So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord. Genesis 13:18
People love to build up places to honor and lift others up. Some will have whole rooms dedicated to some celebrity, filled with pictures and things of that celebrity. Web pages are made by fans that are dedicated to worshipping a celebrity.
Having things like this shows where a person’s heart is. It reveals to everyone else what that person really worships and desires and puts first or highest priority in his life.
Abram had begun to live in the area of Mamre. One of the first things he did was build an altar to God.
The altars of the Bible were in place for sacrifices, offerings and to hear from God. They were a testimony of what God had done and brought people to focus upon God.
While focus upon the Lord should be the first priority of every believer, it is often not the case. Being tempted by the things of the world, many put other things first. Not always are these things bad, such as family, work, health, but they do take the place of God on His throne.
In order to combat this type of action or attitude, the believer should build an altar to the Lord first. This altar does not have to be a physical one, though it could be, but one in his heart.
The altar for the believer is putting God first in his life in such a way that others can see it. It is a place of going to God for forgiveness, guidance, mercy, provision and anything else needed. It is also the place to lay down sacrifices and sin before God.
Going through your days, do you have an altar to God in your life? You need times when you can go to God for forgiveness, or to offer sacrifices of praise and repentance, or to seek His wisdom and direction.
Do not allow altars to the things of this world to be built up in your life.
Although you could build a physical altar to God, it cannot always be with you or you with it. Build an altar to God in your heart. Make your heart a place that seeks to worship and honor God in all that you think, say and do.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will have an altar to the Lord in your heart; that you will place the focus of your life upon God and His desires; and that the world may know you serve God with all of your life.
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