Living in the Spirit
August 2, 2022
Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1-6
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
The scripture leading to this quote tells of Abram negotiating with the King of Sodom. The King offers Abram riches in exchange for the people who came with him. Abram turned him down and retain his followers. He thus crossed a major ruler. Following that encounter, Abram has a vision where God tells him not to be afraid and that his reward would be very great. Having an heir in that culture was required even if one had to designate a slave. So, God’s promise that Abram would have a son was important. God saw that Abram was a man of righteousness and chose him as a helper in God’s plans.
Our goal in life is to act so that God sees us as righteous people who are dedicated to God’s vision for the world he created. We are called to be people on whom God can count.
We live in a challenging world where the powers that be try to reshape righteousness to their own causes. Abram could have taken the riches and lived the high life until the riches were gone. He chose the better path and was thus chosen to be a partner in God’s Kingdom.
Prayer: Lord, teach us your righteousness so that we might also partner with you in realizing the beloved community you desire. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.