Stan and I had gathered again at the Twelve Baskets Cafe for breakfast. After we had ordered and were waiting for Ricky to bring what we wanted, Stan mentioned he had been reading something in the Bible’s Book of Genesis that reminded him of a friend who had a perspective on his faith that Stan wants and tries to make his own. I asked him about his friend’s perspective.
“He seeks to live every day like Abraham.”
“Live every day like Abraham? Is that his name?”
“No, it’s not his name,” Stan replied. “That’s just the way he seeks to live out his faith.”
“The way he seeks to live out his faith? How so?”
“He takes his lead from the story of Abraham in Genesis,” Stan said, “where God told Abraham to go forth to the land He would show him, and that’s where Abraham went.”
“So,” I asked, “to what land does your neighbor go?”
“That’s the point,” Stan exclaimed. “He goes wherever God has for him to go. Just like with the great commission, I am to ‘go’. It may be to another land, or it may be over to Junction City or Weston, or it may be across the street to talk to a neighbor, but the bottom line is that it’s wherever God shows me to go in being just like Abraham every day!”
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Bible verses to consider:
Now the Lord said to Abraham, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; . . . . “ Genesis 12:1.
So Abraham went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; . . . . Genesis 12:4.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, . . . . Matthew 28:19-20.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving Jesus and His finished work on the cross as the way to life with you, the life that begins here and will continue forever. Thank you that Jesus went where you had for Him to go, and that He did what you had for Him to do in redeeming the lost world. Even though I know I will spend eternity in your presence because of the people who came into my world with the truth of the gospel, I confess that too often I don’t go anywhere to say anything to anyone about your provision for them. Please forgive that foolish way of living the new life you’ve given. Help me to hear and to actually go wherever you have for me to go. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Can you go forth as God tells you because you are His by having accepted His provision of life with Him, the life that begins here and will continue forever? If no, why do you choose to remain separated from God both now and forever? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with going forth as God tells you? What does “going forth” look like to you? If you sense the desire for change with any of this and you want to go where God has for you to go, what would you need to do for that to happen? Is that what you truly want? Why or why not?
The need: Since God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), what does He know you need to actually go forth where He can and will use you for His kingdom purposes? Spend time studying Gos’s word, praying, reflecting, and journaling to see what God knows you need. He will show you!
Forward: Do you know others who would or could benefit from this devotional? If so, why not forward it and open them to being part of the conversation between Stan and S. Tory Teller?