June 30, 1999

FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Pioneers needed to blaze
new paths of obedience
___ Genesis 11:31-12:9
___By Susan Pigott
___Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene
___I have a confession: I'm a Star Trek fan. I'm not technically a "Trekkie," though I have been an ardent watcher of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. I enjoy these series because each episode portrays the characters encountering the unknown. As the introductory monologue states, they "go where no one has gone before." There's something romantic and exciting about people exploring strange new worlds and finding solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.
___As a person who is not a risk-taker, I experience vicariously what it might be like to be a pioneer in space, "the final frontier." What does it take to be a pioneer--to lead the way in something so profound it affects others for generations to come? How does one become such a person?
___ The chosen family (Genesis 11:31-32). In the Bible, pioneers were people chosen by God. Genesis 11:27-31 records the genealogy of a pioneer family--the family of Terah. Although at first it seems Terah himself would bring the family to Canaan (11:31), for some reason he took them no farther than Haran. The pioneer work would be left to Abram, one of Terah's sons.
___ The challenging call (Genesis 12:1-3). God's call to Abram was concise: "Go to the land I will show you!" Abram was to go to an unknown land and leave his country, his relatives and his father's house. In other words, Abram was to leave everything he held dear in order to go where no one had gone before! Being a pioneer requires enormous sacrifices and the courage to face the unknown.
___Nevertheless, God promised in obedience there also would be blessings. Abram would become a great nation, he would be blessed, his name would be great, and he would be a blessing to others. God would provide protection (blessing those who blessed Abram and cursing those who cursed him). Most significantly, God's blessing on Abram was intended to benefit others: "And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Being a pioneer provides satisfying personal rewards, but the greatest reward is the immeasurable benefit a pioneer's work can have on others.
___ The confident faith (Genesis 12:4-9). Abram responded in obedience and faith, taking with him his wife, Sarai, nephew, Lot, and others of his household. Upon arrival in Canaan, God appeared to Abram and promised him that the land would be his (a foreshadowing of the Abrahamic covenant). In response, Abram built an altar and worshiped God. Being a pioneer requires a willingness to take risks. But more importantly it necessitates faith in someone beyond ourselves to whom we acknowledge our dependence.
___As a leader in your family, whether you are a father or mother, a single parent, a couple without children or a single person, are you willing to be a pioneer--to go where no one has gone before in God's kingdom? Or do you prefer to remain a vicarious trailblazer, watching the adventures of others and lamenting, "If only . . ."?

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