Nothing is Impossible

Is anything too hard for the LORD?[i] (Genesis 18:14, NLT)

Are there things that you have been waiting for, working towards or expecting for a long time? You could be working on a project.  You could be waiting on an investment. Or, you could be praying for a child or a spouse.

I am talking about the kind of thing that you know or are at least fairly certain that God has called you to do, and yet it does not seem like it is ever going to happen. Or, you have committed your family to the Lord, and yet a child or a spouse, is wayward.  You pray and wait upon the Lord, and there is no visible progress.

Abram’s life is a study in waiting on the Lord. No one is going to have the exact same challenges and tests as Abram, but everyone is going to have challenges and tests.

God used the tests and challenges Abram faced to grow his faith.  The first test Abram faced was leaving his home and extended family to go to a place he did not know.  The next test was a famine in the land to which God led him.  The next test was letting go of his nephew Lot, and then there was the test of battle to save Lot.  Through all of these tests Abram was becoming more and more a man of faith.

The biggest test was the test of time.  

When Abram arrived in Canaan, God confirmed this promise: “I will give this land to your descendants.” (Genesis 12:7, NLT) He confirmed this promise to Abram a few years later when he said, “your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” (Genesis 15:4, NLT)

Abram and Sarai waited for the promised heir.  After 10 years of waiting we are told:

     ¹Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. ²So Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. ³So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)

     ⁴So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who’s wrong—you or me!” (Genesis 16:1-5, NLT)

Ten years of waiting and then Abram and Sarai made a mistake.  

They tried to make the promise happen.

In both Romans 9 and Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul uses Ishmael and Isaac to illustrate the difference between natural effort and receiving the promise.  Ishmael was the child born to the Egyptian slave Hagar.  He represents the slavery that results when a man or a woman works to make the promise happen.  Isaac is the son born later to Abraham through Sarah, and he represents the grace and freedom that results when we patiently wait for God to fulfill His promise.

As we see in verses 4 and 5, from the moment of conception Ishmael was a source of heartache. First, there was the stress in the family because of Hagar’s attitude.  Next, Sarai persecuted Hagar to the extent that Hagar ran away.

Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. (Genesis 16:16)  In chapter 17 of Genesis, we pick up the story of his life 13 years later when Abram is 99 years old. Now he has been in the land for close to 24 years.  (I know that 10 plus 13 equals 23 years, but Ismael required 9 months in his mother’s womb before he was born.  This is where I get the 24^th year.)

Abram has now spent 13 years with his only son Ishmael. In chapter 17 of Genesis, God appears to Abram and says: “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” (Genesis 17:1-2, NLT)

24 years and God is taking action.  He tells Abram to circumcise himself and every male in his household. Abram cannot believe that Sarai can have a child. He will be 100 and she will be 90. At this point, we find a hope that he is holding.  He says to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!” (Genesis 17:18, NLT) And, God says, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac…” (Genesis 17:19, NLT) Abram apparently had been hoping that Ishmael would be the promised heir.

When we attempt to do for God what he has promised to give us these are the results: slavery, heartache and false hope.

This is best illustrated with salvation. God has promised to forgive our sins.  But, many try to do penance or pay for sins in some other way.  God has promised that if we believe in Jesus Christ we will be given eternal life. But, many try to make themselves good enough by cleaning up their lives. All these efforts lead to slavery, heartache and false hope.

However, when God takes action there are different results. Before we look at the results, let’s look at how God took action.

First, God appears to Abram.  

God appears to Abram several times during his life. The Lord appeared to Abram when he arrived in Canaan, when he defeated the kings and rescued Lot and when he was 99 years old. Each time God appeared to Abram he repeated his promise, and then added more information.  The first time it was, “Your descendants will possess this land.” The second time information was added: “You will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Genesis 15:4-5, NLT)

When God takes action He first speaks to us, and He expects us to trust Him. This is the way it works with salvation.  God says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) We are asked to take Him at His word.

In Abram’s case, God tells him that he will have a son through Sarai that will be his heir.  God then asks Abram to circumcise himself and all the males in his household.  This was to be an outward or physical sign of the covenant relationship with God. In the beginning of chapter 17, God says to Abram, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.”[ii] (NIV)

The word translated “blameless” is translated “whole” in other places.  For example: Leviticus 3:9 says, “…he shall remove the whole fat tail.”[iii] (ESV) This is speaking of a sacrifice and it is talking about removing the entire backbone with its fat.  From this word “whole” meaning entire, comes the idea of blameless.  It is much more than living by a set of rules.  It is living with integrity or wholeness.  God is not pleased with double mindedness.  His first commandment is: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)  This is the special relationship to God represented by circumcision.  

