Build the Altar First
I was reading through Genesis 23, and it seemed to me like Abraham was targeting Ephron. Of all the men standing at that gate, he seems to set his sights on Ehpron’s specific plot of land. Why? Was it because he really liked the cave on the far end of the field? We’re not entirely sure, but maybe we get a hint when the text goes out of its way to tell us that he received the whole field “and all the trees that were in the field” (Genesis 23:17). Why mention the trees? Why all the legal details?
Maybe because this wasn’t just a real estate transaction, but rather the fulfillment of a long story. See, years earlier, Abraham had settled near the oaks of Mamre. There, he built an altar and worshiped the Lord (Genesis 13:18). It is quite possible that’s the same plot that he finally purchased. Think about that for a moment; long before Abraham owned a square foot of the Promised Land, he worshiped God on it. Long before the promise was fulfilled, he praised the One who made the promise.
I think that’s a great picture of faith. Faith is learning to worship on land it doesn’t yet possess. It’s praising God before the answer comes. It’s trusting God’s character while we wait on God’s timing.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted to postpone worship until God comes through. We tell ourselves we’ll praise Him when the scan comes back clear, when the job offer arrives, when the relationship is restored, when the prodigal returns, when the finances improve, or when the future feels secure. But Abraham-like faith worships before, because worship is not ultimately a response to fulfilled promises; it is a response to a faithful God.
Abraham’s confidence wasn’t rooted in what he possessed. It was rooted in the God he knew. The years of worship at Mamre prepared him for one of the hardest moments of his life. When Sarah died, Abraham was able to entrust her to the Lord because he had already spent years entrusting himself to the Lord.
Maybe there is an area of your life where you’re still waiting. Don’t wait to worship. Build the altar now. Trust God now. Praise Him now. The ground where you learn to worship today may become the ground where you discover tomorrow that God was faithful all along.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Her Last Move
“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
- Augustine
My dear feisty, loving mother died on October 11, 2011, at the age of 95. During the decade prior to her homegoing, she moved at least six times, and the moves primarily involved my husband, me, family members, and dear friends. We would move her where she wanted to go, and within about a year, she wanted to move again because it just didn’t feel right to her. When she went to be with the LORD, one of her dear friends said, “That was her last move!” It was so true that we put “Mom’s Last Move” on her gravestone. Perhaps the above quote by Augustine is the reason for her restless heart; she was made for God and finally found her rest in Him.
In Genesis 23, we have the story of Sarah’s last move, her death. Abraham mourned her and prepared for her burial. He spent a veritable fortune to buy the field, the cave, and the trees. He buried his wife there in Machpelah, and later this same cave would be the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even now, this cave of the patriarchs can be visited.
We all have one: a last move. In Psalm 90:10, we read, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty…” and in verse 12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” If anyone believes this is all there is, they would say as Solomon does in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity!’” Life has no meaning? Depressing much? But we know “God is,” and He has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). That feeling of restlessness and longing is an inner knowing that this is not all there is. Amidst a world in chaos, when we are surrounded by evil, fulfillment comes in knowing God made us, knows where we are, knows what we are thinking/feeling, has a purpose for us, and we are at home with Him.
Unless Christ returns first, we all will walk through the doorway of death. But, oh, if your foundation is in Christ, the other side of that doorway is full of unspeakable joy and love beyond comprehension because we will finally be with the One who made us for eternal life with Him.
This reminded me of a poem by C.T. Studd (1860-1931), a man born into a wealthy British family who had it all. He had a great education (Cambridge), was a famous athlete, and was wealthy. But it was all “vanity of vanities,” and he gladly gave it all up to serve Christ as a pioneering missionary in China, India, and Africa. One of his legacies to us is a poem he wrote, and this devotion closes with two of its stanzas.
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member
Just Passing Through
In the passage this week, we learned that Abraham, who was living in the land of the Hittites at the time of Sarah’s death, wanted to buy a piece of land in which to bury her. The people there considered him a “prince” among them and wanted to give him the burial place for free. Yet Abraham insisted on paying for the land. Although he lived among the Hittites and got along well with them, he didn’t see himself as one of them. He considered himself a foreigner in that land.
