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Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that when Christ calls a man to follow Him He is bidding him to come and die. This is a thoroughly biblical statement. Jesus taught this principle on several occasions. Listen to these familiar words:

  • Matthew 16:25—For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
  • Matthew 16:24—If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • Luke 14:33—So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Bill Hybels wrote a book entitled Descending into Greatness; the theme was the biblical truth that the way up is to go down:

  • Luke 14:11—For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
  • Proverbs 3:34–Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

The biblical path to greatness is the way of lowliness. In fact, if you are seeking greatness then you are not following the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to “win” greatness is to “lose” to those who desire greatness.

This principle flies in the face of the natural man and thus it is completely countercultural in our “me-first” society. We should understand that self-centredness is not a modern phenomenon; it is as old as fallen humanity itself. Thus, to “die to self,” to turn away from self-interest, will make you look like a loser before a selfish world. But, as I aim to show in this study, losing is the path to winning. We see this quite clearly in the account of Abraham and Lot and the “land rights” issue as recorded in Genesis 13.

As we saw in our previous study, there was a conflict between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot over grazing rights. Abraham took the high road, using sanctified common sense, and suggested the only inevitable solution: separation. He gave to Lot the first choice in the matter and, following the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, Lot chose the land east of Jordan—the land outside the Promised Land. As we saw, this was a selfish response to Abraham’s kindness and one that would prove detrimental to Lot and his family, with long-lasting, negative repercussions for Israel in the future. Thus we see a self-centred man choosing what he thought was the most profitable path and yet losing his soul along the way. He headed for Sodom, a land that would eventually be buried beneath the Dead Sea.

On the surface of things, Lot initially appears to be the winner. Had he been on The Apprentice, Lot no doubt would have maintained his position, with Abraham being dismissed. But, praise be to God, the universe is not run by the likes of Donald Trump. In fact, in this account, we soon find that Lot is the loser and Abraham is the winner—hands down, no contest.

Genesis 13:14-18 records the wonderful account of God exalting a man who had humbled himself. We see here the principle of the Christian life: losing one’s life is the way to saving it. We who are believers often find ourselves in a similar situation to Abraham’s. We too need to live out the principle of doing the right and thus the hard thing, of being willing to lose for Christ’s sake. If we are faithful to do this then we will indeed find that we will win for losing. Let’s dig deeper into this story. Let’s see what it takes to win for losing.

You Must Look Around

Upon Lot’s greedy exit, God speaks to Abraham. He tells him to look up and to look out, “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward” (13:14).

I wonder if perhaps Abraham was somewhat stooped in sadness upon the departure of Lot. As we have seen, Abraham loved Lot. He had probably raised him as a son. And now this beloved nephew has selfishly, ungratefully and thoughtlessly left him for “greener pastures.” No doubt his heart was saddened. Perhaps as his nephew departed and disappeared over the horizon Abraham’s head bowed in sadness as he lowered his hand from his final wave. Perhaps he mused, “My father died as we began this task; now my nephew has left me. This journey is not turning out quite as I anticipated.” But then a voice shatters this moment of self-doubt. It is the voice that had delivered him from Ur and reiterated the promise in Haran. It is the voice of the one, true God. And God’s voice tells Abraham to lift his head, to raise his eyes, and to look on the vast horizon—in every direction. And look he does.

It is probably with a sense of hope, wonderment, and mystery that Abraham looks. Can you see him? There he is standing on the crest of the hill, perhaps with questions haunting him. “Did I do the right thing? Should I have allowed Lot to choose? After all, he is a selfish fellow. Now he has chosen the best and look at what I am left with! Will we survive? And besides, God promised this land to me, should I not have stood my ground and fought for my biblical rights?” As he churns these questions over and over in his mind he is oblivious to everything around him as he stares only at the ground before him.

But then the voice lifts his chin and, as he turns slowly in a circle, he begins to see what he had never seen before: opportunity, promise, the Promised Land. He is surrounded by more than he ever dreamed of. He begins to realise that he has not lost; in fact he has won!

