spiritual life

July 21, 2014

Like Father, Like Son

Genesis 26

The hero in our story today follows in the epic footsteps of his famous father. The covenant promises that the LORD made to Abraham are firmly in the grip of his son Isaac who shares the faith and character of his father.

When your entire life is wrapped up in one promise, when you’re life is spent looking for the fulfillment of God’s promise to you, how do you live? Abraham never stopped thinking about it. He left a legacy of faith for his son…faith and obedience. The promised passes to Isaac because of Abraham’s faithfulness and fidelity. It reminds us of the awesome responsibility that we have to pass on a spiritual heritage to our children. It wasn’t because of Isaac’s Sunday school teacher or youth group leader that he was receiving the promises, but because of his father. It should sober us as parents. That doesn’t mean that youth leaders or mentors or others don’t have a role to play…in fact, they can have a huge impact on the spiritual journey of the next generation, but the primary responsibility still rests with parents.

Abraham has taught Isaac how to worship, how to make decisions, how to listen to God. And he does. He actually does better than his father. But Isaac has also picked up from Abraham how to deceive and to fear. Isaac chooses wisely when his wife is barren, but not when he has to protect himself. He has the faith of Abraham – the exact same faith. He trusts God – most of the time. He has some maturing to do.

Isaac picked up some of Abraham’s bad habits…stretching the truth being highlighted here. Our kids are always watching… we’re hoping that they won’t make the same mistakes that we did, but unfortunately they often do…we do. Same with each generation. Especially with the “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality. How many of us get onto our kids for speeding when we model that behavior so well for them? Or how about their condescending tone with their siblings when they hear the same thing when we interact with our spouse? Our kids unwittingly pick up many of our habits…both bad and good.

What about you? As a parent, are you leaving a spiritual legacy for your kids? Are you intentional about building into them a life of faith? Could you say, like Paul, follow my example as I follow the example of Christ? Abraham had an incredible promise to pass on to his son…great nation, great land, blessing to all nations, and ultimately the Head-crushing Seed of the woman, Jesus. And though we may not be passing on the Abrahamic Covenant to our children, we have a promise. The hope of redemption. The resurrection of our bodies. The return of our King, Jesus. The new heavens and the new earth, a return to paradise. Life forever with our Creator God. Are we living like it? Are we preparing the next generation? Are we making choices that we want them to make? As a teenager, are you making wise choices in what habits you’re emulating from your parents? Are you walking in faith?

May God give us the grace to do so this week.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

July 14, 2014

Sibling Rivalry

Genesis 25

There are two main characters in this section that the drive the action of the narrative. Jacob and Esau. Esau is a man of the earth with a very earthy focus. He is looking for instant gratification, immediate satisfaction, to have his appetite satiated, and is willing to sacrifice the most important things for the near term pleasure. In the story, his appetite is focused on a bowl of stew, but it could have easily been any number of things…earthy things that can only bring short-term satisfaction, leaving him only wanting more. He has no eye for spiritual things, and willingly forfeits an incredible opportunity to be a part of God’s redemptive plan.

Jacob is an ambitious man with a skewed spiritual focus. He is calculating and patient, willing to wait, at least in the short term, to gain the advantage. He does have an eye for the long term, but believes that he must make it happen. Like Abraham and Sarah in the Hagar/Ishmael episode, Jacob knows he’s promised an incredible destiny, but can’t see how God could bring it about. The birthright is a major roadblock. Jacob must step in and help God out. He has spiritual ambition and is willing to force his way into an incredible opportunity to be a part of God’s redemptive plan.

And so we have two brothers with different world views (not unlike Cain and Abel)…but who both seem to struggle with contentment. Esau’s is a physical contentment; Jacob’s is a spiritual. Esau wants what he wants right now; Jacob also wants what he wants…good things, but he’s unwilling to wait/trust God for it.

What about you? Who do you identify with in this story? Are you more like Esau, looking for immediate gratification, focused only on the earthy things, building your own kingdom? Or are you more like Jacob, recognizing the value of the spiritual but relying on your own abilities to bring it about? Maybe somewhere in between? We’re hoping for the third character…the one who’s valuing the right things, spiritual things, and pursuing them in the right way, waiting on God. That would be Abraham at the end of his journey…but we must struggle on learning to trust God through trial and error, painful experiences and wonderful surprises. It’s a lifelong journey.

