The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 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. 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)

I often wish God would audibly talk to me – tell me what to do like he did so many times in the Old Testament. It seems like it might be harder to resist his call if it were direct and audible. But imagine with me for a moment, if Abram’s response to God had been, “Meh. I think I’ll stay here. We are settled in. It’s going to be a pain to uproot everyone, and I just don’t feel like it.” Millions of people, over generations, would have missed out on the very specific ways in which God loves to work – through his people. God chose Abram’s blood line to bring Jesus into the world. Abram’s obedience mattered.  

‍

Maybe you have been guilty of God calling you out of your comfort zone and the response he got from you was, “Meh. I’m a little busy right now, God. I’m just not feeling it.” To my relief, God has a way to accomplish his will no matter how we respond, but our refusal exempts us from the blessings and pleasure of being used by God for his purposes. This is not to say our obedience to God is easy. Sometimes, our best laid plans FEEL like just that, the best plan, but God has a different view. Saying yes to God will usually result in a no to self. What we often fail to recognize, though, is that our Yes reveals God’s I will.  

‍

As I read through this Scripture, I notice there is ONE command for Abram: “Go…”. This one command is followed by SIX “I will” statements from God. Our Scripture says, I will show you the land, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. Abram’s one act of obedience would set in motion generations of blessing through God’s fulfillment of his “I will” statements. Our obedience to God’s command is minimal compared to all God will do, yet God still chooses to use us in his work.

One of the ACF values I love is that “We are contributors, not consumers.” You may wonder why we draw a distinction between consumers and contributors. After all, we all start as consumers in our Christian walk. Consuming cannot be all bad, right? God’s Kingdom is unique in that, as we grow and mature, the consumer becomes a contributor. A contributor gives something of themselves willingly and often sacrificially. We contribute out of overflowing gratefulness for all God has done and will do through us.  

‍

Each year at our Christmas Eve services, we light candles. One flame is shared with another and with another, until soon the entire room is alight with the beauty and warmth of light spread from one person to another. If we were only consumers, we might get our light and leave, as a consumer typically uses up a product. Likewise, we also don’t pass our entire candle on to the next person, leaving us empty handed; rather, we share the light we’ve been given in order that the next person may have light and share it too. Our contribution is necessary for God’s bigger picture.  

‍

Abram was called to obey, even when he did not comprehend all God was doing. He somehow seemed to understand that his obedience was only a small part of God’s story, yet he trusted God in it. After his ONE act of obedience to go where God commanded, he would learn to trust God more and obey again and again throughout his life. We now know God was weaving details in his story that Abraham could not have fathomed - Jesus’ coming and sacrifice.

‍

Jesus’ own obedience to the Father’s will would change all of history forever, but the precursor of Abram’s obedience mattered, too. If you are left wondering if your little “yes” to whatever God is calling you to really matters, remember Abram’s obedience and think of all the “I will” statements God has in store for you when you “Go” as he calls.

Lord, thank you for the beauty of your story and for the gift of Jesus. We stay amazed and thankful for how you love to involve us in your plan. Help us to obey what you are calling us to, even when the “Yes” feels hard. We anticipate all you will do. We love you and want to contribute to your Kingdom in a way that impacts generations to come. Thank you for your love. Amen.