A LIFE OF FAITH!

Abram is a great example of a life that is lived by faith.

Yesterday, we read that God spoke to Abram and told him to leave his home and family; to leave everything that he knew. What God was really saying to Abram, was this: “I have great things for you, but I need you to leave your comfort zone. I need you to trust me!” That is how this Christian life goes. We can’t grow and experience what we are supposed to if we stay in our comfort zone. Being outside of that comfort zone allows us to grow. I have heard an illustration of a shark. If you take a baby shark, and you put it in a small tank, that shark will only grow to the size of its environment. But when you put thats hark in the ocean, it will grow into what it is supposed to grow into! The same is true with us in our life. If we want to experience all that God has for us and intends for us, we can’t just stay comfortable or complacent!

Today, our focus was truly on Abram being changed to Abraham. One specific verse I want us to take note of this morning.

Genesis 17:1 - “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.”

 From the end of chapter 16 to the beginning of chapter 17, thirteen more years have passed. Abram has already fathered Ishmael, and believed that he was the promise God spoke of. But God is preparing him for something greater, another step of faith. And this verse has 2 applications for us. Two things we can do that Abram was commanded to do!

1. Live in Gods presence. We can do nothing without God! That old song is true when it says “I can’t even walk without You holding my hand”. I need Him every hour. Every breath I take is because He allows it. Anything good in my life is because God has given it to me! So, shouldnt I live in His presence? Shouldn’t I want to spend time with Him? Shouldn’t I want Him to commune with me and speak to me? We ought to live in God’s presence.

2. Be blameless. The word blameless here means “whole”. The idea here, is that God wanted ALL of Abram. Total commitment! There are A LOT of hokey pokey Christians. Sometimes our left foot is in, and then its out. Or our right arm is in, then it’s out. That is not the Christian life God intended for us. All in, or all out. The Bible even speaks of this concept in Revelation, where we see that God would rather us be cold or hot, but never lukewarm. It sickens God to see Christians half in and half out. If for no other reason to be all in for God, remember this: Jesus gave us EVERYTHING! His own life! That is the example we should follow!

As we journey through the life of Abram(Abraham), we will see a flawed man. A man who made mistakes. But we will see a man God used mightily. We will see someone who lived his life by faith! And church family, that is my prayer for you today—that you would live a life of faith that is pleasing to God!