Oh yes, the Lord had promised him the land previously and yet now for the first time it begins to sink in. He sees for the first time what was his by sovereign grace. And he will soon hear that this Promised Land has been preserved for him by sovereign grace.

I find it interesting that Abraham looked with wonder and satisfaction only after he lost. He had to lose before he could win. And so it is for you and me. We too have been blessed with so much and yet all too often we do not appreciate what the Lord has given to us; until, that is, we go through a time in which we “lose.” But as we are brought low through loss we are enabled only then to properly look up, to look around at all that we have.

Think about the issue of our health. Perhaps we only fully appreciate our health when we begin to lose it—or when we see others who are worse off. There is a man in our church who was recently diagnosed with terminal, aggressive cancer. He was given, by his doctors, but a few months to live. Recently, he went with his daughter to a shopping centre not too far from where he lives. As he began to grow tired, he sat on a bench in the centre whilst his daughter continued shopping. Looking at the people passing by him, he noticed how blessed he truly is. There were those that passed by him in far worse condition than he is in. And it was only then—during the time when his own health was rapidly deteriorating—that he noticed how blessed he is.

Perhaps we go through a time when we feel hopeless and lonely and only then do we “look up” and see all those who truly love us.

It is often the case that we are brought low, brought to the end of ourselves, as we see our weakness and must admit our impotence to succeed spiritually by fleshly means. We are forced to admit that we are “losers,” “undone,” “failures” (see Isaiah 6:5) and then we look and we are enriched by grace. We see afresh the promise of justification by faith alone. We see with renewed joy the promise of perseverance; we see with new eyes of faith the loving assurance of God’s acceptance and spiritual provision for our “pilgrim’s walk.”

Perhaps you are struggling financially and are confronted with the temptation of material compromise. But you stay faithful to God in your stewardship. You may feel as though you have lost as you give your tithe and then you look and you see the providential ram in the thicket.

Perhaps you find yourself in a situation in which you are being betrayed by those who at one time you called your friends. You commit to doing the right thing in spite of the pain and yet you feel like the loser. It is then that you need to look around at all of those who are standing with you. Then you will realise how blessed you are.

My point is obvious: before we can have the privilege of looking at God’s blessings and promises we first need to lose ourselves in our act of faith.

Perhaps you find yourself standing for the truth while those you love misunderstand you and they take off in the wrong direction. It is then that you must look around at the blessings that God has given to you and to be encouraged.

Doing the selfless thing requires faith. For Abraham to allow Lot to choose first required a great degree of faith. And yet this is exactly what “the friend of God” did, and his faith was rewarded with a fortune!

When we respond in meekness towards those who wrong us then we are placing ourselves in the hands of God. By refusing to “choose first” you are humanly vulnerable, and yet it is in this position that faith shines through.

Think of Peter and John in Acts 4. They respectfully declined to save their own necks and the result was a wonderful deliverance:

And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

(Acts 4:18-21)

It was by losing themselves that they were enabled to look upon God’s great power.

Stephen also refused to respond in a self-preserving way and he also received a great deliverance—into the glorious presence of God. He lost, and yet consider what he was able to look upon as a result:

When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

(Acts 7:54-60)

Believer, be resolved to let God choose for you. Lay all on the altar and be amazed at what God will show you. It is often the case that God’s choice doesn’t seem at first sight to be the best choice. But in time we look around and see that His ways are always the richest.

One of the interesting facts of the Christian experience is that we are surrounded with so much promise and yet we so often miss it because we rely on ourselves rather than relying upon God. Consider Abraham. We saw him go down to Egypt because he could see no future in Canaan. But he learned the hard way that it is better to lean upon the Lord rather than upon the arm of flesh. He learned that it is far safer (and a lot more thrilling) to walk by faith rather than by sight. No doubt he had learned in Genesis 12 that it is best to leave the results with God and thus he gave “first pick” to Lot. It was then that for the first time Abraham truly saw what God had promised to him.

