A Godless Culture
Abram receives this calling from God to go out of his father's land and to be a blessing to others. And so off he went as God had commanded him. And in verse six, we read that “Abram traveled through the land as far as the sight of the great Tree of Moreh at Schechem. And at that time,” the Bible says “the Canaanites were in the land”.
Godless people
The Canaanites were not godly people. They didn't know the one true God, and so they were into some very strange things. Throughout the Old Testament, there is this call from God to not join in with the Canaanite practices - and this made me think.
Many people today say “We live in such a godless time and it's so sad. We need to get back to godly values.” And I agree 100%. But it struck me that even back then, the man of God had to go into a godless culture and stand up for the one true God in the midst of godlessness.
Today’s Godless Culture
We're in the same situation today, aren't we, friends? There is a godlessness around us. There is a godless culture that is seeking to push all sorts of other agendas around. There's a certain self-absorbed, people exalting culture around us that is not the way of God as we see the Bible's outline for Christian living.
Shining as Lights
And so, like Abram, you and I go out today into a land of Canaanites, in a sense, and our goal, friends, is to live the values of the one true God, even in the midst of the godlessness around us. Abram was called to that land so that through him godly ways could be seen, taught, emulated. And God does the same through his people today. We are called to stand up against the godlessness by shining forth the holiness and righteousness and love of God.
I wonder if we need to think today: Are we carrying on with the ways of our culture that are anti-God or are we standing against such practices as these, not just doing the same thing as the world around us, but standing for the holiness of God and the inclusive love of God?
Paul on Godless Culture
In fact, I'm reminded of Romans 12:2 where Paul says “do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Don’t conform to the Canaanite ways, but be transformed by the Spirit's renewing of your mind.
Friends, walk with God today against the ways of the world. And like Abram you will shine like a light in the darkness for God.
