Pack your bags...

"...Go forth from your country"--Genesis 12:1

"Now the Lord said to Abram, "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.  Genesis 12 introduces us to Abram, later to be known as Abraham.  This is where the journey toward the redemption of sin that would come through Christ really begins.  We as Christians when we put on Christ in baptism, we become a part of the seed of Abraham (See Galatians 3:16). Hebrews 11:8 names Abraham as one of the great men of faith, I wrote a devo about that passage back in March called Every great journey requires a first step (Click to read).  But that was from the New Testament perspective, now if you will join me, I would like to take a look at when God actually told Abraham to pack his bags. 

Pack your bags.  Ever had a time in your life where you had to drop everything to accomplish a greater task? I have had my share, the biggest one I can think of is when I reflect on the sequence of events that led to my decision to come to the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver.  In short, my world in California was going through some major changes to the point where I found myself in a very negative atmosphere. I don't know how much of a hand God had in all of that but looking back, I see it as God telling me to there was something greater for me and it was time to pack my bags so I graduated college, quit my job, packed my things and moved here to Denver. I have never looked back.  God has blessed me in so many ways since I have made the move, its crazy. But I love it :-). 

Pack your bags.  Looking at Abraham, obeying God was an act of faith, notice from the passage Abram (Abraham) was told to leave his relatives and make his way toward the land God had in store for him. Sometimes this is what obeying God involves.  Obeying God and packing our bags sometimes can mean leaving everything we have ever known behind in order to accomplish His will. It was scary for me to leave California, having been there 8 years living with my parents and now going out on my own but I knew this is what God wanted for me.  There was not a doubt in mind I needed to pack my bags.

Pack your bags. So where does this leave you? Well in order to be a disciple of Christ, one of the things we must consider is found in Luke 14:26-27.  This Scripture says we must hate our family.  That does not mean literally hate them but love God more. We must also be willing to bear our cross and follow Him. Our journey is toward our Promised Land, heaven.  Abram was ready, are you? We have to be ready when God comes and essentially says it's time to go, pack your bags. 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!