Committed To A Life of Faith

Daily Devo: March 5, 2025

Genesis 12:4-6 ~ So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

When I received Christ as my Saviour I began reading the Bible. As I read, I learned that the Christian life is a life of pilgrimage. We are on a journey that began the day that we received Christ into our hearts, and it will continue until the day that we reach Heaven. Sometimes the pilgrimage is great and sometimes it is very difficult. But always it is to be lived out through faith in the Lord. (Heb 11:3 & 1 Pt 2:11)

Abraham was the first one to leave everything behind and to walk with the Lord by faith. His pilgrimage was not easy, but God did bless him along the way. In his pilgrimage, Abraham sets the example for us to follow as he shows us how to live our lives in absolute faith and total commitment to the Lord our God. As we have already seen, Abram’s obedience to the Lord involved his separation. He was to separate from everything that would hinder the progress of his faith. (Heb 12:1-2)

It involved his substance because when the Lord called Abram, He got everything that Abram had. Abraham did not leave anything for the world to use because he took all that he had and went after God. You can gauge the level of a person's commitment to the Lord by how much of that person’s “stuff” has been dedicated to the Lord! Many get hung up on the tithe. I believe that a person ought to tithe, for that belongs to the Lord. But what you do with the other 90% is just as important to the Lord as what you do with His 10%. You see, God doesn't just want His part, He wants your part too! He gives us what He does so that we might use it for His glory and for His kingdom’s work.

That is the reason that some people never have anything! They peel off a dollar for the Lord and spend the rest of the ten on themselves and the things of the world; God will not and cannot bless that! When He has you and your checkbook, He can bless you in ways you have never imagined. The way to get is to give. That is not the motive for giving to the Lord, but it is a benefit! How much of your stuff does the Lord have? Or do you have “your pile” and “God's pile?” If you do, I'll guarantee you that your pile is bigger! But if that is so, you had better be careful, He might blow on your pile. If He ever does, there will not be anything left (Hag. 1:5-11). If you have a problem with your tithes and offerings, you really do not have a problem with your tithes and offerings. You have a problem with your heart! When Abram finally stepped out on faith and committed to it, he gave his all to the Lord. His heart, like King David, was after God’s heart. Is yours? (Lev. 27:30 / Lk 6:38; Mal 3:10)

It involved his surrender; he did as the Lord had spoken to him. The secret to pleasing God is to simply do what He says to do. Do not vary in any place or in any way. Even though the call of God was going to be difficult, it was the only course of action that made sense. Faith builds no barriers because it does what God says and trusts God to take care of the rest. In our own pilgrimage, the sooner we learn that lesson the better off we will be. The only way to truly enjoy the Christian life to the full is to come to a place of complete surrender where you put everything on the altar of living sacrifice. You might be led to think that God just wants your stuff, but He is not interested in your stuff. All God wants is YOU! God did not need Abram’s stuff and He does not need your stuff. He is working things in your life to get you to where He wants you. (Rom 12:1-2)

In all of this there is no promise of a smooth road with no potholes, hills, mountains, or valleys, but there is the promise that it will be a sure road. It will get us to where we are going. Abram had some opposition facing him as he began his pilgrimage. His days opposed him because he was 75 years old when he finally left on his journey. Most are slowing down at this time in life and this is the time when Abram set out to follow the Lord. His family may have thought that he was a nut, but in truth, he was a man who was diligently seeking to follow in the perfect will of God for his life. When it comes to our pilgrimage there will never be a day when we can retire and take our ease.

There is also a lesson here that it is never too late to start serving the Lord nor is there ever a time when you are of no use to Him. Physically, there may be a time when you cannot get up and go as you once did, but there is always something that you can do for the Lord. I knew a dear sweet lady who at 92 years of age would still get up and run like she was still in her sixties. She spent hours a day praying for our missionaries and our church family. The church can always use prayer warriors, people who, like Enoch, walk and talk with God every day of their lives. We need folks, who like Moses, will intercede on behalf of the people who are trying to stay on their pilgrimage amidst all of the difficulties and trials along the way. And the pastor of your church, whoever he may be, always needs prayer warriors as he watches for the souls of his congregation. When you do not know what else to do, you can pray. (Eze 3:17-21 & Heb 13: 7 & 17)

Todd Taylor, Th.D.

Bible Reading: Genesis 12, 15-18 / Psalm For The Day: Psalm 72

In Depth Study: What Is Prayer?

Luke 18:1-8 (v. 1)

Before we begin to talk about the place prayer ought to hold in our lives, we need to understand exactly what prayer is. Knowing what prayer is will help us to see that it deserves an elevated place in each of our lives.

1. Prayer Is An Invitation To God

~ Not coercion, not coaxing, but simply inviting God to take over

~ It is me admitting my weakness and His power. (Jairus - Mk 5: 22-23)

2. Prayer Is Work

~ True praying is not for the lazy - true prayer may require you to get up early, or stay up late.

~ A prayer is never really finished until it has grown feet and gone to work

3. Prayer Is A Battle

~ Satan does not fear nor withstand our prayerlessness, but he will bitterly oppose our prayer efforts

~ Prayer is our greatest weapon in the battle between good and evil.

4. Prayer Is Power

~ The lives of Moses, Daniel, the 3 Hebrews, Elijah, Paul and Silas, Jonathan Edwards, George Mueller, Etc. are the great examples of a life of prayer that puts faith to work and brings power into our lives

~ Prayer is the greatest power we have upon this earth.

5. Prayer Is A Developer

~ Prayer is that essential ingredient that completes the character

~ It is impossible to grow in grace without the aid of prayer!

6. Prayer Is The Christian’s Wardrobe

~ While dwelling in the cold world, the praying Christian need never fear becoming cold.

~ The praying church will never become a museum for frozen saints.

7. Prayer Is The Fragrance In Christian Activity

~ Artificial flowers may have beauty in appearance, but there is no fragrance to add to their beauty

~ Our prayers are a sweet fragrance to God and they add to the beauty of the Christian life as they come before him (1 Pt 3:12 / Rev 5:8 & 8:3-4)

~ True prayer envelopes all that we do in the breath of Heaven.

8. Prayer Is Communication With Heaven

~ There is an unbroken line between earth and the Father.

~When we pray, we are brought into His presence, we are in touch with God Himself.