Who Is Enriching You?

 

A couple of months ago I was reading through Genesis. As I read I try to be listening for what God might have to say to me. I was reading the account of Abram chasing after his nephew Lot. Lot and his family had gotten in the middle of a battle between some kings and had been taken captive. Abram defeated the king who had kidnapped Lot and his family and returned them to their home near Sodom. At that point, the king of Sodom came out to meet Abram and said, “Give me the people [you rescued] and keep the goods for yourself.” He was trying to be benevolent to Abram and to thank him for rescuing Lot by allowing him to keep the spoils of his victory. Abram replied, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

          Abram understood that God is holy and that our response to God’s holiness is to keep ourselves holy as well. He knew that the spoils of the battle were rightly his, but he also knew that an unholy king was seeking to enrich him. By keeping the spoils Abram would have allowed the perception that his wealth, success, and prosperity were the result of an association with someone who was in opposition to God. Rather than allow that perception to be created, Abram refused the spoils. So this is what God said to me, “Is there anything in you, is there anything that is a part of you, have you been enriched physically or otherwise due to an association with sin?”

          It’s a good question to answer. We all need to achieve a level of self-awareness. Part of achieving that is coming to understand how we’ve become who we are.  Does the world look at you and admire you?  Are the things which they admire about you yours due to an association with sin?  Or do the things they admire about you result from your association with the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth?