Skip to main content

4. Small Beginnings



Genesis 12:1-7 
Key verse
The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your Father's household and go to the land I will show you."
Genesis 12:1

It is true that great things often come from small beginnings.  The dawn begins with a single ray of light in the eastern sky.  A rainstorm begins with that first few gentle drops.  Messiah would come in this way, not with huge fanfare, but with a small beginning.  When we think of small beginnings, we usually focus on a baby in Bethlehem, but we must begin with an even smaller and more remote beginning than that.

It began with one man being called away from the darkness of the life that Job knew.  A seventy-five years old man settled in his life was called out of his comfort zone and into an adventure.

Job had pleaded to know God.  Abram learned what it would mean to walk with the God of the universe.  I've heard it explained that Ur and Canaan are about as far apart as Philadelphia and Chicago.  If that is true, then Abram and God had plenty of time to begin a relationship.

Centuries later, Jesus would say to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."  (Luke 18:29-30)  Could Jesus have been thinking partly of Abram, who left all that he knew, everything familiar, to go, he knew not where?

Why would God ask Abram to leave his home?  Why would Jesus ask us to step out of our comfort zone?  Could it be to keep us from falling back in to what is comfortable?  Could it be to get us alone with Him so that we hear His voice and not the voice of our past and our traditions and our old way of thinking?  Certainly we see this lived out in Abram's life.  As Abram walked with God, he learned to recognize His voice.

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "to your offspring I will give this land.  "So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.  (Genesis 12:7)  Abram's journey had begun.  The Lord kept His promises as Abram learned to trust.  So may it be for us.

Did Abram have a burning desire in his heart to get to know God?  Did he see the pagan worship around him for what it was; empty and meaningless?  How wonderful that God was willing to call Abram despite his age and despite his established roots!  How wonderful that Abram said, "yes," instead of, "I'm too old!  Send somebody else!"  Abram's obedience not only blessed Abram, but allowed God to set His plan in motion which, in time, would bless all of us.

Hymn:  "Our God of Abram Praise" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

These Boots are Made for Walking

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-15 These Boots are Made for Walking. Of course, I picked that title because it has a reference to popular culture, and it connects with our text today about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” I was tempted to play the video of that song, but it’s really not amenable to worship. If you remember that old song, it was quite confrontational. The singer had a righteous complaint against a boyfriend or spouse who was cheating on her. She’s not going to put up with that, and the song goes on to say, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” And that “take a stand” bravado made her a hero! It was a #1 hit in 1966. I mention it because it has one interesting parallel and one major contrast with the message of grace and forgiveness. That parallel is this. God has a righteous complaint against the entire human race for cheating Him out of the loving relationship He desires with us. As the God who created us, he h...
Post a Comment
Read more

201. All for God's Glory

John 9 & 2 Corinthians 12:7-12 Key Verse: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3 In this event John records my personal favorite from all four gospels. I love it for its detail. I love it because it demonstrates so much of our human frailty. It shows us how powerful our fears can be in the midst of God's amazing grace and glory. First, we have the disciples who are suffering under the misconception that sickness and unfortunate circumstances are the result of sin only. They are thinking like Job and his friends. If you obey you will always be blessed and if you sin, God will punish you for it. They couldn't imagine that God could have possibly designed this man, blind, for His own glorious purposes. Then we have the neighbors who are all amazed, but then what? What do you do when the mold has been broken? This man was blind and now he...
Post a Comment
Read more