Spiritual Growth 101: Ready or Not… Change is Coming!
This morning, God woke me up at 5:00 AM. I say that because the moment I woke up, I began thinking about this brand new series and all it would entail. In fact, it was as if He put everything in my heart all at once that He wanted me to share. Because truth be told… I wasn’t sure what I was even going to write about before this morning! (Don’t you love when God puts something on your heart at the exact moment you need to hear it?) While this new series will be called Spiritual Growth 101, it’s truly a series about how God uses change to transform us as well as the world around us. So buckle up and get ready because change is coming!
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Throughout the Bible, one thing is made clear… God is all about change and growth. Abraham was called to leave his home for the unknown land of Canaan. Joseph began his life bullied by his older brothers before being sold as a slave in Egypt. (And did I mention that he would ultimately become second in command in Egypt?) David began his journey as a lowly shepherd who would one day become king of Israel. Esther was an exiled Jew in a foreign land before becoming a queen and saving her people. And we can’t forget Paul. As a Pharisee, he persecuted Christians before becoming one himself and writing much of the New Testament!
What do all of these men and women have in common? Change.
In today’s post, we will look at Abraham. What’s unique about Abraham’s call to change is the fact that it was a first and foremost a call to obedience. Before leaving his home and most of his family, he was most likely a polytheist. (Joshua 24:2-3) In other words, he was probably raised in a family that worshiped many gods. Until one day, we God took hold of his heart. He called him to move from his home to a land of nomads. From security to insecurity…
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; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing.” – Genesis 12:1-2
I often wonder what would have had happened if Abraham had said no to the calling. God obviously called him because He knew his answer would be yes, but still. His family must have thought he was crazy! He left his home, his job, his security, and even his religious upbringing! And for what? Canaan? Can you imagine?
In recent months, my husband and I have felt God calling us to a new beginning… change is coming to our family. And while it doesn’t make complete sense on paper, we know it’s where God is leading us. We know that not all of our friends and family will understand, but I keep coming back to this story of Abraham. God called him, and he left.
In the end, it wasn’t even about him… it was about the future of the entire nation of Israel. In fact, his decision to follow God’s command affected our salvation today! All nations were blessed through his obedience. Every decision we make in this life affects future generations, even if we don’t see it in our lifetime. He certainly didn’t.
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. – Galatians 3:8-9
So what is God calling you towards? Are you willing to make a change, even if it seems crazy?
God will often call us to make a change in our lives to bring about our spiritual growth and further His plan for mankind.
*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
**Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