Consider this principle of “winning for losing” with regard to salvation. Look at the contrast between two individuals: the rich young ruler and the man Saul who became Paul. The rich young ruler was surrounded by the promise of eternal life: sins forgiven, God as Father, eternal inheritance. But he was so concerned with himself that he could not “look” and see all the blessings in every direction. He refused to humble himself, he refused to lose his life in this instance, and he perhaps lost it forever:

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

(Matthew 19:16-22)

But then there is Saul: a zealous, religious, devout, “squeaky-clean” Pharisee. He also was surrounded by blessings and promise in every direction. And, like the young man above, he too was oblivious to them. Until one day his attention was arrested by a man who refused to fight for his rights. He encountered a man who said to the authorities, “I believe this: that Jesus Christ is Lord. You choose how you will treat me; I trust my life to the choice of my sovereign Father.” Those ungodly, murderous men choose to throw stones; God chose to let them. Stephen lost his life and yet what a profit was experienced by his soul! Saul had never seen such devotion. And thus as he was confronted; he was convicted; and, by God’s grace, he was converted as he came to the end of himself, counting all moral and religious achievements as loss. His soul was won:

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:4-14)

Two men. Similar situations. The same choice. The one wins by losing and the other loses by winning. The loser now sees; the winner is as blind as ever. And you? What will you choose today?

Believer, don’t curse your circumstances. See them as God’s means to get you to see what is surrounding you. Be encouraged that in your losing you are in a better position for looking. And what you will see is worth whatever you have to lose.

You Must Listen Up

Picture the scene. Abraham is told by God to look in every direction. Perhaps there is a “dramatic pause” in this. For a minute or two Abraham looks, taking it all in. What does he see? He sees land—lots of it. And doubtless he also saw Canaanites. Does he know what he is looking for? I don’t know. What I do know is that God does not leave him in suspense for too long, for now he speaks. And when God speaks He expects those whom He is addressing to listen. And Abraham does. And what he hears is no doubt very comforting. God now has Abraham’s attention, and what follows will take much faith to believe:

For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

(Genesis 13:15-17)

God tells Abraham that because he was willing to lose that he has actually won the “jackpot”: all the land that he could see, and then some: Abraham had been promised this property as he entered the land (12:1, 7), and now the promise is reaffirmed. Not only that, but God also tells Abraham that his seed will be numerous and that they will inhabit this land.

Please consider what an encouragement this would have been to Abraham. Perhaps he would have felt that, after his folly in Egypt, the promise had been rendered null and void. But now he hears the reiterated promise. And this time it is enriched, it is even more specific.

What a comfort this must have been. At a low point in his life he hears the comforting promise of God’s Word. As John Calvin has written, “It is as if Moses said that the medicine of God’s Word was now brought to alleviate Abram’s pain. And thus he teaches us that the best remedy for sadness is in the Word of God.” Believer, God knows what we need to hear. He knows how to comfort us. And thus, when He speaks, let us listen. When we are tempted towards discouragement because we have temporal lily lost, it is then that we need to turn to God’s word. Before applying this let us examine these words under closer scrutiny.

The Land

Now this subject can be both controversial and emotive. I wish to avoid both. Perhaps this would be a good place to remember how Abraham and Lot handled this conflict: “Let there be no bloodshed!”

In no uncertain terms God did promise the land (of Palestine) to Abraham and to his descendents. But there are at several issues that we must keep in mind.

First, the land that God promised to Abraham and to his descendents was, later in history, actually possessed by Israel, “43And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. 44And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand” (Joshua 21:43-44—emphasis added throughout). Thus, this promise was fulfilled, at least temporally.

Second, the term “for ever” must be interpreted within its context while respecting its range of meanings throughout Scripture. Without being technical, let me just point out that the words “for ever” are the translation of the Hebrew word ‘owlam. This word does not always, nor even predominantly, mean “eternally.” Consider the following verses where the word is used:

He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant… And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

(Genesis 17:13, 19—emphases added).

This cannot mean “eternally” or even “as long as human history,” for the New Testament nullifies its essential continuation, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Galatians 6:15).

