Abraham was a man who was far from perfect. Twice, he lied about his wife’s identity because he was afraid to lose his life (Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). He missed the mark when it came to trusting the Lord to keep His covenant with him. However, Abraham was found righteous in the eyes of Lord by his works of faith (Heb 11:8; Rom 4:2).
When the Lord called Abraham to a task, he was ready to do it and he did so immediately. When the Lord told him to leave his land, he did not wait. And, when God called him to confirm his dedication, he did not wait.
In Genesis 12:1-4, God commanded Abraham (Abram at the time) to get out of his country, leave his family and his father’s house behind and go to an unknown land. If we were put in the same circumstance, how would we respond? Would we be willing to forsake our family and leave everything we have built behind? It’s possible that we would, but we would probably need some time to think about it. Verse 4 tells us that Abraham did not wait at all. God told him to leave, “So Abram departed…”
When we became Christians, there were sins and poor habits that we had to leave behind in order to follow Christ. Then, as we get older, sometimes we allow those old temptations to weigh us down again. Is anything keeping you from being faithful? In Luke 14:33, Jesus said, “…whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
The Christian life also requires dedication. In Genesis 17:9-14, God told Abraham that He required a sign of His covenant with him. He and all his household needed to be circumcised. This would be a physical sign of his loyalty to God. It was also a very painful procedure. That very same day, Abraham did as he was commanded. Immediately, he dedicated himself and his household to the Lord (v. 26-27).
Are we as dedicated as Abraham? Many will make excuses as to why they won’t serve God. They put work before the church or allow their friendships to make them second guess committing to church functions. We cannot allow our loyalties to be divided.
Let us follow the example Abraham has shown us. Don’t wait to go where the Lord wants to send you. God has demonstrated His promises. If we believe in Him and that He can use us, He will. But, He will only use us if we are fully dedicated to Him. We cannot say we will be good Christians “some day” or “sometimes.” Let us be the servants that the Lord requires us to be today and all the time (John 12:26). Nothing is worth holding onto if it keeps us from following the Lord. Drop whatever it is and obey God today.