Adoption, Blessings, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, God's Plan, God's Promises, Grace, Honor, Jesus' Return, Judgement, Love, Mercy, Obedience, Persecution, Relationship to Christ, Repentance, Restoration, Salvation, Sin, Struggles

God’s Promise to Abram and to Us

Today, we see that God made a promise to Abram, who was later to be called Abraham.  This is God’s promise to Abram, “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV)

The Enduring Word commentary says, “In Acts 7:2-4, God revealed through Stephen that this promise was made to Abram when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran. Genesis 12:1-3 repeats a promise that God had said to Abram.” God kept the promise He made to Abram. Israel was created through Abram to Isaac, and onto his descendants. Moses’ name is honored, not only by the Jewish people but also by Muslims and Christians alike because he is a central figure in all three religions. 

Israel is blessed because of Abram’s obedience, and the world is blessed because of them.  The effect of God’s promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel has been seen throughout history.  Those who have gone against Israel have seen their empires fall, those who have stayed on Israel’s side have received blessings from God.  This also includes the church.  During times when the church (those who said they were Christians but didn’t have the Christian attitude of love for God’s people) persecuted the Jews, judgment came upon them and things didn’t go so well for them.  It’s no wonder some Jews have a sour taste in their mouths when it comes to Christians.  So much harm has been done to the Jewish people in the name of so-called “Christians” that Jews reject any teaching about Jesus, and those Jews who have found Jesus as their Messiah, have been disowned by their own families.  As Believers, we are to hold God’s people in a place of honor because they are God’s Chosen People.

God’s promise also extends to Christians, in that, as we bless God’s people, God will also bless us. When we exhibit Christ-like attitudes and actions, we can expect God’s blessings.  As we love God’s people, that love will come back to us in innumerable ways. God promised to bless the world through Abram.  Because of Abram’s obedience, a nation has been established.  In 1948, Israel became a nation, recognized by the countries of the world.  Today, they are a nation that must fight daily for their existence because their enemies surround them on every side.  When Believers hold the nation of Israel up in prayer and come together to stand up for their right to exist, God takes notice and blesses us in turn.

God’s promise to bless the world through Israel also comes through the arrival of Jesus on planet Earth. He blessed the world by willingly sacrificing His life for us on the cross.  His sacrifice paid the sin-debt for each person on the face of the earth, past, present, and future. 

When we come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, acknowledge that He is the Son of God, believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that He died, was buried, rose again, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will one day come back again to take those who confess Him as Lord, to Heaven to be with Him for eternity, God has promised to take us into His family, and that is the greatest blessing He could ever give us!  God fulfilled His promise to make of Abram a great nation, and through Israel, we also have received God’s promise and blessings.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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