Tag: Genesis 12:3
Day 2–Called to Blessing and to Bless.
Scripture reading for January 27: Genesis 12:1-2 “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. And 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.” vs. 4 “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.”
As we continue to consider God’s calling of each person to the plans and work that God has prepared, we can learn from the life of Abram, a shepherd living in the land of the Chaldean’s. God spoke to Abram, asking him to leave behind everything familiar in his home country, including his father’s household. He was not told where he was being directed or how long the journey would take. Abram was already seventy-five years old and had a wife and servants. Abram responded to God’s invitation and gathered his family and herds and a nephew, Lot, and left for the land God had promised him.
God did not force Abram to obey, but God did make Abram promises that were amazing if he chose to obey. This is the essence of faith. We choose to trust God and believe what He says and promises over what we can see with our eyes or understand with our minds. God promised to make Abram a great nation when he had no children, only an older wife! God promised to bless Abram and make his name great among men when Abram was just a simple aged shepherd. God promised to do all of this in order to make Abram a blessing to all the families of the earth! (Genesis 12:3) God’s plans are amazing and beyond human understanding. They are prepared for those who by faith will respond!
As ‘faith responders’ who have chosen to follow Jesus, God has promised to lead us to a land we do not know presently–heaven! He will make our names great through His Name. We are blessed to be a blessing.
Prayer: Father God, I respond to Your call to follow Jesus and allow Him to lead me daily into Your perfect will and plans. I desire Your blessing and to become a blessing to all You send me to! Amen.
The land of milk and honey!
Scripture Reading for February 23: Deuteronomy 8-11
In 1995, my son and I went to Israel and Egypt on a three week study tour of the Holy Land plus the route of the Exodus and Egypt. In Egypt we visited the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx and several museums. The land of Egypt was primarily desert and dry rocky mountains until we got to the Nile River where the water and irrigation made some green areas and lush groves of tropical plants. The land was fairly flat and sandy. Israel, on the other hand was varied in topography and had many different areas of climate and vegetation. The Jezreel valley was a rich agricultural region with big farms. The vineyard country was terraced and had trees and vines. The area around the Sea of Galilee was lush and had banana and pineapples growing. There were herds of cattle and sheep in the Golan Heights. Shepherds drove their flocks of goats and sheep and camped in tents in the Negev desert. It was a varied land full of milk (goats and cattle) and honey (bees pollinating vines and flowers).
God described the land that the Israelites were going to as a land flowing with milk and honey! It was a land of hills and valleys! God sent the rain of heaven on Israel where in Egypt, by hand and foot, the land had to be irrigated! In Canaan, God cared for the land and His eyes were upon it to bless His people! (Deuteronomy 8:7-12) God wanted to inspire His people to move forward in faith to possess it.
As my son and I walked and rode through that land, God’s presence was evident to us. It is a special land, although it is not remarkable or extraordinary in itself. God’s presence and His people made it special! God’s promises to Israel and His love for His people and our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob stand as a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Four thousand years after Abraham, his descendants are still in that land and are taking possession of it yet! They have defeated armies more numerous and stronger, because God is with them and His Word is still true. (Deuteronomy 11:23,25) It is a land that God cares for and His eyes are upon it continually! He desire them all to know their Messiah, Jesus Christ!
Take time today to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and support God’s land and people! Pray for the salvation of those who are seeking to destroy Israel. A blessing is on those who bless Israel! (Genesis 12:3)