Sunday, December 4, 2016

Day # 4 A Recipe for a Savior

ABRAHAM

Day # 4

Genesis 12:3b …in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

            A Recipe for a Savior takes a turn at this point. Moving from Adam and Eve, we meet a man named Abram (we know him better as Abraham). He is a man that God calls to follow Him, to act in a way that calls for faith put into actions. Abram hears the call of God and acts. He moves his family from Haran to a new land, a land that one day would become an inheritance for his family.

            But really? Abraham? Wasn’t there someone else that the Lord could call to be the father of the nations? Wasn’t there someone better qualified to be included in A Recipe for a Savior? After all, Abraham is the guy who passes his wife off as his sister in order to save his own skin. He did this not once, but twice! What kind of man does this? Why would God call such a man?

            Abraham was a man in need of a Savior, just like you and me. Sin permeated his very being. It guided his selfish actions, even as it does ours. We shouldn’t be too hard on Abraham for he is no different than us. He is in need of a Savior. Little did he know that at that moment God was making him one more ingredient in A Recipe for a Savior. As with all recipes, there are a variety of ingredients needed to make the complete recipe. Each ingredient is included in order to make an edible, enjoyable dish. A Recipe for a Savior calls for one part Abraham. God continues to bring together that promise made to Adan and Eve as He says to Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Yes, another ingredient in the recipe.

            The Savior is for sinners, people like Abraham, people like you and me. We are in need of the very One that is promised to be of the line of Abraham. In the 1st Wednesday evening Advent service, we are going more in depth in understanding the person that God called from Haran to be the Father of the Nations. As we do, we will see how the Recipe for a Savior begins to gather the necessary ingredients for the Savior to be born.

Prayer: Father in heaven, it doesn’t always make sense to us as to how You work in this world and in our lives. Guide each of us even as You guided Abraham. Give us faith to trust in Your Word this Advent season. Amen.

Deeper Thought: Put yourself in the place of Abraham, a man with a family, who hears the call of God. In doing so, he uproots his family and moves them to a foreign place. What personal struggles would you have as you tried to obey the command of God? What struggles do you have today as You try to obey the commands of God?

2 comments:

  1. The idea 💡 of moving to a strange place where you Know No One would be the biggest thing emotionally. It's difficult listen and that what's meant and supposed to happen is Gods plan. The conflict is wanting to run our own life instead of letting God lead the way. This must have been difficult for Abraham.
    My personal struggle is summed up like this: doing what I want when I want and how I want . This is done ✅ instead of allowing God's voice to be heard . The ironic thing is that God still gets his way.

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  2. Michael, I believe that is the struggle for each of us. Following the Word of God is a challenge. Adam and Eve struggled with it and it brought sin into the world. Abraham faced that same struggle. We do too. Temptation says to do one thing. God's Word says to do another. Which do we listen to in our lives? To follow the Word of God is a recipe for victory. To follow our sinful nature is a recipe for disaster. Even still, we often listen to ourselves rather than God.

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