Becoming a Blessing to Others through Faith

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 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. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’" (Genesis 12:1-3)

Not only was Abraham blessed by God through his faith, he also became a blessing to others because of his faith, and this blessing moreover extended to all peoples on earth. This week I would like to share with everyone how the belief of this great man of faith became a blessing to those who had never even come into contact with him. This is the first example of how Abraham generated a blessing to others by way of his faith - because of his love for his nephew Lot, he placed his trust in the Lord and led a coalition of 318 trained men from his household and the Mamre brothers to defeat the fearsome alliance of the 4 kings (Genesis 14:13-16) This alliance had earlier defeated 5 kings and seized all of their goods and people, including the family of Lot. The belief of Abraham in God and his love for others pleased the Lord, so through God’s help he achieved a great victory. Not only did he save Lot and his whole family, the kings of Sodom etc. and their populace also gained salvation. In a way this was the last opportunity given by God to those 5 sinful cities including Sodom and Gomorrah before their due punishment. The 5 kings and their people were able to escape the fate of capture and plunder as a consequence of the faith of Abraham.

The second example of how Abraham generated a blessing to others through his faith is recorded in Genesis chapter 18. Because he loved the righteous people in the 5 evil cities including Sodom and Gomorrah, he interceded with and petitioned the Lord through faith. Six times he haggled with God for the grace of non-destruction, begging God not to destroy the cities for the sake of the righteous people possibly living in them. Most people think that Abraham pleaded with God not to annihilate the evil cities because of his love for his nephew Lot. I believe it is because Abraham’s relationship with God had become as close as that of friends’. For God said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (v. 18) Trust forms the basis of the association of friends. He dared to petition before God because his belief in the Lord was not vacuous and devoid of substance, for he recognized that it is the character of God to love righteousness and hate evil. God remembers the righteous on earth. He is a merciful and forgiving Lord. (v. 23-24) He judges all the earth according to His righteousness. (v. 25) Abraham knew that he himself was as insignificant as dust and ashes, but he believed that God would still deign to listen to his plea. (v. 27) God is also not quick to anger. (v. 30) Although Abraham’s petition was not able to deter God from destroying those sinful cities in the final analysis, because there weren’t even 10 righteous people in them, it still raised the Lord’s concern for the whole family of his nephew Lot and spared them from destruction. (Genesis 19:29)

Therefore, if we know the character and handiworks of God, and harbor a sincere faith in Him and an earnest love for those around us, God will make us a blessing for them. It is what those members among us who gained salvation from belief in God have experienced, and just like the journey of faith we are traveling on due to the building of the church. If we in this generation face adversity through faith and successfully complete the construction of the assembly hall, the next generation will be blessed as well on account of our faith. They will see the reality of God and join us in witnessing for the Lord, so that many others will receive the blessing of God’s salvation by way of us who have relied on faith from the first.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)

By: Daniel To