Author: missionspaul

Prosperity can divide what hardship never could. What once seemed like limitless space becomes crowded when blessings multiply.

Abraham’s journey illustrates this paradox. Returning from Egypt to Bethel, to the altar where he’d first worshipped God, he found that success had created an unexpected problem. Both he and his nephew Lot now possessed such vast flocks and herds that the land couldn’t sustain them together. Their herdsmen began to quarrel.

“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.'” (Genesis 13:8-9)

Abraham’s response reveals a heart restored to God. He doesn’t investigate who’s at fault or rally supporters to his side. Instead, he prioritises the relationship over his rights. Though custom and seniority entitled him to the first choice, he surrenders that advantage to Lot.

This moment shows us something profound: when we return to our “Bethel”—that place of worship where we surrender our lives to God—generosity flows naturally. We can let go of what we deserve and offer others a better position.

Our world obsesses over rights. We’re conditioned to fight for what’s ours, to ensure we get our fair share. But what if there’s another way?

When we approach conflicts with open hands rather than clenched fists, when we value relationships over entitlements, we participate in something greater than mere fairness. We reflect the character of a God who gave up everything for us.

How many of our conflicts might dissolve if we stopped demanding what’s rightfully ours? What could generosity unlock in our families, friendships, and communities?

We have just read how Abram had pretended his wife was his sister. It was an act of deception and an exploitation of his wife. This not only undermined his integrity but also exploited Sarai, revealing a troubling aspect of his character. As we transition into the next chapter of his story, we find a pivotal moment of change.

“So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. ² Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” (Genesis 13 v 1)

I find this disturbing. After demonstrating a lack of faith, he returns wealthy. Where did he get his wealth from? We have to say he got the majority from Pharaoh after deceiving him with Sarai. Deception blessed him. But his prosperity caused problems, as we will see soon, for Lot remained with him. With more stuff (animals, for example), then more space was needed. But we will get to that eventually.

There isn’t any mention of God, but Abram returns to where he came from; he goes back up from Egypt to the Negev. He returns to the path he was on. God had never told him to go down to Egypt. It was a distraction due to the famine. He is now back focused. The dry Negev desert is a better place to be if it is where God wants you than being in the place of the abundant Egypt, when God never called you to be there and when you have failed Him.

So Abram goes up. He carries his past with him, his wife and his nephew; he cannot do anything about what he has done, but he can get back on track. He can realign himself with God’s purposes.

Perhaps that’s the lesson. In your imperfect humanity, you may have made many mistakes, life could have become complicated for you, but your next step is vital because it keeps you moving towards what God has for you.

Sometimes, that’s enough to get back into the journey.

Abram’s story had been one of faith and worship. God had promised him blessings, greatness, and descendants who would become a nation. He had responded by building two altars to worship the Lord. He was walking toward Canaan, toward God’s promise.

And then famine came.

 ^“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” ¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. ¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.” (Genesis 12 v 10-20)

This wouldn’t be the last time Abram stumbled. He would make strikingly similar mistakes again. Yet he remains our model of faith—not because he was flawless, but because he kept returning to God.

Abram’s failure teaches us something crucial about anxiety and decision-making:

Anxiety can redirect us away from God’s path entirely. Fear drove Abram to Egypt—the very place that would later symbolise bondage and oppression for his descendants. When we’re anxious, we risk fleeing toward the opposite of what God intends for us.

Anxiety tempts us to find security in the wrong places. Sometimes the things we run to in fear are the very things God is trying to free us from. Abram sought safety in Egypt; his descendants would spend centuries desperate to escape it.

Anxiety rarely affects only us. Abram’s fear-driven choices put others at risk. Sarai faced humiliation and danger. Pharaoh’s entire household suffered under God’s judgment. Our panicked decisions often create collateral damage in the lives of those around us.

When anxiety rises, slow down. Bring every anxious thought to God before making any decision. Abram’s legacy isn’t his perfection—it’s his pattern of returning to the altar, of coming back to God even after failure.

Be very slow to act when you’re afraid. The decision made in panic today may become the prison you’re desperate to escape tomorrow.

Abram has set out; he has left his homeland and is heading to a land of Promise, waiting for God to show him where to go. He has built two altars, and that’s where we pick it up with a short verse which tells us something important.

“Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.” (Genesis 12 v 9)

He keeps going.

He didn’t get a word from God.

But in this non-dramatic moment and with no guiding voice, he continues.

Maybe today, all that is in front of you is your next step, just another day. This is how faith works at times.

There are many people I know who will be waking up who need this encouragement to continue one more day. Further, this may mean that to continue is to walk into difficulty, not into an easier season. But continue you must.

To continue doesn’t sound exciting. Continuing is an action for the middle part. Many have started but fail to arrive because they don’t continue. It might not be courage that we need but endurance and commitment.

Abram had been told he would be blessed by receiving all nations, and it probably didn’t feel like that on the day he was continuing. You may have received many promises in your life, but they seem a million miles away today. But one more day of continuing is a step nearer.

