From Ur to the Promised Land

Abram, or more commonly known as Abraham, lived in a Babylonian city called Ur. it was a city filled with pagan religions and wicked abominations. One day, Abram is called by God to leave his family and his past and follow him. So Abram, with his father Terah, his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, leaves Ur.  His father takes his household and leaves. God had told Abram leave his father;s house to go south toward Canaan, but instead he stayed with his father and ended up going north west, toward Haran. It was not until his father died that they could journey on toward Canaan into God's promise.
This is important. Sometimes in life, there will be people that might give good advice or seem helpful to you, but in the end they just end up distracting you from where God has called you to be, It is only when those people are removed from your life will you be able to move forward with what God had for you. It is important to note that it was not Abram who wanted to leave Ur, but his father Terah. Sometimes the "hurtful" people in your life help for a time until things shift.
Abram is now 75 years old. His father has just passed and he is free to go to Canaan. He still takes with him his wife and nephew, and they journey out of Haran. It is at this time that God calls Abram to leave his father's household and go to Canaan. They find themselves in Egypt after a famine hits the land. Because of his wife's beauty, Abram lies and tells the king that she is her sister to protect his life. Even though his faith wavered a little bit, God still held him in the promise where he said he will make him a great nation, and bless those who bless, and curse those who curse him. Through this, The king and his people are plagued and God informs the king of his blunder and He sends Abram and his crew away with much blessing.
After some time, they get to a place where they can see Canaan and it is revealed to them that this is the promised land. Him and lot separate, and Abram and Sarai go to Bethel to prepare an altar to the Lord.
During this time, His name is changed to Abraham, her name is changed to Sarah, and they have been promised a son. Abraham spends the rest of his life believing that his descendants will inherit the land. But after his son is born, God asks him to do something unthinkable. Abraham is told to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering to the Lord. We are not given any clue that Abraham questioned his faith, but rather he rose up early in the morning and took Isaac his son to be sacrificed. After his son was tied to the altar, and the knife ready to strike, God calls out to him and tells him that because he did not withhold, even his only son, he would be blessed more abundantly than the sand on the seashore.
Have you ever been in a situation where God asked you to sacrifice the promise he gave to you. Did you hesitate and decline, or did you trust that God knew what he was doing and follow through. This was Abraham only son, yet he knew that if God asked this thing of him, there was a reason for it. God wanted to know that he was secure in his faith and would do anything asked of him. In this way, we should journey on this walk called life.
Abraham never got to see his descendants take the land. He had to watch from heaven as his great- grandchildren's children took the land promised to his line all those years ago, yet he is still counted as one of the most faithful dudes in scripture. Sometimes, we must realize that when God promises something for us, it will always be a process and we might not see the end, but God knows what he is doing and in his time, promises will be fulfilled.
Sometimes, you need to be faithful in order for your kids to see your faith comes to fruition.

Adam Semple- A Young Man On A Mission

Photo credit- The Brick Testament