I will show you

Genesis 12:1  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.

Genesis 15:7    And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Nehemiah 9:7    You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.

Isaiah 41:9    you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

Isaiah 51:2    Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.

Joshua 24:2-3    And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.

Luke 14:26-33     So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

2 Corinthians 6:17     Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them

Hebrews 11:8    By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

It is one thing to be chosen and another to obey.  Being a christian is a choice of all who are called.  Likewise, listening to His whispers to our soul, obeying the word of God, , and following His leading and call on our lives is a choice.

Abraham was called and told to leave his place of comfort with his family(s).  He obeyed and left on the promise that God would lead Him to where he was to go.  He did not wait once he heard God’s calling.

Abraham had a chosen to first be near to God and had reverence of Him.  Without this choice there would have been no hearing God speak into his life.  Abraham then chose to obey God’s leading in his life with only the words of “go to the land I will show you”.   There was no map and clear plan all laid out.  There were no pictures of what the land looked like.  There was no directions to follow so that he would know how to get from point “A” to point “B”.  Abraham chose to act immediately.  He did not wait until he could confirm everything was in place and the destination and directions were clearly laid out.

Our lives are made up of choices every single day.  We can choose;

to be near to God or far away

to have reverence of Him or just passing thoughts

to want to listen to Him or turn deaf ear

to learn more of Him or neglect learning of Him

to read His word or neglect it

to honor Him or disrespect Him

to serve Him or just ourselves

to follow Him or be led by others

to worship Him or things of this world

to obey Him or disobey

to have faith in Him or trust in self

to pray to Him or not

to wait on Him or move forward on our own

to trust Him or in others

to cling to Him or in other things

to rely on Him or self

to desire Him or seek satisfaction from other things

to read His word or neglect it

to proclaim the gospel or keep silent

to love Him or have a luke warm feeling toward Him

to sacrifice to Him or keep for self

to speak of His power or be silent

to be content in His hands or be anxious and worry

to encourage others because of who He is or be silent and leave them in despair.

It is clear, we make choices everyday and they will have immediate and eternal consequences in our life and the lives of others.

Delusional

Psalms 62:4  They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.  For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.  Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.  Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,  and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

Job 33:14  For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man;

2 Chronicles 33:10  The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.

Proverbs 1:24   Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

Proverbs 1:29   Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Isaiah 6:9   And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Mark 8:17  And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?  Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

Luke 24:25   And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

John 3:19   And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Foolish, hardened hearts, ears that do not hear, not remembering, not seeing, not perceiving, not understanding, hating knowledge, choosing to not fear God, refusing to listen, paying no attention, and putting trust in riches are all given in today’s scriptures.  They describe the heart of man and we must be mindful of the natural inclination of our heart and mind.  We are instructed to desire God with all our heart, mind, and soul.  We are instructed to love Him more than things of this world.  We are instructed to confess sin.  We are instructed to repent/turn away from sin.  We are instructed to humbly serve Him, honor Him, follow Him, listen to Him, and obey Him.  We are instructed to give generously.  We are instructed to be in unity.  We are instructed to put others first.  We are instructed to pray.  We are instructed to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him alone.  We are instructed to cherish His word and to meditate on it night and day.  We are instructed to be set apart and be an example.  We are instructed to make disciples.  We are instructed to not be angry.  We are instructed to encourage the weak, help the poor, give to the needy.  We are instructed to keep our eyes on Him.  We are instructed to listen to Him speak to our heart. We are instructed to keep our eyes focused on Him and eternity.  We are instructed to be kind.  We are instructed to not have trust in our power or our riches or the might of others.  I fear we look at these instructions as recommendations that can or can not be lived in our lives.  I fear we think more about God’s grace, love, and mercy and forget about His wrath.  I fear we don’t do what is instructed because we choose to live outside of the knowledge and understanding of them.  I fear our christian walk has been diluted to thinking that nothing more is expected of us rather than going to church on Sunday.  I fear so many are delusional, lukewarm, and living apart from what God has instructed for those who are called to Him.  For certain we need to examine our heart and mind and life in light of His word, and the instruction, promises, and warnings contained in it.  We have a choice to serve Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul.  We have a choice to honor, follow and obey Him.  We have a choice to place Him first in our life.  We have a choice to be used by Him.  Choose to commit to a humbly live serving, honoring, following, obeying Him.  Choose to read His word, meditate on it, believe it and proclaim it.