Abraham, he wasn't that great!

I have made a commitment this year to DIG DEEPER into the scriptures. Besides my daily readings, I am also digging into the PEOPLE of the Bible. I finished Jonah, one of my favorites, and am now looking into the life of Abraham. I am so fascinated by this GIANT of the FAITH. I am also fascinated about what I DIDN'T KNOW about his life. I blame that on my Sunday School Teachers. Ok, I'm just kidding. Besides the cute song about Father Abraham having many sons,  I really did not learn much about his life. I think everyone learned of his blessing from the Lord. We also learned that he and Sarah were given a son when they were VERY OLD. We learned of God asking Abraham to sacrifice that son and then saving him at the last moment. But, as Paul Harvey would say, we need to know THE REST OF THE STORY.

The Blessing

If you are like me, you always think of Abraham as being a Rock Star for our faith. He was chosen by God. He was granted a special blessing:

He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are

able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Abram believed the Lord , and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:5-6 HCSB

I mean that is amazing to be called by the Lord to be the FATHER of his special Nation. But, even more amazing than being called is WHEN he was called. In my early study, I was trying to find out how old Abram was when he was first called. What do we know of Abraham BEFORE he was called by the Lord.  I was reading a commentary by Chuck Swindoll who said he was called REALLY early in his life. In Acts, we get a hint of WHEN Abraham was called:

“Brothers and fathers,” he said, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when

he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, and said to him: Get out of your country

and away from your relatives, and come to the land that I will show you. Acts 7:2-3 HCSB

Chuck Swindoll shared in his book "Abraham:One Nomads amazing journey of faith", that Abraham was raised, most of his young life, in a town called Ur of  Chaldeans in Mesopatamia. He lived here before he traveled to Haran. Not to overstate the obvious, but there was no JEWISH faith at this point. As a matter of fact. Chuck Swindoll said, Abram, his father, and all of his relatives probably were worshipping the Sun God. They believed in many gods, not just ONE GOD. He would never have heard of "THE GOD" that we know today. IT is not like he heard about God from some Evangelist and said, "Yeah, this is what I've been looking for, I will follow God!"  God appeared to him, even though Abram didn't know the Lord! HE APPEARED to him while he was still a sinner, far from being a ROCK STAR in the Faith, worshipping some Idol. He appeared to him, told him to leave his home town, travel to a place he had no idea existed, and begin a journey with massive uncertainty. He was asked to do this by a GOD that he didn't  even know. Why did he decide to go?  We don't get the same message we got when the angels appeared to the Shepherds in Bethlehem. There was no "Do not be afraid" moment or a throng of Heavenly Hosts. We really don't know how God appeared to Abram. But I am guessing it was an amazing experience. He could have been in human form like he was when he appeared to Abraham later in his life or some other form. But, his appearance had a huge impact on Abram. He left and did exactly as God told him. It was clear to Abraham he was being approached by God and he was completely convinced to serve him. Wouldn't it be great if the Lord made a HUGE appearance to YOU?  Yes, and you know what? God WILL appear to you. It will be obvious and clear if you just give him a chance. If we sit back, call on the LORD, he will show up in a powerful way. I have seen him. No, I can't say I have seen him physically. But, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind how powerful God has been in my life. He has been with me. His presence is everywhere!

God knows. 

Long before Abraham was even Abraham, God knew. God knew who he was going to become. He not only knew Abraham was going to be the father of his chosen people, he knew that Abraham was going to mess up, often. He knew Abraham would still sin, even after becoming God's chosen one. He knew Abraham would have doubts. He knew he would lie. He knew he would make his own plans, outside the plans of the Lord. God knew Abraham had serious flaws. Yet, he still chose him and he chose him, not because he had a great track record going to church every Sunday. He didn't choose him because he gave his 10% every week to the church. He didn't choose him because he was a powerful, rich person. God chose Abram because He had faith in what he would become. Abram was not righteous because of what he did or even what he was going to do. Abram grew into Abraham and became righteous through his faith in the Lord.

"Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, " Galatians 3:6 HCSB

Guess what?

This is not the only time God chose someone NOT worthy when he chose him. Paul is another great example. He was going around killing followers of Christ and yet God still chose him. God chooses you in the exact same way. He doesn't have some set of rules you MUST follow before he chooses you. He has chosen Stephanie and I to minister through CMA, not because we are some great fantastic people of faith. He knows our flaws, he knows our weaknesses and the mistakes of our past. Yet, he has chosen us. I am AWED by his faith in us. I am awed that he would take the risk. The fact that we are chosen to serve, drives us. It motivates us to draw closer to him and constantly search opportunities to be his hands and feet in this world. We are still weak, but we are growing. He has blessed us beyond belief and we feel he is challenging us to step out of our comfort zone and serve in more and more ways. But, you know what? It is not easy. Stephanie and I still have urges to DO OUR OWN THING. We pray together often, yet we get busy and forget. We read and study the Bible. Yet, sometimes we do it out of obligation and not through great desire. Our faith is not rock solid, and we are not as bold in our faith as we should be. But, God has called us. He is transforming us every day. We are not what we want to be, but are on a path today that is ONLY BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH IN THE LORD.

Trust me when I say, GOD WANTS YOU!  We are not special and he has called us. YOU have a future with the Lord. All you have to do is call on him, realize your faults, acknowledge those before the Lord and promise to be open to his guidance and direction. Abraham wasn't special before being called by the Lord. He was special because he answered the call. He took the step to follow the Lord and THEN he became a father of a nation. I'm not sure you will be the Father of a Nation. God may not make your relatives as countless as the stars. But, he has a unique purpose for you. He has SPECIAL things planned in your future. Take the step NOW and find out what those special things are.