Purpose-Killing Pit Stops

Gen. 11:31- 12:1
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 Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.  The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

We all want to know God's plan for our lives.  Jeremiah 29:11 stands out as one of the most quoted passages in the Bible because it seems to imply that the Lord knows the plans he has for us, plans which many of us seem to really like!  But can we become derailed? Is it possible that we are so willing to take the easy way, that we actually miss God's way?

Lately, I have really been identifying with the story of Abram.  The Lord calls him to leave his family, his former way of life, and head to a land that was completely foreign and unknown. What makes this even better is that the final destination is really unknown to Abram.  But he trusted God and finally landed in Canaan where his descendants would grow up into the nation of Israel that we know today.

But what about his father, Terah?  Before the Lord calls Abram away, we are told that Terah was already heading to Canann with his family.  But somewhere along the way, Haran seemed more appealing.  Something about that pit-stop was too comfortable for Terah and his family.  It wasn't until Abram answered the call of God that this family ended up where it was suppose to. By leaving the land of his father, Abram left behind the doubts, the distractions, and the disobedience that had plagued the previous generation. As Gen. 15:6 tells us, Abram's faith in the Lord was credited to him as righteous. 

There are things that come up in our lives that seem comfortable or easy.  Or they seem to be the plan God has for us when they might not be.  These purpose-killing pit stops can take away valuable time from what He really intends to be our calling.  We will learn things while in these pit stops, but we should not follow in the footsteps of Terah who's life ended while at one such stop.  Move on to the Canaan that God intends for you, and leave the land of doubts, distractions, and disobedience that may have been the mark of your life of the lives of others around you!

Live for the Kingdom,
Troy