save a job, we lie and throw someone else under the bus. In an attempt to save face, we ask someone else to jeopardize their own reputation. We sacrifice morals and values, just to try and save something. We risk more than we have to gain.
Near the end of Kingdom of Heaven Saladin has laid siege to Jerusalem unsuccessfully, and is ready to discuss surrender. The Bishop, Patriarch of Jerusalem, says to Balian, "Convert to Islam... repent later!" He is a coward of a man, who seeks only to preserve his life. Earlier he tries to convince Balian to flee the city with the other nobles, abandoning the people. This is the way of the coward. Self-preservation is a cowardly act.
A man does not seek to save and preserve his own life, as the Bishop, or Abram do. A man chooses as Balian did, to stand in defense of the helpless, no matter the cost to him. He is not afraid of death if it means saving the lives of others. A man puts his own life at risk before the life of anyone else. He takes the risks, and embraces the consequences of his actions and choices.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Promise from God
"The Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him." -Genesis 12.7
Abram left home, and followed God west, until they come to the land of promise. They reach the land of Canaan, and there God says, "This is the place, we're here, but it is not yet time." So Abram builds and altar to mark the spot where God appeared to Him and made the promise.
What promises has God made to you? What things has He laid on your heart that He will accomplish in you and through you? What have you done to mark them?
I've been out of professional ministry for since August 2012, and part of me has wondered if I'll ever get to do it again. I've had times of great doubt and frustration. Part of me has thought about just giving up, and finding something else to do for the next thirty odd years of my life. But part of me just can't let it go.
I still believe God is leading me back into a Church leadership role. I don't know what, when, or where, but I can't escape the prompting and passion of my heart. Again, this is part of my journey into the unknown with God.
As I've struggled with what to do, whether to stay the course, or change directions, I've thought about the "altars" in my life. I've had many people affirm the call on my life, even when I've felt it the least. My Bible has words of wisdom and encouragement written by professors and pastors who have walked with me and guided me. But those words can only take you so far. It comes down to the moments when God has spoken.
What has God spoken to you? What marks the moment? Listen to God, and cling to His promises. Build an altar.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Abram left home, and followed God west, until they come to the land of promise. They reach the land of Canaan, and there God says, "This is the place, we're here, but it is not yet time." So Abram builds and altar to mark the spot where God appeared to Him and made the promise.
What promises has God made to you? What things has He laid on your heart that He will accomplish in you and through you? What have you done to mark them?
I've been out of professional ministry for since August 2012, and part of me has wondered if I'll ever get to do it again. I've had times of great doubt and frustration. Part of me has thought about just giving up, and finding something else to do for the next thirty odd years of my life. But part of me just can't let it go.
I still believe God is leading me back into a Church leadership role. I don't know what, when, or where, but I can't escape the prompting and passion of my heart. Again, this is part of my journey into the unknown with God.
As I've struggled with what to do, whether to stay the course, or change directions, I've thought about the "altars" in my life. I've had many people affirm the call on my life, even when I've felt it the least. My Bible has words of wisdom and encouragement written by professors and pastors who have walked with me and guided me. But those words can only take you so far. It comes down to the moments when God has spoken.
What has God spoken to you? What marks the moment? Listen to God, and cling to His promises. Build an altar.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Blessed to be a Blessing
"And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." -Genesis 12.2-3
A few years ago I had a rare opportunity for a protestant minister. I got to deliver a message in a Catholic church. It was part of a community Thanksgiving service, and as the new guy in town, I got the task of speaking. It was a bit of an overwhelming week, but looking back, I'm glad I got to do it, because how many protestants get an opportunity like that?
I used this passage from Genesis. In our world today there is a lot of teaching on what is called the Prosperity Gospel. It's the idea that God blesses us for our comfort and happiness. In a sense, God blesses you for you. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how messed up that point of view is. As clearly see here in Genesis 12, God blesses us so that we can in turn bless others.
God says to Abram, "I will bless you, and in you everyone else will be blessed." Abram isn't blessed for his own comfort and well being, he is blessed so that he can be a blessing. Ultimately this blessing comes in the person of Jesus Christ, who brought salvation for the world. But there is also the call, and the commission, to bless others in any way that we can.
My wife and I have finally gotten to a point in life where we can begin to get on our feet. All part of the journey into the unknown we're on. But as we've gotten to this new position, we started it with a prayer "God, help us to be as generous as we always said we would be."
We've always talked about wanting to help people, but financially we were never in a position to really be able to do much. When you make next to nothing, and from that nothing have to live, and pay off student loans, there isn't much left. To clarify, we did do what we could even then, but now we're at the point where we can do more. And so we want our focus to be, "God help us to bless others with what You have blessed us with."
God doesn't bless us so that we can hoard and stock pile. He blesses us so that we can bless. What has God blessed you with? How can you take that and bless someone else? You have been blessed to be a blessing.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
A few years ago I had a rare opportunity for a protestant minister. I got to deliver a message in a Catholic church. It was part of a community Thanksgiving service, and as the new guy in town, I got the task of speaking. It was a bit of an overwhelming week, but looking back, I'm glad I got to do it, because how many protestants get an opportunity like that?
I used this passage from Genesis. In our world today there is a lot of teaching on what is called the Prosperity Gospel. It's the idea that God blesses us for our comfort and happiness. In a sense, God blesses you for you. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how messed up that point of view is. As clearly see here in Genesis 12, God blesses us so that we can in turn bless others.
God says to Abram, "I will bless you, and in you everyone else will be blessed." Abram isn't blessed for his own comfort and well being, he is blessed so that he can be a blessing. Ultimately this blessing comes in the person of Jesus Christ, who brought salvation for the world. But there is also the call, and the commission, to bless others in any way that we can.
My wife and I have finally gotten to a point in life where we can begin to get on our feet. All part of the journey into the unknown we're on. But as we've gotten to this new position, we started it with a prayer "God, help us to be as generous as we always said we would be."
We've always talked about wanting to help people, but financially we were never in a position to really be able to do much. When you make next to nothing, and from that nothing have to live, and pay off student loans, there isn't much left. To clarify, we did do what we could even then, but now we're at the point where we can do more. And so we want our focus to be, "God help us to bless others with what You have blessed us with."
God doesn't bless us so that we can hoard and stock pile. He blesses us so that we can bless. What has God blessed you with? How can you take that and bless someone else? You have been blessed to be a blessing.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, January 20, 2014
Trust and Follow
"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;'... So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him;" -Genesis 12.1, 4a
God says to Abram, "Go, leave all that is familiar and secure, and follow me into the unknown." And Abram does it. Back in Genesis 4 Cain was told to wander. He was sentenced to a life of trust and dependence upon God, and he builds a city instead. But now we see Abram, a man in his mid seventies, being told to pack up and leave everything familiar, and follow a God whom he has never met before. But he does it.
How many of us would go? Abram at least got a heads up that the journey was beginning, sometimes we don't even get that. For almost a year and a half my wife and I have been on a journey into the unknown. Recently we've gotten some insight on how long this journey will last, but we still don't know where we are being led yet. But in the past several months we've learned to trust and follow God.
I think that's really what the beginning of the journey is all about, do you trust God enough to follow Him? I can tell you this much, the ultimate destination is never given to us. I've heard that it's because if we knew at the beginning the full scope of what was in store we wouldn't have the courage to take the first steps. But I think a bigger part of it is that if we knew where we were going, we wouldn't need the same faith and trust to get there.
God says, "Go where I will show you." Not go here to this specific place, but go where I will show you. God is leading us into the unknown. Faith is required with each step, and the journey contains trials we will be ready for when we reach them. But we must be willing to trust and follow, or we'll simply stay at home on the couch, watching others adventure on TV.
I don't want to watch others live, I want to live myself. Recently God has begun to give me some more directions, but it wasn't until I decided to trust Him that He could begin to lead me where we're going. I'm on a journey with God into the unknown. It isn't easy, and it isn't always happy, but I'm excited to see where the road leads.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
God says to Abram, "Go, leave all that is familiar and secure, and follow me into the unknown." And Abram does it. Back in Genesis 4 Cain was told to wander. He was sentenced to a life of trust and dependence upon God, and he builds a city instead. But now we see Abram, a man in his mid seventies, being told to pack up and leave everything familiar, and follow a God whom he has never met before. But he does it.
How many of us would go? Abram at least got a heads up that the journey was beginning, sometimes we don't even get that. For almost a year and a half my wife and I have been on a journey into the unknown. Recently we've gotten some insight on how long this journey will last, but we still don't know where we are being led yet. But in the past several months we've learned to trust and follow God.
I think that's really what the beginning of the journey is all about, do you trust God enough to follow Him? I can tell you this much, the ultimate destination is never given to us. I've heard that it's because if we knew at the beginning the full scope of what was in store we wouldn't have the courage to take the first steps. But I think a bigger part of it is that if we knew where we were going, we wouldn't need the same faith and trust to get there.
God says, "Go where I will show you." Not go here to this specific place, but go where I will show you. God is leading us into the unknown. Faith is required with each step, and the journey contains trials we will be ready for when we reach them. But we must be willing to trust and follow, or we'll simply stay at home on the couch, watching others adventure on TV.
I don't want to watch others live, I want to live myself. Recently God has begun to give me some more directions, but it wasn't until I decided to trust Him that He could begin to lead me where we're going. I'm on a journey with God into the unknown. It isn't easy, and it isn't always happy, but I'm excited to see where the road leads.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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