We’re reminded again of the patience and faithfulness of God…His relentless love. He will work through Jacob; He will mold his character; He will make him Israel… And this same God is patient and faithful with us and continues to pursue us with a relentless love. He’s not done with us either.

May God give us the grace to see our own failures, even in pursuing Him, and may He continue to mold us into the kind of people who not only want the right things, to want what He wants, but who are also willing to trust Him to bring them about.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

July 7, 2014

A Bride for Isaac

Genesis 24

Big decisions…how do you go about making them? What role does your faith play in the process? How do you discern God’s direction?

Three major characters carry most of the action in this episode…Abraham, the servant and Rebekah. Each one demonstrates incredible faith in a tale that on the surface is just another love story. Could, except for the Main Character who is driving the action of the story. Abraham refers to Him as the LORD, the God of heaven and earth. Both God’s providence and man’s responsibility are clearly evident. Moses makes it clear that the LORD is orchestrating the events…the human characters respond.

So what can we learn about making decisions, about discerning God’s leading in the decision-making process? A couple of practical things that hit me right off the bat.  The servant really did want to know what God wanted…and he wanted the same thing. The psalmist writes, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” How’s that? Because when we delight ourselves in the LORD His desires become our desires, so that we begin to trust in the good that He reveals instead of our own version of good. And trust is key…we won’t follow Someone we don’t trust.

So how do we delight ourselves in the LORD? Time spent in His Word, in prayer and with His people. When walking with Jesus is a daily habit, it’s easy to delight in Him. As we do that, we begin to recognize His voice…My sheep hear My voice. When we hear His voice, then our job is to respond. Isaiah says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make all your paths straight.” If we are trusting that what He says is “Good” really is good, then it’s easy to walk down the path.

Notice also that the servant was practical and shrewd…as my wife says, “He used the brain God gave him.” He was in the right place at the right time. So we too to put ourselves in places and at times to cooperate with what the LORD is doing.

The servant was in constant prayer and responded to where the LORD led. He trusted God, but recognized the human players involved. He not only was cognizant of the LORD’s working, but was able to give evidence of it to others. He was active in his faith.

When I thought about my own life, I tend to get tripped up on step one…wanting what God wants. If I’m honest, I want what I want, and I want God to bless it. And in that moment I’m really not trusting the good He has for me. I want my own “good”. Even though I’ve found out time and again that my “good” is anything but.

What about you? Any big decisions coming up? How’s your walk with the LORD? Do you believe that He interacts with your world? If He was clear, would you really want what He wants?

May God give us the grace this week to discern His leading and the clarity and courage to follow Him.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

June 9, 2014

Big God – Promise Keeper

Genesis 21

Ever messed up…I mean really messed up. Messed up so bad that you didn’t think you could recover? Maybe a betrayed confidence? Maybe a serious lapse in judgment? Maybe a broken trust? It’s the mistake that makes you cringe. The mistake that Satan uses most in your life to accuse you and make you feel worthless. What’s on the other side?

Abraham found something on the other side of absolute failure…God’s grace. And His faithfulness to His promises. Moses seems to tell the story to let Israel know how important they are. That I AM brought life from death and that I AM protected and delivered the son of promise because I AM chose them to be His people. Abe is God’s instrument in bringing about His plan for a people and His redemptive plan for all of us. The amazing thing is… God’s grace in using people who mess up to accomplish His amazing redemptive plan.

The Abraham-side of the story… his faith journey to this point has had a few painful and faith-challenging detours and shortcuts…in Galatians 4, Paul, using Ishmael and Isaac, picks up on the contrast between the good as God has revealed it, and the “good” that we define for ourselves. We could call it faith vs. works, flesh vs. spirit, physical vs. spiritual. The point is the same. When Abraham and Sarah, when we, do what’s right in our own eyes, we’re being our own gods, running our universe, writing the Creator God out of the script. That never ends well. And leads to bondage and ultimately to death…as a believer, taking that shortcut is a definite bad move.

What about you? Are you plagued by memories of past mistakes, paralyzed and unable to move forward? Be encouraged. God is bigger than Your mistakes…where sin abounds, grace superabounds. He delights to bring life from death, to redeem the broken, to lift up those who are bowed down, to use us…Again Abraham is our example…after total failure, once again we find him running to God. Though he stumbles and even falls, yet he never stops pursuing. What an amazing lesson for us. That when we blow it…and we will, we too should run back to God, and we too, will find Him waiting for us, to restore us and continue the redemptive, sanctifying work he started in us. Just as Abe and all his baggage were part of the redemptive plan for Israel and us, you and all your baggage can be part of God’s redemptive plan for someone else (8-15).

