Journey

Genesis 12-14

I first felt God calling me to vocational ministry in 2003. About a year later I was offered the position of full-time youth pastor at our former church and I readily accepted! Shortly before I began my new position, but before I had quit my old job, I met with my senior pastor in his office to discuss my role as youth pastor. Before we even began discussing my new job, he looked at me very seriously and said, “Before we begin there’s something I want you to consider.” I could tell by the tone of his voice that this was important. “Mike, if there is anything else you can do in life besides pastoral ministry and still be fulfilled, then you should do it.” I was speechless…that was not at all what I expected him to say! He continued, “I say this because pastoral ministry is hard, it can be frustrating and heart-breaking, and it can often leave you feeling emotionally drained.” My first thought was, “Well it’s good that you became a pastor because you sir are a terrible salesman!”

In chapter 12 of Genesis, we meet a man named Abram whom God calls to pack up his entire household and possessions, leave his homeland, and travel to a foreign country. God also gives Abram a promise that he will bless Abram with a huge family that will, in turn, bless all the families of the earth! Abram’s journey isn’t always easy, he makes mistakes, deals with family conflict, and must even fight a battle against superior numbers! In all of this, the Lord’s grace continues to cover Abram’s life. In chapter 14 he meets a man named Melchizedek who is both a king and a priest; he has no lineage of ancestors or record of his death—in effect, he has no beginning or end. Melchizedek accepts Abram’s offering of a tenth of the spoils and blesses Abram.

Like Abram, we are all called to make a journey of faith by God. It may not be an easy journey. We may be called to leave behind a place of comfort or even complacency, to do something we never imagined doing in a place we never imagined being. In each of our faith journeys, we will make mistakes, deal with conflict, and fight spiritual battles that seem overwhelmingly impossible…but here’s the good news: we, too, have a high priest and king with no end. When we answer His call and go where he sends us, He will bless us beyond what we can fathom. May you be blessed on your journey.

In Christ’s Love,

Mike