If there is one thing I love about the life of Abraham, he was always willing to trust God and simply go where God wanted him to go. He didn’t sit and argue and give his reason, or input about what God wanted; he simply obeyed. He walked by faith! If there is one thing God expects from us, it’s our obedience, not our opinion! If we look at the life of Abraham, he shows us what it means to forsake this world, and simply follow the voice of God almighty. You can say that Abraham was “An Altar builder, and a Tent Dweller.” Granted, Abraham was blessed with many possessions, servants, and wealth, but that was not his reason for living. If we today, had the possessions Abraham had, we would find us a nice 100 acres and build us a nice comfy fort on it, and kick our feet up and live the easy life. This is why I find Abraham so fascinating; he was simply a tent dweller, and an altar builder. His life started when God called him out of his homeland, and called him to go on a faith journey.

(GENESIS 12: 1-5 KJV) 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed . 4 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. 5 And Abram took Saraihis 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.

One thing Abraham understood was he was no longer living for himself. God let Abraham know he would be the father of many nations, and he would bless his seed forever. Abraham was obviously a man that sought to please God, because he harkened unto his voice. There came a pivotal point in his life when He and Lot’s herdsmen were quarreling, and they decided it was time to go their separate ways. Abraham no doubt could have chosen the well-watered plain of Jordan, but rather he gave Lot the choice, and of course Lot chose based on what he saw, an easy life that will benefit ME! Abraham chose to stay on course in the Land of Canaan, even though it was nothing but dry desert plains and a promise from God almighty. This is the place we find ourselves today; Are we looking at the world, and caught up in those well watered plains? Are we building a life here on earth? Do we have one eye on the world, and one eye on Heaven? These are questions we must ask ourselves!

If we plan on making it to “OUR CANAAN LAND,” we have to keep the mind set of Abraham. God, I don’t know where you’re taking me, and all I have is the faith in your promise, but I’m going to keep altars built in my life, and I’m going to always keep my focus on you Lord. I’m not going to build a life down here, and set up shop, because I’m a tent dweller and altar builder. I’m going to keep moving, and pitch me a tent along the way, because this world is not my home. I’m not going to pitch my tent toward Sodom, because too much is at stake, I can’t afford for my family to become enticed with what’s going on in Sodom, too much is at stake. I’m going to keep moving, and keep my eyes focused on your promise Lord, because nothing else in this world matters. I realize I’m just a pilgrim in a strange land, but I’m standing on your promise Lord, I know you’re leading me to a land flowing with milk and honey, where the streets are made with gold.

Dear brothers and sisters, may we keep this frame of mind: This world is not my home, I’m just passing through! This world has nothing of eternal value for me and my family. Lot made the critical mistake of pitching his tent towards the world, and it cost him dearly. May we always keep moving and pitching tents towards Heaven, and keep altars built to hear the voice of God, and remind us of His promises! Fret not over the dry valley’s we may cross, our land of Canaan awaits us on the other side!

God Bless, JDS