Now the Lord had said to Abram: “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)
The Lord is not telling us to isolate ourselves, or to be dismissive of friends and relatives, or to shun or ignore others -- but to separate ourselves unto God. When we focus on Jesus, other concerns will simply fade away in the light of His glory; and at moments when we experience the pain and anxiety of separation, the Lord will give us a glimpse of His plan and purpose. We must simply obey His voice and follow every direction given by the Holy Spirit, and we will always find ourselves in the center of His will. Abraham learned this important lesson. Have you?
In order to receive the new thing, we must be willing to depart from the old. For instance, one of the greatest challenges the early church faced was the temptation to mix the old order with the new. Paul, in particular, took great exception to those who would impose the Law of Moses on the New Testament Church. All that is ours by grace would have been lost in the futile exercise of trying to please the Lord by works of the law. Even today, there are those who prefer the old over the new, but our Lord is determined to bring us into the uncharted territories of faith. May we take hold of the limitless future that awaits us once we are willing to obey God and "Get out . . ."
Let’s Pray – Lord, I will obey when You call me apart from the world, even from those I know and love. Your will and purpose are greater than mine. Therefore, Thy will be done. Amen.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16
ReplyDeleteWe can't bear the weight and burden of everyone..He can.
Yet and still we are called to pray for those burdened so deeply.
He is calling to focus clearly on Him.
It's hard to understand for sure.
But not to get distracted from what He tells us personally.
His prayer before the cross for his disciples helps to see His heart.
Amen to this Word spoken.
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