After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1

 

God had come to make a covenant with Abram. He came to tell him that he was going to bless him and give him a son. He told Abram to look at the stars in the sky and try to count them if he was able. That’s how many offspring he would have.

 

But before God gave Abram that special son of promise, he wanted Abram to know something else, something even more important.

 

As I read Genesis 15, the first words that the Lord spoke to Abram struck me as really interesting. God’s first words to Abram were not about the son that He was going to give to Him, but God said to Abram, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” Yes, Abram’s future son Isaac would be a blessing, a treasure, a promise fulfilled, an incredible gift.

But the greatest reward in Abram’s life was not his future son, Isaac. His greatest reward was his relationship with God!

I lose sight of the fact that my true reward is Him. I sometimes measure the depth of my relationship with God by the blessings in my life.

I give more credit to the blessings than the Blesser. I value the gifts more than the Giver.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

When we truly begin to delight ourselves in the Lord, He begins to change us from the inside out. Our perspectives change. Our desires change. Our reward becomes the Rewarder.