“So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran” (Genesis 12:4).
TEXT — Genesis 12:1-9
Message
Nothing pleases God more than a strict obedience to His calling. The Scripture is replete with the irrefutable fact that obedience to God at all times commands and compels His hallowed blessings.
As the curtain of time is drawn open in the 12th chapter of Genesis, we see a man, Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham), at the centre-stage receiving a call from God. It was an imperative invitation to a separated life, sanctified living and sole walk with God. It was a call clothed with compelling recompense and promises. Abram’s decisive response in obeying was as outstanding as it was commendable. The commencement of his separated life is a lively picture of Christians who desire a place in eternity with the Father. The call of Abram is a representation of our call and so must we also replicate Abram’s obedience.
This call, couched in varied lexis, maintains the same unmistakable and unchanging semantics. It rings through virtually every book (New and Old Testaments) of the Bible. It is a clear, inclusive, extensive and all-encompassing call, screaming through every race, region, religion, culture, continent, creed and civilisation. Paul the apostle gives a picture of this in the epistle to the Corinthians: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, …and I will receive you …and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”(2 Corinthians 6:17,18). To be sure, the call was not without its blessings. With Abraham, there was a seven-fold blessing. With the believer, there are blessings that span time and eternity.
What a privileged offer crafted in the form of a call, nay, an invitation! The choice is yours today. It can never be made easier. The supreme price has been paid. Jesus in His eternal compassion for lost sinners, threw His strong, loving arm around humanity as He proclaims, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”, and with the tone of a plea, still says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). To the sinner or backslider, this is a privilege and your response determines your eternal destiny. Respond wisely. Respond decisively. Be an Abraham!!!
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Thought for the day
The blessings of Abraham avail only for those who have the obedience of Abraham
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
