Kingdom of deception 12.11/13/2024 ![]() ![]() Unlike others, Abraham realized that an attempt to grasp such things on his own power would be futile, or worse. ![]() In sum, God promised Abraham fame, fruitfulness, and good relationships, by which meant he and his family would bless the whole world, and in due course be blessed themselves beyond imagining (Gen. Its progress cannot be adequately measured by quarterly reports! The tower builders, in comparison, took no thought for how their project would affect future generations, and God criticized them explicitly for this lapse (Gen. In fact, the promise to Abraham will not be fulfilled completely until the return of Christ (Matt. 3:19), meaning that the payoff date was more than a thousand years in the future. The Apostle Paul interpreted the “offspring” to be Jesus (Gal. ![]() God’s promises were to be realized in the time of Abraham’s offspring, not in the time of Abraham himself. Another key theme thus emerges for the theology of work: God’s design is for people to work in healthy networks of relationship.įinally, Abraham was blessed with the patience to take a long-term view. 17:8), they had good relationships with those they came in contact with (Gen. Though they lived among strangers in the land of Canaan (Gen. While the tower builders sought to close themselves off in a guarded fortress, Abraham trusted God’s promise that his family would grow into a great nation (Gen. Godly work is willing to depend on God’s guidance and authority, and it desires to grow widely as a blessing to all the world.įourth, Abraham was willing to let God lead him into new relationships. Ungodly work stems from the desire to depend on no one but ourselves, and it restricts itself narrowly to benefit only ourselves and the few who may be close to us. As Hebrews 11:8 puts it, he had to “set out, not knowing where he was going.” In the world of work, believers must perceive the contrast in these two fundamental orientations. This lifestyle was inherently more God-centered in that Abraham would have to depend on God’s word and leadership in order to find his significance, security, and success. He was known as a “wandering Aramean” (Deut. God called him away from the city of Haran toward the land of Canaan where Abraham would never settle into a fixed address. When we cease to aspire for more than we can attain on our own, our aspirations become insignificant.īy contrast, God made Abraham into the original entrepreneur, always moving on to fresh endeavors in new locations. Their fear of engaging the fullness of creation coincided with their decision to substitute human ingenuity for God’s guidance and grace. 11:3), but they were unwilling to fully embrace God’s purpose for them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. They were creative and technologically innovative (Gen. They seem to have feared that spreading out in an apparently hostile world would be too difficult for them. In doing so, they rejected God’s purpose for humanity to “fill the earth” (Gen. They created their project out of fear that they would be scattered across the earth (Gen. Third, Abraham was willing to go wherever God led him, while the builders attempted to huddle together in their accustomed space. The builders sought fame for their own sake, yet they remain anonymous to this day. God did indeed make Abraham famous, not for his own sake but in order that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. The difference was not the desire to achieve greatness, per se, but the desire to pursue fame on one’s own terms. 11:4), but Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would make Abraham’s name great (Gen. Second, the builders sought to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4), and in so doing achieve significance and security in a way that usurped God’s authority. In contrast, the tower builders believed that by their own skill and ingenuity, they could devise a tower “with its top in the heavens” (Gen. Her First Step to Launching a Business Was to Trust in God Instead of a Man (Click to Watch)įirst, Abraham puts his trust in God’s guidance, rather than on human device. The comparison between Abraham’s immediate family in chapter 12 and Noah’s other descendants in chapter 11 highlights five contrasts. By leaving the territory of his faithless extended family and following God’s call, Abraham distinguished himself sharply from his distant relatives who stayed in Mesopotamia and attempted to build the Tower of Babel, as was told at the close of Genesis 11. God called Abraham into a covenant of faithful service, as is told at the beginning of Genesis 12. Learning From the Psalms How to Pray Through Your WorkĪbraham’s Faithfulness Contrasted with the Faithlessness of Babel (Genesis 12:1-3) Back to Table of Contents Back to Table of Contents.Beyond Rank and Power: What Philemon Tells Us About Leadership.Evangelism - Sharing the Gospel at Work.10 Key Points About Work in the Bible Every Christian Should Know. ![]()
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