In Hebrews 11:9-10, we read, “Abraham, although he was living in the land God had promised him, still lived there by faith, for he was like a foreigner living in tents. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations — a city designed by God.”
The New Testament repeatedly reminds us that this world is not our home. We live here in this life on earth, and yet we are told that once we place our faith in Christ, our citizenship is actually transferred from the kingdom of the world into God’s eternal kingdom. It’s mind-boggling, yet it’s true. How can we explain this? How can our feet be here now, and it not be our home? This spiritual truth might be difficult to explain, but I believe it explains a lot about us.
It explains why we can become disillusioned with life on this earth. It’s why we are grieved when we see evil that, in our spirit, we know should not happen. It’s why when we achieve something — a level of success, or some other goal — the joy from that achievement eventually fades. We long to be married, and yet even in the best of marriages, we can still feel unloved at times. We long for children, and yet with parenting, we discover new disappointments and even griefs. It isn’t that success, marriage and family aren’t good things. They are wonderful blessings from the Lord! But they are not our ultimate and final home.
I love the quote from C.S. Lewis in his book, Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
And truly, we were made for another world.
I need that reminder, especially when I gaze too long at this world. With TV, the Internet and social media, it’s very easy to get discouraged by the things we see and hear. My husband is great at reminding me, “This isn’t our home.”
My first reaction to his reminder is to sigh and lament, “But how long can it go on?”
Then I think of the many ways God reminds me of his presence. He really is here with us every moment of every day. If our eternal life with him has already begun, which his word says that it has, then the blessings of this life are not my only hope. They are kisses from Heaven. I believe God wants us to see them as such. He wants us to see them as reminders of the hope we have in him. And all of the sad things of this world cannot change who we are or whose we are.
He is our Forever Home. How much more will he care for us as we sojourn in this land as foreigners? As an old hymn puts it, “This world is not my home. I am just a-passing through.”
Judy Linscheid
EFCC Member
Old Home Movies
And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. (Genesis 23:2)
I’ll never forget the first time I got the news that one of my friends had died. Afterward, I was tasked with calling my mom and letting her know. I honestly don’t know which was worse, giving that news or receiving it. The truth about that experience, though, is that I saw everyone around me in slow motion. There’s a way that death brings clarity to what truly matters. For Abraham, as he worked to get Sarah’s affairs in order, nothing mattered more than honoring his late wife in burial. There’s a distinct privilege that comes with caring for loved ones after they pass. Our final acts of love that we get to express to them come in the form of small details and tears.
I’m curious about what kinds of “home movies” were playing in the back of Abraham’s mind as he sought to bury Sarah. The sounds of Isaac’s birth, the conversations during each of their journeys together, and the moments of laughter, disappointment, and prayer woven through their story. I wonder what emotions were tied to those memories. As he’s sifting through her things, what was coming up for him? Maybe the promises that God spoke to them were echoing back to him.
Death is a thin place. The way that grief softens our hearts causes us to recognize where we’re at and where we’ve been. In my experience, the Lord seems so much nearer in the midst of mourning. When our hearts are cracked open before God, His truth finds us less resistant.
Though death was no part of God’s original plan, I’d suggest that He uses it to meet us exactly where we are. In the tenderness of pain and grief, I think we’re more apt to recognize hope and to cling to it.
Friend, my prayer is that even in the midst of pain, you would encounter the God who knows you and loves you.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead
Abraham’s Faithful Purchase
At the beginning of Genesis 23, Abraham mourns the loss of Sarah. What follows is a lengthy negotiation to purchase the cave of Machpelah and the surrounding field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place for his family. Although the land is offered to him freely, Abraham insists on paying the full price.
This purchase establishes an important truth. Abraham did not want a gift; he wanted unquestionable ownership and a legal claim to the land. This was also the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham’s family would possess, the land God had promised through His covenant.
