GOD’S BLESSING MAKES ONE RICH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 08, 2024.

SUBJECT: GOD’S BLESSING MAKES ONE RICH! 

Memory verse: "That I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’." (Genesis 14 vs 23.)

READ: Genesis 13 vs 8 - 11:

13:8: So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife, between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 

13:9: Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." 

13:10: And lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.

13:11: Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other." 

INTIMATION:

Abraham was not wealthy because he was a shrewd business man or because God rewarded his great integrity and performance. Abraham was prosperous because God blessed him and made his name great as promised (Genesis 12 vs 2). It is purely the favor of God that made him rich. Abraham was so rich that he  couldn’t dwell together with his nephew, Lot, because their flocks and herds were too big. They had so many animals that one location couldn't feed them all, so their servants began fighting with each other over the grazing land, and they were forced to separate. 

Abraham took Lot up to a hilltop so they could look out over the whole land. One part of the land was a well-watered plain flush with grass; the other part was dry. It is naturally obvious that the survival of the herds depended on there being plenty of natural grass to graze on. Fields of grass were the only source of food they had. So it isn't surprising that Lot chose the well-watered land for himself.

The story reveals how confident Abraham was in God as his source. Anyone who was relying on natural circumstances and his own efforts for prosperity would never give up a well-watered plain for his animals. Looking at the natural facts, the decision whether to choose a grassy plain or the desert was a no-brainer. But Abraham knew God was his source, what things looked like to the naked eye not withstanding. Abraham was saying, "It doesn't matter where I go, the Lord is going to bless me." Right after Abraham allowed Lot to take the better land, God appeared to him and promised even more prosperity than Abraham had already experienced:

"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." (Genesis 13 vs 14 - 17.)

In the natural, it is impossible for a man who grazes his flocks and herds in the desert to prosper as much as a man whose cattle graze in lush pastures, but nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1 vs 37.) The blessing of God made Abraham rich, and he prospered much more than Lot did. The Scripture states that Abraham was blessed by the Lord in all things (Genesis 24 vs 1).

Not long after Lot and Abraham separated, foreign kings raided the city of Sodom, where Lot lived, and took everyone captive. When Abraham heard that his nephew had been seized, he armed his servants that were trained for war and pursued the foreign kings. His private army consisted of 318 men, which gives you an idea of how rich he was and how many servants he had at that time in history. He was so rich that he had a private army. Abraham's men defeated the foreign kings and brought back all of the spoils and people who had been taken captive.

The king of Sodom was grateful, so he offered to let Abraham keep the spoils: "The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the good to yourself" (Genesis 14 vs 21). The king recognized that if it hadn't been Abraham, his entire kingdom would have been lost. We don't know how much spoil the king was offering Abraham, but it isn't unreasonable to think it would have been the equivalent of millions of dollars today. He had recovered all the goods, food, valuables of five cities, so the spoils certainly worth a lot of money. But he didn't accept the king's offer because he didn't want anyone to have a reason to claim they had made him rich. 

Abraham knew he was rich because of the blessing of God. His confidence in God as the source of his wealth was so strong that he gave away millions of dollars worth of spoils, which he had rightfully earned by conquest. (Genesis 14 vs 22 - 24.) We also, need to see God as our source and develop the attitude that the resources we have are gift from God, and that our efforts are not the source of the prosperity in our lives.  

Yes, you may have worked so hard at your job, but God is the source! God gave you life, health, and abilities, and God is the One who opens door of opportunity. Until you recognize God as your source, nothing else the Bible say about finances is going to work. As long as you hold to your money with a clenched fist and hoarding possessions, God's method of prosperity won't work in your life. You have to see yourself as a steward managing the financial blessings that God has given you.

Seeing God as your source doesn't mean you sit at home and do nothing. You are supposed to work, but you need to recognize that even though you work, it is God who gives the increase. (First Corinthians 3 vs 7.) A farmer has to prepare the soil and plant seeds in order to get the crops, but God created the natural laws that govern sowing and reaping, God sends the rain and sun that makes the plant to grow, God gave the land to farm on, and He is the source of the farmer's health. Likewise, it is the blessing of God that makes it possible for you to prosper, and the foundation of prosperity is seeing yourself as a steward.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live and move and have my being.  All I have is Yours. Yours I am, and Yours I want to be. Give me the grace for effective stewardship of Your resources bestowed on me, and to earn Your acceptance as a worthy servant to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!