THE ABRAHAMIC LIFESTYLE 2

The Passenger in The Covenant

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee – Gen 12:1

When Abraham left for the land of Canaan in obedience to the commandment of God, he took a passenger along with him: Lot. In Canaan, both of them began to prosper, and soon the land was not big enough to accommodate their combined possessions. Not long, the servants started engaging in fights (Gen 13:7).

Abraham had never fully obeyed God in leaving his kindred. And because he held on to Lot, God started disciplining him. He later realized that the promise was meant for him alone and did not include Lot. Upon this realization, he showed his nephew the whole land and offered him his choice. He never tried to keep the land to himself by selfish methods. He never held on to the land for personal reasons. The land was God’s, not his.

The important lesson here is for us to trust God, and convince ourselves that He would keep for us what He gives. And we must never seek to possess it by worldly means. Living in the world is not an excuse to be worldly in our deeds. We must come to the point in our lives where we leave everything into God’s hand.

Lot’s decision to choose the richest portion ought to have annoyed Abraham. It is enough for him to resent Lot forever, but he let him have it without any grudge. He let Lot have the portion he chose unconditionally. When he later learnt that Lot has been taken captive by Cherdorlaomer , at the risk of his own life he rushed out to rescue him the very moment he heard the news (Gen 14:14).

Those who know God do not need to protect their rights. Because we believe and trust in Him, we need to bear the cross daily and rely upon Him for the outcome. At this juncture, because of Abraham’s obedience and self-restraint, God spoke to him (Gen 13:14 – 17).

As you learn to surrender all and depend upon God for sustenance and provision, He will speak to that challenge of yours.

THE ABRAHAMIC LIFESTYLE 1

The Man and the Land

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saint - Eph 1: 18

God promised Abraham that he would inherit the land of Canaan. Abraham on his part did not fully understand the importance of this promise. He had not fully come to terms with keeping and dwelling in Canaan. The land was supposed to be his everlasting possession but Abraham had not fully come to value it.

As a result, when condition became unfavourable, he abandoned this land of promise to seek refuge in a foreign land (Gen 12:10). He thought that if he remained in that land, he would eventually die of hunger. This was a man whom God had promised that his descendants would be innumerable as the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16). He ought to have known that until the promise of an heir was fulfilled, nothing touch his life.

In Egypt, he learned that there was no land like Canaan. In Canaan, he had no need to avoid danger but in Egypt he lied so as to protect his life. For this, he was condemned by a man of the world. Abraham, a believer and friend of God was rebuffed by Pharaoh, a pagan monarch. As quickly as possible he returned back to Canaan, the land of promise.

Many times we often fail to value the promises of God. In trying to help God in quickly achieving His purpose in our lives, we adopt the ways of the world to side-step His timing. Believers have falsified their ages to secure jobs and altered documents to escape punishment. When caught, they found themselves at the mercy of unbelievers. When Apostle Paul noticed how the Ephesian believers were negligent of the grace of God upon their lives, he prayed for God to open their eyes (Eph 1:18).

Abraham learnt a valuable lesson that the land was precious. Are you caught in a similar situation today? Are you toying with the grace of God upon your life? Return back to God. Ask Him to forgive and renew His spirit within you.