After Abram’s big blunder in Egypt which we talked about yesterday, Abram went back home: “And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 13:3-4.
It appears a spiritual pattern that when we mess up, we have to go back where we started and begin again. Abram went back to his starting point, back to the altar, and renewed his commitment.
When identifying the failure of the church in Ephesus, Jesus wrote, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love. Remember therefore from whence you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works” (Revelation 2:4-5a).
When we’ve messed up, we have to go back where we left the Jesus Trail and start there over again. Don’t just give up as a failure, get back in the game, start at the beginning and get right with God. Do what worked at first and grow from there. Egypt never satisfies once you’ve tasted the Promised Land.
Tags: beginnings, refresh
Anita called me yesterday to complain that there was a terrible banging going on outside the house. I was between appointments so I ran home to check on it. A strip of aluminum fascia had blown loose and was being whipped in the wind making a ferocious racket.
The damage had already been done and it was bent beyond repair. We’re re-roofing our house this summer and we can have it replaced at that time. In the meanwhile, I’ll have to do a temporary fix-it job on Friday morning that will have to suffice until then.
There are some things in life we just can’t repair. Like divorce, bankruptcy, and death. But we can replace damaged things with a whole new beginning. My life became a new beginning back in January of 1972 when I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t repair the damage, but I could replace the old with the new. And I’ve been growing ever since.
Tags: beginnings, damage, sin
Sixteen years ago Anita and I built a new house in a bean field. I remember after the first day of construction we drove back to look at it. The first step of construction was to excavate the side of the hill where the walk-out basement was to stand. Young Adam walked back the bulldozer track and stepped out into the mud, sinking to his knee. After the first day our future house was not very impressive.
When Zurubbabel was called by God to rebuild God’s Temple, one of the first things he did was lay a foundation. Then he built on top of the foundation, one stone on top of another. Many shortsighted citizens balked at those basic efforts and “despised the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10).
Don’t despise small beginnings. Every great project has a beginning. Only those with a clear vision can see the end result when its just beginning.
Tags: beginnings, foundation, small
Ever thought you were destined to not be anyone special due to your humble beginnings? Remember that many great achievers began life in the poorest of homes, with little education and no advantages. Thomas Edison was a newsboy on trains. Andrew Carnegie started work at $4 a month. John D. Rockefeller at $6 a week. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin. Charles Dickens was lame. Homer was blind.
What gave these great individuals the stamina to overcome severe setbacks and become successful? Each had an inner dream that lit a fire that could not be extinguished.
Find that inner dream and pursue it. You’ve got God on your side.
Tags: beginnings, dream, overcomer