GPS Guide – May 13, 2019
FAITHFULNESS
Monday
Read: Genesis 12:1-3
1 “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (NIV Genesis 12:1-3)
Study: God made great promises to Abraham, “the ancestor of all those people… who have faith in God” (Romans 4:11), including leave “for the land I will show you,” and “I will bless you.” A common human reaction to promises like that might be, “Awesome—God’s made me more special than anyone else!” But God had something different in mind. God blessed Abraham so that he and his offspring could share the blessing: “All the families of earth will be blessed because of you.” These stories probably took their final form during the time of Israel’s monarchy. “The Israelites who listened to these stories experienced these promises as coming true in their own time… Much later… when Israel and Judah had been conquered…these old promises gave a vision about who God’s people might be again in the future.” In what ways is God’s promise not just ancient history, but a pointer to God’s ideal for you and your church family?
Pray: Lord God, sometimes I’m tempted to only count how many blessings I’ve received. Please grow in me a heart that’s just as interested in how many ways you’ve enabled me to bless others. Amen