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ABRAHAM: TRIED AND TESTED Genesis 12 “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (v. 2,3) God has a plan for everybody, and as we can see in the story of Abraham, it involves separating from the evil of the world: sin, temptation, distraction, pride, etc. Obedience to God’s will leads to being used by God and being blessed, as we see in the promise that God made to Abraham. Isn’t that a marvelous promise? What is it like to be blessed and to be a blessing to others around? We can know the fullness of God and His plan by trusting God and obeying His word. God said, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show to you” (v. 1). This is a big step. It isn’t easy to just drop everything and follow God, but that is exactly what we have to do. I think so often we expect God to show us His plans for the future and guide us through life, yet we seem to think that we can still, at the same time, go about life our own way. Abraham had to lay down his “life” so that God could live in Him. He had to put aside his plans in order to realize God’s plan. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that we move to a far country, but it will mean that we will love God above all else. Everything else in life vies for our attention, and demands our allegiance. We must lay down everything for God. Abraham obeyed God, inherited the Promised Land, and was the Patriarch of God’s people. But, there were also times that Abraham did not obey God. When God’s people disobey Him, it brings shame upon His name. God cannot bless disobedience and be glorified. But God is glorified when He rebukes disobedience and blesses obedience. When you walk in God's ways, you will find that what He has promised will certainly come to pass. I want to be in God’s will and see what plans He has for my life. There’s so much that I don’t know. But God does. Will I trust Him? Will I obey? Abraham saw innumerable stars in the sky representing his descendents. From him came a great nation, from which came God’s Messiah. Through Jesus Christ was birthed a holy people, the children of God. Now His plan has been worked out through all the ages. Now I’m standing here at this finite moment in all of time. I also am at the point where God calls. Will I follow in His steps? Will I obey? Will His promises and inheritance come to pass in my life or will I choose instead to go back to the land from which Abraham came out? We all have that choice. I look at my life and I don’t know what all God has planned. Has He chosen for me to have a family? Which jobs are in His plan? Where is my place in His ministry to others? Will I travel? I will trust in Him. I will follow Him ALL OF MY DAYS, for He will guide me and His hand is strong. Through Him I will be blessed. I want to be a blessing as well. God will show me how to be a friend, a brother, a son, a husband, and a father, according to His will. He will use me to touch other's lives with His grace, if I obey and trust Him. He has a plan. He is faithful. He is in control. It will come to pass. ~ Joel Warren
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