Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life - Far Eastern Bible College

the fact that God had given him the explicit command to leave. Finally,
he yielded to God. He abandoned all the things in the city of Ur that
were dear to him, and trusted fully in God. He packed up, and began the
tedious journey to a place he did not know about and had never seen
before. We can imagine all the ridicule and gossip that must have been
on the lips of the citizens of Ur as they saw Abraham leaving.
Do you think you would have done the same thing, if you were in
Abraham’s shoes? Would you have been willing to abandon all your
plans, your hopes, and comforts in order to do what you know God
wants you to do? Would you have obeyed the Lord, or would you have
excused yourself by saying, “Lord, I cannot do this. You are asking too
much from me.”
If we truly believe in God the way that Abraham did, we would say:
“God has spoken: if I truly believe in Him, I must obey. His word and
His promises are true and I can depend upon them.” We need to have
this kind of unquestioning obedience today. We who believe in Christ
have now received God’s Word, commanding us to forsake the world, to
forsake sin, and self, and to journey through life with God, even though
we may not know exactly where the path will lead. God says, “Trust
me, I will lead you and show you each step you must take.” If we have
faith in Him, we simply must obey Him.
III. Abraham’s Endurance
“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise” (v 9). This verse emphasises what Abraham
had to endure after he left the city of Ur. His life was now never as
comfortable and as easy as he had before. He was now a stranger, a
foreigner and an alien. In those days it was much harder to be a
foreigner than it is today. Aliens were sometimes treated with hostility,
and quite shamefully. Because of their different culture and lifestyle,
people could easily spot them. And because of their ignorance, people
could easily take advantage of them, cheat them, and even kidnap and
enslave them.
44 A Consecrated Life