Topic: Like Abraham? [Wednesday 8, March 2017]
Memorise: And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. – Genesis 12:8
Read: Genesis 12:7-8 (KJV)
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
Bible in One Year: Genesis 40-41, Isaiah 54
MESSAGE:
One crucial question that many people asking God to prosper them have not answered is: what will you do with the wealth you are asking for? While some people are sure of what to do with such wealth, many others are not so certain. Why do you want God to prosper you? Is it so that you can have multiple spouses, build multiple houses or buy a multitude of cars? If you really desire great wealth from God, what you plan to do with it to bring glory to His Name must not be far from you. May you have the right reasons, motives and goals that will be honoured by God in Jesus’ Name!
Let us consider the case of Abraham our spiritual father. After God promised to bless Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and repeating the same promise in Genesis 12:7-8, what did Abraham do? Abraham immediately built an altar and worshipped God. Note that at this time, all Abraham had was God’s promise; there was no blessing yet. In other words, he was saying, “for promising to bless me at all, You deserve my worship.” Down the line, in Genesis 13:1-4, after the blessings started pouring in, Abraham did not forget his resolve to worship God. He travelled quite some distance to an altar he had earlier built at Bethel to worship God. By the time you get to Genesis 22:1-18, although Abraham had become truly blessed, he still proved to God that he loved Him more than any blessing he had received from Him, including Isaac his beloved son. When God saw all these, He was so impressed that He released greater blessings on him; hence, Abraham’s servant could testify that God had greatly blessed Abraham (Genesis 24:34-35). From the onset, Abraham was focused on worshipping God. As the blessings came, He remained committed to worshipping God. For this reason, the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 51:2 instructs us to learn from him:
“Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.”
Not many of us are like Father Abraham. When you allow the little blessings you received from God to derail you from the faith, how can you then convince God to give you more? If you truly want the exponential blessings that God has reserved for you, you must have a solid plan for how you will glorify Him with such wealth. How are you spending the little you have now?
Key Point: God has a plan for how you should spend every provision He makes available to you. Make it a point of duty to always ask Him to reveal this to you.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
