JANUARY 11: “INTIMACY, ABRAHAM’S EXAMPLE”

Ngozi was a 90-year-old widow with no living relatives and no friends. Her life was lonely, and she was always looking for someone to whom she could relate. The only thing she knew and loved to do was play cards. She had a neighbour called Jones, a much younger Christian man who thought to minister to the old woman by visiting her weekly to play cards with her as a way of meeting this need of company in her life. Ngozi was filled great joy as she waited eagerly with her cards in her hand for the weekly visits of Jones. She was not so much into conversation at that stage in her life but enjoyed getting together with the young man to play cards. It was obvious she wanted a relationship.

Accounts in Genesis reveal that Abraham had and enjoyed a robust relationship with God characterised by great intimacy. From Genesis 12 where we see the call of Abraham right into our text in chapter 18, we see that God took the initiative that brought about His relationship and subsequent intimacy with Abraham. Everything else in that relationship stemmed from that divine initiative. As God sought Abraham, so he, (Abraham) also sought God and maximised the opportunity to get really close to God to the end that God felt obligated to reveal to Abraham, the plan He had to destroy the wicked people of Sodom.

When you closely examine the engagement that ensued between them, you see without a doubt, the evidence of intimacy.

Abraham in interceding for Sodom because of his nephew Lot held on to the hand of God who kept on also deferring to him. At the end, God went on and carried out His plan concerning the city, but saved Lot and his family for Abraham’s sake.

God has taken the initiative to bring you into an intimate relationship with Him through Christ. Like Abraham, you must make this relationship personal and maximise it.

PRAYER: Ask God to help you respond properly to His initiative of intimacy with Him and to teach you how to make the most of it.