“NEW BEGINNINGS”

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Genesis 12:8-9

Entering the new life that God offers demands us to make tough choices. But are we ready to make those decisions?

In our previous blog, we learned that God is walking with us, helping us develop our faith from one stage to the next. Now, let’s conclude this series with our final thought:

Faith recognizes that God gives His people new beginnings.

The cities of Ur and Haran brought convenience and comfort to Abraham and his family. But for him to experience the fulfillment of God’s promises, he first had to step out of his comfort zone. He had to depart from everything and everyone he knew, leave the security provided by his clan, endure a 1,000-mile journey, and become a foreigner in a pagan society.

But despite the challenges of his new life, Abraham trusted God. In fact, he set up altars to remind him that God brought him to the Promised Land, established him there, and showed his commitment to God. 

Likewise, God sometimes calls us to leave one situation so He can take us to a better one. His plans may involve us falling back so He can help us move forward. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give away all of his riches to the poor; Paul considered all of his life’s accomplishments garbage; the disciples left their families and occupations. They had to make tough choices in order to fully dedicate themselves to God's work.

Likewise, God calls us to make tough choices essential to entering the new life He has promised us. We may regret leaving people, places, or things behind, but God sometimes gives us back far more than we left behind. He doesn’t call us to live fruitless, purposeless lives, but prepares us for greater blessings.

29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

Matthew 19:29

Jesus did not say we would have 100 houses, siblings, or parents. I think what He means is that if any of us leaves anything or anyone for Christ, we will find more of them within the church family—in addition to receiving eternal life.

Throughout the church’s history, millions of believers left their hometowns, families, and friends to pursue God’s mission to save souls. The feeling of isolation worsens during the holidays, when most families get together to celebrate with joyous festivities. But committed people find their strength, joy, and comfort in the God who called them.

Just like Abraham, God sometimes tells us to leave our places of comfort so His will for us can be done. But He ensures that, along with this mission, there is His generous provision and providential care. He never ignores anyone, let alone abandons them. He gives us new beginnings, but we must first say goodbye to our old lives.

Conclusion

In this blog series, we learned that

• God calls His people to serve as a light in the darkness.
• God gives His people new beginnings.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash