Outliving Your Life
Genesis 15:1-6 - Some time later, the Lord spoke
to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will
protect you, and your reward will be great.”
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all
your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children,
Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my
wealth. You have given me no descendants
of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be
your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to
him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many
descendants you will have!”
And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as
righteous because of his faith.
A couple of things to point out
about Abram here. First, he felt close
enough to God to be a bit cheeky with the Almighty. God says, I’ll protect you and reward you and
old Abe shoots back, “what good is that if I don’t have descendants to inherit
it?” It might seem like a lack of faith,
but it’s exactly the opposite. Abram had
already been promised by God that he would be the Father of many nations. He obediently left all he knew because he
believed that promise. Abram is not challenging God. He’s trying to understand what God is
doing. The wealth and protection was
great, but if you read the larger story of Abram, you know he’s not motivated
by either of those things. He’s focused
on how God will keep God’s promise. So
his question is seeking insight. Abram
was called a “friend of God”(James 2:23) and good friends are comfortable
asking probing questions is seeking deeper understanding.
The other thing I want to point out
here is Abe’s long view. As I just
stated, Abram had wealth and other blessings, but his interest is more for
those who will come after him than himself.
I point it out because we live in a culture of NOW – one that is way too
focused on the short view. I’m talking
politicians who make decisions on whether it will help them win re-election in
the short term rather than how it will help more people in the long run,
companies who focus on next quarters profits versus the long-term security of
their employees, and consumers who sacrifice future savings and safety nets to
have what they want now. Those are easy
targets for me to take shots at, but I’m included in that last one. One of the things we can learn from Abram is
that the finish line isn’t our death.
Abram was instinctively aware pf
this truth without the promise of eternal life that we Christians often
cherish. There was no such notion in his
faith. Yet what God had given him is a
vision for how his life could continue to matter for many others long after he
was in the ground. And because of that,
Abe began to live not for himself, but for those who would come after him.
Question: How would
living for those who come after you change what you’re doing right now?
Prayer: God, give us
a vision for our lives that is bigger than the days we have left in this life. Help us to live for those who will come after
us. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for hospital personnel nationwide as hospitals reach or approach capacity.
Song: Friend of God -
Israel Houghton
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