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"Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
(Genesis 26:5)
What a great way to be remembered! Abraham obeyed God. I love the story of Abram and how God chose him to be the father of a nation. He left his homeland, Ur of the Chaldeans, and traveled to a place that God would show Him. God had him start on this journey first, and then God pointed the way he should go. Faith and obedience often go together. God desires for us to trust Him, step out in faith, and obey what He tells us.
In Genesis 26:2-5, God spoke to Abraham's son, Isaac: "Then the LORD appeared to him and said: 'Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." God was very specific in His commands to Isaac: do not go to Egypt, and dwell in the land I will show you. Genesis 26:6 simply states, "So Isaac dwelt in Gerar."
What great and bountiful blessings God poured out on Abraham, Isaac, and their posterity because they obeyed God. They did not obey God perfectly; the Bible shows their faults as well as their faithfulness. But because they obeyed God, they were enormously blessed by God.
Dr. Stanley writes, "When we choose to obey God, we take the way of wisdom. His promises of blessing for obedience far outweigh any possible consequences. He asks us to submit ourselves to Him and leave whatever happens to His loving care." I could not agree more! Obeying God is a choice. We can either do what God says or we can choose to not do what God says. Obedience always brings blessings and joy while disobedience brings difficulty and pain. I know that obedience also can bring hardship and could even cost you your life. But God richly blesses us with peace, and we live eternally with Him in heaven.
I saw this recently in the life of a friend of mine in a country in South Asia. Because of his love for Christ, he was severely beaten. His persecutors broke his arm and demanded that he say the names of their gods. He refused and remained loyal to Jesus Christ. He suffered, but God has blessed him. I saw a photo of him speaking to a group of pastors in his country. They were greatly encouraged by his testimony to follow Jesus and obey Him.
Are you willing to follow Jesus at any cost? ...and obey His commandments to you? If yes, then rest assured, the Lord will be with you and bless you.
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