Good morning! Today our Lord is blessing us in Genesis 12:1-2:
“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.’”
Genesis 12:1-2
The amazing next step of the powerful story of Abraham is found in verse 4, “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him.” Right there with no questions asked he packed up Sarai and the servants, his nephew and their possessions, and at seventy five years old left his homeland because God said to go. Abram had God’s promise that He would give him land, make his name great and bless him.
Did Abram know that he was a missionary destined to plant the seed of God’s nation and give birth to the son that would produce the twelve tribes of Israel and the lineage of our Savior? Likely not. Abram, like most missionaries, was following God’s voice and calling with all the faith he could muster. At times he faltered—like offering his wife to the king in Egypt. Mostly, Abram remained steadfast, and his faith was counted as righteousness.
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham declaring him the Father of Many Nations, even though he had no son. By faith, Abraham continued to believe in God’s promise and covenant with him. He had no idea how, but God had promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as plentiful as the stars on a clear cloudless night. Faith was Abraham’s cornerstone.
Paul, our preeminent New Testament missionary speaks of Abraham’s faith in Galatians 15:6: “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?”
Abraham’s mission and faith is the hope of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit in God’s people is a sign to all of us that God is fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant through the Son. The means of fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant is in the fulfillment of the New Covenant and the gift of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives. As believers in Christ, we are heirs to the Abrahamic promises sharing in the responsibility to carry the Good News of Jesus to the nations. Not all of us are called to move as Abraham to a foreign land. Most of us will find our calling to mission fields in our workplace, neighborhoods, volunteer opportunities and the souls God puts in our paths as divine appointments for us to share His love and Good News. By faith we will speak and rejoice in Kingdom glory!
Jesus loves you! Me, too!