There are certain things that are common to all human societies. We all tell and laugh at jokes – at least until we are married, (after which wives don’t find their husbands near as humorous). In every society, people are afraid of snakes, but not of flowers. We all have a word for pain. We all play with toys. We all take turns. We are, it seems, remarkably similar. But God isn’t like us. God is . . . different.

Additional passages: Leviticus 20:26, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 3:10-11

Sorry to ruin your day, but Elvis has not been in the witness protection program since 1977, Mr. Rogers was not a Navy seal and Walt Disney is not cryogenically frozen waiting for medical technology to bring him back to life. Those are all urban legends. So is the idea that spiritual growth is for a select few, that it happens automatically and that it’s a private, personal matter. Join us this week as we drop some truth bombs on urban legends of spiritual growth.

References:

- Matthew 28:19-20

- Philippians 2:12

- I Peter 1:3-8

- Hebrews 10:24-25

At weddings, in the U.S., we exchange rings, light candles and throw rice. In Ireland, they tie a knot around the clasped hands of the bride and groom. At Jewish weddings, the happy couple crushes a wine glass and everyone shouts, “Mazel Tov!” In certain parts of China, the new husband carries his bride across a bed of hot coals. No matter where you’re from, people come up with some strange rituals to mark important occasions. But the one in Genesis 15 may be the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard of.

There is an iffiness about faith for most of us. A certain . . . uncertainty. We believe the promises of God, but life keeps offering evidence to the contrary. When we struggle with doubt, does God get angry? Give up on us? Or give us what we need to stay on the journey?

Americans spend millions on self help books, seminars, weight loss programs, gym memberships and counselors. All because we want to be better. Oh, and we go to church a lot too. What if we are going about it all wrong?

Anxiety and hope see the same situation. The difference is that anxiety anticipates danger. Hope anticipates deliverance.

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. What they didn’t tell you, though, is that step one is often the hardest. In Genesis 12, Abraham takes that first step. God makes a promise and Abraham believes it. Every other plodding foot fall in the journey depends on believing that God keeps his promises. In a world of broken contracts and empty assurances, that kind of faith can be hard to come by. Maybe that’s why God sealed this contract with his own blood.

You’d think words like unprecedented, revolutionary, and nextgen would apply to some new technology or novel social arrangement. And you’d be right. Except the high-tech application and never-before-tried cultural development we’re talking about happened thousands of years ago. The story is in Genesis 11. And you’ll be surprised by how familiar it feels.