“…the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.'” Genesis 17:1
We might think that since Abram (Abraham) is so far removed from our modern world, thousands of years ago, that he did not face some of the same challenges that we face when it comes to following Christ. And yet, we find in the account of his life, and God’s dealings with him, especially in what God specifically told him to do, even when he was ninety-nine years old, that Abram was confronted with the essential of undistracted, whole-hearted devotion to God. God’s call to Abram was no less important and clearly declared than it is in our day, after Christ has come and died on Calvary, and the living church has been formed in part. The revelation of God to the heart, regardless of the times in which men have lived, and live presently, brings with it a response to the calling of God, a response of undivided devotion to God in Christ, a singular commitment and surrender, which is to be practiced every day. For Abraham, when he was quite old, the revelation came specifically to him from God: “I am Almighty God.” (Gen. 17:1) Those words would bring Abram face to face with the greatest reality of his existence, that being, that the God who had called him, and set him apart to be the means of blessing for the entire world because of Christ who would eventually come, was the Creator in whom resided all the power and authority in heaven and earth. Thousands of years later, Christ would come declaring: “All power (or authority) has been given to Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) The eternal God remains the same today, as He was yesterday, and tomorrow. This is the vision that we must lay hold upon, for faith is given according to the vision received. The greater God is to the heart, and the perception of His Almighty power, the more faith will trust Him for singular devotion to love and serve Him. All becomes possible to the believer who is truly surrendered to Christ, filled with faith in the faithfulness of the Almighty God.
In the days of Jesus’ ministry, He applied these truths to all who would think of following Him, and to all who were engaged to do so. To those who would consider truly believing in Him, and following Him as their Shepherd, Lord, King, and Savior, the Lord would tell them to sit down, and “count the cost” of what that meant. To consider truly following Christ, these seekers of God had a vision of Him, a perception of His glory. But then came the necessary response to the revelation. It is a response of whole-hearted, total devotion to Christ, not for just a day, month, or year, but forever. So Jesus says, “Count the cost,” that which is required in the commitment in order to not only begin to “build,” but to finish. Another illustration Jesus would use is that of one king stronger than another who is approaching to do battle. The wise king is the one who is willing to forsake all in order to negotiate a peace. Jesus sums up this teaching by declaring: “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has, cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33) To walk before God, aiming at a blameless response to the revelation of His glory, is to pursue blamelessness. Christ put it like this: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” For the Apostle Paul, he would count all as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, to KNOW Him. For the believer, the one who has chosen to deny himself, take up his cross, and to follow Christ, the abundant, and abounding grace of God is given in response to faith in His faithfulness to aim at this objective, apprehend it increasingly, proving on a daily basis God’s mercy, goodness, and love.
The true believer ever seeks to pursue Christ without distraction.
Dear Father, Grant us single-hearted devotion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.