Yet Abraham did not simply wait for the promise to be handed to him. Abraham wasn’t buying God’s favor; he was expressing his faith in God and choosing to invest in the promise. He chose to participate in it through sacrifice, faith, and commitment. For Abraham, securing ownership and his willingness to pay full price revealed the depth of his confidence in God’s promise.
How often do we ignore God’s invitation to participate while choosing to enjoy the benefits of His promises? We choose not to commit, invest, or sacrifice.
God is inviting us to take an active role and be a part of His story. He is inviting all of us to participate. It requires trust, obedience, time, and investment. But through that sacrifice comes deeper faith, greater commitment, and a closer relationship with God.
When we purchase a home, we do so for a multitude of reasons: building equity, potential appreciation, long-term stability, and to experience community. For Abraham, the purchasing of the land was not just a real estate transaction. It was an active way to participate and invest in God’s promise. It was a concrete expression of his belief in God’s promise that he could not yet see. Abraham never saw the result of God’s covenant, but his purchase of the land demonstrated his confidence and trust in God.
God is inviting us to participate in His promises. But investing a part of ourselves can sometimes feel overwhelming. But Abraham shows us that stepping into our faith can lead to deeper trust, stronger commitment, and the privilege of being part of something bigger and more significant than ourselves.
How can you practically invest in God’s promises in your daily life?
Claire Williams
Executive and Welcome Coordinator
Faith in Death
Series: Count the Stars: Living by Faith Between Promise and Fulfillment
Text: Genesis 23:1-20; 25:7-11
Speaker: Ryan Paulson, Lead Pastor
June 14, 2026: On Sunday, Lead Pastor Ryan Paulson completed our current sermon series, Count the Stars, on the life of Abraham from the Old Testament book of Genesis. The last message in this series is titled “Faith in Death.” We hope you enjoyed these teachings.
Empty Handed
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
(Genesis 22:6-8)
I remember many days as a child walking around Lake Murray with my mom. We would rarely, if ever, walk the trail without bringing something to feed the ducks. We never went empty-handed. I wonder what Isaac felt as he and his father ascended this mountain. Walking on the trail with nothing in hand to sacrifice. I’d suggest that he knew immediately that something was off.
The only recorded dialogue between Abraham and Isaac is this exchange. The first time I read it, my reaction was that Abraham was lying through his teeth to his son that he was about to kill. The more I’ve sat with it, the more I’m inclined to think that Abraham was not lying. He was fully surrendered to the Lord, and he knew God’s character. He knew that no matter what, God would take care of him. Abraham’s life had been evidence of God’s favor and providence. He knew deep in his spirit that the Lord would provide. The beauty of this passage is that the Lord not only provided a sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac in that immediate moment, but the Lord also provided an even better sacrifice on that same mountain thousands of years later.
As Abraham’s “only son,” Isaac carried the wood for the altar on his back up the hill; Christ carried the wood of his cross on that same trail. This awaited son of promise was about to die. Just as the awaited son, the Messiah was destined to.
The truth about this passage is that Abraham witnessed the Lord’s provision right in front of him. Ascribing the name “the Lord will provide” to this mountain was not only reflective but prophetic as well. Abraham caught a glimpse of it, but the fullness of that promise wouldn’t be realized until long after his lifetime.
Friend, hold the promise close. Surrender the need to see it happen.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead
Faith, Trust and Obedience
Over the years, I’ve often heard people say that when life became difficult, God showed up. But the reality is that God was always there. Sometimes it isn’t until we are surrounded by pain, uncertainty, and circumstances beyond our control that we begin to search more deeply, lean into our faith, and learn what it truly means to trust and obey Him.
Abraham gives us a powerful example of this. In Genesis 21, he is asked to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Scripture tells us in verse 11 that Abraham was greatly distressed because it involved his son. Yet despite his sorrow, he obeyed God’s direction.