My prayer for us this week is that we would have the clarity and the courage to let go of past mistakes and trust more fully in a big God who wants to do amazing things through us.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

June 2, 2014

Egypt…Take Two

Genesis 20

Ever experienced deja vu? Ever felt like maybe you’ve been down this path before? Much to Abraham’s embarrassment and shame he has to answer in the affirmative. Abraham, the prime example of faith in both the Old and New Testaments, still struggled with his faith? How could that be? Twenty-five years of seeing God work since that first fateful, “Go…”

Why does Moses include the account of this episode in the life of Abraham? He hasn’t told us everything about his life…there are long stretches where nothing is said. But now we have several vignettes in a row. We’ve already seen Abraham make this mistake before, so why repeat it? I think Moses includes this story to show the Israelites (and us) that ultimately the failure of Abraham’s faith God’s promises will not stop God from fulfilling those promises. Though Abraham’s faith may fail, but God remains faithful…His promises will not fail.

I don’t know about you, but I find that somewhat comforting in a weird way. If Abraham struggled, it shouldn’t surprise me my struggles. It doesn’t excuse them, but I know that I’m not alone in that struggle. Just as Abraham was a work in progress, learning more and more what it meant to follow this amazing God and still stumbling along the way, so we are works in progress learning what it means to follow this amazing God and to be His image bearers.

All the while this amazing God’s faithfulness continues to shine forth. He will deliver, He will protect, He will redeem, He will save…ultimately He will crush the head of the serpent. And if you don’t know this amazing God today…this patient, loving, benevolent, creative, faithful, powerful God today. You can. It’s as easy as believing that Jesus, the One we had been looking for came and lived the life you were supposed to live, died the death you were supposed to die and was raised again so that just as He conquered sin and death, you too might conquer sin and death and experience life…life today in His kingdom. Today is the day.

My prayer for us this week that instead of hiding, justifying, blaming, or downplaying our sin, we would simply acknowledge it, confess it and turn it over to Jesus.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

May 26, 2014

A Biblical Guide to Blowing Up Your Life

Genesis 19

How far would you go to fit in? Where do you draw the line? When does “being in” the world become “being of” the world? Wherever that line is for you, Lot certainly crossed it himself.

Starting with the allusion to the garden and “seeing”, Lot pitches his tent toward Sodom and then by degrees moves into the city and becomes a leader among its citizens. Lot, a believer…yeah, hard to believe from the Genesis account because he never seems to make a wise decision, but 2 Peter 2 tells us he is a righteous man; his righteousness is clearly not based on anything he did, but on the fact that he believed Genesis 3.15 and the promise of a coming Redeemer…, is an influencer in the city…he sits in the gate. But instead of influencing Sodom for good, he is heavily influenced and even conformed to it. He is infected by it. Lot has failed to impact his city, to image Creator God to the inhabitants of Sodom. And his failure to impact the city has led to its destruction. Now that sounds like a lot to put on Lot, but isn’t that God’s strategy for reaching the lost and expanding His kingdom? Isn’t through His people? And when we fail to make an impact for Him, there is an impact, but not a positive one. Your 8-15 are being and will be influenced by you…what will that influence look like?

Sodom is a prime example of what happens when folks deny the existence of God…it leads to a downward spiral where doing what’s right in our own eyes is taken to a ridiculous extreme. Folks are controlled by their urges…their most banal instincts. Nothing is off limits. No right and wrong outside of the individual. We are our own gods. Romans 1 describes this downward spiral of unrighteousness that starts with denying God’s existence and ends with being a cheerleader for wickedness.

When I thought about my own life there were seasons where, like Lot, I was not only influenced by the culture, I was a part of it. Throughout my high school, college and early career days I embraced the same lifestyle my unbelieving friends had adopted. I may not have gone to the same excesses, but my conduct didn’t look noticeably different from theirs. And I knew better. I was a believer. 2 Peter describes it well when it says that Lot was tormented daily by their lawless deeds. I was miserable. I wasn’t living the life that Jesus had saved me for, and I couldn’t enjoy my sin. I lived way too long in that shadow land.

