The Faith Of Abram
Good Morning, I pray that you will be blessed in Christ and experience victory today and every day. You are not ordinary because you have been born from above. You are His child and that means you are more than an overcomer through Jesus!
I’ve been thinking lately about the faith of Abram in the Bible. Whenever I am meditating on something in Scripture I ask the Holy Spirit to please reveal to me what it is He knows I need to see. He is always faithful to bring something to my attention that I can actually apply to my moment in time. He wants me to be blessed and benefitted by the revelation He gives me.
This particular time He reminded of how Abram left his homeland and kin behind without having a clue as to where it was he was going. He did not have any specifics other than leave your home and your kin and go to the place I will lead you.
Amazingly Abram did it. He struck out not knowing anything except that he was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. Abram did not go out due to a business plan for making more money or for any type of increase in his natural state of life. He struck out because he had an encounter with God and decided to obey whatever he heard from Him.
As Abram went on this faith journey with God he began to increase in his possessions. As Abram allowed God to lead him he was greatly blessed and benefitted. Abram increased.
In fact, Abram wound up being a very wealthy man with herds and servants. Abram did not set out with becoming wealthy as a motivation, he simply set out in obedience to God. His goal was to find a city who’s builder and maker was God. Had Abram been born during the New Covenant era his actions would be consistent with seeking the kingdom first as opposed to being identified as seeking a city whose builder and maker was God.
At one point during his journey Abram’s nephew Lot and all the other people where Lot lived were taken captive during an attack. Abram went out with his servants and fought against three kings and won and rescued his nephew Lot and all the people along with all the goods that were taken in the spoils by the enemy. The king who had been taken captive offered to give the spoils to Abram but Abram refused and said that only his men who fought should receive enough to cover what they gave up to join him in the fight. To me this is even further proof that Abram was not money minded as a man following God.
After this great victory he was visited by the king of Salem who also is called a priest of righteousness named Melchizedek. Melchizedek blessed Abram. So what does Abram do?
Abram gives him a tenth part of all that he had. In other words, Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of the total of all his assets.
There is no mention of a tithe of any kind in Scripture up to this point. The law would not come until 430 years after Abram. So where does Abram get this idea from? Abram is moved by the blessing he receives from this King of peace and priest of righteousness and he has a desire to give as a result. Abram is moved to give a tenth of his own accord.
Now at that time a tenth of Abram’s assets would have been a lot. You see in our modern terms Abram would have been a multimillionaire. This act on Abram’s part further serves as proof that wealth was not his goal and that it did not have any hold on his heart. Abram was able to freely give a tenth of all he was worth in the natural to the King of Salem without even second guessing it. Not only that but Abram gave it without asking if the King of Salem could be trusted with it, or insisting that Abram have a say in how the King would use it.
Generosity and willingness to give to God, without any strings attached, in thankfulness and gratitude for His blessing is a trademark of believers who walk in true faith and trust in God.
God does not need my money so He doesn’t move me to give it out of any type of need for Himself. He moves me to give it as though I am giving it to Him for my sake. He doesn’t want a love of money to ever take up root in my heart. To help me stay free from the love of it in my own life He moves me by the Holy Spirit to give. He does it to help me keep my focus where it needs to be, on Him and on His kingdom.
I will always be cared for as I seek to put His kingdom first just as Abram was cared for as he sought for a city whose builder and maker was God.
This motivates me to give according to the leading of the Holy Spirit every Lord’s day. If I am not sure of a specific amount I am being moved to give I will generally give a tenth of whatever the gross is of earnings. I give this gift of thanks to the fellowship I am in community with and where I serve others and am blessed by their serving me with their gifts. I give because I love God and am grateful for His blessings. I never want money to be the thing in this life that I am living for and making decisions based on. I want to live in the freedom that is mine in Christ and this is one area that is very important because Jesus said,
Luke 16:11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
I encourage you to put your trust in your Father today by living free of any temptation to let money dictate to you in any way. You don’t have to have a lot to be affected by the love it. Even people without it can be in love with it and be over occupied with how to get more of it instead of putting their trust in the Lord and expecting the Holy Spirit to give them advice and counsel that will lead them in their lives.
Always remember that you are loved with an everlasting love by a faithful God who cannot lie and you have everything you need in Christ. Go and enjoy the adventure that is yours when you live submitted to the Holy Spirit today and every day!
