There are times we as Christians need to be reminded of God's sovereign grace as we seek to win others to faith in Christ in order for us to avoid "shaking the dust off our feet" when we get around people who are different than us.
Our world is pagan. Our culture is godless. People practice homosexuality, adultery, drunkenness, and other perverted practices as if they were the norm.
Yet, it is these people to whom the grace of God reaches.
Remember Abram?
God took Abram as His own when Abram lived "on the other side of the river . . . (where Abram) served other gods " (NIV Joshua 24:2-3).
Stephen is even clearer regarding the timing of God's call to Abraham when he said "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia" (Acts 7:2)
God did not favor Abram because Abram was a man after God's own heart; God graced Abram while he was in the midst of idolatry and Abram became a man after God's own heart.
I won't take the time to describe the idolatrous practices of the Mesopotamians, but it would not be dissimilar to the pagan practices of today.
Yet God called Abram.
A good word for us as we take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those in need of a Savior.
In His Grace,
Wade
4 comments:
I relate to Abram. But praise God He keeps calling to us even when we aren't living in a way that seems like a life for Him.
Good post. It is unfortunate that too many times today, churches and pastors want to "clean" the fish before they have even caught them! When we focus on the outside appearance, I believe we are close to becoming like the Pharisees. If we are not careful, we will only witness to those who look and act like us. God forgive us when we do that.
Thanks for the good word.
Alan Cross has a good post about this on his blog from their mission trip this weekend to the Gulf Coast.
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