Mensa Otabil - Called to Be a Blessing
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We’re in Genesis chapter 12, and this is verse number two. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. God’s call to Abraham, which we started looking at yesterday, was an instruction to obey: Get out. And Abraham had to get out. The Lord instructed Abraham to leave the land he was familiar with for a place he didn’t know. He was moving from the known to the unknown. But the Lord did not just instruct him; He also made commitments to him. And the commitment God made to him was, «I will make you.»
God is our maker. The Lord who calls us is the one who makes us, and that reminds us closely of the instruction Jesus also gave to his disciples when He called them. He also said, «I will make you.» When God calls us to do something, we don’t become that by ourselves; He makes us what He calls us to be. And so when He says, «I’m going to do something great with you,» you don’t make yourself great; He makes you. The Lord who calls us also makes us. And God says to Abraham, «I will make you a great nation.»
Abraham was a citizen of a nation, but in obeying God, he would not just become a citizen of a nation but a father, a founder of a nation. God was going to do something far bigger with him than what he was leaving behind. His name was great; he was known in his community, but his name would be made greater because the God who calls us also makes us. And then God says to Abraham, «I will bless you.» That means that God will do something to you that is favorable, beneficial; something good is going to happen to you. The word «bless» means to be made full, to be made complete.
When God calls you and me to do anything, He makes us so that we can turn back and say, «I started with nothing. See what the Lord has done.» Because He’s the one who makes us. Not only does He make us, He blesses us. Actually, the blessing is how He makes us. It is His fullness. He pours abundance into us. He pours grace into us. He pours favor upon us. And then He says to Abraham, «After I’ve made you, I have blessed you; then you will become a blessing.» You will not be a liability; you’ll be an asset. You know, many times we go through life wondering, «Am I making a contribution? Am I significant? Am I a benefit to the world?»
If God’s hand is upon you, He makes you, blesses you, and there is no way a person made and blessed by God does not become a blessing. You become an asset to humanity. You become a blessing to your family, and you become a blessing to so many other people. So God’s command of obedience comes with His commitment to make you, to bless you, and to make your life a blessing. And so, like Abraham, each one of us called by God, God wants to do something great with your life. He will transform you, bless you, and then your life becomes a great blessing to humanity. And that same God is still calling and changing people. Are you ready?
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you are my maker. Make me into the person you want me to be. Do something great with my life, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.»