photograph by Abhinav Thakur on pixahive
Genesis 12:1–5 ‘So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.’(v4)
We often realise our call in the world through our obedience. We become a physical expression of God’s call. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu is best remembered for the work she led in the slums of Kolkata. However, initially principal of a Loreto Sisters school for girls, she was riding on a train from Kolkata to the Himalayan foothills for a retreat, when Christ called her to abandon teaching and work in the Kolkata slums serving the poorest and sickest. It took her 18 months to secure the approval of her Order, and with six months’ basic medical training, ventured into Kolkata’s slums with one goal, to serve those who are unwanted, unloved and uncared for. We know her as Mother Teresa and she epitomises unreserved care for society’s marginalised and largely forgotten. She received a call when seeking God and it required energy and additional training to realise. It also established her as the embodiment of compassionate care for those who are excluded.
Abram, meaning ‘exalted father’, gathers his family and sets out at God’s invitation. As a consequence, he received a new name – Abraham, meaning ‘exalted father of a multitude’. This was the realisation of God’s promise. Yet, he also became the embodiment of faith itself (Gal. 3:6–9), and we are considered his children (multitude indeed) when we choose to live by faith rather than sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Others may well identify your call more clearly than you can. What is it you embody through your life?
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Judg. 6:11–18; 16:21–30; 1 Cor. 1:18–31; Heb. 11:8–19.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: What do you embody in life? Is this who you want to be and who God has created you to be? How can you make any changes you would like to?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, place me where I can best embody Your kingdom purpose with my life. Amen.’