What about you? Where are you today? Does Lot’s story sound all too familiar? It doesn’t have to. Why didn’t Lot want to go back and live with Abraham? He would have been welcomed back like a prince. Why are we so slow to return to our heavenly Father? He’s waiting for us. He wants to restore us to fellowship. He wants us to start experiencing the life He saved us for. But we have to be willing to come back, to cry out to him. Today is the day. For me it was the realization that the life I was living felt like death. And I confessed it to God and asked for His help.

But for some of you, maybe your story is more like that of Lot’s daughters. They are products of Sodom, victims of their culture. What seems so obviously wrong to us, doesn’t seem to have impacted them at all. Yet God still showed mercy to them. He rescued them along with Lot. And He wants to rescue you too. If you have not yet come to the place in your spiritual journey where you would say that you have a relationship with God…you can have that today. It’s as easy as believing that Jesus came and lived the life you were supposed to live, died the death you were supposed to die and was raised again so that just as He conquered sin and death, you too might conquer sin and death and experience life…life today in His kingdom. Today is the day.

The judgment on Sodom foreshadows the judgment at the end when the whole world will be destroyed in a fiery conflagration…Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was joking, little suspecting that they would be swept away hours later. Don’t wait. Today is the day.

The mercy of God who rewrites stories…both of Lot’s daughters will have a role to play in the search for the Head-crushing Seed of the woman. Ruth, the Moabitess, is the great-grandmother of David. Naamah, the Ammonitess, is the wife of King Solomon and mother of King Rehoboam.

My prayer for us this week is that we would be culture changers, not culture conformers.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

May 19, 2014

Good News…Bad News

Genesis 18

Good news or bad news…which do you prefer to hear first? This episode in the life of Abraham highlights two essential aspects to God’s character represented by the two pronouncements…a message of hope and life to Abraham and Sarah and of judgment and death to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the first scene, Abraham dwelling in Mamre, the place of worship. The LORD announces a miraculous birth, is the Giver of life, shows grace to the chosen couple, is faithful to His promises…Seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15, He’s the Doer of the impossible. Immanent. Mercy.

In the second scene, Sodom is described as exceedingly wicked. The LORD pronounces  judgment, is the Taker of life, judges the seriousness of sin… seed of the serpent, Abraham is faithful to intercede for, the LORD’s the Just Judge. Transcendent. Justice.

God is both merciful and just. Merciful to those who cry out to Him. A Just Judge to those who reject Him. But notice even in His judgment the mercy He extends toward the wicked for the sake of the righteous. His desire is not to destroy, but that all will come to know Him. And to that end, Abraham intercedes for Sodom. Praying for the good of the city because of the potential impact that the righteous can and should have.

We have a similar opportunity to intercede…to pray for those who are far from God. To stand in the gap for our 8-15. Like Abraham, we too, are called to be a source of blessing to the families of the earth, all of us who have believed are a part of the people of God who are to faithfully bear His image to the rest of His creation. So if you are a believer, pray…pray for your 8-15. Pray for the city.

If you have not yet come to the place in your spiritual journey where you would say that you have a relationship with God…you can have that today. It’s as easy as believing that Jesus came and lived the life you were supposed to live, died the death you were supposed to die and was raised again so that just as He conquered sin and death, you too might conquer sin and death and experience life…life today in His kingdom.

And if you’re like Sarah, maybe you’ve crossed the line from death to life but are still struggling with trusting God in the day to day. Maybe you are worn out with waiting for God to “show up” in your situation. Maybe you’re not sure that He is able to help. Or maybe He can, but will He (or why would He?)? Remember the LORD showed up for Sarah…to strengthen and affirm her faith so that in Hebrews we’re told, “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” The LORD wants us to trust Him in the day-to-day, and not just for a secured future.

My prayer for us this week is that we would be a praying people…interceding for those who don’t know our Rescuer. And for those of us who are Sarah’s, that He would show Himself real in our day-to-day.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

May 5, 2014

All In

Genesis 17

What separates the average, even the good from the great? Throughout history, those who have changed the world have not only been fully convinced but also “all in” with that thing, whatever it was that was their passion. From outstanding athletes like Kobe Bryant or Peyton Manning to famous thinkers like Albert Einstein or Aristotle to founders of great movements like Martin Luther King, Jr. or his namesake Martin Luther.

