Scripture:
Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV
[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.”
Observation:
At this point in his life, Abram was around people he knew and was comfortable with. He was probably well-known and had family to rely on. But the LORD had a plan for him…and it wasn’t to be in his comfort zone. However, HE wanted Abram to know that his obedience would not only be a blessing to others but also bring a blessing to him and his family. One of the first things I want us to see is that GOD called Abram out. He had to leave where he was. The familiar people and places. The routine of daily life and all the stuff that made him Abram. The second thing that is on my radar is Abram did not know where he was going, only that it was not where he was. he would have to rely on GOD not only for prevision but direction as well. In verse 2, we see the promises spoken by the Father HIMSELF. Abram’s obedience to what GOD had asked him to do would change his life and the lives of many to come. Knowing Abram’s story, how GOD brought him out of where he was changed his name, and placed him in a faraway land, yet he never got to fully realize the promise speaks to how GOD thinks. So let’s go back to the promises. ” I will make you a great nation. This is the first promise. Yet Abraham only had 2 sons and one of those was from a slave. All of this is to paint a picture for you. 2 sons and 1 that was unruly does not sound like a great nation. Promise number 2… ” I will make your name great. Yet Abram lived in a tent he was never a king or ruler over anything but his household. I mean, sure, he had some slaves and his life had GOD’S hand of prevision and blessing, but GOD was thinking so far ahead of Abram so far in fact that HE had to change his name. HE had such a great blessing in store that it would change who he was all the way to the core. These promises run so deep that it is hard to get through all of them in just one SOAP. So the last one I want to point out today is promise number 3… “And you will be a blessing. This promise brings us to the point that GOD had in store for Abraham. Changing his name, taking him away from everything he knew, and recreating who he was, affects the whole world today, but Abraham only saw 2 sons. However, he did because of a great nation. That is a blessing to the world today. Abraham’s second son Isaac had a son named Jacob, whose name was also changed to Israel… a great nation. GOD’S promises will come true. HE is a generational GOD.
Application:
GOD has called us all out of where we were, and honestly, it’s a good thing… Although we may be out of our comfort zone. We need to know that GOD has a plan. Even if we never fully realize that plan in our lifetime. GOD has created us to be a blessing to people that we may never see. The changes GOD wants to and is making in your life can change generations to come. How you live today will be passed on. Listen to the Father. HE may take you to a place you are unfamiliar with. But HIS PURPOSE is never for harm, and although it may be uncomfortable, HE will bless and provide as we hear and obey…and honestly, our obedience will bless others. I remember when I left my home town on the west coast. To find myself in a little town in Oklahoma. There was a spot on the map that most GPS didn’t even bring up until a few years ago. Most people know it as a speed trap. GOD said, “Move to a place I will show you.” So I moved to Asher. That’s where HE got ahold of my life. HE has blessed me in ways I can’t even imagine. Once I truly committed my life to HIM. Things have not ever been the same. My hope is that my life is a blessing to not only my family but all whom HE places in my path. I believe HE has blessed me so that I can be a blessing to others. HE has broken the chains in my life so that future generations will be blessed. HIS plan for saving us is so that HE can use us to bless others.
Prayer:
Father, your plan runs so much deeper than just us. After all, you are the GOD of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob. You think in generation and we think about what is right in front of us. Help us to see the way you see. Help us to live as though our life here on earth is not the end. With you, there is always more than the surface level. You have been interwoven through all time. You see what we don’t. You know how the choices we make today affect what will happen tomorrow. Help us to be obedient to your word so that generations to come will be blessed. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.