8/5/25 Daily Devotion: God's Way > Man's Way

Genesis 12:1-3 ESV - Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

I love the contrast we find between Genesis 11 & Genesis 12! … In chapter 11 we find mankind banding together to build the Tower of Babel. In chapter 12, God calls Abram and promises to make him a great nation.

• The Tower of Babel represents man’s attempt to gain the glory of God through our own attempts.

• The call of Abram represents God’s Promise to bless us when we TRUST & OBEY Him!

“Let us make a name for ourselves” … doesn’t that pretty much sum up ALL OF US in the human race?!

• If we can remove God, then we become the most advanced beings on the planet … the anti-God goals of culture have always sought to accomplish just that, the removal of God.

• It’s not just the culture around us that tries to remove God … you & I accomplish this same effect as Christians when we lean on our own understanding and don’t ACKNOWLEDGE HIM in all that we do!

• When we neglect to acknowledge God in the bulk of our lives as we live them ... we are effectively “removing God” from our world!

• Do you spend more time trying to make a name for yourself, protect yourself, provide for yourself, or save yourself than you do acknowledging, considering, depending on, trusting & obeying God?

Read God’s calling of Abram in Genesis 12 in direct comparison to the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11.

• God promises Abram that He will Bless him and MAKE HIS NAME GREAT!

• God promised Abram exactly what mankind was trying to accomplish on their own!

• When we DELIGHT ourselves in God, He PROMISES to give us the true desires of our heart … we simply must TRUST HIM more than we trust ourselves!

Keep looking at Chapter 12 though … God doesn’t just match mankind’s goal of a great name, God ELEVATES the Blessing by giving Abram a PURPOSE beyond himself!

• God says “I will make your name great SO THAT you will be a blessing to others”!

• Mankind wants glory for mankind’s sake … God blesses us with glory for other’s sake!

God has given you what He has given you SO THAT you will be a Blessing to others.

Are you working hard to make a name for yourself? Don’t.

Trust God. Be Blessed. Bless Others.