"A Drive-Thru Mentality"
Over the
last several weeks I’ve been preparing to preach on Abraham out of
Genesis. One of the things that caught
my attention was the distance that Abram (Abraham) traveled from Ur to Canaan,
which was somewhere in the range of 800-900 miles; as the crow flies its around
500 miles. If you look at it from this
perspective the distance from New Orleans, LA to Memphis, TN is just shy of 400
miles. How many of us, if we were called
to get up and go somewhere without knowing the destination would? Abraham did.
And how many of us would continue to go after 100 miles…200 miles…500
miles…800+ miles? Abraham did, all
because God commanded him to go.
Genesis
12:1 (HCSB)
12 The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your
land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
One of the
things that impresses me when speaking of Abraham is not only his faith, but
his patience. How often do Christians
today have a “drive thru mentality”, that we want what we want and we want it in
our timing. But what the bible
teaches me over and over again is that God wants His children to be loving,
joyful, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and temperate; God also wants
His children to be patient.
There are
many verses in the bible that speak of the patience of God,
Psalm
86:15 (HCSB)
15 But You,
Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful
love and truth.
There are,
as well, verses that speak to the patience of those who put their faith in Him.
Romans
8:24–25 (HCSB)
24 Now in this
hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for
what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with patience.
Everyone who
calls God “Abba” Father through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is to
be a person not only of faith, but of patience—not only in our waiting for the
return of Christ, but in the “meantime” as we deal with the situations and
circumstances of life. And in these
times we are to be faithful and patient to the plans of God for our lives
regardless of the distance, time, or circumstances we face during our journey
through life.
Genesis
12:1 (HCSB)
12 The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your
land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Psalm
86:15 (HCSB)
15 But You,
Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful
love and truth.
Romans
8:24–25 (HCSB)
24 Now in this
hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for
what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with patience.