Readings for today: Genesis 17-19
Father, through Your Spirit, reveal more of Yourself to me as you did to Abraham. Deepen our friendship. Strengthen our bond. Grow the intimacy between us that I may learn to hear Your voice more clearly and discern Your will more completely in my life.
What does it mean to have a relationship with God? Over the years I’ve heard many describe Christianity as a “relationship” not a “religion”, but do we really understand what that means? Are we prepared for all the implications? Are we ready to embrace the demands? Do we appreciate the incredible privilege and honor it is to be called a “friend of God?”
James 2:23 says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God.” This is an astonishing truth. Out of all the people on earth, God chose Abraham as His friend. God appeared to Abraham. Spoke to Abraham. Made promises to Abraham. Cut a covenant with Abraham. Revealed the depths of His sovereign will to Abraham. When we talk about friendship with God, this is what it looks like. It looks like Abraham talking with God. Walking with God. In the everyday. In the ordinary. Over the course of a lifetime. Notice where God meets Abraham in our text for today. Abraham is 99 years old. Sarah, his wife, is 89 years old. Presumably they’ve been walking with God for many, many years. They’ve taken incredible steps of faith. Leaving their ancestral home of Ur. Leaving their adopted home in Haran. Embracing a nomadic lifestyle. Trusting God to lead and guide them every step of the way. Though they have no son, they’ve clung to the promise God first made them in Haran that they would become a great nation. The father and mother of a multitude of people. Though they have no homeland, they’ve clung to the promise God made them to give them the land of Canaan. Though they’ve done nothing to earn God’s favor, they’ve clung to the promise God made them of an eternal covenant between Himself and their family for all generations. And because they believe God, He calls them friends.
Friendship with God brings with it all sorts of privileges and responsibilities. Abraham has been blessed. He’s been protected. He’s prospered. His household has grown. He has power and influence in the region. He is the peer of kings. But he also has responsibilities. He must live a particular way. He must never take pride in his wealth. It is the Lord’s. He must keep God’s covenant and teach his children to do the same. He must circumcise all the males in his household as a sign of obedience. He must become a priest of sorts for the human race, interceding on their behalf like he does for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Essentially, Abraham is to be the new Adam. A man who walks with God, cares for creation, and exercises dominion over all God has given him. This is how God will fulfill His original promise to bless the nations of the earth through Abraham and his descendants.
Now fast forward a few thousand years. I am a child of God. Justified by the Jesus’ death and resurrection. Regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Adopted as God’s own son. God has made me part of a new covenant He established for all who believe. I’ve been marked by baptism. I feast at His Table. I am now God’s friend. What privileges and responsibilities do I bear? Like Abraham, I’ve been blessed. I’ve been protected. I’ve prospered. My household has grown. My circle of friendships is wide and global. I’ve been given power and influence. But I also have responsibilities. I must submit every area of my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I must never take pride in my wealth or power or position. I must keep God’s commands and teach my children to do the same. I must embrace humility and grace and forgiveness as a way of life. I must become a priest of sorts, interceding for my family, my church, my community, my country, and the world. I must walk with God, care for creation, and exercise dominion over all God has given me in a way that brings life and love and joy and peace to those around me. This is how God will fulfill His promise to bless the nations through me…a spiritual descendant of Abraham. What about you?
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 20-23