MAXIMUM IMPACT

 

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.  (Genesis 24:1)

Many people walk through life, leaving footprints in the sand—the tides of time sweep in and wash away those imprints and it is as though they had never been.  Little impact was made.  Others leave such a legacy that it is as though their footprints were set in concrete.  Years roll by, but the path they traveled is still clearly marked for others to follow.  That is a life of maximum impact—and it describes well the life of Abraham.  As we come to the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis, we see this man nearing the finish line of his earthly pilgrimage.  It has been a marathon, with many hurdles to cross, but God has blessed him and he is almost home.  Yet, he feels the need not to slow down, but to pour it on—to run through the finish line.  There are some loose ends to tie up and make sure the legacy he leaves is one of maximum impact.

Abraham will leave a LEGACY OF PREEMINENCE.  He, along with Moses and David, are the three preeminent figures of the Old Testament era.  God chose Abraham and called him out to make a difference in the world.  He would be the recipient of a covenant of grace, so that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  God blessed Abraham that he might be a blessing to others.  That is the heritage of faith that this man and his wife, Sarah, left behind.  His name is associated with greatness.  

He left an example of a LIFE OF PROMINENCE.  Abraham’s servant, Eleazar, testified, “The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great…” (Gen.24:35a).  Some people have a reputation that is a charade.  Later, people dig beneath the surface and expose that the façade of greatness only hid a shriveled soul.  That could not be said of Abraham.  His renown was backed by reality.  All of us would like to be successful in life—to make our mark on the world.  Though Abraham was a flawed man, he was a faithful man.  He slipped a few times, as we all do, but he got up, dusted himself off, and moved forward.  God made a difference in him, and so made a difference through him. 

Abraham possessed a LOVE OF PERMANENCE.  He accumulated a lot of stuff.  For his time, he was exceedingly wealthy.  But, he did not give his heart to any of those things.  Abraham knew that he would leave all that behind, and eventually the thief of time would steal and destroy all that is of this world.  He did not build a mansion, but moved about in a tent, restless, yearning for something permanent—out of this world.  Here is the New Testament commentary:  “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”  (Heb.11:9-10)

In Proverbs 10:7 we read,“The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.”  Which legacy will we leave—one of blessedness or barrenness?  I pray that all who read this will seek a life of maximum impact!  Such are truly the children of Abraham.