The Lodestar

One aspect of faith is believing that all that God has given us belongs to him and that we should not hold on to it.

God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be a vast multitude of people, like grains of sand on the seashore and the stars of the sky. God gave Abraham just Isaac at the advanced age of one hundred years to fulfil this promise. Sarah, his wife, was ninety when her first son was born. Having another child was highly improbable for both, though the Lord could have repeated the same miracle.

The promise of becoming a great nation of countless people hinged on the only son, Isaac. The death of Isaac means the end of all the promises—becoming a great nation, blessing the nations, possessing the land and so on. But still, Abraham was willing to offer his only son on the altar when the Lord demanded his life.

Isaac was a miraculous gift, giving Abraham confidence that every promise the Lord made would pass. But only if the son lived to succeed him. If his son dies as an offering to the Lord, the promises will all be in vain. Nevertheless, Abraham was prepared to slay his child and even burn him in the firewood he had brought from home.

Abraham was willing to obey God's commands because he believed everything he had, including his son, belonged to the Lord. The gift has changed hands, but ownership remains unchanged.

Abraham depicts a godly attitude to possessions. All we have belongs to God the Giver; we are only stewards. This aspect of faith enables us to endure life's difficulties.

Reflect on what you hold as most precious and ask yourself if you genuinely believe it belongs to God. Practice surrendering those things—whether relationships, talents, or possessions—trusting that God’s promises stand firm even when letting go feels hard. Like Abraham, live with faith that God’s ownership and purpose for your blessings are greater than your own, embracing the peace that stewardship brings amid life’s uncertainties.

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