Perhaps today you know you are called, but you don’t know what the next chapter will entail. It could be that you have to pray the same prayer you prayed yesterday because there is still no change, but pray that you will. Or maybe you have to turn up, even though it hurts, and no one seems to care whether you do. Success is often found in the quiet decision of obedience to keep on, to continue what you did yesterday, to take one more step. So go ahead. Continue.

Abram and his entourage have just arrived in the Promised Land, Canaan. He has already built an altar at Shechem, and now we come to the second of the four recorded altars that Abram builds.

“From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 12:8)

We can only speculate about what is going through Abram’s mind as he builds these altars. These moments represent memorable encounters with God and declarations that this land belongs to Him. It’s reminiscent of when we say, ‘All I have is Yours.’

In this location, Abram finds himself between two cities that would later become significant in the Bible: Bethel, the House of God, and Ai, a powerful enemy of God. At that moment, he is unaware of their future significance. However, even if he knew, he would likely still do the same thing. The critical point is that he did not know. Amid unfamiliarity, he chose to worship. He may not have known whether to go west to Bethel or east to Ai, but what he does know is to whom he belongs: “This is who I worship: I call on the name of the Lord.”

Today, our destiny is not determined by what the world can offer us or where we set up camp—whether we find ourselves in a Bethel or an Ai. Those are not our measures of success. Instead, it revolves around us creating space to come, humble as we are—perhaps with little to offer—and to worship the Lord.

Abram’s simple act in the eastern hills serves as a reminder that faithfulness is not about reaching a destination; it’s about building altars. These altars are not monuments to our accomplishments, but rather humble stacks of stones where we connect with the God who is always present. You may not know what to do next, but you know who to worship, and that is true success.

I wonder who may be reading this devotion today? And I wonder if you are journeying through a new season? You haven’t passed through this way before, and you are relying on God to help you.

Look out for Moreh.

“Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspringI will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12 v 6-7)

Moreh means ‘teacher’.

This was no ordinary tree; it was the great tree of Moreh, at Shechem.

Perhaps Moreh was a landmark where people gathered for debate and instruction; it might have been like ‘Speakers Corner’ in Hyde Park, London. It was here that Abram met with God, his teacher and instructor.

We know more than Abram knew at the time. He didn’t see the significance of Shechem. It was situated at an important passage between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal, where Moses would pronounce the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy; it was where Joshua gathered all the tribes for his speech before his death.

Of course, he didn’t know that. But he encountered God in the place of building an altar of worship in that season of uncertainty, where faith was needed for tomorrow. And maybe that was the lesson God was teaching him: to worship Him even when you do not understand everything. It is certainly something we all need to learn: to worship in a place of transition, not when everything is calmer or more worked through.

Sometimes God acts only after we have worshipped.

Sometimes God speaks only after we have worshipped.

Sometimes God shows up only after we have worshipped.

If you are in an uncomfortable setting right now, look around; there may be a great tree nearby, which could mean God is teaching you a lesson, and that maybe God is waiting for your worship.

This  promise given to Abraham echoes through history with stunning relevance: “All nations will be blessed through you.” This wasn’t a narrow promise for one people group or culture—it was a universal declaration that transcended boundaries, languages, and traditions.

Abraham received this promise nearly 250 years before the Law was given. His original name, Abram, meant “exalted father,” but God would change it to Abraham—”father of a multitude.” In that transformation, he understood life wasn’t about personal exaltation but about nations across the whole world.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ 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. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” (Genesis 12 v 1-5)

Today, Christians exist in every nation. The church represents a diverse multitude of people and languages. The work continues among specific ethnic groups bound by common culture, language, and identity. Even hidden people groups isolated from others are being reached with this promise of blessing.

We would never ask someone from a different ethnic group thousands of miles away to live out their faith exactly as we do in the Western world. The God of the west is the God of the east, north, and south—the God of all nations.

The blessing Abraham received wasn’t about wealth, though he was wealthy. It was about right standing before God—a blessing available to everyone, of every tribe, language, and culture, without adopting the practices of other nations.

This means people culturally different from us are family, heirs, and full members of God’s kingdom. They must be treated as such—accepted and blessed.

The promise remains active: “All nations will be blessed through you.” This happens through faith in Jesus and the transformation that comes through His work on the cross. When we first followed Christ, we were identified with His death and resurrection. His new life became ours. His power became our power.

The streets may hold division and hatred, but there are places of refuge. Churches should be safe places of acceptance where every person, regardless of background, can encounter blessing. Today, people need to go through Jesus to their blessing—and we’re called to help them find that path.

Let’s be people who don’t divide but who bring blessing to all nations.

The radical life of Christianity is a life that sits outside the comfort and expectations people have of us. It is what calls the missionary to leave home. It is actually a call for all of us. It is to suffer not needlessly or because of our stupidity, but because of a cause.  And that is the radical call. How is that possible? Only because of another place. There is a land. We have a home that calls for us to leave.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ 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. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” (Genesis 12 v 1-5)

This call to Abram was not for some self-improvement. It was not to spend more time getting to know God. This was a complete upheaval not only of his life but also of his family’s. It was a call to leave everything that he had known and move forward into the unknown.

