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Twenty-four years had passed since Abraham had received God’s promise to make him great. He was close to one hundred years old by now and yet, he was still the same man that he was when he first heard and obeyed God’s voice. He went through many situations and hardships during those years but he maintained the same faith in God as he had before.
‘So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground.’ (Genesis 18:2)
Notice how Abraham ran towards the angels of God who had gone to meet him. He hosted them and hastened to give them the best meal he could. After that, God confirmed to Abraham that he would finally father a child.
When we are at the beginning of our faith, everything is new. The first prayers and experiences with God are always memorable. In fact, the beginning of anything we do is always the most exciting part. As time passes, however, this excitement wears off because it loses its novelty and we already know how things play out. Abraham’s faith did not wear out and for comparison, we can mention his nephew, Lot, who had walked with him since their departure from Haran.
‘When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered…’ (Genesis 19:15–16)
While Abraham was ready to run towards doing God’s will, Lot hesitated and lingered. He believed in God but always put his personal interests first and that is why his legacy is one of ruin and shame.
How many people started off on their journey of faith as Abraham but ended up as Lot? Time diminished their faith because they were moved by the novelty of doing something meaningful with their lives. What they should have really searched for was to always be ready to obey God, regardless of what was going on around them. That was Abraham’s secret and that is why he always remained strong in his faith.
The questions we should all ask ourselves are: Have I been readily available to serve God with joy or have I been dragging myself? Have I been an inspiration to other people or do people look at me and say: he/she used to be on fire? Have I been as faithful as Abraham or am I as faithless as Lot?
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