Galatians 3:29
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would be blessed. In the Old Testament the Lord’s focus was on Israel. That didn’t mean everyone else was doomed. Romans chapter one speaks of how He deals with those who didn’t hear. But those in Christ become Abraham’s spiritual descendants, thus included in the promise.
A cool aspect of the promise is that the burden is on God, almost like a one sided contract. All Abraham had to do was follow and believe. That was by design, so our actions wouldn’t disqualify us.
Genesis 12:1 details what Abraham was to do, “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”. Granted that wasn’t easy. Families and tribes created security and wealth. To leave, cuts one off from that.
When we come to Christ, there is a separation. While we rarely leave physically, there is an alliance shift. The Lord is now our king and we are to follow His ways. The Ten Commandments are to be kept as well as following His guidance. These are the nudges and course corrections that He provides through scripture, circumstances, thoughts and through the influence of others.
The Rock Band Petra has a song, The Road to Zion. One lyric goes like this, “Sometimes it’s good to look back down, We’ve come so far, we’ve gained such ground. But joy is not in where we’ve been. Hope lies in whose waiting at the end.” It’s a wonderful journey that He takes us on. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.”
Sure, there are valleys and dark days, but the greater theme is an ascendancy and greater joy. David acknowledged this in Psalm 23, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Though art with me.” A few verses later, he says, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
Our part is to follow, God’s part is to bless. Genesis 12:2 speaks of that, “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”. The Lord seeks to bless us. As we accept Christ, our sins are forgiven and we now have peace with God. We’ll feel the weight being lifted. As we follow Him, we’ll feel the peace of God (Philippians 4:7). He also fills us with joy. It’s part of the blessing of trusting Him. It makes sense that the initial blessing we gain would be on the inside.
He then blesses our lives. This is also a reward of our following Him. He prospers our ways. He made each of us and knows what’s best for us. He knows our personalities, our talents and our passions. He guides us in ways that bring the greatest joy and capacity. Psalm 31:19 says, “How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, and bestowed on those who take refuge in You in the sight of the sons of men.”
The last part of Abraham’s blessing is that we will be a blessing. Matthew 5:13-16 tells us that we are salt and light. Those are traits that benefit others. Salt makes food taste better and also preserves. Light illuminates. Our lives are to be a minature of the gospel. Others are to be blessed by our influence.
How do we influence and bless others? It’s mainly living our lives in Christ. Paul says in I Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” We usually don’t know that we are being watched. It could be the manner that we live our lives. It could also be the vibe emitted. Two traits that come with following Christ are peace and joy. Those are infectious. The greatest of traits is love.
How is it that we are part of the jewish blessing when many of us aren’t jews? Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” We’ve been taken in by the wealthiest, most gracious family possible. While we may not attain worldly wealth, we are rich in the important ways. It was His substitutionary death on the cross that made this possible. It was no easy feat. Only God could have done it. It required living a sinless life, thus being a perfect lamb.
Lord, thank You that we’ve been included in Your promise to Abraham. You bless and prosper us and You bless others through us. Thank You for Your sacrifice which made the adoption possible.