GENESIS 12:1-4A

FEBRUARY 15, 2009

ONLY BY FAITH CAN WE OBEY

1 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.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 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.”
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him. Genesis 12:1-4a (NKJV)

I don’t watch a lot of television -- the news, some sporting events, and a couple of programs on the regular network channels. I do watch some of the Christian Channels for the Gaithers and similar music presentations. I will go to the Christian Channels to check to see what is on. While I don't agree with most of the preaching and studies, I often find a program that gives me a boost in my walk with God.

Recently I watched Gary McSpadden. I knew of him from his past with the Gaithers and also a music show that he has. This program was part of his “FAITH WORKS NOW” ministry. In this program he spent the half hour talking about the Bible Verses that I have chosen for this Devotion. You might be able to find this presentation at faithworksnow.com. As often happens when a teaching is full of Truth, it led my thinking to some additional and important thoughts about this text. That is why I encourage you to take time for Christian Radio and TV. No matter if you agree or disagree with the presentation, God can lead your thoughts where He wants them to go.

The verses of our text do not just apply to Abram, they apply to each of us.

To each of us there is a command to GO.

To each of us there is an unimaginable promise if we go in FAITH.

To each of us we must respond to the command. The response is clearly our DECISION. 

The GO.

For Abram, the GO was “Get out of your country, From your family, And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.” Notice that God does not give Abram a choice. He does not ask him if he wants to GO. He just says “Get out of your country, away from your family and your father’s house. Before Abram has time to ask where he is to go, God says, "To a land that I will show you.”

For you and for me, we also each have our GO from God. You may say that you don’t. If you do say that, then I begin to wonder how often you read the Bible, how often you offer prayers that come from within you, how often you struggle with your faith, or how often you thank God for even the smallest blessing of each day, regardless of the aches, pains, trials and temptations of daily living that you go through. God has a GO for each of us.

FAITH is the next step. To Abram, after God said GO, God made these promises: “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.”

To the men that Jesus said GO by saying, “Come follow me,” Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men.”

To Zacchaeus, Jesus said, “Come down (GO) from that tree for I am going to your house today.

For you and me and others it could be God saying:

Go into the Mission Fields here at home or in another country.

Go and give up your Sunday Morning pleasure activities and serve at your church wherever God wants you to serve.

Go and leave your group of friends who are living lives that are not pleasing to God.

GO and live your life as God would have you live it.

So often our response is: I would not know what to do, I am not educated enough, I can’t speak well. Do loving parents ever force their children to do that which they are not able or qualified to do? No, they encourage them to do that which they have the ability to do. So it is with God. If we have the FAITH to believe this, then we are ready to make our DECISION.

For Abram it was - ”So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him.” For those fishing for fish from the boat, they became fishers of men. For Zacchaeus, this sinful man has Jesus as a guest for a meal in his home.

For you and for me and for others, only God knows what Blessings await us. For those who believe and trust in God, I have liked this phrase - “Whenever God calls us away from something that we think is good, He always replaces it with something better.”

Are you willing to listen for God’s GO in your life. If you are, I would encourage you to be faithful in your daily times of prayer, Bible reading, and meditation that you might grow in the faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For without FAITH you will not be able to make the DECISION to GO as you will not be able to envision the Glorious Blessings that God has waiting for you when you arrive wherever He leads you.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, open my heart, my ears and my eyes so that when you invite me to go where you want me to go, I will be ready. Send your Holy Spirit upon me so that your Truths might be revealed to me when I listen to and read your Holy Word. Lord Jesus, when I seek to follow you and somehow tend to stray away, look upon me with your Love and Compassion and gently call me back to walking in your path to Life Eternal. AMEN.

SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

While anytime is a good time to increase the time spent in prayer and meditation, the Season of Lent is an excellent time to make such a decision. Instead of giving up something for Lent, give yourself something that will be with you as you enter Eternity. Give yourself an hour or more each day to read your Bible and pray. If you say that you do not have time, you might have plenty of time after the Lord returns.