February 1, 2013
WALK IT LIKE YOU TALK IT
Genesis 21:22-34
Sheetal Agrawal
Central Truth
Are people learning who Christ is by the way we're living?
Key Verse | Genesis 21:22
Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do . . . ." (Genesis 21:22)
Genesis 21:22-34
A Treaty with Abimelech
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this 1 21:30 Or you may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, 2 21:31 Beersheba means well of seven or well of the oath because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
Dive Deeper | Genesis 21:22-34
Growing up in a Hindu home, I was a universalist, believing there were many paths to God. Through God's grace, I came to know and trust that Christ was the only path to God.
My proclamation, however, was superficial. There wasn't any noticeable change in my life. I had a different belief from my family now, but my life itself didn't look different. What made me a "Christian" and not them? I wasn't living out what I said I believed.
Ironically, this was my opposition to Christianity before I became a believer. I rarely saw a difference between those professing Christ as their Savior and the Hindus around me. Shakespeare said it best when he wrote, "All the world's a stage." I won't pretend to know what Shakespeare was really trying to say in his literary work, but when we think of that line in the context of our actions as Christ followers, we know the world is watching how we act rather than listening to what we say. As Christians, our life is an act of worship. We represent Christ in the way we talk, eat, drink, rest, work, drive, love, disagree, etc.
To those surrounding Abraham, God's presence in his life was clearly evident based on his actions. Our hope shouldn't be that others might see God moving in our lives, but rather that we live in such a way that it's all they see.
It took me a long time to understand that God's grace exists for when we fall and is not an excuse to stumble on purpose. People around me were watching my actions and saw I was a walking contradiction with what I was saying and how I was acting. That had to change if I was going to represent Christ.
I've learned our greatest evangelism tool is living so that others are compelled to ask how we can live in such an extraordinary way, while always looking for opportunities to tell them about the extraordinary Lord we serve.
Discussion Questions
1. Would people around you be surprised if you told them you were a Christ follower? How are you showing the world who Christ is? What are people learning about Christ by how you're acting?
2. Is your behavior reflecting what you proclaim to believe? Does your behavior point others toward Christ?
3. Can you think of a time in the last month when you didn't fit in an environment because of your commitment to Christ? How did you react in that situation? Was He glorified, or did you follow the crowd?