A Family for All Families

Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

Genesis 28:14

In Genesis 12, when the Lord first revealed himself to Abraham, he promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (v. 3). In Genesis 28, God reiterated to Jacob that he and his family would be blessed, not just for their own benefit, but also for the sake of the world.

We who are part of God's family through Jesus Christ accept this same calling, to be a conduit of God's grace to the world. We are, in N. T. Wright's phrase, "the people of God for the world."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you see yourself as God's person "for the world"? What would it mean for you to live for others today in your workplace? In your neighborhood? At the market? In your school?

PRAYER: Thank you, gracious God, that your vision from the beginning was to bless all of the world through the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thank you that, through Jesus, your Son, this blessing has been poured out . . . even upon me.

Help me, dear Lord, to live for others today. May I be your disciple for the sake of those around me. Help me especially when I'm in situations where it isn't easy to reflect your love and grace.

May your church come to a clearer understanding of our identity as your people "for the world." Amen.