Because Abraham Obeyed

Because Abraham Obeyed

Reading: Genesis 25-26; Luke 10 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.” (Genesis 26:4–5 NLT) Almost 100 years after God first promised to bless Abraham and to bless all the nations of the earth through him, God made the same promise to Abraham’s son Isaac. God said he was renewing and confirming the promise, not because of what Isaac had done, but because of what Abraham had done.

The covenant was renewed and the promise confirmed because Abraham had been obedient to God’s initial summons, “Leave your country and family and go to a land I will show you,” and because through all the years, fears, and tears, Abraham had kept God’s commands, his guidelines, and his teachings. The legacy Abraham left to his son Isaac and to all the faithful who followed after him was God’s covenant of blessing. Because all of Abraham’s wealth was measured in cattle and sheep–living things–and not in land and houses, Abraham was never more than a heart beat away from poverty. Abraham’s real legacy to Isaac (and to us!) was simple faith in God–in God’s provision, protection, and promise, and the simple obedience that grew out of that faith. It seems pretty clear that I’m not likely to leave my kids much in the way of houses and land and material wealth, so what is it that they will have as a result of my life? I want my kids and those who are influenced by me to be blessed because I believed God, and obeyed his requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.

What better legacy could we leave than a rich relationship with God, and the living example of a life of simple faith and faithful obedience? What’s the legacy you’re working on? Prayer: Father, I renew my commitment to believe you, trust you, and obey you. May this be an example to my kids, my friends, and to those who know me, and a legacy that I leave to my kids and to all those I influence. Amen.