I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3 (NIV)
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. Romans 4:13, 16 (NIV)
The fatherless Abraham became the father of numberless offspring. According to Paul, Abraham is the genetic father of God’s people, but the exponential factor is that he is the spiritual father of all who live by faith. We can’t count the stars in the sky. (The Milky Way alone has over 400 billion stars). We can’t count the sand on the shore. We lost count of the hamburgers sold at McDonald’s. Abraham’s family is quite a brood, indeed.
God chose Abraham. Abraham didn’t particularly merit this choice. If there was a qualification to be chosen, then Abraham found favor based on upon the weakness of being childless more than anything else. Once the promise was given, Abraham’s faith was necessary to move forward.
God chose us. We were not particularly qualified. In fact, if the test is the Law, then we’ve all failed miserably. All of this must be accepted by faith. We can never earn something that we’ve been freely given.
We accept God’s call by faith. Our problem is that we’re easily distracted, and we don’t listen very well. As we connect to God through His Word and through prayer, He directs us to the next step of faith.
How do we know that we’re hearing from God? A quote by Ed Stetzer is a pretty good test: “Mission is the opposite of self.” How do you rate today?
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