Let’s first win the hearts of people..

Good morning, dear friends!
Praise God for the opportunity to share God’s Word with you!

Today I’d like us to discuss the life of Abraham. I believe God wants to show us some very important principles that can be gleaned from the life of Abraham and in his relationship with God.

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis, 12:1-3)

From the above Scripture we see that God is calling Abram to leave his country and his relatives and to go to an unknown land. God offered to make a covenant with Abram, which would require certain sacrifices from Abram. But along with this offer and calling, God touched Abram’s heart by giving him wonderful promises. Before requiring Abram to make a covenant with Him, God first won his heart.
This is a very important principle I would like you to think about today. First, God promised Abram something – God promised to make him great, to bless him, and to make him into a great nation; He promised Abram that through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
We see that these promises became an instrument of encouragement, which God has used to demonstrate His love for Abram before calling him to do something or to go somewhere.
This principle is a clue for us today in the area of building relationships with people. Before we ask people to follow us or to enter into a covenant with us, we need to first touch their hearts, conquer them and win them over with love.
God first won Abram’s heart by giving him great and wonderful promises, and only then did He offer to enter into a covenant with him. Would a young lady marry a man who has made a proposal to her, but who has not really proven his love through his deeds? A sensible girl with any self-respect won’t do that. That is what this principle that we see in the relationship between God and Abram is all about.
We can apply this principle when preaching the Gospel and calling people to follow the Lord. Before we ask people to follow us we must show that we love them and care for them as human beings, and that we are not just ‘following a religious program’.
Let’s master this principle and apply it as we minister to people and try to lead them in the right direction in accordance with the will of God. Let’s first win the hearts of people, show them true love, and then they will listen to our words and most probably follow us.

May God bless you!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye