Daily Dose of the Word of God - Genesis 12: 1-4a

Rebekah Wilson, Alpha Team

Transcript

Rebekah Wilson  0:09
 
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. Today is Thursday, September 14 and this is Rebekah Wilson. This week we're climbing the ladder of faith with an emphasis on the letter A, which signifies adoption. I'll be reading Genesis 12, verses 1 through 4a from the New Living Translation.

Rebekah Wilson  0:30 

“Then the LORD told Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him.”

Rebekah Wilson  0:59 

In my lifetime, I’ve been involved with adopting 3 cats and 1 dog. You show up at the animal shelter or humane society and see all the animals that are up for adoption. There’s usually a little card that gives the history of the animal, or something about its temperament. Our dog Kenny had been transferred from a kill shelter in Tennessee to the shelter in Milwaukee where we adopted him. Our cat Mia had been found in a bird cage and was surrendered during a visit from DCFS. My cat Sam lived his 18 years with a crooked tail, a result of some accident that had happened before we adopted him. Even after we welcomed these animals into our family and loved them, they were still far from perfect.

Rebekah Wilson  1:46 

This is much the same with Abram, or Abraham as he’s later renamed. God chose Abraham out of all the people on earth to be the founder of His special people, the Israelites. Abram did nothing to earn this, he had no rights to claim from God. He certainly wasn’t perfect after God blessed him, nor where his descendants. Our adoption into God’s family is a work solely of the Lord. In his sovereignty, he adopts us into his family. He accepts Jesus’ work on the cross to pay the wages of our sin. Jesus, a descendant of Abram’s great grandson, Judah, used his blood to pay for the adoption fees for us. The whole earth is blessed through his amazing grace.

Rebekah Wilson  2:36  

Let’s pray. Father God, We praise you for your sovereignty and complete control over this universe. In your love and mercy, you have adopted us into your family, to join your kingdom where you sit enthroned above the whole earth. Thank you for the gift of your Son and how He paved the way for us to become Your sons and daughters. Help us to spread this good news about our new identities in this family of Yours. We thank You for the privilege to call You Father. amen.