Genesis 12:1-8 ~ you will be a blessing †

 

This Summer, if you are going on your first airplane ride, or 142,343 th business trip, learning to swim, sitting in an ER, visiting the Assisted Living, water-skiing, or tennis lessons, trapped in rush hour traffic, waiting 7 back in the grocery line.....  we all have something in common. Especially, if you are learning to ride a bicycle. 

We would all like our Lord God, the Almighty, to call us His Friend or even Beloved.

Everyone!

How did the Shepherds receive this Call?

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. 2 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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

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. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. 

At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 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. 8 From there he moved 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 called upon the Name of the Lord.

Where is the Waldo in Genesis 12?  If you see this in the 8th verse...Remember, Moses had to ask!

Abraham must have done something good. Worth considering.

Genesis 15:6 

And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

 James 2:23 

“And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 

“Abraham believed God, 

and it was counted to him as righteousness”

—and he was called a friend of God.” 

 

And when we consider Jesus told us, the exact nature of God explained, we sometimes find God as distant or incorrect or unfair or slow to move:

Luke 18 

And Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 

6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.

And how did the Disciples greet Jesus? His chosen Disciples? In John's Gospel, the 21st Chapter, and Acts 1, they argued with the tortured and risen, Victorious Jesus, God's Only Son, about John's length of life and the Kingdom of Israel restored from Romans. Exactly as Luke 18.

And 

Luke 9:1,2

1Then Jesus called the Twelve together 

and gave them power and authority 

over all demons, 

and power to cure diseases. 

2 And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God 

and to heal the sick.

We know the Book of Acts and the powerful, powerful works of God. And we know John the Beloved Disciple didn't live to be a 1,000 years old and more like the 120 years of Moses. And the Kingdom of Israel dots A.D. history and is splendid today. 

Jesus said something amazing about Luke 9:1,2

John 10:34

Jesus replied, "Is it not written in your Law: 'I have said you are gods'?

Psalm 82:6 

“I said, ‘You are “gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.’

 

The Disciples and people of faith know God's miracles today. The hindsight prayer miracles are also of key importance. Yet, the Disciples, and Job, didn't control our Father, who upholds the Universe with His Word. His Good Will Be Done. God of gods, Light of light.

What did Abraham do? Argued with God. Like the Disciples to the face of the Risen, Victorious Jesus Christ.

Genesis 18

23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Abraham felt he could speak to the Lord as Job spoke to the Lord. And Abraham forgot to struggle like Jacob and the Angel when God asked for Isaac. Would the Lord have demolished Abraham to insist the Lord is the One in charge of Life and death?

Luke 12

47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

If you disagree with Jesus' statements in Luke 12, we will have to think about Job! Job was also a Beloved of the Lord. And puts our thoughts about prayer, we treasure in our own hearts, to consider.

Jesus gave us interesting History and ideas in the Word of God about God and prayer.

Luke 18 

And Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 

Your Will be Done, On earth as it is in Heaven.

Abba, Father,

Dwell in us, please, Father.

Dwell in those we Love.

Help us to seek You first.

In Jesus Christ, we will finish well.

In Jesus Christ is 

Our Love, Joy and Hope.

Thank You for Jesus.

Thank You for memories,

that fill our eyes

and roll down our face.

Before the Great Reunion!

To You, our Father, be the Glory

Our God is an Awesome God! 

Amen and Alleluia

in Jesus Christ and His Glory!

In the Highest Name of Jesus. 

We Pray Amen with our Alleluia. 

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless The Lord Jesus

Yes Thank You Father