Reading 3
by R. Orce Sotomayor
“THE FAMILY ON EARTH” – Ephesians 3:15
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3.
God’s call to Abraham, while specific and historical, has resonated down through the millennia not only because of its importance, but especially for its spirituality and inspiration for every person and family on earth. It encompassed a command, a mental challenge, a blessing, prosperity, and a unique spiritual experience, all of which are of vital importance in purposeful human existence.
BELONGING
“The message of God came to Abraham, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.’ In order that God might qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles, Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life. The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not comprehended by his idolatrous kindred. ‘By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.’ Hebrews 11:8.” -Daughters of God, p. 24.
It is significant that Abraham had to separate and even uproot himself from everything and everyone that could affect and influence his loyalty and obedience to God. “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.” Joshua 24:2, 3. Habits, influences, values, priorities, traditions, legacies, and ancestors impact our lives in an imperceptible and yet transformative way, so it is critically important to separate from everything that prevents faithful obedience to God. The variables that define an individual’s unique identity must be redefined to make it possible for him to belong to God as his Father in accordance with His divine principles and plans. The apostle Paul expresses this necessity: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13. Titus 3:3 describes the life of sin from which there must be an uprooting: “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” However, after the divine belonging is brought about, it is declared: “But after that faith is come,… ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:25, 26. The sense of belonging to God fosters the certainty that one is part of God’s great plan and gives the meaning of life great importance and value, leading to happiness, ser vice to others, and wonderful blessings. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22.
PURPOSE
A Chinese woman who had just learned to read prayed, “Lord, we are going to work among many people who cannot read. Please make our lives open Bibles, so that those who cannot read the Book can read it in us.”
When a person’s identity is changed to being “born of God” (John 1:13), a new purpose and a promise become part of his being: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2. Growth, expansion, and benevolence characterize this second pillar in the solid existence of the one who is adopted into God’s family on earth, along with divinity and infinity.
“Abraham’s unquestioning obedience was one of the most striking instances of faith and reliance upon God to be found in the Sacred Record. With only the naked promise that his descendants should possess Canaan, without the least outward evidence, he followed on where God should lead, fully and sincerely complying with the conditions on his part, and confident that the Lord would faithfully per form His word. The patriarch went wherever God indicated his duty; he passed through wildernesses without terror; he went among idolatrous nations, with the one thought: ‘God has spoken; I am obeying His voice; He will guide, He will protect me.”‘-Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 523, 524.
When one by faith obeys the divine call to divine discipleship, his life takes on a whole new perspective and reality. He becomes part of a whole that is much greater than himself, encompassing God’s will in his life. He has real joy and satisfaction in desiring goodness and salvation, not only for himself but also in service, dedication, and brotherly love for others. ‘”For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.’ Ephesians 3:14, 15. The perception of God’s love works the renunciation of selfishness. In calling God our Father, we recognize all His children as our brethren. We are all a part of the great web of humanity, all members of one family.” -Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 105.
Understanding the meaning of life and its purpose motivates a person to do or to stop doing something so as to achieve a supreme state of well being that has the highest excellence. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” Colossians 3:17.
TRANSCENDENCE
The third part of God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 led him beyond time, space, and circumstances. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be bless ed.” In fact, “transcendence” is a word that designates everything that goes beyond the human comprehension of the three dimensions-space, time, and matter. Thus, a person’s being able to overcome sin through the power and grace of Christ transcends human understanding-is far above and beyond it. The plan of salvation, the messianic promises, the incarnation of God’s Son, the eradication of evil, and the victory of good are all understood by faith. By faith that works by love, the human being is made able to think be yond his natural ancestry or past and even his existence in the present and cling to real hope.
“From the beginning there have been some whose faith has reached out beyond the shadows of the present to the realities of the future. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-through these and other worthies the Lord has preserved the precious revealing of His will. And it was thus that to the children of Israel, the chosen people through whom was to be given to the world the promised Messiah, God imparted a knowledge of the requirements of His la w, and of the salvation to be accomplished through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son.
“The hope of Israel was embodied in the promise made at the time of the call of Abraham, and after ward repeated again and again to his posterity, ‘In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.’ Genesis 12:3. As the purpose of God for the redemption of the race was unfolded to Abraham, the Sun of Righteousness shone upon his heart, and his darkness was scattered. And when, at last, the Saviour Himself walked and talked among the sons of men, He bore witness to the Jews of the patriarch’s bright hope of deliverance through the coming of a Redeemer.” -Prophets and Kings, pp.682,683.
Felix Carey and his companions, the first Baptist missionaries to Indo China, had to work very hard for seven years before the first convert was baptized. When the churches that were supporting these missionaries saw that after so many years of work there was little of the desired fruit, they be came discouraged and tried to with draw their financial aid. But Adoniram Judson sent the following message to these churches: “I beg the churches that support me, to have a little patience.” This mission began in 1814, and in 1870 there were more than one hundred thousand converts.
NARRATIVE
Abram was 75 years old (Genesis12:4) when he left Haran. After that, important events occurred in different places during his pilgrimage in Canaan. He sojourned in Shechem, Bethel, Ai, and Negev. And then he went to Egypt because of the famine. In addition, he experienced the separation from Lot, the battle against the four kings of Sodom, the meeting with Melchizedek, and then the covenant made between God and him, as well as a time prophecy.
“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now to ward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. And He said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.” Genesis 15:1-7.
After almost ten years, because, according to Genesis 16:3, Abram was approximately 85 years old, he spoke to God about his prospects for having offspring. He believed that his servant would be his heir, for al though he recalled the divine promises, it required greater faith to believe them. So, God patiently clarified and explained to him how things would be in the future; He even illustrated His words by giving the patriarch a transcendent view of the heavens and telling him to count the stars. Sublime, humanly impossible concepts challenged Abram’s spiritual vision concerning his coming descendants. It is very important in our religious experience to recall and reconfirm the promises, experiences, memories, and direction of our walk with God and thus to strengthen and engrave in our hearts and minds those religious principles that raise our experiences above any tribulations, regrets, or common events.
“Temptations will assail, cares and darkness will oppress. When heart and flesh are ready to fail, who throws around us His everlasting arms? Who applies the precious promise? Who brings to our remembrance words of assurance and hope? Whose grace is given in rich measure to those who ask it in sincerity and truth? Who is it that imputes to us His righteousness and saves us from sin? Whose light rolls back the fog and mist and brings us into the sunshine of His presence? 0 who but Jesus? Then love Him, then praise Him.” -Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 245.
Recalling and setting memorials of experiences with God strengthen our sense of belonging to Jesus. They also pinpoint the time when God gained our attention and highlight the experiences that revealed the progress in our Christian lives, intensify the purpose of our existence, and strengthen the bonds with our fellow believers. Furthermore, gratitude, brotherhood, and spiritual experiences are wonderful results of the shared, increasing religious maturity of God’s family on earth.
It is said that the King of Prussia once visited a rural school, where the children had presented an explanation that everything belongs to one of the three kingdoms-mineral, vegetable, and animal. The king then asked, “And I? To which kingdom do I belong?” How should that question be answered? A gracious girl solved the difficulty by answering, “You belong to the kingdom of God.” The king was very pleased with the girl’s quick response and was deeply moved by the truth she expressed.
‘”Glory to God in the highest,’ they sang, ‘and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Luke 2:14. 0 that today the human family could recognize this song! The declaration then made, the note then struck, the tune then started, will swell and extend to the end of time, and resound to the ends of the earth. It is glory to God, it is peace on earth, good will to men. When the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings, the song then started in the hills of Bethlehem will be reechoed by the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying, ‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.’ Revelation 19:6.” -Selected Messages, book 1, p. 250.
Amen.