By Allen White
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?
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved.
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