God was to be Abram’s God exclusively.

The action Abram was instructed to take was symbolic.  It did not produce results in and of itself.  It was an outward sign of an inward commitment.  The action God took was to give Abram and Sarai new names, Abraham and Sarah.  He also made clear to Abraham both the terms of the covenant and what the next steps were to be.

Time can be the hardest test for us as well.  

We can pray for something for year after year and not see any progress or change.  God expects us to trust Him and to be single minded in our devotion to Him. To illustrate this I want to consider what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:2-5:

    ²Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

     ³We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (NLT)

The results of trusting and waiting are unexpected.

Abraham has been waiting 24 years and God tells him that Sarah will have a child in a year.  When Abraham first heard it he laughed at the thought.  Sarah also laughed when she heard it. A 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman were to have a baby.  

Not just improbable, this was impossible.

When Sarah laughed the Lord asked a question.  He said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14, NLT)

Time was the hardest test for Abraham because it put the promise entirely out of human reach.  He was asked to believe the impossible.

Let’s look again at Abraham’s reaction:

    17Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” 18So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”

     19But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac…” (Genesis 17:17-19, NLT)

God gave the child the name Isaac.  Isaac means “he laughs.” There was laughter in disbelieve, laughter in amazement and laughter in joy at Isaac’s birth.

These are the results of waiting on God.

Whatever we face, we need to ask the same question that God asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

We have assurances in the Scriptures like: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”[iv] (Philippians 4:13, KJV) And, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV)

Nothing is impossible with God. Tests, challenges and delays will come, but do not doubt in the difficulties what God has made clear to you.  Trust that He will show you the next step.

Jesus said, “…apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NLT)

All things are possible with God.  However, He is not a genie in a bottle or a magic lamp that we can rub and get what we want.  Remember Abraham was told to be blameless.  We cannot have a double mind and expect to get what we want.  The first concern for any of us is to love God with all our heart, soul and strength.  We are to seek God’s kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33)

Pray for God’s will, and trust Him to show you what to do next.  Are you willing to trust Him?

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[i] Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

[iii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved

[iv] Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Bible.

Fear Not

¹After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”[i] (Genesis 15:1, NIV)

Abram lived 4,000 years ago and is known as a great man of faith to this day.

How many men or women can claim such fame?

Whether one fears loss, or desires gain, Genesis 15 shows us the key to Abram’s success. The promise does not lie in great wealth measured in money, but rather measured in relationship with God. Abram enjoyed security, peace and contentment and has become an example to the world of the life of faith.

I want to examine the foundation on which Abram built by picking up the story of Abram’s life in Genesis 15.

Genesis 15:1 says, “After this.” This refers to the account of a military action taken by Abram in chapter 14.

The story goes like this:

After Lot and Abram separated (Genesis 13), Lot settled in the Jordan Valley.  At that time in history this was apparently a lush, fertile valley and the location of two prominent cities: Sodom and Gomorrah.

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and some of their neighboring cities rebelled against Kedorlaomer king of Elam.  To whom, they had been forced to pay tribute for 12 years. Kedorlaomer brought some allies and came to punish the rebel cities and collect his tribute.  The rebels got spanked.  Kedorlaomer and his allies took all the goods and food from Sodom and Gomorrah and left.  Along with the goods and food, they took some captives as well, apparently to serve as slaves. Abram’s nephew Lot, and all he owned, was among the captives.

Abram heard of the battle and of Lot’s circumstances, and immediately took action.  Gathering 318 men, Abram attacked the victorious army. There have been a few times in history where a small group of men attacked much larger numbers and won. This was one of those times.  We have no record of the battle and how it was won.  We know that Abram divided his forces and attacked during the night.  He and his men completely routed the enemy and chased them out of the country. They recovered all the loot and freed all the captives. Then Abram returned all the recovered goods and food to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He even refused to receive any of it as a gift in payment for his rescue.  His reasoning being that Abram did not want anyone to say, “I made Abram rich.”

This is where chapter 15 starts.  This is the “this” of the “After this” of verse 1.

Think about what Abram has just given up.

He has given up his security.  

He was living in peace and obscurity in his tent near the Oaks at Mamre. Now, He has just made enemies with a mighty king and his allies. This king and his allies had defeated the combined strength of five cities.  We do not know how many men were in their armies, but we can be sure that it was more than the 318 men Abram could muster.