Abraham made some incredible strides in his faith journey with God. He left the known for the unknown. He faced down incredible odds to rescue lot. He passed on the tainted riches of Sodom. He built altars along the way. But he also trusted in his own ingenuity…Egypt, Hagar. And while the promises of land and blessing don’t seem to trip him up, he struggles with the promise of a son. Lot. Eliezer. Ishmael. All want-to-be contenders for the title. But none the one God had in mind. Abram’s a believer…he has a relationship with God, but he struggles with fully trusting Him when it comes to a son…maybe not so much that God can (is able), but how could He (how is He going to do it). He has a seeing problem, his eyes keep getting in the way. He’s divided in his affections. In other words, his focus tends to drift to the earthy, the physical. He’s missing the incredible spiritual reality…nothing is beyond Creator God!

I can relate to Abraham. I have a “seeing” problem as well. Circumstances often inhibit my ability to live like I’m trusting God in the day-to-day and dictate my attitude toward others. Instead of viewing the world from God’s perspective, knowing that He is working, I lament the fact that finances are tight, relationships are sometimes hard, and situations don’t always work out the way I think they should.

God calls Abraham to be all in. He didn’t want just a casual relationship, a when-it’s-convenient- or a when-the world-is falling-apart-I’ll-call-upon-You companion. He wanted all of Abraham. He wanted Abraham to experience the life that He had created and saved him for. He didn’t want Abraham to settle. He wanted him to have it all. He wants the same for us. God wants us to experience life to the full in His kingdom…right now. But we can’t experience that life if we aren’t all in. And that takes a singleness of purpose, a driving passion, a desire and a determination to be all in that is only possible through the work of the Spirit in our lives. Without that we will only experience the frustration of what could have been. The “if only” reality that most of us invariably settle for.

My prayer for us this week is that we, like Abraham would be all in and that we would leave behind those things that keep us from pursuing Jesus with reckless abandon, so that we might experience the unbelievable adventure of walking with God with singleness of purpose (blameless) and incredible joy.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

April 28, 2014

Kicking Down the Door

Genesis 16

­­­Why is it so hard to wait? And why is it so easy to take matters into our own hands…to kick down the door?

Tens years and no sign of movement. The promise is confirmed to Abram, but what about Sarai? It’s easy to see how and why Sarai gets to the place where she feels like she needs to kick down the door, you know, help God out. Names are key. God sees, and He hears. It takes the faith experience of Hagar to remind the chosen couple of what they should have already known. And although they should have known better…so should we.

But how many times have we done the same thing. I shared the story of my work experience last week. My journey out to California has some of those same elements. I knew God had gifted me to teach. I had a desire to pastor a church. So I began to test a few doors. As time went on, I became more and more desperate and pushed harder. And each time I pushed, I became more frustrated and bitter. It wasn’t until I stopped pushing and went through the door He had opened that I found peace and eventually my way here doing what I love to do.

A good friend of mine asked a very perceptive question…how do I know when to wait and when to take action? In other words, when is waiting just laziness or taking action kicking down the door? If we are honest with ourselves, I think we know when we are taking matters into our hands, when we are rushing in. God sees and hears, but He also speaks…He guides. Unless He’s clearly directing, it’s best to wait. But when He’s clear, it’s time to move…to go.

Bottom line: when we kick the door down, when we try to help God out, we are in effect saying we know better than God. We are doing what’s right, the good, in our own eyes. And there are always ramifications. Anger. Frustration. Job loss. Broken relationships. Etc. Abram and Sarai’s decision has far reaching consequences…conflict in the Middle East, Muslim and Jew/Christian even today. And many times the negative effects are the result of the comparison game that inevitably gets played every time we do what’s right in our own eyes…I put myself in the place of God. Instead of trusting that God sees and hears, that He knows, I become the one who sees and hears others, judging and condemning them.

So, where do you see yourself in the story? Abram…failing to trust God and lead well. Sarai…failing to trust God and taking matters into your own hands, helping God out, kicking down the door. Or Hagar…realizing, maybe for the first time, that God does see and hear you, that He knows you and wants to rescue you. Whichever you are today, God sees and hears and knows and cares. If we have learned anything about Abram so far, we know that he will be building another altar shortly. The consequences remain, but restoration is available.

