Heroes of the Faith – Abraham

Abraham


Father’s Day often causes us to think about fathers, but Abraham’s life teaches lessons that apply to anyone who leads. Whether you lead a family, a business, a ministry, a team, or simply influence the people around you, these examples from Abraham’s life show us what godly leadership looks like.

Abraham was not perfect. He lied. He doubted. He made costly mistakes. How is it that a man who started as an impotent moon worshipper could end up being known as the friend of God and the “Father of Many Nations”?

Genesis 12:1-2 NLT – “The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others”.”

God said leave your relatives and Abram left most of them.  But he decided not to part ways with Lot. Abram has no son, and Lot has no father (his dad was Abram’s deceased brother).  So, instead of “the hard right”, Abram did a “less hard, mostly right”.

“QUOTE”: Partial obedience is polite disobedience.

Great Leaders aren’t born they’re formed. Abraham’s partial obedience is going to cause some unnecessary problems down the road.  But God used those bumps in the road to develop Abraham into the Father of Many Nations that we know today.

Our time today is much too short to do a comprehensive study on his life, so instead we will pull several leadership principles from Abraham’s life & leadership –

Add A Note

GREAT LEADERS VALUE ALIGNMENT

Genesis 13:5-7 NLT – “Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot…”

Abram found himself in a position you might find yourself in if you lead a company, a department, or a dream team.  He realized heneeded “will alignment”.  God had already revealed his will, but Abram got out of alignment said yes when he should have said NO.  And all this time, he hasn’t made the change he knows he needs to make.

Lot wasn’t bad. Lot wasn’t lazy. Lot wasn’t rebellious. Lot wasn’t incompetent. In fact, Lot was blessed. Lot was successful. Lot was capable. He just was not supposed to be attached to Abram’s assignment.

Some of the most difficult leadership decisions are not between good and bad – They are between right and almost right.

“QUOTE”: Effort won’t fix misalignment. Time won’t fix misalignment. Better coaching won’t fix misalignment. Only alignment fixes misalignment.

Add A Note

GREAT LEADERS VALUE PEOPLE OVER POSSESSIONS

Genesis 13:8-9 NLT – “Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.””

Abraham was the elder, the leader, the boss. Abraham had every right to choose first. Yet instead of demanding his rights, Abraham prioritized the relationship. He put people above possessions. He gave Lot first choice of the land.

“QUOTE”: In relationships, the moment you become obsessed with your rights, you are in jeopardy of neglecting your responsibilities.

The best example of this is in marriage!

Personal Example:
Abram demonstrated loyalty and concern for his staff.  He was in tune with their working conditions and when he realized that there wasn’t enough space for them to flourish, he chose “the hard right”.  He made a tough sacrifice & parted ways with his nephew for the good of all.

“QUOTE”: People are often willing to sacrifice for a leader when they know that leader has already sacrificed for them.

In the following chapter, Lot found himself captured during a regional war and Abram’s staff put their lives on the line for their boss & his nephew.
The people under Abraham’s leadership followed him into battle because they trusted him. They knew Abraham cared about people more than possessions.
“QUOTE”: Great leaders understand that people are never interruptions to the mission. People ARE the mission.

GREAT LEADERS DO THE HARD RIGHT

 Abraham successfully navigated the challenge with Lot, but leadership tests rarely get easier—they usually get closer to home. As the years passed, God fulfilled His promise and Isaac was born. But a compromise Abraham had made years earlier with Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar, didn’t disappear with time. In fact, it grew more complicated. Before long, Abraham found himself facing one of the most painful decisions of his life. Because sometimes the hardest leadership decisions aren’t the ones that affect your business, your ministry, or your team. Sometimes the hardest leadership decisions are the ones that affect your own family.

Genesis 11:21 NLT – “When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!” This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.””
 V11 – “This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son”.
Every parent understands that verse. Every husband understands that verse. Every leader understands that verse. Abraham was facing a decision where there was no easy answer.
Knowing what the right thing is can be very difficult when so many wrong choices have turned a situation upside down.  And the reality is ALL OF US have made bad choices at some point.  And that’s why – – –
“QUOTE”: Great leaders don’t make decisions without divine direction.  

God has an amazing way of cutting through the emotion of a situation to address what we truly need. Abraham and Sarah were both upset, though for different reasons, but God saw what was underneath their anger: fear. Sarah feared for Isaac. Abraham feared for Ishmael. God addressed both fears so they could come into agreement and move forward in faith.

Sometimes doing the hard right means having a difficult conversation. Sometimes it means setting a boundary. Sometimes it means correcting a child. Sometimes it means protecting your family even when it costs you emotionally.

Personal Example:
“QUOTE”: Doing the hard right takes faith in God to make right what we cannot.

Abraham teaches us that leadership is not measured by how many people applaud your decisions. Leadership is measured by your willingness to obey God when obedience costs you something.

GREAT LEADERS BUILD TRUST OVER TIME

The greatest test of Abraham’s life came in Genesis 22. God instructed him to offer Isaac, the very son God had promised. Most sermons focus on Abraham’s faith. Today I want us to notice Isaac’s trust.

Genesis 22:7 NLT – “So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.””

Isaac was a teenager & Abraham was well over one hundred years old. Yet there is no struggle recorded in the text. No argument. No wrestling match. No attempt to escape. Think about the trust that had been built over years. Isaac trusted the character of his father because Abraham had spent a lifetime earning that trust.

Trust cannot be demanded. Trust must be earned. It is earned through consistency. Through integrity. Through sacrifice. Through faithfulness over time.

“QUOTE”: The trust you need in a crisis is built long before the crisis arrives.

Abraham was not perfect, but he kept trusting God. Over time, the people around him learned they could trust the man who trusted God.

Add A Note

Email my notes