3. Abraham

Abraham was a remarkable man. He learnt to trust God and take God at his word. Abraham’s life was shaped by amazing faith. 

Have you ever explored beyond the well-trodden path? Have you ever forged a way through situations in life that required you to be adventurous, a pioneer and explorer willing to take risks and not settle for the normality around you? Well if you have, then you have some of the pioneer heart Abraham knew, and all this came alive for him as an OAP!

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Idea 1: Adventure

What does ‘adventure’ look like for you? Maybe you’re thinking ‘I get up, get the train to the office, do my work, get the busy train home, exhausted I do what I can with my children, talk to my wife and then fall asleep in front of the TV with a warm beer.  Adventure? I am at my limit already!’

I’ve been in that ‘holding’ pattern too. I have been maxed out and exhausted but still craving adventure. Not necessarily ‘more stuff to do’ as adventure, but a different definition of the word. A greater sense of connection with God, a fire in my bones, a passion and fight that fuels me.  Adventure isn’t just some macho pursuit to go and swing from a bungee over a fire or jump from a car to detain a thief making his getaway. Adventure doesn’t only mean losing ourselves in the woods somewhere and fighting our way free. 

Adventure can be about risk, challenge, passion, a cost and a choice that we can see in our spiritual lives as Christian men. Abraham was shown an adventure, for him and his wife, a passion and a dream. 

• What gets you fired up? What gets you passionate and builds a fire in your bones?  
• What would you want God to invite you to do? 
• What do you long for in your walk with God? 

Idea 2: Faith 

Abraham went on the adventure of a lifetime, it involved geographical change but it also involved trust, deeper levels of obedience, faith and assurance in his relationship with God. 

This is the adventure, to trust and obey even when we can’t see the bigger picture and how the story ends. 

Abraham had a promise. That’s all. He knew he had met with the living God. He didn’t know the rest or how it would all work out but he did his bit, trusted and obeyed. 

• Have there been moments in your life when you have trusted God and obeyed? 
• Trusting when we can’t see or understand isn’t easy. Have you experienced this? 
• What does adventure look and feel like for you? Do you need it? 

Idea 3: The Journey 

If you are like us here at CVM, we don’t always do ‘patience’ very well. We get an idea, we get a direction and a vision and we charge forward and expect results NOW! 

Doesn’t always seem to work out every time, lots of lessons learnt and mistakes made. It was similar in the early days for Abraham too. He wrestled with patience, wrestled with waiting and letting God work. What about you? How are you at waiting?

Abraham learnt during a life of trusting, waiting and obeying God that in actual fact, God does know what He is doing. We might wait, and wait, and wait. But be encouraged: God is in control in the details and the big picture. We can trust Him! 

• How do you manage with waiting? Is this a battle now in your life? 
• How can we be men of patience, not inactive, but trusting and staying faithful?

Action

As you share this stuff together bring it to God and invite Him to renew your fight, to build your energy again and to strengthen your faith in Him.