Now that Abram had made such powerful enemies, what was he to do?  He could flee to Egypt, but he had recently been escorted out of the country and would probably not be welcomed back.  He could go back to Ur of the Chaldeans, Oh, but wait – One of Kedorlaomer’s allies was Amraphel king of Shinar.  Oops! No going back there – Ur was located in the valley of Shinar.

Abram had tents, not a walled city in which to hide for security.

“Do not be afraid” is a common phrase when men are addressed by messengers from God.  When angels or God appear to men or women the first response is utter terror.

We have much to fear spiritually.  When Isaiah saw the Lord he cried out, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”[ii] (Isaiah 6:5, NLT) The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).  It also tells us that the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). I often hear, “How can a good God allow evil?”  Free will is just part of the answer.  The other part is: “He doesn’t.” All evil, all sin, all transgressions against His holiness; will be paid for.

If ever we have reason to fear, it is when we are facing this justice of God.  So why the “Fear not?”

Physically we have much to fear.  It is always something different.  Death is always just one misstep away.  Misjudge the stopping distance in a car, forget to look both ways before crossing the street or take the wrong dose of medicine in the morning; and any one of us can find ourselves dead. Nuclear warfare, chemical warfare and terrorist attacks could happen at any time. If one of these things does not kill us, cancer, Ebola, heart failure, blood clots, aneurisms, and a host of diseases and physical ailments wait to claim our lives.

Abram had similar concerns and four powerful enemies. So why the “Fear not?”

The answer and the first part of the foundation that Abram built upon and upon which we can also build is the first phrase, “I am your shield.” (Genesis 15:1, NIV)

This is the answer for both the spiritual and physical fears common to both Abram and us.

First, God is our shield from spiritual fear.  God, knowing that we could never pay the debt we owe, paid it for us.  The Bible tells us that “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT) Because of this we are assured, “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9, NLT)   This is why John 3:16 assures us that eternal life waits for those who believe in Jesus.  God is our shield and protection from the judgment we deserve for our sins.

Second, God is our shield from physical fear. I am not saying that the things listed do not happen to those who put their trust in God.  However, Romans 8:28 assures us, “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT) Psalm 27 address physical fear when it says, “³Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. . . . ⁵For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe. . .” (NIV) We can trust absolutely in God.  Even when cancer or other disasters strike, those of us who know Him rely on the truth that “The Lord is my Shepherd.” It is because of this that we can say we fear no evil.

Abram’s success in life was built on this foundation of trust in God.  His fears were dispelled by confidence in God as his shield, and yet this did not answer his desire for gain.

The Bible here uses the word “reward.” I am using the word “gain.”

We all need something for which to live, a motivation.  It is different for everybody.  Some are motivated by material gain and the benefits it brings.  Some are motivated by recognition and applause.  Some are motivated by physical pleasure and comfort. Included in the idea of gain and motivation are our desires. The Proverbs say, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” (Proverbs 13:12, NLT) This is why the Bible tells us that some people are ruled by their appetites. It literally says, “Their god is their stomach.” (Philippians 3:19)

Abram had given up any reward for having rescued Lot and the other captives. In chapter 12 of Genesis he tells the Egyptians that Sarai is his “sister” in hopes that they will treat him well because of her (Genesis 12:13).  With this we know that gain was definitely part of his motive, and we also know that it worked.  He left Egypt a very rich man. Now, we see a different Abram.  He is not willing to take money and possessions if it means that God does not get the credit for making him rich.

After assuring Abram of his security, God promises Abram his reward. Translators have rendered verse one in two different ways, trying to make it clear. Some translate it, “Your reward will be very great.” Others translate it, “I am your very great reward.” The Hebrew literally is: “Not fear Abram, I your shield to you reward great exceedingly.” Given these words, I think the old King James version nailed it when it said, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” This is why I led with the NIV: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

God, Himself, was to be Abram’s exceedingly great reward.

The Bible warns us not to love the world and the things in the world. (1 John 2:15) The greatest commandment is: “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, NLT)  Jesus confirmed that this is the first and greatest commandment. This has to do with our desires, appetites and pursuit in life.  In Mark 8:36 it says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”[iii] (KJV) Here the words profit and loss are used.

Because of His plans, God makes an incredible promise to Abram.  He promises Him the land and descendants as numerous as the stars, but would these descendants be of any benefit to Abram if his soul were lost for eternity? It is the promised seed, that is Jesus Christ, that makes the promises of benefit and meaningful.

