The life of faith begins with a willingness to forsake everything that displeases God. Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of the book of Hebrews. But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race; he also was, by example, the father of everyone who lives by faith in God (Romans 4:11).
Contrary to popular first-century Jewish thought, God didn’t choose Abraham because he was righteous in himself. When called by God, Abraham was a sinful man living in an idolatrous society. His home was in the Chaldean city of Ur, which was located in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
God’s call to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1–3: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Note Abraham’s response: “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him” (v. 4). He listened, trusted, and obeyed. His pilgrimage of faith began when he separated himself from the pleasures of a pagan land to pursue God’s plan for his life.
So it is with you if you are a man or woman of true faith. You have forsaken sinful pleasures to follow Christ. And as your love for Christ increases, there will be a corresponding decrease in worldly desires.
I pray that your focus will continually be on fulfilling God’s will for your life and that you’ll always know the joy and assurance that come from following Him.
- What are the challenges you face to live a life of faith like Abraham?
- How can you be an encouragement to others to live a life of faith?
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