Tag: Abraham

Being Content

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 25: 7-8 (Amplified)  

The days of Abraham’s life were a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and he died at a good old age, an old man who was satisfied (with life); and he was gathered to his people (who had preceded him in death).

Abraham was a man who lived his life to the fullest. He had the most beautiful wife, who faithfully followed him everywhere he went. She bore him Isaac when both of them were very old. Sarah was ninety years old while Abraham was hundred years old. Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years. Abraham had buried her and mourned for her for several days. Soon after Isaac’s wedding to Rebekah, Abraham took another wife named Keturah, who bore him six more sons. Altogether Abraham was the father of eight sons: Ishmael, Isaac, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.

Now that is a blessed man. He not only was healthy but also fruitful. He was a wealthy man with herds of cattle, male and female servants. He was a well-respected man in all the regions he traveled. When Sarah died, Abraham, a man of integrity, pleaded with the Hittites to sell him a piece of land to bury his wife. Even when they offered their choicest tombs for free, Abraham refused to take it. Such was the heart of this righteous man.

The Bible never records of his ever being dissatisfied or striving for anything. He only had one desire: a son who would be his heir. God honored the man’s desire after several trials. Through it all, Abraham never questioned or doubted God. He followed God, sought His presence and talked to Him. Such was his devotion to a God who his ancestors didn’t know.

As he was drawing close to the last years of his life, he made a very important move. He was wise enough to pass on his inheritance to his son Isaac, the son of promise. With his foresight, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away (Genesis 25: 6). If they stayed near to Isaac, he knew they would contend with Isaac for inheritance. The Bible doesn’t record of Abraham giving any kind of inheritance to Ishmael. No wonder Ishmael and his descendants were hostile towards his brothers (Genesis 25: 18).

Here was a man, who followed God wherever He called him, and trusted Him with everything he had. That is why, his complete devotion to Lord Almighty is credited to him as righteousness. Here was a man, wise in all his dealings. No one around him ever suffered any loss, rather were blessed. He dealt fairly with everyone. Here was a man, who was thoroughly satisfied with his life. His journey on this earth was complete and satisfied.

Abraham died a contented man – contented in every way. Are we content with our lives? Are we still striving? Are we trusting God for everything like Abraham? Is God our inheritance or the worldly riches and pleasures? Are we seeking God as thirsty deer seek water? Is our utmost devotion to Him or this world and its cares? Will someone declare that we were contented after we are gone? What will our testimony be?

Dear Saint, cast your burdens on the Lord and He will give you rest. Let us make God our true inheritance for He alone can satisfy us in all aspects of our lives. Let our highest devotion and loyalty be only for Him. Let us lead contented lives instead of greedy lives. In exhortation, Proverbs 21: 21 says He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. Furthermore, 1 Timothy 6: 6-7 declares “But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either.

Look Up

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 15: 5-6

And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

When God called Abram out of the land of Chaldeans, He only promised that He will bless Abram and prosper him. The only condition was that he leave everything behind and follow God to the land the Lord God was going to show him. Abram obeyed the call, left behind everything. His father and nephew were the only ones who went along with him to the regions unknown. Soon after, Abram’s father died. But his nephew tagged along.

When strife arose between Lot’s herdsmen and Abram’s herdsmen, Lot and Abram decided to go separate ways. Lot chose the lush green valley of Jordan and settled near Sodom and Gomorrah, while Abram moved his tents to Hebron. It was in Hebron that God’s Word came to Abram in a vision. Abram was concerned that he still has no offspring. His nephew isn’t with him anymore. The only other male heir that Abram considered was his servant Eliezer.

That is when God took Abram outside and asked him to look up at the night sky. He asked him to count the stars if he was able to. And God promised that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. According to Lawrence O. Richards, today through the use of giant telescopes and radio telescopes that ‘see’ radio waves, we know that our Sun lies in a great cluster of stars, called a galaxy. Astronomers estimate that there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy and that there may be 100 billion galaxies in the universe (Richards, 1989). Astronomers have also suggested that our universe is expanding at a great rate.

God entered into a covenant relationship with Abram that night. Animals and birds were sacrificed. God and Abram entered into a blood covenant, first of its kind. Abram believed in the Lord. Isn’t it surprising that Abram trusted God more than anything or anyone at this point! He neither had a friend nor a relative to seek advice from, except for God Almighty. What God said, Abram had to take up at His Word. There was no turning back.

As we gaze at the night sky, we must realize that there is no East, West, North or South once we step outside of our planet. There is no up or down. The sense of direction is only relative to our planet. As numerous as the stars in the heavens, so many will Abram’s descendants be. Abram sure must’ve been overwhelmed by the prospect of having so many descendants. He just believed in the Lord and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. Abram recognized that what God was saying to him and showing him was absolute.

What are we believing today? Rather, who are we believing today? Is our worldview shaped by what we see around us? Or do we have a Biblical worldview? If we had the vision that Abram had about who God is, what His plans are for us, then we would be quick to believe in the Lord and take Him at His Word. Today God is asking us to ‘look up’ to the heavens. With God alone lies our redemption. With God alone lies our hope. With God alone lies our future.

Psalm 19: 1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night the display knowledge.

Romans 1: 19-20

What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Since there is so much of evidence all around us both visible and invisible, how can we not believe in God and in His Eternal Word. There is no other way around it. With man’s limited knowledge, there is only so little we could grasp the awesome power and divinity of God. Let us like Abram take God at His word.

Reference: Richards, O. Lawrence. “It couldn’t just happen – knowing the truth about God’s awesome creation” Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Nashville, TN 1989.