As Abraham walked by faith into God’s promised land, he would do something very significant, not just pitching a tent to dwell in, but he also built an altar. Now, mind you, it was not an idol. It was an altar where he would worship and call on the name of the LORD.
To those seeing this stranger in the land, they saw a strange thing as they saw what would be a place of worship, and they would hear a person call on God. Abraham was living differently. His faith had him worshipping the one true God.
What do people see when they see you? Do they see a “living sacrifice? (Romans 12:1) Do they see a temple that belongs to God? (1 Cor. 6:19)
What do they hear from you? Do they hear you calling on God? (Surely they don’t hear you cursing God!)
Something to consider: one may have thought that right after finding a place to settle, Abraham would have started preparing fields and shelters for his livestock, yet we read he built an altar to God. Where does your worship fall as it relates to your work? Does your worship flow into your work, or does your work interfere with your worship?
On December 8 (12/8), DATE the WORD with Genesis 12:8. It says, “And Abraham moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.”
Genesis 12:8 speaks of Abraham’s dedication and devotion to God as he walked by faith!
Continue Strong, seeking first God’s kingdom,
And remember to DATE THE WORD
BTW – on our website at https://datetheword.com/ you can learn about our new book, the DATE THE WORD Daily Devotional, as well as our 2026 DTW Calendar and our perpetual calendar. We solved all your Christmas shopping challenges – buy gifts for your family and friends that will give all year long!