Reflection on Genesis24:1–67
A
steward is one who is commissioned to oversee and execute the affairs of
another. The closer a steward is able to represent the mind of their superior,
the better they fulfill their role. Therefore, when a steward is on assignment,
ideally they have no personal will or agenda; they strive to have the mind and
will of their supervisor.
Abraham’s
unnamed servant in Genesis 24 (perhaps Eliezer; see Genesis 15:2–3) was an
excellent example of a faithful steward. His mind-set was to represent
Abraham’s will and interests as faithfully as possible. That’s a great picture
for us; we are stewards of Jesus’ domain, and our goal is to have his mind and
will. By looking at Abraham’s servant, we can gain insight into how to be a
more faithful steward of God’s purposes.
NEW AGE THINKING
Let
them know that you, whose name is the LORD--that you alone are the Most High
over all the earth
The
New Age Movement is very attractive to the natural man who has become
disillusioned with organized religion and Western rationalism. He desires
spiritual reality but doesn't want to give up materialism, deal with his moral
problems, or come under authority.
I've
discovered six unifying factors in New Age thinking. We will consider three of
them today and three tomorrow.
The
first is monism --the belief that all is one and one is all. It says we all
swim in one great cosmic ocean. History is not the story of humanity's fall
into sin and its restoration by God's saving grace. Rather, it is humanity's
fall into ignorance and the gradual ascent into enlightenment.
Monism
is a counterfeit to the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17:21. That unity is
possible only when we are united together in Christian fellowship.
Second,
all is God . If all is one, including God, then one must conclude that all is
God--trees, snails, books and people are all of one divine essence. A personal
God is abandoned in favor of an impersonal energy force or consciousness, and
if God is no longer personal, He doesn't have to be served.
New
Agers say, "When I was a little child, I believed in God. When I began to
mature, I stopped believing in God. Then I grew up and realized that I was
God."
A
third unifying factor refers to a change in consciousness . If we are God, we
need to know we are God. We must become cosmically conscious, also called
"at-one-ment" (a counterfeit of atonement), self-realization,
god-realization, enlightenment, or attunement. Their faith has no object, neither
does their meditation, so it becomes an inward journey. To us, the essential
issue is not whether we believe or mediate, but who we believe in and what we
meditate upon. We believe God and meditate upon His law day and night.
Prayer: Lord, I affirm that
I am nothing, can do nothing, and will amount to nothing apart from You. You
are the object of my faith and life today.
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