Grow Strong in Faith - Abraham
Devotional Contributor: Al Schierbaum
Scripture:
Hebrews 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
Observation:
Abraham lived in a place called Ur that was a large city in the dessert. Ur was a city with good commerce, trade, prosperity, and idol worship. The ancient world was steeped in the worship of idols because they believed the gods would prosper those who worshipped them. God’s call to Abraham was to leave his country, people and family and go to place He would show him. (Genesis 12:1) God removed Abraham from all he knew to start something new. Abraham’s faith was step by step, day by day, trusting God with each turn that He would be true to His word. Faith believes that God is doing something in your life that is much bigger than what you see. Abraham could no longer operate with the “here and now” mentality. If he did, he would not have been able to leave the comfort or Ur and set out for the unknown.
Application:
When Jesus calls us to follow Him all we know in the moment is that He is inviting us to be with Him. He called Abraham while in Ur, He called some of His disciples from the shores of Galilee, and they had no idea where He was going to take them. None of us know the path either. All we know is the moment. Like their journey, our journey will require faith and obedience. Everyone’s journey with Jesus is different and unique. No path is the same and every path has its joys and hardships. In our passage, when Abraham obeyed God’s call, he saw his journey through a different set of eyes. He saw life from an eternal perspective. When we choose to follow Jesus, everything changes. Our life perspective, goals, habits, relationships, purpose, and values all change. We begin to operate with heaven in mind, we embrace things that matter for eternity and learn to let go of the things of this earth. In following Jesus, we have no idea where He might take us and what we will encounter along the way. But what we can count on is that He is with us, and everywhere He directs us has eternal value.
One big bonus for strong faith is that our faith will make a difference for generations to come. We see in this passage that his son, grandson’s, and generations to follow would be blessed by his faith. For those of us who want to leave a positive legacy this is great news. Our lives will influence generations of people we will never meet!
Request:
Dear Jesus, help me to trust you with the uncertain and the invisible. I am so prone to panic and fear. I want my life to count for generations to come. Thank you always being with me and that the promises in your Word are sure! Strengthen my faith for every place you lead me. May all glory to be Jesus! Amen.