I think it's great that Abram followed God's call. It's wonderful that he, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, had the courage to leave home and travel a great distance and never see his family again, etc. etc. etc. But is that the really important thing?

We should hold up examples of such faith as an encouragement to others. There are many such examples even just among the people in our own congregation. But the most important message here is not what Abram did, but what God was doing.

How big is God's promise to you? In next week's SPOTS handout I compared Abram's journey to Canaan with my journey to Black River Falls, Wisconsin (or to far away and exotic Ann Arbor, Michigan). But that comparison really trivializes what's happening. It's not just the many miles that Abram traveled, or the length of time that he would be separated from family. The bigger thing here is the size of God's promise. He would become a nation! And his descendants would inherit the land.

Now, what do you expect your descendants to be 400 or 500 years from now? Personally, I expect my descendants to be indistinguishable from everyone else. But I have received a much larger promise than Abram received. God has promised me that I would inherit an even better and broader land. He has promised me heaven. And he has promised that same land to all of my children and grandchildren to whom I pass along that promise, and the Spirit-given faith that trusts in it.

Wow! That's huge! When I visited the mountains I found it hard to comprehend their size even when I was standing there looking at them. I found it even harder to express it to others. How can we begin to tell of the wonder of God's promise to us?

Suggestions welcomed...