New Year’s resolutions can be an exciting thing. It’s time for a change after all! But all of those treadmills that are full this week will most likely be empty by the end of the month. Why is that? We just aren’t very good at much… except disappointing ourselves and those we love. Enter Abram. He was given the charge in Genesis 17 to 1) walk before God and 2) be blameless – wait, blameless, as in perfect?! How’s that going to work?
It doesn’t really work that well does it. I don’t think anyone starts off the New Year with the goal of perfection. However, if we want to hangout with our Holy God, that is a prerequisite! Don’t despair. In our text God offers his name to Abram – the Lord Almighty. He is the one who can do anything, including keeping his promise. He is the one who makes us blameless. As for Abram, God gave him a new name – Abraham. No longer would he just be Abram – “exalted father”. God made him the “father of many nations” – Abraham. He still didn’t have any children, but Abraham trusted God and by that same faith, the book of Romans tells us, God credited him with righteousness. The righteousness that God demands, God provides through Jesus. Every time Abraham would hear someone call his name, he would hear the gospel.
God changes your name too. You are a Christian – a little Christ. When you start to change this year, you do so knowing that you are under the watchful eye of the same Almighty God who loved Abraham. His promises of protection and providing all our needs (not our wants) will carry us through the year.
Want to hear more? Watch and see God’s love to Abraham and to you!
Topic(s): JustificationBook(s): Genesis
Tag(s): Abraham, New Year
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg