For Abraham, leaving his home country and family wasn’t a pioneering expedition; it was just obedience to his God! This may not seem to be very significant nowadays because of our independence and ease of access to our loved ones.  However, none of today’s privileges and conveniences were available to Abraham or his family. Abraham lived in a world where such actions were not celebrated.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. Genesis 12:1-4

In those days and in that culture leaving your home would not have had the positive connotations that it has now. First of all, he was a firstborn son, which meant his family would have looked to him for care and carrying the family name.

Secondly, Abraham’s family was well established. He had no intention of being adventurous. He was stepping out into the unknown out of obedience to God. He had no goals or ambitions that were driving him to be away from his homeland. His departure would have meant that he would not be able to see the people he left behind for the rest of his life!

How do we know it is time to move on from a commitment?

We all have a desire to be faithful to God. How can we be sure that we are moved out of faithfulness to God rather than our own selfishness?  

The account of Abraham and the Prodigal son story (in Luke 15:11-32) give us a glimpse in the difference between following the finger of God rather than following the desires of self.

1. God spoke to Abraham about his departure, but the Prodigal Son was led by his own desires.

2. Abraham was already seventy-five years old. He had no ambitions for freedom and adventure. The Prodigal Son was young and selfish.

3. Abraham didn’t have to leave to become a father of many nations when he could have had a child where he was. He leaned on God not on his own understanding. On the other hand, the Prodigal Son had no promise from God. He just had the hopes of being an independent male adult living it up with his portion of the wealth. He leaned on his own understanding and what he could see with his natural eyes.

4. Abraham and the Prodigal son both went through hard times, but God’s grace was with Abraham. He never wondered if he should go back. The Prodigal Son’s situation went from bad to worse to the point of desiring to return to his father’s house as a servant.

5. The fruit of Abraham’s life shows obedience to God and an affirmation of God’s promises in His life. The fruit of Prodigal son’s life showed the destructive nature of selfishness and sin and the pathetic state that he was left at.

The good news is that the Prodigal son’s situation was redeemed when he came to his senses. If we have made mistakes in moving on our own desires, God’s forgiveness and redemption is available to put us back on the right track again.

Lord, help us to make commitments out of faithfulness to you. Help us to discern when you are asking us to move on from a commitment. We want to remain faithful to you regardless of the difficulty of the assignment. 

I searched for the word commitment in several translations, and I could not find it. However, the words that are used readily are faithfulness and obedience. It is important to differentiate between commitment and faithfulness.

We begin our spiritual walk with confessing that we are sinners, and we make a decision to follow Jesus in all aspects of life. This commitment begins our walk with God.

As we begin to walk with the Lord, He teaches us to become faithful people. Faithfulness is one of the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes we mistake commitment with faithfulness. Faithfulness to God is the backdrop of any commitment we make to people!

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. Genesis 12:1-4

Abraham was a faithful man. When the Lord asked Him to leave His family and go to a place where he had never been before, he was willing to trust God and obey Him. He remained faithful to the Lord but not necessarily committed to staying with his family for the rest of his life.

Commitment is the by-product of faithfulness. It is tied to our assignment. For example, when we make a covenant to be married, the commitment is for a lifetime. However, there are other assignments such as a friendship or a place to live that could be a commitment for a season of life but not necessarily a lifetime commitment!

We stay committed for so long as the Lord has asked us to stay committed. When He asks us to move on from an assignment or a relationship, then our faithfulness will lead us to obey and move on.

If we are too focused on being committed, we may remain in a certain situation but not remain faithful to God! If Abraham had not been faithful to God, he may not have experienced the fulfillment of God’s purposes and promises in his life. The Lord promised Abraham long ago that all the nations were going to be blessed through him, and we are all beneficiaries of Abraham’s faithfulness.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Zaccheaus lived in the camp of traitors as a lifestyle, and he saw the fruit of it. He was rich yet lonely, having everything yet missing acceptance and love, enjoying the applause of his fellow tax collectors but not having the approval of His God!

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19: 8-10

Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus gave him a revelation of what was truly important in life. The Jewish people were supposed to be generous with the poor and the needy, but Zacchaeus went over the top!

