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After the Acts study, I was so sick of Acts that I refused to even look at it – even though it was part of my daily Bible reading plan 😛 I have since began reading it again, and lo … Continue reading
Good morning to you all. Today I was taken to the beginning of one of my favorite stories of the Bible: Abram. I absolutely love this story. Please read Genesis 12:1-8 ESV with me:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “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.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
How I love Abram! I love that this foreign God comes to him and tells him to go, and Abram just goes. I love that he simply believes.
A friend was telling me the other day that in Abram’s day, each country or nation/tribe had their own “god” that they worshiped – religions were not cross-cultural at this point. Therefore, by God calling Abram out of Ur and into Canaan, God was telling Abram that He alone was the sovereign God over the entire world. Boundaries could not contain Him; nationality could not define Him; He alone was God over the world and everything in it and the heavens above and below it. How I love this sentiment ❤ Because, Beloved, God is still sovereign! Nationalities cannot define Him, and borders still cannot contain Him!! Every country that burns the Bibles and outlaws Christianity finds that it simply won’t die; every country that kills and persecutes followers of Christ finds that for every one killed, two spring up. Because He is real; He is all-powerful; He is sovereign. No matter the country, no matter the border. He is God Most High, and His love is worth every sacrifice. Amen!!
I keep wondering, however, were there any men that God called before Abram who turned Him down? I think about this with so many of the faith “heroes” of the Bible. We hear about the success stories, but were there any who didn’t have the faith to leave their family? Did God call Abram because Abram had the faith to say “yes” when asked to leave? How many men did God call to rise up as a hero during the time of the Judges who turned him down out of fear? I wonder about us now. How many of us miss out on our God-given destinies because of fear and faithlessness? Could you be the next person to be hailed a hero of the faith if you simply had the courage and faith to do what God is asking you to do? Will I miss out on my destiny because of my own personal failings? How I pray that we never be the ones to turn God down. How I pray that we grasp at the opportunities He presents us with the spirit of Abram; one full of faith and excitement! One that does not wait, but takes hold the the new adventure with courage. Like Abram, we may get it wrong sometimes. We may stumble or loosen our grasp, but like Abram, we serve a gracious God that will take hold, stand us back up, and set us back on the path so that we are again walking beside Him. My prayer for today is that we would have the courage and faith of Abram to do each things God asks of us today – be it something as small as saying an encouraging word to one in need, or something as big as changing careers or saving a life. God asks something of us each day, will today be the day that you say “yes?”
Thank you, Lord, that you are a God who calls us to big things. Thank you that you provide the courage so that we can say “yes.” I pray that we would be a “yes” people today. In your precious and holy Name, Amen!
I didn’t plan on writing on this today, but I simply cannot let its beauty go unnoticed. Go read this section (really Acts 21:10-14 for context). What a beautiful scene this is to my heart. A prophet named Agabus had just come from Judea, most likely from Jerusalem and he comes to Paul, took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” Essentially, this man had just come from Jerusalem (Luke uses “Judea” and “Jerusalem” interchangeably throughout Luke and Acts) and God had given him prophetic insight as to what would happen to Paul if he chose to enter its gates. God allowed Paul the unique opportunity to be fully informed before he chose to fulfill God’s plan for his life. He gave Paul foreknowledge of his own demise, should he do as God asked and return one last time to Jerusalem.
Has this ever happened to you? Has God given you insight into something bad that will happen if you did as He asked? Did you do it anyway? What do you think God’s purpose is in giving you this knowledge and did it help or hurt you to receive it? I have never personally experienced this, but I would love to hear your testimonies!
We move on to v12 when the Christians around Paul hear this terrifying possibility and beg him not to go. I love that Luke includes himself in this – he doesn’t hide his plea for Paul to avoid Jerusalem. There is such beauty in this, the love of a friend. Even though it was God’s will for Paul to go and they knew this, it is so hard to accept it when a loved one will face unspeakable pain and trials. I am reminded of Matthew 16:21-23 when Jesus predicts his own death and Peter says, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never happen to you!” Jesus rebukes him, saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” See, Peter did not understand Jesus’ role in God’s plan for the world. All Peter saw, like us, is a beloved friend being hurt and taken from his life. Luke and the others were so like Peter; they did not see God’s plan but only the pain both they and Paul would endure before it was over. Like Jesus, Paul was quick to respond, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (v13).” Can’t you just imagine this scene? Can’t you see the pressure they are putting on Paul to leave God’s path and avoid imprisonment and death? I love his words, “Why are you breaking my heart?!” Can’t you hear his distress at their pleas? Sometimes the call of God is hard enough that it doesn’t take much for us to be tempted to leave his path for our lives. Thank God that Paul was so focused on God’s will that even his friends’ pleas couldn’t force him to stray. It is so important to keep our eyes on God, not looking to the right or the left.
V14 says, “And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done.'” Sometimes it takes an exhaustion of all other options before we are ready to accede to God’s will. Can you imagine the New Testament without Paul’s writings? The majority of them were written after this event in Acts 21, after he was in custody. How we are blessed in so many ways because of Paul’s faithfulness – his courage!
Sometimes God’s plans for our lives are so frightening, but He gives in our exact moment of need. Just Google “scripture about courage” and see how many verses come up. It’s crazy! See, God knows that He asks us to do some nutso things – things that simply don’t make sense or are just inconceivable to our small brains – so He provided us with so many words of encouragement, that we may know of His faithfulness and our victory in Him. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged – for the LORD, your God, will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9-11.
It is not often that God calls us to imprisonment for His sake – though it does happen – but God often calls us into the unknown, into frightening circumstances beyond our control. Let’s resolve to stand firm in God’s will like Paul and take the courage of the Spirit and face the future with strength and commitment; we know that God is with us through all things and He is working them for our good according to His good purpose (Romans 8:28). Take courage from Paul’s example, and follow likewise. ❤
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