The Manner of Embrace

Andrea and I sat down for lunch one day and soon could not help but overhear the conversation going on next to us.  The conversation was not necessarily interesting or revealing, it was actually very ordinary.  It was a conversation that could have been taking place at any table in the restaurant only with different words.  After a few moments I glanced over at the table where the conversation was taking place.  I immediately recognized a gentleman at the table who was clearly the focal point of the conversation.  I was surprised to discover that this man was a former national political figure who was thought, at one time, to be a presidential contender.    I whispered to Andrea this revelation and suddenly we both found ourselves listening intently on the conversation taking place.  Whereas prior to the revelation we only overheard the conversation because the people were speaking rather loud, now the conversation itself held our attention.  What was the difference, we had decided that someone in the conversation was “important.”  The conversation did not change, yet suddenly our thoughts and attention in regard to the conversation were drastically altered.  Abram/Abraham was a very ordinary man, yet God saw, in him, something of use and of promise.  Abraham’s life and existence was nothing of significance yet God saw him as significant.  Others could not see much of worth in Abraham but God chose him to be the carrier of promise.  God sees much more than we, or any human, is capable of seeing or recognizing.  We see, in the story of Abraham, the manner in which God works and embraces.

Daily Readings

Monday, October 10, 2011 Genesis 15-16

Have you ever felt the need to “help God out”?  Often we feel that we need to “rescue” God in order to save His reputation, or in order for us to hold on to our own wavering faith.  We make stupid decisions based on the circumstances that we think we are facing.  What stupid ‘helpful’ choices do you see Abram making?  What ‘helpful’ “choices have you made in life?  What was the immediate and long lasting impact of your choices?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Genesis 17

Last summer I purchased a pair of Chaco Sandals, soon I had suntan lines on my feet.  Later, as I was at a pool without shoes one, a stranger walked by and said, “Oh, you must own Chaco Sandals, she had noticed my lines.  The lines were evidence.  What evidence does God require of Abraham (Abram)?  What evidence does God desire your life to reveal.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Genesis 18-19

Abraham’s story, and the stories of his wife and nephew, are tales that bless and haunt their ancestors continuously in the future.  We see Abraham having the child, at his wife’s insistence, with the maid servant.  We see Lot’s family refusing to take the situation in Sodom seriously and, as a result, dying.  Then, we see the incestuous actions of Lot’s daughters which ultimately brings about the Moabites and Ammonites, a problem for the children of God as they wander and then settle in the Promised Land.  Why, in the midst of God’s promises and blessings, do you think everyone still made decisions that were so wrong?  Why do you do the same?

Thursday, October 13, 2011 Genesis 20:1-21:7

The story of Abraham is a story more about God’s promise, and His ability to keep His promise, than it is about the actions of Abraham.  Indeed, if the story were just about Abraham, it would be a dismal statement.  God made a promise and God kept His promise, regardless of the actions of mankind.  His promise was in no way dependent upon the actions of Abraham, Sarah, or even Lot, it was just a promise.  In the end, God kept His promise, even in the face of Abraham’s repeated undeserving actions.  What does this tell you about God’s character and nature in your relationship with Him?

Friday, October 14, 2011 Genesis 21:8-22:19

Abraham had what it took, however, he did not always act in a manner consistent with what he had.  He had what it took to follow God but on numerous occasions he did not act in a manner that evidenced following God.  Yet still, God frequently sees the righteousness in Abraham, even in the midst of the strange choices Abraham makes.  From the beginning we see God taking what Abraham had, and working from where Abraham was, to grow him to be a man who trusted God the the great and mighty things.  While the story of Abraham is significant to our, and other, faiths, the real story is the way in which God works on and in Abraham.  It reveals a manner in which God relates to all.