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13

By giving half of his goods to the poor, Zacchaeus testified that money was no longer his ruler. He had chosen to serve God instead of money!

Zacchaeus took another courageous step. He admitted that he had stolen money from others by falsely accusing them. He was willing to pay back those he had harmed fourfold. His desire to restore what was stolen, was a second significant step in this man’s repentance and decision to live in truth. By giving half of his possessions to the poor and paying back fourfold to restore those he had cheated, could have meant that he gave up most and possibly all his possessions to follow Christ!

I am reminded of Jesus telling a rich young ruler that if he desired to follow Him, he must sell all his possessions and give it to the poor. Nothing in our lives should be in competition with our obedience to the Lord!

The very acceptance, importance, and security that Zacchaeus had been seeking for years kept him spiritually bankrupt. Wealth and power had not delivered what he had hoped they were going to deliver.

When Jesus entered Zacchaeus’ house and loved him in his despised state, it gave him what he had been looking for all his life. There was no need to hold on to the counterfeit any longer. He wasn’t thirsty for the deadly poison of power for he found the Living Water to quench his thirst! He was willing to give up all his possessions in order to have the love, peace, and security that he found in his relationship to Jesus.

Have you stolen reputation, acknowledgment, material goods, or opportunities from others that need to be restored today?

Are there any counterfeits that you’ve held onto for the false hope of bringing you acceptance, significance, and power? Get alone with Jesus and let His love and affirmation help you to open your grip on these things and let them go today!

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. Luke 19:1-4

The account in Luke 17 tells us that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He had already passed through Galilee and Samaria, and now He had chosen to go through Jericho to get to Jerusalem. I wonder if he had chosen this route just to meet Zacchaeus!

Jericho was a rich and flourishing town. Despite its surroundings being dry and desert like, Jericho was beautiful due to underground springs that kept it lush and green. There were many affluent people living in this desirable town, and one of them was Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector.

The tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire. In addition to collecting taxes from their countrymen, they also extorted additional money to keep in their own pockets. While being a chief tax collector would have been a powerful and wealthy position, the Jewish people including the religious crowd would have despised these people for being loyal to the Roman government and for taking advantage of them.

When Zaccheus heard about Jesus coming, He was curious about Him. I wonder if he had heard that one of Jesus’ followers (Matthew) used to be a tax collector. Maybe he hoped that he wasn’t going to be rejected by this man as so many others had rejected him.

The scripture tells us that he climbed a tree because he was short. Common decency would make people give room to those who are less privileged to have an opportunity to get in front and observe what is happening. However, Zaccheus knew better; he was not naïve. He knew that not only people wouldn’t let him get in front of the line, but they also may hurt him because of their hatred towards tax collectors.

Zaccheus’ wealth and power may have gained the recognition of the Roman authorities, but he didn’t have the respect of his fellow countrymen!

How do we use our position? Do we use it to bless others? Is it enough to have the recognition of our authorities? What do our countrymen think of us? Do we take advantage of our position/power when opportunity arises? Or do we serve and love others as ourselves?

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

How do we know we are free?

In the last devotional, I shared about the fact that sometimes we may think we are free while we are still in bondage. Despite a long history of bondage, Jesus’ disciples thought they were never slaves to anyone!

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

What is the evidence of our freedom in Christ?

 Free from Compulsion

Definition of Compulsion (according to Webster’s dictionary): to force (someone) to do something; to make (something) happen : to force (something)

Compulsion causes people to be driven and not be led by the Holy Spirit. Compulsion can take on many faces. If you are a competitive person, you will naturally be compulsive and will have to choose to be restrained by Holy Spirit.

Some are still trying to impress others by performance. When performance is the motivation behind doing something, it will drive individuals to do more than they should. The desire to impress will drive people to be compulsive. Some are compulsive because they are continually fixing another mistake. They are compelled to explain themselves more than necessary. They are busy fixing something else because they are insecure about getting into trouble again.

Paul wrote:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 6:12

Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial for us. When we begin to walk with God and experience His freedom, the Lord frees us from compulsive behavior. If we truly want to experience freedom, we have to leave our competitiveness at the altar and let God rule in our relationships. Godly people refrain from being compulsive in life! They know their boundaries of how much is too much and they stay the course.