Consider Exodus 12:14, 17, 24:

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever… And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

(Exodus 12:14, 17, 24—emphases added)

Again, the Book of Hebrews nullifies this from being obligatory in our era. Along the same lines look at these Scriptures (emphasis added throughout):

And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons… And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.

(Exodus 29:9, 28)

According to the New Testament, all believers are priests. Consider again:

All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations concerning the offerings of the Lord made by fire: every one that toucheth them shall be holy… And the priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the Lord; it shall be wholly burnt… And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you… It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

(Leviticus 6:18, 22, 31, 34)

This meat offering, like all offerings, was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Again:

And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

(Leviticus 16:34)

Jesus Christ is our atonement! Further:

And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings… And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations… Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

(Leviticus 23:14, 21, 31)

All the Mosaic feasts are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again:

Without the veil of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations… Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

(Leviticus 24:3, 8)

The temple is destroyed, the veil is removed. Jesus Christ is the Temple! One more illustration will suffice:

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever… Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

(Deuteronomy 23:3, 6)

And yet today we know that the gospel is preached to every creature and that all nations will be discipled.

Do you see that “forever” does not necessarily mean “everlasting”?

Now, let me elaborate on this. Gesenius, an authority on the Hebrew language, says that this word sometimes refers to “that of which the beginning or end of which is either uncertain or else is not defined.” Further, he states that when the word refers to a whole race or people “it comprehends all the time until their destruction.” Thus, the term, as defined by its context, is limited to the duration of the thing itself. It is used as hyperbole to emphasise a definite commitment. For instance, as concerning the priesthood, it will last forever—at least until the end of the Old Testament era. When a man says that he will love his wife forever, cherish her forever, it is with the understanding that he will do so until his or her death.

Thus, the promise was that Israel would have this land until the end of her being God’s chosen nation, which occurred at our Lord’s First Advent. Again, Calvin writes, “In promising the land forever, God did not simply denote perpetuity, but [until] that period that was brought to a close by the advent of Christ.” Incidentally, referring to this issue, Jesus said, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43).

Thus, as mentioned, Israel did at one time possess all the Promised Land, but she lost it through covenantal unfaithfulness (see Deuteronomy 28). When God replaced her as His chosen nation then the promise ceased from being the possession of ethnic, geopolitical Israel and it became the inheritances of the “new nation”—the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the promise prevails but it is enjoyed by all of God’s descendents. Just as the law was fulfilled in Christ, so the land promise is fulfilled in Christ and in His people. We will return to this issue later.

The Innumerable Seed

This brings us to the matter of the “innumerable seed” mentioned in 13:15-16. How are we to interpret these words? Well, we must ask, What did they mean to those who first received them? And the best way to discern that is to see how this phrase is used in the rest of Scripture. We find this phrase ten times, and it is clearly used as hyperbole to suggest a large number, not a limitless number; it does not refer to this concept literalistically. Consider the following examples:

  • Genesis 41:49—And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
  • Psalm 78:27—He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
  • Revelation 20:8—And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Clearly, this phraseology refers to a large, but not a limitless, number. Thus we can conclude that God’s promise to Abraham was designed to encourage him that he would father a multitude of descendants; a huge amount, not a limitless one. Thus, the teaching that, in some future dispensation, believers will procreate forever in order to literally fulfil this promise is clearly unscriptural nonsense.

At this point, we need to bring a New Testament verse into this. Galatians 3:29 states, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Thus, when God made this promise in Genesis 13 He was no doubt including the New Testament church as well as Old Testament, racial Israel, as well as Old Testament Gentile saints. It was a comprehensive promise with significant implications.

So let’s sum this up. God made a promise to Abraham that He would give to him a land and a people to fill the land. And this promise was to be forever.

So, we are back to the issue of what does “for ever” mean? If the promise with regard to Abraham’s seed was to include his spiritual seed then how does the land promise apply to them? My answer is that the land was never the issue with Abraham, for the Book of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that Abraham looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hence, Abraham was looking for the establishment of the kingdom of God rather than a mere piece of real estate. And since we know that God’s kingdom is worldwide, and since we know that Jesus Christ rules over all, then we can confidently assert that Palestine, along with every other plot of ground, belongs to the true seed of Abraham! Hence, this prophecy was and is fulfilled both “literalistically” as well as figuratively. Now, without going any further into this issue, let us see the relevance of this to us.

Christians are viewed by this world as losers. In fact, the atheistic, hedonistic, nihilistic, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche saw Jesus Christ as a loser because of His teaching with regard to the beatitudes. He saw these marks of humility as deficiencies, as weaknesses. And, generally speaking, the world does treat believers as an irrelevant nuisance with no “clout” whatsoever. But what the world does not understand is that in fact the church rules their land! Now, we may be doing a bad job of it, but we rule nonetheless. And it is precisely because of the church’s disposition (that so enraged Nietzsche) that we have inherited the “land.” Isn’t it interesting that, in this first clear account of meekness in the Scripture, the promise of the inheritance of the “earth” is also attached? Those who are marked as “to-be-pitied losers” by the world are in fact the biggest winners. The church today so desperately needs to “listen up” to this promise. We win by losing!

But it is important for us to see how the church will not win in the cultural war. It will not be by developing political clout; she will not win by mass demonstrations, by boycotts, etc. She will win by losing; by humbly serving God and thus doing the hard thing: dying to self. She will win by mothers being deemed “losers” because they choose to stay at home with their children, thereby winning the next generation for Christ. She will win by fathers being deemed “losers” because they choose to have a godly seed rather than a well-off seed. She will win by Christian businessmen being deemed “losers” because they will not cheat to enrich the bottom line, thereby winning the accolades of heaven. She will win by being labelled “loser” because she invests in the kingdom rather than in the debt industry.

Yes, the church will rule the land effectively to the degree that she is willing to lose before a watching world. May God grant us the grace to lose some more! May we listen up to this promise!

We Must Leave Off

As we have seen, Abraham had been the “loser” in this transaction, at least as far as the world is concerned. But then he was told to look up and as he then listened to what God said no doubt he realised that in fact he was a winner. But then God “increased” his winnings as He commanded, invited Abraham to go and claim all that had been promised. Upon hearing these words Abraham packed up and moved about 70 km south of Bethel to the plain or oaks of Mamre. Once there, he settled in Hebron, a place that means “fellowship.” There he built his customary altar and established his worship. The God who had made him a winner would be honoured:

Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

(Genesis 13:17-18)

Without restating a previous study we need however to be reminded that Abraham was both childless and surrounded by enemies, and yet he did not let that stop him from claiming the promises of God. Thus he “left off” from where he had “lost” and went off to win what God had promised, even though it would not all come to pass until long after he had died (Hebrews 11:13).

What is the lesson here for us? Is there a timeless relevance for us? I believe that there is. And it is simply that when we seriously embrace a countercultural lifestyle; when we willingly lose our life for Christ, then—and only then—will we be able to conquer new territory for Christ. Only then will we be able to leave and to cleave to the Lord. And it is when we do this that we will more fully enjoy fellowship with our God.

To turn our backs on the world’s value system is a most freeing experience; one which leads to deeper fellowship and a fuller life. Abraham no doubt faced difficulties long after Genesis 13, but boredom was not one of them!

Believer, it is time for us to quit living dejectedly because all is not going our way. We need to take comfort in God’s all-wise choice for the circumstances in our lives and thus “leave off” and head for kingdom blessings. We need to believe God for great things as we persist in our fellowship with Him, thereby gaining strength to win for losing.

Believer, if we are willing to lose all for Christ’s sake then we too can “boldly go where none have gone before.” We too can fearlessly worship God, build our altars to Him, believing Him for great things—far beyond the immediate. May God grant us the grace to love and then win for loving as we look up, listen to and leave off for God. May we see that the prize of fellowship with God is worth the price of losing. May we see that in fact all this loss is actually a whole lot of gain.