Jesus has promised us an inheritance as well. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says:

“³All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. (NLT)

This goes along with what Jesus said:

 “¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3, KJV)

There is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to the words of the preacher.  It is called Ecclesiastes. It looks at all the profit or gain that one can pursue in the world, and reaches this one conclusion: It is all empty and meaningless. These are the words of the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon.

Compare this with the God who has made us His heirs.  He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Romans 8:31-32 says it best when it says:

³¹What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³²Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? (NLT)

Trusting God is what set Abram apart and made him so famous that he is remembered around the world 4,000 years later.

God does not necessarily have the same plan for you, but He does have a plan.  He is the shield and reward for all who will trust in Him. No matter the fear or desire, will you trust Him today?

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[i] Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

[ii] Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[iii] Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Bible.

The Growth of Faith

⁶So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. ⁷These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.[i] (1 Peter 1:6-7, NLT)

The Lord told Abram to leave his native country, relatives and his father’s family and go to a land that the Lord would show him. (Genesis 12:1) Abram demonstrated his faith by doing just as the Lord asked.  He left not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

Abram arrived in the land and set up camp beside the oak of Moreh in Shechem. (Genesis 12:6) In this place the Lord appeared to him and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” (Genesis 12:7, NLT)

Abram demonstrated his faith by obedience and God rewarded that faith by appearing to Abram and confirming that Abram was in the right place. This was a spiritual high place, a mountain top experience.

Immediately following this mountain top experience, Abram’s faith is tested. It happened to Jesus as well.  Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan.  The Spirit descended as a dove and landed on Jesus. A voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Luke 3:21-22, NLT) Then Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. (Luke 4:1-13)

Abram’s test comes in the form of a severe famine.

In response, Abram leaves the land that God has promised him and goes to Egypt. He feels compelled to lie to the Egyptians to protect his own life.  His wife Sarai is a beautiful woman and he fears they will kill him in order to take her.  So, his solution is to lie and tell the Egyptians that Sarai is his sister.

Earlier the Biblical account tells us that there were Canaanites living in the land when Abram camped in Shechem, but Abram did not feel compelled to lie to the Canaanites. I assume this is because he was integrating more with the society of the Egyptians.

Abram builds no altar in Egypt.  God is silent.  Abram’s wife is taken by Pharaoh to be Pharaoh’s wife.  Pharaoh gives many gifts to Abram in exchange for Sarai, who Pharaoh believes is Abram’s sister. As Abram remains silent, God intervenes, causing a plague on Pharaoh’s whole household.  Pharaoh realizes what is going on and kicks Abram out of the country, having him escorted out.

In all this, Sarai is silent.  Abram gained riches by her, but at what cost? Can she trust him? Has he protected her honor?  God rescued her, and Pharaoh showed more respect than Abram did.

From this debacle, Abram moves into another. 

Lot traveled to Egypt with Abram, but is not mentioned in the texts concerning Abram’s time in Egypt.  He reappears in the story as Abram travels back to Shechem where God had appeared to him.  Abram returns to the altar that he had built there and worships God.

However, there is a problem.  Abram is very rich in livestock, silver and gold. How much of it was from selling his wife to Pharaoh? Whatever the case, the riches become a problem in the family.  Lot is also rich and the land cannot support both of them.  Lot and Abram do not quarrel but the herdsmen do.  What a mess! 

The Canaanites are still living in the land, and there seems to be enough room for them and Abram and/or Lot.  The text tells us there was conflict and that the land could not support them living close together.  In the time of Jacob, his sons traveled all over the land grazing his flocks.  Why could not Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen do the same thing? There is a conflict in Abram’s family that centers on possessions and livestock, but I believe it is deeper. 

The resolution of the conflict is found in them separating.  The same kind of thing happens with Paul and Barnabas in Acts. Two righteous men cannot agree on a traveling companion so they part ways. (Acts 15:36-40) The Bible does not tell us who was right and who was wrong in the case of Barnabas and Paul, nor does it tells us in the case of Lot and Abram.

When it comes to the point of having to separate, Abram offers the choice to Lot. I am not critical of Lot’s choice.  The text tells us that at the time the Jordan valley was like the Garden of Eden and was well watered everywhere. This is certainly not the case now, but this was before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot chooses a favorable location, but we must remember that the Scriptures describe the land of Canaan as a land flowing with milk and honey. It seems there is no unfavorable choice. However, Lot leaves the Promised Land to Abram.

This brings me to a key point. 

Lot was the son of Abram’s brother Haran.  Haran died way back when the family was still in Ur. Abram had no children of his own so Lot was like his son. Lot was a potential heir to all of Abram’s possessions and promises.

