Gênesis 12

Gênesis 12

Maclaren - After all communion we dwell as upon islands, dotted over a great archipelago, each upon his little rock with the sea dashing between us; but the time comes when, if our hearts are set upon that great Lord whose presence makes us one, there shall be no more sea and all the isolated rocks shall be parts of a great continent.… If we cultivate that sense of detachment from the present and of having our true affinities in the unseen, if we dwell here as strangers because our citizenship is in heaven, then death will not drag us away from our associates nor hunt us into a lonely land, but will bring us where closer bonds shall knit the “sweet societies” together, and the sheep shall couch close by one another because all gathered round the one Shepherd. Then many a tie shall be re-woven, and the solitary wanderer meet again the dear ones whom he had “loved long since and lost awhile.” Marching Off The Map Read: Genesis 12:1-4 | Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. —Genesis 12:1 Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans. Our lives are subject to detours and corrections that we never expected or imagined. Abraham and Sarah could testify to that. They were planning for retirement when life “happened” to them. God adjusted their agenda. He told Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). So this old couple packed up the tent and headed out to only God knew where. When Alexander the Great had completed his conquest of Persia, he headed east. Author Halford Luccock said the general “marched off his maps.” That happened to Sarah and Abraham. God gave them marching orders without a map. They needed only enough faith to begin the journey, and they headed out to unknown territories and unimagined adventures. God never told them He would turn them “every which way but loose” before fulfilling His promise of a son who would become a great nation. Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand; But I know who holds tomorrow And I know who holds my hand. —Stanphill © 1950 Singspiration Music, Inc. A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9 ILLUSTRATION OF FAITH - But I want you now to imagine two letters that are sent to the post office. One letter is typed beautifully by a word processor. It is typed on exquisite, expensive stationery. There is not a word misspelled. It is beautifully framed. Everything is perfect, not a smudge, not a smear. It is perfectly addressed and it’s placed in the mail. Another letter is written. This letter is written on common notepaper like a yellow legal pad. It’s stuffed into an envelope. It is written by pencil. It is full of grammatical errors. It is smudged, dirty. It has erasures on it. But there’s a difference in the two letters. The first letter, so beautifully written, has no stamp on it. The second letter, written in pencil, with smudges and smears, has a stamp on it. Question: Which letter will be delivered? Now, let me tell you something, folks. Faith is the stamp that gets your letter on through—faith. Some people may pray beautiful prayers; I mean they are eloquent, and they may be right, and the content may be good, but there is no stamp on the letter. (Adrian Rogers) Shenandoah Read: Genesis 12:1-9 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go. —Hebrews 11:8 My grandfather grew up on the North American frontier and raised his family on a dairy farm. To pass the time, he often sang songs while he worked. “Shenandoah” was one of his favorites: O Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away, you rolling river, O Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away, I’m bound away, ’Cross the wide Missouri. That song reflects the love the pioneer songwriter had for the Shenandoah River. Yet he felt compelled to leave its beauty and go west. His love for the familiar rooted him, but the pull of something better won his heart. When Abraham was called out of Ur to follow God to the Promised Land, he had to leave everything that was familiar to him (Gen. 12:1). Despite the idolatry of that pagan city, Abraham had probably grown attached to the comfort of his home, the variety of the food, and the fellowship of his friends. But Abraham left the familiar to follow God’s leading: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go” (Heb. 11:8). Fulfillment on life’s journey comes When we in faith obey The leading of our loving God— He’ll not lead us astray. —Sper You don’t need to see the way if you follow the One who is the Way. The Leap Read: Genesis 12:1-4 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out. —Hebrews 11:8 During a baseball game in the summer of 2006, Boston Red Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp made a spectacular play. David Wright of the New York Mets hit a ball toward left centerfield. The ball was moving away from Crisp as he raced after it. Just as it began to fall to the ground, Crisp dove headlong toward it. With his body flying through the air, he stretched his gloved hand as far as possible—and caught the ball. Some called it the best catch they had ever seen. What were his thoughts as the ball sliced through the air? Crisp said, “I didn’t think I could get there. I decided to go for it. I took a leap of faith.” In Hebrews 11, we read of what Abraham discovered “by faith.” God called him to leave his country and family and go “to a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). By faith, Abraham obeyed. We who love Jesus are walking by faith, Not seeing one step that’s ahead; Not doubting one moment what our lot may be, But looking to Jesus instead. —Fields When God presents you with a challenge, take a leap of faith. Mysterious Detours Read: Genesis 12:1-10; 13:1 | Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. —Psalm 22:4 Before my wife and I embarked on a 400-mile road trip, I set up the GPS with our daughter’s home in Missouri as the destination. As we traveled through Illinois, the GPS instructed us to get off the Interstate, resulting in a detour through the city of Harvey. After the GPS directed us back to I-80, I was baffled by this mysterious detour. Why were we directed off a perfectly good highway? I’ll never know the answer. We continued on our way, and we trusted the GPS to get us there and home again. That got me to thinking about detours in life. We may seem to be traveling on a smooth pathway. Then for some reason, God redirects us into an unfamiliar area. Perhaps it is an illness, or a crisis at work or school, or an unexpected tragedy occurs. We don’t understand what God is doing. Abraham faced a mysterious detour when God told him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house” (Gen. 12:1). Surely Abraham must have wondered why God was routing him to the Negev desert. But he trusted God and His good purposes. We seek Your guidance, Lord, but we understand that our path won’t always be without challenges. Help us to trust You through the detours—knowing that You have our best interests and Your honor at heart. We don’t need to see the way when we stay close to the One who does. Robert