When God Reigns in Our Lives--Day 12 Through the Bible

January 12
As usual, I found more than a few personal lessons in our study today. God's Word is indeed a treasure trove if we only open the pages and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us to these gems. A person's character is revealed in even the most mundane situation. The account of Abraham seeking to purchase a burial place for his beloved Sara is no exception. I would probably be happy to accept a free burial plot for my loved one and might even see it as a blessing from God. However, Abraham's thoughts were on a much higher plane.  Today, our culture (our godless culture) stresses materialism and getting something for nothing. We can view Abraham's example as the "straight stick" that reveals the "crooked stick" representing our materialistic thinking of today.
Abraham was a wealthy and prosperous man. He was respected by those who knew him, as evidenced by the offer of the burial property by the owner as a gift to him. However, Abraham would not accept the property without paying for it. He wanted to provide a burial place for Sara himself. He wanted to pay for it, to give something he owned in exchange for the property. Abraham valued the privilege of being able to provide the property for Sara's burial place. He embraced a higher system of values that had nothing to do with materialism. (I don't think he was too proud to accept the gift and that is beside the point.)
Today, we have unfortunately sacrificed honor, spiritual values, and that which brings deep satisfaction on the altar of self-centeredness and pleasure. In I Timothy 5:8, God instructs us that: "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel". This verse has its origins in God's value system. Abraham reflected this same value system. Abraham wanted to provide for Sara this one last time. He desired to give of himself, to give of his possessions for Sara.

We are unfortunately so busy chasing "things" we are missing out on the deep, truly satisfying experiences God intended for us. There is so much we don't know about true happiness. I Timothy 6:6, says "But godliness with contentment is great gain". We would also do well to remember that when we lose our lives for Christ's sake, it is only then that we truly find it. Abraham valued the things that matter--God, his family, and his own character. It would be to our benefit to ask God to help us change our focus from materialism to personal responsibility and accountability. In our culture, we are in dire need of a sense of accountability to God and a sense of responsibility for ourselves and to those of our own house. These needs remain unrecognized in our culture, however they hold the potential for personal satisfaction and for bringing us to God's value system--the same values that Abraham evidently embraced!