Seize the Moment – Day 395
Pure Motives!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 16.
Do you ever struggle with selfish motives when having to make difficult decisions?
Abram demonstrated a resolve to defend his family in Genesis 14. In a rare moment, we see him put on the hat of a warrior-prince. Why? To rescue Lot, that nephew of his, the same one we saw Abram be so gracious and generous to in the previous chapter. Because Lot chose to live in Sodom he got caught up in a regional conflict and was captured. Abram rescued Lot and in the process he won a large and lucrative victory.
Would Abram’s motives remain pure when financial prosperity fell in his lap?
At this defining moment of Abram’s life, a new and important character is introduced in Genesis 14:18-20:
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” [Abram] gave him a tenth of all.
Abram willingly giving a tenth of all the plunder to Melchizedek, which means, “King of Righteousness.” This was a defining moment for Abram! It demonstrated that he did not rescue Lot or defeat this invading army for personal gain.
The victory belonged to God and Abram wanted to declare that with a sacrificial gift. Abram wanted God to get all the glory, not only from this military campaign, but in his life, and he did not let anything steal his heart—neither success nor prosperity.
Seize the moment and make sure your motives are pure and that you do all things for the glory of God! In the same way that gold is refined by fire, so often the motives of a person’s heart are refined by gold.
Let’s recite this week’s memory verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”