genesis 12 :: the call of abram

what an opportunity…
abram’s life and raw existence was to be a blessing to the world. his very act of living would spread the fame of God, and his offspring were in line to do the same.
it is one thing to understand that you can be a blessing, and occasionally see the effects of God’s work through your life in the lives of others. but for abram to be told that he would be a blessing, by God himself, and that God was the One that would make him the blessing is almost too much to grasp. a lifetime fraught with opportunities to bless. each interaction with your fellow man was another chance to enhance their understanding of God’s love and work in their life. it was another chance to remind them of who they really were supposed to be, and about how much they matter. another time to share hope and encouragement and mercy.
abram was blessed to be a blessing. but part of being that blessing means living out the requirements of the One who blesses. Each time he faltered was a time when that chance to bless may have been missed. each slip of the tongue may harm rather than lift up, and in a much larger, lasting sense than could be imagined. but abram’s salvation was not determined by his works, but by the fact that he believed God when He said that He would indeed work in his life, and that He would do just what He said He would through abram and his offspring.

to live a life rich in righteousness, and in constant blessing for others and for your family. it is a great responsibility, and it is also a great honor.

but abram wasn’t the only one given this great gift. this state of blessedness for the sake of the blessing of others also passed on to and through his children, and his children’s children, and so on…

and since abram is our spiritual ancestor, if he is not our genetic ancestor, we also carry that same blessing and responsibility. through our lives, God works and blesses others when we live our lives in a way that honors God and His Word.
we can be just such a blessing today as abram was then…we are only withheld by our own selfishness and pride. we can be a blessing to the nations, just as he was. we can be a sign of hope to those who hae none, because the self-same God that blessed abram several millennium ago still blesses His people today if they live according to His purpose…