Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
It's Time to Go!
Today’s Verse:
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ~Genesis 12:1
When my children were young, I had to remind them when it was time to go. This was especially true when we were going to church, going home, packing up for a trip, or leaving from an engagement that we completed. After 75 years of living in an idol-worshipping family in a pagan society, God told Abram, “It’s time to go.”
We see the summons.
God called Abram out of love. God loves the world and calls every sinner to come out of a life of sin to be saved. God calls every Christian to come out from the world and to live a separated life. God called Abram to a land. At that moment, Abram did not fully grasp the magnitude of the area of land that he was promised. This land pictures the spiritual inheritance that God has prepared for us to claim. God wants us to step out and claim the spiritual blessings in heavenly places that He has for us. God told Abram, “It’s time to go!”
We see the selection.
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing….” Abram was chosen of God to be the father of the Hebrew nation. God selected Abram to do something that extends into the future. There is the promise of a seed. Abram’s wife, Sarai, was barren and had no children. God would bless them with a son in their old age when it was way past childbearing time. There is the promise of a society. This son, Isaac, would be the start of the Hebrew people. Beyond all of this is the promise of a Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ can trace His Hebrew ancestry back to Abram. You and I are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."
We see the sojourn.
“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Hebrews 11:9). To sojourn means he was a pilgrim or a traveler. He did not have a permanent place where he dwelt. He didn’t get his roots settled in any one area. He lived as a stranger. Like Abram, we are pilgrims and sojourners in this life. The hymn writer wrote, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.” We must be ready to leave when God says leave and stop when God says stop. Don’t get too settled in this life. Don’t let this life pull you in so deep that your heart cannot let go of this world’s amusements.
We see the submission.
“By faith Abraham... obeyed” (Hebrews 11:8). Abram obeyed God. He did not question God. He did not disagree with God. He stepped out in faith and just kept walking. He looked for a city whose Builder and Maker is God. Faith demands our obedience. We walk by faith and not by sight. Faith requires that we trust God with all of our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. As an older man, Abram had some experience on him. However, he did not allow experience, past comforts, fear, or the pressures of society to sway his thinking. When it’s time to go, we must do so without hesitation. When it’s time to go, we must do so with courage. Maybe the Lord is calling you to go the mission field. Maybe He is calling you to witness to a family member or friend. Maybe He’s calling you to come out of some associations that are leading you to compromise your Christian values. When He calls, it’s time to go.
Have an obedient God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Deuteronomy 28-29
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