WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAM? Genesis 12:1-3

We don’t know. But look at what He says in Genesis 12—

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” Genesis 12:1-3.

Imagine being Abram. You don’t know God. You’re probably a pagan idol worshiper, and he comes to you, forgives you, chooses you, and promises to bless you more than anyone.

“I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great.” These are huge riches to Abe’s culture—the blessing of your descendants is incredibly important, and God promises kings and nations will come from Abram.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.”—So God will be on Abram’s team, blessing his allies and thwarting his enemies. Isn’t that an amazing promise?

But my favorite may be verse 2: “You will be a blessing.”

That’s what I want—to BE a blessing to others. To bless my wife. To bless my kids. To bless my family and friends. To be a blessing in the office, so good things happen around me, and those who interact with me are the better for it. I want to be a blessing to students, so kids assigned to my classes are better off than those elsewhere. I want to work hard and be kind and forgiving and humble and helpful to others.

And I want the same for you.

Dear God, make us a blessing. Use us in the lives around us. Fill us with the blessing of your Holy Spirit, and use us to bless others. Amen.

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