MosaicRC

Genesis 12:10-20. God has lead Abram and all of his household (wife, nephew, servants, and livestock) on a 600 mile trek from Haran (Assyria) to Canaan (the land promised). Abram has now had three personal encounters with the Almighty God (Yahweh) and finds himself and family living peacefully in Canaan as foreigners. He is building altars in worship to God in plain sight as a form of evangelism and testimony to God. For a time, Abram has set up his tent between Ai and Bethel and is grazing his livestock in the pastures of the land. God has taken care of all of his needs to this time. God has shown Himself faithful to Abram.

A time of famine begins, and Abram witnesses his neighbors leaving for the fertile land of abundance in Egypt. Like I so often do, Abram seems to forget about God’s faithfulness and settles his thoughts on the circumstances around him. What should I do to keep food on the table? Where should I go for help? And how do I keep it all together?  So, like all of the neighbors, off to Egypt they go.

Nearing the border, Abram remembers all that he has heard about the Egyptians. They are hard and take whatever they want, including beautiful women for Pharaoh. He instructs his beautiful wife, Sarai, to tell the border patrol that she is his sister, so it all goes well for him and they won’t kill him. So she does; and as a result, Sarai is taken for a wife to Pharaoh while Abram is given many valuable possessions (gold, silver, servants, livestock). Abram wins materially but loses his prized possession, his wife. God’s grace and trustworthiness are evident by the way He protects Sarai from being taken (sexually) by Pharaoh. She is returned to Abram, and they are escorted by soldiers with all that was given to him and all that was originally his. Abram is more wealthy now then when when he first arrived in Egypt. God grants three promises to Abram in spite of his faithlessness:

1. He blessed him with fortune from Pharaoh
2. He made his name great in the sight of the people in Egypt through the escort out of Egypt
3. Through God’s evident presence with Abram, he was revered as a powerful man

Abram is an example of the way an ordinary person thinks and behaves. We all seem to see our situation and circumstance clearer than we see God’s faithfulness in our lives. Abram is the picture of a man who is trying to know and understand God’s ways but is living in a temporal world. In him God is showing us how to build faith through obedience. God never told Abram to leave Canaan; but even though he did, God was with him and protected him. So it is with us.

When we read the account of Abram in Genesis 12 how he was called and obediently/faithfully went, we could say to ourselves, “I wish I could have faith like that.” But when we search deeper into the bible and find out more of the life of the man Abram, we find him to be more like us than first meets the eye. In Acts 7 we hear Stephen, while being questioned, retell the history of Abram saying, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.”

What’s more is that while he was living in Ur (lower Mesopotamia) and Haran (Assyria), Joshua 24:2 tells us that they (Abram’s family) were worshippers of idols/false gods. Abram/Abraham is a true life story that shows you and me that Abram, like us, was only flesh and blood. It was through God’s revelation and Abram’s quest for God that Abram turned into a man of great faith. As we walk with Abram, we will learn what it looks and feels like as God molds us into people like Abram, people of faith.  Walking with God is a long journey, but the destination is faith.

Baptism Mosaic RC August 10th, 2008

There is really no better way to celebrate a Sunday service than with Baptism - to see one who has made a commitment to Jesus to serve Him all of his/her life and make the public declaration by being immersed in water.  Wow, it is awesome!  Arlene Quintero said, “I was sprinkled as a baby by my parents’ decision, but I wanted to be baptized today because it is my faith and my decision.”   Baptism is an important part of the Christian faith.  It is by baptism that we profess to the world that we are followers of Jesus Christ.  It is much like the wearing of a wedding ring.  It is the outward symbol to the commitment we made to our spouse.  All of that said, it was a great day; and I was honored to be a part of it.  Congratulations Arlene!

Next Sunday we resume our walk with Abram in Genesis 12.  Read the chapter before Sunday, and see what insights you get as we follow his footsteps to mature faith.

Blessings to all,

Rod

Isn’t this road called faith we are on kind of confusing?  I mean it seems easy enough, just trust in God and go.  Right?  But I find it isn’t as simple as it looks.  We are constantly having to choose which way to go, passing opportunities and having to turn around to retrieve them or learn from them.  It is a road filled with mystery and adventure at every turn, but when do we arrive?  Isn’t that a good question, and exactly how do we get to our destination?  Most people chart out on maps or Google the directions when taking a long road trip. How can we chart our course when it comes to faith?  I am glad you asked.  We go to the people who have already forged the trail and arrived to the destination.  For this trip we go to a man named Abram from Ur, i.e, lower Mesopotamia.  His address is found in the book of Genesis of the Bible.  He was the first everyday guy who took the trip and successfully arrived.  His story is great; he did it like someone like me.  He made mistakes, blunders, and had mishaps; but he went all the way.  Not only did he go all the way, but he was blessed beyond measure.  So come along with us as we retrace his story on Sundays.  It is sure to be encouraging, insightful, and comforting to see how God is patient with people just like you and me.

Hope to see you on Sunday,

Rod