In Genesis 12 verse 7 God says to Abram, “I will give this land to your descendants.” This promise is clear.  The word “descendants” is the word “seed.”  For Abram the implication is clear.  The land is to be given to his physical descendants, not an adopted or substitute heir.

When Lot moves east, he removes himself from the Promised Land. 

This must have been tough for Abram.  Lot has been with him since Ur.  He has been attached to Abram through all of his travels this far.

These two incidents, the time in Egypt and the separation with Lot, are trials for Abram’s faith. Both require Abram to trust God.

When Abram had his experience with God, his faith was tested by a drought. He immediately fled.  Although he did not go home, he did leave the land that God said, “I will give this land to your descendants.”  From our perspective 4,000 years later, it is easy to say he should have stayed in Canaan, but we do not know what it was like for Abram.  The Bible just tells us there was a severe famine.

Rather than trying to solve Abram’s problem, we can consider our own.  Has God given us a clear vision of what He wants us to do? Have we abandoned the vision because of difficulties?

Jonah was given instructions to go to Nineveh.  He fled, was swallowed by a fish and spit back out in the right direction.  Abram was promised the land.  He fled, and was spit back out in the right direction. The first lesson that comes from the testing of faith is perseverance.  The testing has to come so that we become convinced that the promise is from God. Romans 5:3 and James 1:3 both teach us that the testing of our faith produces endurance or perseverance.

This is deeper than stick-to-itiveness. This is conviction that leads us to hold on to the promises of God.  This is refusing to let go of the vision.

Each one should look at where he or she is.  He or she is there either because of the promise or because he or she has fled from difficulty and needs to get back to the promise. 

This leads us to the second trial of the faith of Abram, the separation from Lot.

Abram was expelled from Egypt.  His faith took him back to where God had appeared to him.  However, his obedience or surrender or faith was not complete.  He was still holding onto something as a crutch or maybe as a backup plan: Lot.

Romans 5:4 tells us endurance develops strength of character, and James 1:3 tells us endurance makes us perfect and complete.  Both of these are referring to maturity. The first trial of our faith is to develop endurance, through which we mature.

The Lord uses conflict to accomplish his purposes. He did this in the case of Paul and Barnabas, by causing the dynamic duo to split up and thus accomplish more.

By allowing Lot to separate himself, Abram trusts God’s promise in relation to his descendants. At this point, he does not have any descendants. Since the promise to give the land to his descendants is clear, the giving of descendants is implied. Trusting God without the safety net of Lot shows Abram’s maturing faith.

At the time of Abram, nations were being established. Only a couple of hundred years earlier, mankind had moved as a unit to the place from which Abram moved.  There they had started to build a tower to make a name for themselves.  After the tower of Babel, men built cities and nations to make a name for themselves.  Egypt is a good example of a successful nation building effort.

In this environment, leaving an heir and establishing a name is very important to Abram.  It is everything.  However, God has promised to do it for Abram. In Genesis 12:2 God says, “I will make you famous.” Separating from Lot means Abram has to trust God to provide descendants.

A maturing faith takes God at His word.  Endurance holds on to the promises.  Maturing faith relies wholly on those promises.

God calls each person to leave everything and follow Him. For Peter, James and John it meant that they gave up fishing and left their families behind.  For Paul it meant giving up all his political and religious ambitions. 

Today, some may be uncertain of what the vision is.  They may be at the stage that would be equivalent to Abram leaving Ur of the Chaldeans.  The challenge for these people is taking the first step of trusting God.  It might be as simple as saying, “Okay, God I am not even sure You are there, but I am willing to be shown.” God sent Jesus to make a way to Him. So start by asking Jesus to show Himself to you.

Others may have taken the first steps, but they are wondering what God’s purpose for their life is.  Trust God to make it clear.  In other words, like Abram, step out in faith not knowing where you are going.  God is able to make the way clear. Just take the next step.  Are you in school? Complete your studies.  As long as you ask God to guide you and are seeking Him, you can trust that He will guide you.

Finally, if you know you are where God wants you to be, but you are still holding onto a backup plan in case God does not come through, give it up.  A person cannot skydive without jumping out of the plane.  Jesus said you can’t serve God and money.  We cannot hold onto God and the world at the same time.  We must choose.  We must either let go of everything and trust only God, or choose to hold on to other things and let go of God’s promises.

Abram did, and the text says he was living by the oak at Mamre in Hebron.  Hebron means fellowship, and Mamre means fatness, the implication being that Abram moved into a place of peace.

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[i] Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.