God hadn’t shown Abram the map and destination of where He was taking him. He didn’t give him the Gmaps. It was ‘the land I will show you.’

This is faith – to let go before you see what you are stepping into.

And this is what has happened in your life so far. God never told you how your life would work out. He didn’t show you the wonderful moments that you would experience as you gave your life to Jesus, nor did He tell you about the giants you would face.

You have learnt to trust and walk, just as Abram did.

The promise was to be blessed and to be a blessing. There have been seasons for both. Perhaps you won’t know the extent of how you have been a blessing, Abram didn’t.

God isn’t asking for you to play it safe and be like the rest of your world. He keeps asking for your trust. Even when you are walking through a season which isn’t all that clear, and you may not know what tomorrow brings. He will bring you home.

Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is simply take the first step into the unknown, knowing that God will show us the way as we go.

I have met people who want to move into the next part of their lives; they can see the excitement of trusting God for this, and I can see in their eyes and voices that they are clinging to what God has prepared for them. But they won’t leave. They won’t let go. They haven’t understood that you cannot cleave without first deciding to leave.

It seems almost heresy to talk negatively about Abraham, the father of the world’s three largest religions. But I say only ‘almost’, as he wasn’t Jesus!

Here is the whole 12^th chapter. Tomorrow, we will delve deeper, but today, it is an overview.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ 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. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. ⁶ Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. ⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” ¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a wonderful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. ¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife, Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.” (Genesis 12)

So here’s the birds-eye view of this chapter.

God calls Abram. Abram leaves and surrenders everything.

God grants Abram a vision of what is to come. Abram responds and does, “as the Lord had told him.”

God appears to Abram upon his arrival in Canaan.

Abram responds by building his first altar of worship.

Then God is silent, and though Abram builds another altar and calls on God, he receives no answer.

God hadn’t revoked His promise or His presence—but Abram acted as if He had. The famine was real and severe, but Abram’s response bypassed faith entirely. No inquiry. No altar. No “calling on the name of the LORD” as he had done before.

When God is silent, when there is no calling from heaven, no vision and no presence, the temptation can be to do what Abram did and to take matters into our own hands.

• A severe famine in Canaan was not on Abram’s agenda. Without calling on God, he decided to go to Egypt.
• Approaching Egypt, he begins to fear for his life. Without calling on God, he makes a plan: to lie.

When God is silent, we can assume we are on our own; we can then protect ourselves through our own wisdom, and we are in danger of compromise even if we think it is just a one-time experience. But of course, silence is the moment to hold on to God and not let go.

The next time God is silent, try this: don’t take matters into your hands, but stay on course and stay in the truth.

You may not know what tomorrow will bring, but you are content to move forward into it, knowing that He who has the details will show you when it is needed. That wasn’t true for a man called Terah.

“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. ²⁸ While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. ³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. ³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran. The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ⁴ 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. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (Genesis 11 v 32- 12 v 5)

Terah has been experiencing grief. His brother, Haran, had died in the family homeland of Ur. Sarai, his wife, was unable to conceive. The whole family had begun a journey to a better place to live, but upon arriving in Harran, they settled there and did not move on. Here, his father, Terah, dies.

Grief and disappointment can be catalysts to move, but also to be unable to move anymore. How many times do we sadly hear a family say after an inquest to some reporter, ‘we request you leave us alone so we can move on’, or who are battling for justice after decades, saying, ‘we haven’t been able to move on’.

Terah died neither in the place of his origin nor in the place of his dreams. He had let go but had not taken hold. Many leave, but some never arrive.

Strangely and sadly for him, Terah passes through the place of his son’s name, Haran, the son who died. He cannot get past that place. He cannot move on. He had said goodbye to his son before, and now he is stuck and cannot move away again. His grief and loss capture him, and he dies there in Harran.

It is an unfortunate story, all too prevalent today.

We must continue to do all we can to move on from hurt and loss.

It’s not how you start that is important, but did you get to where you started? Was Harran worth it?
Harran proves you did move, you did set out.
Harran is along the way to where you are meant to be.
Harran has many qualities.
Haran is satisfying enough to tempt you to remain in it.
But on your deathbed, you will look into the eyes of your children, and they will know whether you made it or whether you settled.
God still sends. So, wherever you are today, are you feeling the sending of God behind you? Are you moving purposefully? Are you heading in the right direction? Are you still on mission?

Maybe you have failed to set out truly. Like Abraham, for all kinds of reasons, family or otherwise, you settled. You obeyed, but it was a halfway obedience. Looking back, you see you didn’t obey fully. However, today many things may have changed, but you can still do what Abraham did: you can abide by now, you can say YES to God now, and give Him all of your life. You can trust in God. Even if you don’t know all the details, you will not let your grief and loss hold you back any longer. This can be a new day of faith.