Free from unhealthy relationships

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17

The more free we are, the better we become in choosing our friendships.  They are not picked based on our needs. We are not looking for people to fill the holes in our hearts. We don’t choose people based on their level of loyalty and/or agreement to us. We are not trying to create a clique.

As free people, we are willing to hear the hard words from our friends because we have a desire to grow and not remain stagnant. We come to be a blessing and receive genuine friendship that is based on truth, not based on flattery, gossip, control, or manipulation. The type of friends we choose, says much about our level of security and freedom in Christ!

Free to obey

Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? Galatians 3:1

When we have a desire to obey, we don’t wrestle with truth like we used to. We don’t argue with people. One of the things that Jesus does in our lives is that he comes to breakdown strongholds and barriers which have held us back from receiving truth. We are humble to accept truth regardless of the source, and we are quick to obey because we are empowered to do what is right without blaming others or excusing our flaws.

Free to love

Freedom in Christ comes with letting go of our fears and loving people deeply. People can claim they are free , but when you see how they treat their adversaries, you will know how free they are from fear and pride!

O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.  You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. 2 Corinthians 6:11-12

Paul was falsely accused by some in the Corinthian church, but those accusations did not deter him from continually loving the church. He kept his heart open and vulnerable towards those people despite of how they treated him.

Freedom in Christ allows us to keep our hearts open towards others regardless on how they treat us. We are able to love and be kind to others. That is true freedom that displays the genuine fruit of the spirit in the heat of the battle!

Lord, we don’t want to just talk about freedom but we want to live in freedom! Give us the courage and strength to live in complete freedom in every area of our lives! In Jesus’s mighty name! Amen!

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:31-36

Definition of Free (According to Strong’s Dictionary): in a civil sense, one who is not a slave of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted, free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation; in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law.

Jesus told His disciples that the Son makes them free. This freedom was a sure freedom that no government, no person, or no circumstance can steal from them. The disciples were a bit offended because they did not see themselves as slaves. They considered themselves free as Abraham’s children. Then they stated that they have never been in bondage to anyone!

The truth is that the Israelites were in bondage to slavery for over four hundred years in Egypt. The fact was that the Israelites spent decades in Babylonian captivity. Additionally, during Jesus’ time, they were under the oppression of the Roman empire. They were also in bondage to the their own man-made laws. Ironically, despite all the history of bondage, they did not see themselves as slaves but considered themselves free!

How can people think they are free while they are still in bondage?

Misery stays comfortable in miserable company

Knowing others are in a similar situation as we are makes it comforting. It gives us false sense of well-being and security. For example, if the average credit card debt is about $6000 per person, then our $8,000 debt doesn’t seem too bad. If most people spend 50-60 hours a week busy with work and activities, then our stressful life doesn’t seem to be too bad.

New definitions in culture

Our culture has a significant impact as to what we perceive to be right or wrong. For example, in our nation abortion is legal, and as a result many don’t see a problem with it. However, if you or someone close to you has experienced abortion, you could still be bound by the guilt and shame of it and not understand why you are struggling. Just because something is legal it doesn’t erase our conscience from the guilt of it. The culture or the governmental laws don’t have the authority to define what morally is right or wrong only the word of God can!

Mind over matter

We have been taught to declare the truth over ourselves to ensure our mind is renewed. That’s an important aspect of walking out and working out our salvation. However, we should also examine our lives from time to time and ensure we are experiencing change and growth in various areas of our lives, and it is not just something we claim to be true.

Not having good role models

If we only look to those around us to measure our level of freedom, we may not have people around us who are truly good role models of freedom. They may have been free in some areas, but they still have their own issues and struggles. As a result the standard is based on who we look up to not what Jesus is able to do for us. For example, if the couples around us all have major issues they are working on, we may feel that peace and unity in marriage is not attainable. We may perceive it as just an ideal to hope for.

Not honest with ourselves

Sometimes people feel the need to have a persona of freedom in order to look strong and powerful. They are afraid of showing weakness because they believe mature believers should have no struggles.

Lord please show us our current areas of bondages. Open our eyes to see where we need to experience your freedom at a greater and deeper level!

What is the evidence of our freedom? This the subject of the next devotional.

This is a continuation of the story of Tamar sleeping with her father-in-law as a harlot out of desperation!

So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah. Genesis 38:26-30

Through the ungodly union with Judah, Tamar became the mother of twin boys named Perez and Zerah. Jesus came from the line of Perez and his father Judah. God chose for Jesus’ lineage to come from a sinful and inappropriate union. God’s ways are truly higher than our ways!

I came from a culture that people’s reputation was of utmost importance to them. This led people to two subtle and understated options in life. The first choice was to place yourself in the prison of man’s opinion and not do anything to raise their eyebrows. The second option was to live an appearance of perfection but behind the scenes have a corrupt life. Neither of the options produced any good fruit because you are either bound by fear of man or bound by sin.

The fact that Judah and Tamar are included in Jesus’ genealogy, makes a clear statement about how little God values man-made reputation!

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus being the Son of God came in humility as a servant. He emptied Himself of any Godly or carnal reputation in order to be an available and pure vessel used by God for His purpose of redemption. God could have chosen for Him to be born to a priestly family, instead He chose a virgin girl and a carpenter. Jesus didn’t cling to anything to buy Him power, status, or reputation. As a matter of fact, his lineage was full of imperfect sinful people whom God had redeemed.

This signifies that it is not the reputation and the honor of a person that matters apart from Christ. We can’t cling to our heritage, perfectionism, or other successful people to build our reputation. All of us need to throw ourselves at the mercy and the grace of God. Without Him no good reputation can redeem us; with Him no bad reputation can keep us from God’s mercy! When we catch this view, God can redeem and use any person or situation and bring glory to Himself. Thank you Jesus for your work of redemption!

This is a continuation from last the devotional. Tamar became a widow twice because the two brothers were both wicked in God’s sight!

So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.  Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. Genesis 38:14-16

 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.”

So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”

 So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again. Genesis 38:24-26

Tamar heard that her father-in-law was at a certain location for celebrations, so she took off her grieving clothes, put on new ones, and covered herself to be unknown. She met her father-in-law, but he didn’t recognize her. He thought she was a harlot, so he asked to sleep with her. She agreed only with the condition of getting something personal from him. He gave her his signet, cord, and staff.

She found herself pregnant with Judah. When the father-in-law heard that his daughter-in-law Tamar was pregnant, he sentenced her to being burned because she had become a harlot. Tamar sent the signet, cord, and the staff to Judah to remind him of his own actions with the “unknown harlot” who happened to be her.

When Judah saw his own personal items, he said that she was more righteous than he was. Why did he make that statement? First of all, he did not follow through with the promise he had made to Tamar by giving his third son in marriage to her.

An Israelite man according to (Numbers 25:5-10) was expected to marry his deceased brother’s wife and have children with her in order to continue his family line. By Judah not giving his third son in marriage to Tamar, it would have left Tamar with a very bleak future since she had neither husband or any children.

Secondly, Judah was self-righteous because he demanded death for Tamar’s sin, but he did not see himself guilty of the same sin by sleeping with a harlot!

It is so much easier to see other people’s sin but not see our own sins. We usually don’t see our sins requiring any/much punishment; we may even demand mercy from others. However, when the roles are reversed, we don’t easily forgive or extend mercy to another who has sinned in a similar way.

We may criticize others for gossip but at the same time, we gossip. We may not feel loved, but we can be cold and indifferent toward others. We may complain about unfair treatment of others, but we are partial and treat some better than others. We are frustrated by others’ stubbornness or competitiveness, but truth be told we operate the same way. We just deceive ourselves by thinking that our actions are justified but others’ are unjustifiable!

Judah’s signet, cord, and staff became a mirror to see himself a sinner and a partner in crime! He admitted that he was wrong. He never slept with Tamar again. That was the place of Judah’s repentance.

Lord, thank you for exposing self-righteousness in us. Forgive us when we have operated in self-righteousness and have ignored our sin of pride! Please restore and heal our relationships! Amen!