A Tale Of Two Fathers

Friday, February 21



Genesis 11:27-28 (NIV)
“This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.”
Devotion

Pastor Chris Hodges presented the possibility on Sunday that the calling on Abraham’s life to be the father of many nations was originally on Abraham’s own father, Terah. Terah had intended to move on from Ur, the place of his great loss, to Canaan, the place that would be promised (to Abraham). Along the way, however, he settled. On the path to the land of promise, he became stuck in the scars of the past.

Generations later, God specifically called out Terah through one of his descendants: “Joshua said to all the people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.” (Joshua 24:2)

This can too often be our own story: God places a calling on our lives to move on to His promises, but we get so caught up with our past or present circumstances that we become bogged down and settle. We may even fall into idolatry and worship other gods like Terah, worshipping the very things that keep us in bondage and making our past pains and traumas part of our identity, written in our hearts.

Abraham would eventually go on to have a son of his own, Isaac. “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.” (Hebrews 11:17) When faced with a similar trial as his father Terah - the potential loss of his son - Abraham chose instead to obey, “reasoning that God could even raise the dead.” (Hebrews 11:19) Whereas Terah stayed and worshiped other gods, Abraham went and obeyed the one true God (Hebrews 11:8).

God gives us the same choice in our daily lives, to be one of two fathers:
To be the one who stays or to be the one who goes.
To be the father of loss or to be the father of many. To be the wise one who built on the rock or to be the foolish one who built on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). 

Today’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for calling me to walk in Your promises. Help me not to settle in the pain of my past or be stuck in fear and complacency. Give me the faith of Abraham, to trust You beyond my understanding, to move forward in obedience, and to believe that You are able to restore what is lost. May I not worship the things that hold me back, but instead fix my eyes on You, the author and finisher of my faith. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

Take a moment to reflect on areas in your life where you may have "settled" instead of stepping fully into God's promises. Are there past hurts, disappointments, or fears that are keeping you from moving forward? Ask God to reveal them to you and make a decision today to trust Him, take a step of faith, and continue on the path He has set before you. 

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