Phil Congdon, NBBC, October 4, 2017
This month we commence the second stage of our study through Genesis, the story of Yahweh and His dealings with Abraham. This fourteen-chapter narrative begins in Ur, a pagan city, and ends in Canaan, a land which God promises to Abram and his descendants. This begins a series of events, experiences, and encounters that jeopardize God’s promise, take detours from the path God wanted them to go, and lead ultimately to the greatest test in God’s ‘school of faith’.
There are some awesome lessons to pick up on as we work our way through this epic story. One truth every Christian should embrace has to do with a life of faith. Anyone who knows anything about Abraham knows that he is a ‘hero of faith’ – in fact, the greatest one. In Hebrews 11, while most Old Testament greats get a passing mention, just two – Abraham and Moses – get extensive exposure. Moses gets seven verses, Abraham eight. But if you think that means that Abraham is always a paragon of virtue, you need to read Genesis 12-25 again! Here we find a man who is a champion of faithfulness one day, then a wavering doubter the next.
There is a principle of faith we can apply to our lives here. A life of faithfulness to God is not an immediate achievement; no one suddenly and totally begins living a life of faith. Abraham didn’t. Instead, God patiently and persistently led Abraham on a journey through his life, and only in the end did Abraham finally realize that nothing is ‘too difficult for the Lord’ (Gen. 18.14), and trust Him completely. You and I are on that ‘journey of faith’ – and will be throughout this life. When you experience doubts, or fall for Satan’s deceptions, remember: You are ‘on the way.’ God is not finished with you yet! God always keeps His promises.
In a way, Abraham’s life is an apt ‘blueprint’ of the way God works in all our lives. No, God is not going to make a great nation out of you or me! But just as God called Abram from a godless society, in a world where he was prosperous and content, so too God calls each of us who have responded to Him in faith to leave behind that which – in this world – seems to mean everything to us: In Luke 14, Jesus calls His followers to put Him before their families, possessions, and even our own lives! Why?
When Abram left Ur, he could not have known even a smidgeon of what God had planned for him and his descendants. The full wonder of God’s redemptive plan would only come into focus more than two thousand years later, when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came into the world. In Him the promise made to Abraham was finally realized: In you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12.3). The effects of Abraham’s life stretch into eternity.
God has a wonderful plan for our lives, too. In Eph. 2.10 we read that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Did you get that? God has already ‘prepared’ good works for us to do on our journey of faith. He’s called us. We’ve responded in faith. Now our lives, as we live them for Him, can have an effect that stretches into eternity. Are you trusting Him to use your life? Is anything too hard for the Lord?