Our scripture this morning is Genesis 12:1-8.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord.
God called Abram to leave all he knew and go to a place he had never been. God was literally asking Abram to give up what he had and trust that He had something better for him. This was a hard request, but God promised Abram much more.
God offers us His promise as well. No matter what our lineage or situation, God invites us to eternal life with Him. While He has different plans for each of our lives, the call to walk obediently with Him is the same for all His children. God has shown us His love through the gift of His Son and through Him we have been saved.
Abram accepted God’s love and followed in faith. God wants us to do the same. It may not be our task to pack up and move to a foreign land…but it might be. Let God speak into your life and learn of the wonderful gift He has for every one of us.
Loving Lord, we are ashamed of our failures and humbled that You love us anyway. Help us to walk by faith, sharing the love You have sent with all the world. Amen.