Genesis 12:1-3. 1Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:4. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.
When I was a kid growing up in church we were often told about the difference between going to Heaven and going to Hell. Obviously no one wanted to go to Hell, so becoming a Christian was a pretty easy choice. Sometimes people choose to become Christians just because of what it will do for them (like going to Heaven), or so that they can get something from God (like blessings).
Genesis 12 tells us that Abraham was spoken to by God. God told Abraham to get up and go to a new land where he would receive all kinds of blessings: land, a great nation, and a great name. Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abraham got up and went – So Abram went, as the Lord had told him. What it doesn’t tell us is why Abraham obeyed God. Was Abraham just trying to get something from God? Was he only looking out for himself?
Sometimes as Christians it can feel like that for us. Do I really love Jesus, or do I just love the idea of not going to Hell? Do I really love Jesus, or do I just want to be blessed by him? Do I really love Jesus, or do I just love his stuff? His rewards?
It’s important to know that it is OK to love God and Jesus because they bless us and reward us. In the book of Hebrews, when the author is defining faith he says:
Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Things.
God has no problem in us trusting him for his things. His blessings. The truth is that we can’t separate God from his promises, gifts, and rewards. Hebrews 11:6 puts it this way:
Hebrews 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
God wants us to seek him for the reward. He wants us to trust him for the blessing. He wants us to love him because of what he can do for us. He wants us to come to him for the rest, for the prize, for the everlasting life (and yes, even to avoid going to Hell). This doesn’t bother God at all. Why not? Well, to answer this we must go a bit deeper into the Abraham story, all the way to Genesis 22.
Genesis 22:1-3. 1After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.
For Abraham, every promise of God, every blessing, was rooted in his beloved son, Isaac. And now God is asking Abraham to sacrifice his son back to God. I know that sounds terrible, and we will talk about why God would ask Abraham to do this later, but for now we simply need to know that God is testing Abraham’s faith. Will Abraham trust God and obey God even if his greatest gift, his greatest promise, his greatest reward, Isaac, is taken away?
Maybe you know the rest of the story. God stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac on the altar and provides a ram instead. Why did God put Abraham through this? Abraham had to decide what his true reward would be. Would it be Isaac or God? God’s gift or God himself?
With Jesus we get both God’s greatest gift and God himself in the same person. When we choose Jesus, we are choosing God’s greatest blessing and his greatest reward.
You: Do you see God as a rewarder or just a punisher?
You with Jesus: Think about your good friends. Do you like them for who they are or just for what they can do for you? What about Jesus? Do you love him for who he is or only for what he can do for you?
Prayer: Father, thank you for all your gifts, but help me to trust you even when you withhold things from me, or ask me to sacrifice things for Jesus. Amen.
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