Monday, January 25: Genesis 13- Remembering.

I noticed in this account that Abram builds another altar (18). In fact, early in the chapter, it locates a place between Bethel and Ai as, where he had first build an altar to the Lord (4). From this reference one cannot be certain that the original altar still exists.

This caused me to consider the building of altars. I’m sure there were many reasons and purposes… an act of declaring, a sacrifice of honor, an altar of remembrance, a service of reverence, and so on. One common thread is that they marked a moment or place and honored the god to whom they were constructed.

We don’t build altars today, but how do we honor and mark special moment, events or acts of our God today?

I am not sure I am very good at marking special moments… I wonder if I should be better at this?

It seems that every time Abram built an altar he was etching into his memory an important event with God. Overtime as the etchings accumulate Abram would have a library declaring God’s praises. And this library of memories would be a place he could go if times grew hard and he needed encouragement and strength.

Memories are powerful; good memories can motivate, bad memories debilitate.

Building a library of positive God-memories helps keep us strong in the Lord.

I am wondering how I might build ‘altars of memories’ to the Lord as Abram did? How might you?

Lord, thank You for this brief peek into Abram’s life and the thoughts it is sparking in me. Blessed by You, my Lord and my God. Amen.