My prayer for us this week is that we realize God sees, hears, knows and cares about us, and may that give us the freedom to love others unashamedly and run after Him.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

April 7, 2014

A History-Making Decision

Genesis 11.27-13.1

“What is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? What made the decision so difficult?” Was it the cost…comfort, convenience? Was it fear of the unknown? Was it the stakes?

God gives Abram a simple (not easy) command…”Go.” Abram was to leave everything he knew – country, relatives and family – to go to an as yet undisclosed location. The blessings that follow are contingent on his going…on his obedience. But his obedience is predicated on faith. So what faith are we talking about? Genesis 3.15. But how does Abram know about Genesis 3.15. Don’t forget that Abram is a direct descendant of Adam through the line of Seth, and of Noah through the line of Shem. He comes from those with a spiritual heritage of calling on the name of the LORD, of walking with God, of believing the Seed promise of 3.15. Much like Noah who was described as righteous and blameless…not because he obeyed, but because he found favor in the eyes of the LORD…he believed the promise of 3.15…so he obeyed, now Abram will be called on to obey because he too has found favor, is righteous through faith. That’s important for us to keep in mind. There can be no obedience without faith.

The call of Abram in Genesis 12.1-3 is a key event in the biblical story. It ranks up there with Genesis 3.15 in the OT. It ties together both creation and redemption…it echoes the creation mandate and carries forward the plan of redemption, the search for the Head-crushing Seed of the Woman. It showcases God’s grace and reveals His heart for His creation. And it’s fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus’ charge to His early followers to “make disciples of all the nations” is a reflection of “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” It would be hard to overstate the importance of this passage.

But God’s call required a response. To experience what God had in store for Abram, he had to step out in obedience. He had to go. He had to be a blessing. For the Israelites to experience the blessings of the covenant at Sinai, they too would have to walk in obedience. That would cost them their comfort and convenience…they too would have to leave what they knew. They would have to embrace the unknown. They would have to risk everything. They would have to give up their definition of good…of doing what was right in their own eyes and trust that what God was calling them to really was good…that it was life. They had to believe that God truly loved them and wanted their good. And they would have to love Him in return.

What would have happened to Abram if he would have refused God’s call? Would he have lost his salvation? Not at all…but he would have lost his destiny. He wouldn’t have experienced the good that God had for him. The trip to Egypt illustrates this truth…Abram was to be a source of blessing to the nations, but he ends up being a source of cursing to Pharaoh. Thankfully not the last word when it comes to Abram.

I appreciate the honesty of a friend of mine who said, “God calls us away from our life and to His life. Something twinges when you say ‘leave comfort and convenience’ I don’t know what it is in me yet, but I need to. I know that fear, jealousy, pride – will keep me living my life. I’m tired of the cliché ‘comfort zone’, but it’s accurate. I need comfort. I need predictability. The life I am drawn to meets my expectations and has very few surprises. Does this sound like the life God calls people to? Noah, Moses, the judges, the prophets, the disciples? God called people to be kings and slaves, warriors and shepherds. But He called them away from themselves. I am convicted that I am, for the most part, living my life, proceeding with my plans, doing what seems right in my own eyes. I don’t want to go blindly after whatever seems to be the opposite direction. I do want to obey. I do want to move in faith to the life God is calling me to. I have set out on journey of faith, but what do I keep dragging around with me. What tethers me to peace? Is is faith or is it my inability to let go completely? Am I creating my own peace and not trusting God’s?”

But what about you? As important as Abram’s call was to the working out of God’s plan in salvation history, Jesus, the Head-crushing Seed of the Woman, calls us all to “Go” or better yet to “Follow”.  And that call is every bit as important on a micro-level as Abram’s call on a macro-level. Jesus calls us to leave our comfort and convenience, to leave what we know, our old life, and follow Him. A simple command, but not an easy one. It means that we have to embrace the unknown. We have to risk everything…but only in this sense: we have to die to defining good in our own eyes and trust in what He has revealed as good. Maybe that’s a new job…maybe building a relationship…maybe making a kingdom investment that financially doesn’t seem to make sense…maybe it’s a call into ministry… Whatever it is, experiencing the good that God wants for you requires obedience. It means taking the risk.

And like Abram…and the Israelites…you will fail. But God is still faithful, and He is patient. Proverbs 24.16: “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” Churchill said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

My prayer for us is that we would the courage, like Abram to take the risk, and enter into the wild adventure of a life spent with Jesus in His kingdom.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Listen online at:http://www.centralchristian.org, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster