Genesis 12:3
“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.”
Abraham became a great man of faith because he attempted something great by faith. It is no wonder God made him a great man when you see what he was willing to do for God, and what he did for God. It was no small thing for Abraham to leave his homeland to go to a land that he did not know, and believe that God could make of him a great nation when he had no children. You have to understand that Abraham was not a young man, but he was seventy-five years of age when he attempted this great act of faith. Because he attempted something great by faith, he became a blessing to others through his life of faith.
Many want to be great in this life, but they are unwilling to do what makes a person great. Many want to be given greatness, but greatness is not achieved, but it is a result of doing right, and greatness follows. It is like my pastor told me, “Don’t try to be great, but stay busy doing what you are already doing for God, and when God needs you to do something great, He knows your name and telephone.” What he was telling me was that God knows where to find me if He needs me to do something great, but God will never call me to do something great if I am not already doing something great for Him. Several actions you must do if you want God to use you mightily.
First, you must be willing to leave all for Him. Abraham’s act of leaving family, friends, and possessions to travel to a land he had not seen was a great act of faith. Those who want to stay in the comforts of pleasure will never know the mighty works of God in their life that comes from faith attempts.
Second, you must obey for God to use you. God can always use the obedient better than He can use the disobedient. Certainly, there were times in the Scriptures when God used the disobedient, but those He used the greatest were those who were obedient to Him. Nobody ever said that obeying God would be easy. There are times when you must be willing to lose all to obey Him, but if losing all causes me to have His blessings on my life, the price of losing all to gain His blessings is worth the sacrifice. My friend, it is never a sacrifice to lose what you have, to gain God’s blessings that He has for you through obedience.
Third, you must attempt great things by faith for God. God always honors faith. You can never attempt enough by faith that God cannot do more through you. I have always learned that no matter how much faith I have, it is never more than what God can provide. Your faith is never bigger than God’s ability to do. You will find that whatever faith you act on is always too small than what God does through your faith.
Fourth, live to be a blessing to others. The key to Abraham’s greatness is found in the last part of the verse, “…in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” God’s purpose in using you is so that you can be a blessing to others. The purpose for God using you is not for you to hold God’s blessings for yourself, but to be a conduit of His blessing to others. It is in being a conduit of God’s blessings to others when God makes your name great. Every great person in history was great because they lived for others. You cannot become great by being selfish, but you become great by living for others.