Then in Genesis 22, Abraham faces an even greater test when God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. Once again, Abraham is confronted with deep distress and uncertainty. In that moment, he demonstrates that when everything around us feels unstable, nothing is more real, more certain, or more trustworthy than God Himself. Abraham’s faith enabled him to trust and obey, even when he could not understand.
As we enter this season of promotions and graduations, I find myself reflecting on that kind of deeply rooted faith, trust, and obedience. As this next group of young adults takes their first steps into adulthood, there is great joy and gratitude. But alongside that joy is a genuine sense of parental loss and uncertainty as we release them into this next chapter of life.
Abraham reminds me to lean into God’s constant presence, not only in my own life, but also in the lives of my children. He reminds me that the same God who has faithfully guided them to this point will continue to lead them in the days ahead. My role is to trust Him, obey Him, and allow them to step forward into the future He has prepared for them.
Where is God asking you today to lean into the truth that He has always been present? Where is He calling you to trust and obey, even in the midst of uncertainty?
Claire Williams
Executive & Welcome Coordinator
God Will Be Faithful
I think it boils down to the fact that our God is a jealous God. He doesn’t want his gifts to replace him. He won’t withhold a good gift in its time, but he wants our focus and our obedience, whether or not we get what we want. In the case of Abraham, God made a covenant with him that required Isaac to live a long, good life. In a way, God showed Abraham his cards a bit, although I’m sure it didn’t feel that way at first.
When God asks something from us, we have our own past experiences to draw on. God has been faithful before, so he’ll be faithful again. The Lord doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it, however. The story of Job is a prime example. Job was faithful, but God allowed almost everything to be taken from Job for a time; eventually, God restored much more to him.
What if God simply wants an actual sacrifice from us, and we don’t get it back? We aren’t all Abraham or even Job. What if the Lord calls us to even lay down our lives? Well then, we get the best gift of all, we get the Lord himself. The Lord himself is what we need to thrive, making whatever we gave up seem less significant by comparison. So if you hear God calling you to lay something down, for his sake, count yourself very blessed. You’re about to see God do something awesome.
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member
A God Who Doesn't Waste Tests
“After these things God tested Abraham…” (Genesis 22:1)
Genesis 22 contains one of the most difficult moments in Scripture. God tells Abraham to take Isaac, the son he had waited decades to receive, and do the unthinkable… offer him as a sacrifice. The narrator leaves no room for confusion: “God tested Abraham.”
This made me wonder… Does God still test people like that today?
The New Testament certainly speaks about testing. James writes that “the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3, NIV). Peter compares faith to gold refined by fire (1 Peter 1:7). Yet there is an interesting shift in emphasis. While Genesis explicitly describes God initiating Abraham’s test, the New Testament spends far more time discussing the trials believers face than on God creating them.
In fact, James goes on to say, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me’” (James 1:13). God is not a sadistic examiner sitting in heaven, inventing ways to trip us up. He is not hoping we fail.
Perhaps a better image comes from the world of metalworking. The English word “test” is related to the idea of a crucible, a vessel used to refine precious metals. The fire doesn’t create the gold; it reveals it. It burns away impurities and exposes what was already there.
That seems much closer to the way the New Testament describes our lives. We live in a world already full of challenges, disappointments, temptations, losses, and uncertainties. We don’t need God to manufacture difficulties; life provides plenty of them on its own. Yet God, in His grace, refuses to waste them.
A difficult conversation may reveal our patience. A season of waiting may expose where we have placed our hope. A loss may uncover what we truly trust. Trials have a way of bringing our faith into the open, where God can strengthen and mature it.
This means that when life feels difficult, we don’t have to wonder whether God is trying to catch us failing. The cross has already answered that question. The God who gave His own Son for us is not against us. He is for us. He wants all of us to pass the tests of life!
Abraham’s test revealed his faith. Our trials can do the same. Not because God delights in hardship, but because He delights in forming His people. He is not the author of every fire we face, but He is the God who meets us in the fire and uses it to make us more like Jesus.
Josh Rose
Family Pastor
