January 5

January 5, 2009

Genesis 12-14

This is a very important part of the story. All of history will be impacted by the truths found in these verses. Even the fighting in Gaza today ties in with these passages.

When God told Abram to leave Ur and take his family on a journey, he was walking by faith. God then established a an unconditional covenant with him, there are 3 parts to this covenant.
1. He would be a great nation. This promise is given when Abram is childless and old.
2. God would bless him.
3. He would be a blessing to the whole world. This blessing would come from a child born 2000 years later named Jesus. Through Jesus everyone on the planet can be blessed. God is a global God.

In this story Abram is both a failure and a hero. He fails with the lies about Sarah being his sister. In this event he is a coward and a deceiver.
But he is a hero with nephew Lot three times.... He gives him the better land, rescues the guy when he is taken captive and then refuses the reward. He is also a hero by believing God and living by faith.
Now how can both of these incidents be found in the same guy? Very easily, because we are all failures and heroes at the same time. With our old sin nature in our hearts it pulls us down and leads us to compromise with sin. But we also have the choice to invite Christ to live in our heart and to live a life of faith.
In the end we get to choose .... will we live today by faith or will we live by the pull of our old nature?

Be a hero today... ask God for strength and faith to do what is right. Believe God and be a blessing to yourself, your family and your world.

One additional note... In 13:14-17 God repeated the promise and gave the land to Abram and his offspring. The very land Israel is defending today.