Author: missionspaul

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.

We live in a tension between being in the moment and engaging with life, whether that be work, mission and the people we love, and yet realising we haven’t yet arrived. This is only temporary. We are passing through this world.

“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.” (Genesis 11 v 27-32)

 Granted, not every dream should be followed nor every journey taken, but the opportunity for Canaan is one not to miss. Canaan, the Old Testament Promised Land, is the shadow of what the New Testament calls the heavenly country, our eternal place.

 Terah took his family to Canaan but settled in Haran.

 Settled is always a good word if that was your destination.

 “I am settled in my new job”

 But if it is meant only to be a stopping-off place, it can become a place of compromise, a place where we give up on the journey, a place of dying dreams.

 What have you settled for that has stopped you from journeying to Canaan?

 A friendship?  Money?  Sin?  Tiredness?  The list goes on.

What makes Haran dangerous is its reasonableness. You can build a life there. You can rationalise staying. “This is good enough,” we tell ourselves, and the voice sounds mature, practical, wise—even as something within us quietly dies.

Our settlements don’t just affect us; they shape the landscape for those who come after us. When we stop short, we normalise stopping short. When we settle, we teach settling. But our determination to press on can also inspire others to refuse lesser destinations.

This world is not our destination; it is a stopping off place. We are journeying through. We are only here for a short time. It was meant to be. So don’t settle. Look ahead. Keep journeying. Keep looking. Expectant. Hopeful. All that you are and all that you do here is for there. Don’t let go. Don’t give up. Don’t settle.

Go on, don’t skip it, read these repetitive phrases.

“This is the account of Shem’s family line.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father^[d] of Arphaxad. ¹¹ And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³ And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.^[e]

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.”  (Genesis 11 v 10-26)

What do we see?

• Repetition.

Life goes on. And it goes very quickly, doesn’t it? Children come, parents age, their offspring then become their age, the cycle of life continues. Most of the names above have a story, of course, but we don’t know what it is. Not everyone becomes famous. Most of us live ordinary lives. But we can either raise the next generation or impact it in various ways, and that’s no small feat.

• Shrinking lifespans.

Look again. Shem lived 600 years; Peleg, 239; and Nahor, 148.

The further we move away from the Garden of Eden story and the intimacy of walking with God, the more death rises up to take away life.

• There are always others known by God, even if we don’t.

Look at how many times we see this phrase: “and had other sons and daughters.”

This genealogy of Shem takes us to Abram, but there are other children and children’s children. Who are these people? We simply don’t know, but God does. Even in this list, there would have been thousands and thousands with no names known to us. But just because we don’t have their names doesn’t mean they are meaningless; they matter to God. The Bible doesn’t tell the story of everyone; it is all part of a particular redemptive story. Just because you are categorised as ‘other sons and daughters’ doesn’t mean you are inferior to God.

• We are not the whole story; we are part of it. Even when the fulfilment of the promise seems far away (this line stops at Abraham but continues to Christ), or our world is divided and fading, and even when our names may be forgotten. Even if no one records our lives, we played our part in that chapter, let’s not look down on where we came from, where we ended up or where we were in the middle of those two positions; let’s embrace the fact we are alive and we are here and today is another day!

You may have only read the following story one way. The story of the Tower of Babel where human pride dominated the building project.

However, if you were to ask the question: what could have happened if the builders had been walking with God? Then the possibilities of what could have happened are interesting. Here are a least three.

• Communication in one language, with one united voice, brings perfect understanding to all people.
• The oneness of a shared vision and real unity, with no division, would have been powerful.
• The audacious ability to dream beyond what is seen with their power of imagination. What could have been next?

All done by spiritual people who walked with God.

Sadly, this wasn’t the case. That was the problem.

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward,they found a plain in Shinarand settled there. ³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11 v 1-9)

The people wanted to make a name for themselves and build a tower that would reach heaven. It was a task full of pride and arrogance, and it would lead to a constant battle between man’s kingdom and God’s kingdom. But before dismissing that story as evil, think some more. If only those people were sanctified and were walking with God. Can you then imagine what they could do for God’s kingdom? Can you imagine:-

• Through the power of communication (one language).
• Through the power of oneness (unity).
• Through the power of imagination (thinking what could be).

Can you imagine what is possible then?

But they were not sanctified, and so God’s judgment was to divide them. As the world has continued in its pride and arrogance, it has continued to divide, so today there are 7,111 languages spoken, and 23 languages account for half of the world’s population.

So, what is God’s plan? Is it to unite into one language? Wouldn’t that be easier for world evangelisation if everyone spoke English? No. Let’s use that story of division again.

1. God sees the danger of unity as worse than the power of a unified language. Maybe it is because He knows the world cannot be trusted with one language. Maybe it would wipe out the gospel completely and not advance it. When you have seen the power of the gospel in a language you do not know, then you understand that it is more effective in many languages than just one.
2. God can speak every language. The One who divided it is the One who speaks them all and to them all. Christianity isn’t tribal. The gospel is more beautiful when seen through the lens of difference.
3. God had the end result in mind when He divided the earth. He who divided will bring the whole earth together in their divided languages into a united mass of praise to Christ: Revelation 7:9-“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” He had the end result in mind when He divided the earth. This wasn’t Him being reactive. The division of the languages was His plan. Can you imagine this? Gathered around the throne of God, every nation, all tribes, all peoples, all languages; distinct voices, their unique expressions of worship – can you imagine the sound?!

As I turn the page this morning and read Genesis 10, I think of my friend who recently held a party for all his relatives, with 90 in attendance. I don’t think I have anywhere near that number actually alive!

Chapter 10 is one of those chapters we would all skim over. It looks a bit like this:

“This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. The Japhethites. The sonsof Japheth … The Hamites. The sons of Ham … These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. The Semites … Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. The sons of Shem … These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these, the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.” (Genesis 10)

Between these names, there are many other descendants listed.

As in all family trees, we have the good, the bad and the ugly. If you have traced your ancestry, then you know behind each name is a story in itself of faithfulness or failure.

A closer look at chapter 10 reveals names that appear later in the Biblical account.  The Canaanites, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the list from Shem, which becomes the line of Christ, which we see in Luke.

These people, as in our ancestry, can no longer speak; they can no longer defend or accuse; they cannot fix any error or achieve unfulfilled opportunities.

Life is so short, isn’t it? What will they say about you and me?

Will our story have touches of grace and love? Of walking with God?

Today is another day of writing your story that people will be speaking about long after you’re not here. The choices don’t necessarily have to be big ones, but choosing to forgive, showing up when you would rather not, or being patient instead of angry, these become a legacy passed down.

One more thing, you can break the pattern from a previous generation, or you can repeat it.