Genesis 2:1-4,
"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."

Mark 12:41-44 vs. 2
"They gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty.."

hat is God asking Abram to do?

Think about it.   He is asking Abram to leave his home and blindly follow His lead.   He has absolutely no idea where God intends to lead, the only promise Abram has from God is that he will be blessed.

Would you give up everything you have for God’s blessing?

I don’t know about you, but before I accepted the call to be the pastor here at St. Paul’s, I spent some time investigating the situation.   I didn’t just say yes I would come because I received a letter from the pulpit search committee.   I don’t suspect you would do any differently.

Chances are if you have had a change in jobs or have moved that before doing so you made some inquiries.   You checked into the school system.   You considered the opportunities for advancement.   You acquired a new residence. You were able to leave a forwarding address with your friends.

This was not the case for Abram.   His choice was to leave everything for what?   The promise of God’s blessing.

Let us realize, that God is not some talent agent promising a star struck wannabe  fame and fortune.   Nevertheless Abram’s decision was one of mammoth proportion.   It was a decision that required absolute obedience.

The widow in the gospel story made a decision of equal magnitude.   To offer God the last of her money.   Jesus said,

I know what you are thinking.  What is she crazy.  Use the money for food or something that will sustain your life.  Perhaps, with what little money she had she wouldn’t to be able to purchase anything any way.   Maybe her motivation was, it can’t do me any good, perhaps the synagogue could do something more with it.

What do you think her motivation was?

Is it possible that her motivation was gratitude?   Chances are you are thinking for what?   She does not seem to have the typical things that you and I would give thanks to God for.   But then in our abundance it seems we have difficulty doing that.  Surely a women with nothing could not be grateful.

Maybe that is our problem.  We are looking at the story through our eyes and not the eyes of the widow.   It seems to me that in spite of her poverty she had a spirit of generosity, a spirit of gratitude.  This along with an absolute trust in God made her able to give all of what she had to the service of God.

This widow demonstrated the purpose for God’s calling of Abram.   The purpose I speak is not being blessed by God, being made into a great nation.   This is a privilege, but the responsibility, the purpose that came with God’s promise is this,

"You will be a blessing.....and all peoples on earth with be blessed through you."

God was blessing Abram, SO Abram would be a blessing to others.

God blesses you and me, SO we can be a blessing to others.

How many of you came to church today with that thought in mind?:

That you came here to worship, so that you could leave here to serve?

That you came to be blessed by God, so that you could be a blessing to others?

I wonder what attracted Abram to follow God?   Was it the promise that God would make Him great OR that God would use him to be a blessing to all the peoples on earth?

What is your motivation in following God? To be blessed or being a blessing?

God called Abram as He calls us to receive a privilege with a responsibility.