Recently our pastor has been preaching through Genesis, and his current focus is on Abraham. This may seem innocuous to most but has been really challenging to me. His major focus has been on the changes in Abraham's character as his story unfolds. Abraham initially trusts the Lord to leave his family and home when told to do so, but when hardship strikes in the form of famine he heads to Egypt where he hopes to be safe instead of trusting the Lord to care for him. While there he exhibits cowardly and deceptive behavior in addition to putting his wife in a horrible situation. The Lord rescues him from his own mess and even prospers him through it. Ol' Abe seems to have learned from this and is changed for the better the further we go in his story. First he lets Lot choose where he desires to settle and trusts the Lord to provide for him wherever he moves... That's not the grasping man we saw just a chapter ago. In making that decision he moves away from Sodom, an area that we know is infamous for its wickedness, but tempted Lot with its promise of prosperity. Next, he takes just under four hundred men to conquer four kings and rescue Lot. This is not the coward who asked his wife to lie for him so that Pharaoh would spare his life. Once Lot is rescued, he refuses treasure he rightly earned so that he will not be indebted to the king of Sodom. Again, not the man who accepted and kept the dowry from Pharaoh-for his Wife!
While we are not there yet in the sermon series most of us know where the story goes from there, Abraham messes up by not waiting on the Lord for his son from Sarah, but God forgives him and finally provides anyway. Then God asks for that son back, the ultimate test of Abraham's faith and love, and Abraham obeys.
Throughout his life we are able to see Abraham grow, he is moving away from fear and towards faith. Away from grasping at riches of this world and toward trusting God to provide. God keeps presenting Abraham with choices that force him to move one way or the other. He is doing the same for us today, I know he is continually asking me if I will trust Him. Which way are we moving? I know again and again I have seen God provide for us in tangible ways as we walk in the paths He has laid before us. Why are we afraid? Just as God was faithful to Abraham, so He will be faithful to us as we trust in Him. Just as Abraham failed, so too we will fail, but God is merciful and willing to set us back on the path if we are willing to follow Him.
In conclusion, which way are we moving? I intend to use this area to share with you opportunities God presents in my life for me to move away from fear and toward faith. I hope you will join me, encourage me and keep me accountable to this goal.
so excited that you are blogging! great thoughts, i look forward to following along with you on this
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