After this.....

Genesis 15:1, " 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."

As soon as I read this one scripture I immediately started thinking....After what???? So, I reread the scriptures before this one....After God promises Abram a nation, after God told Abram to picked up his whole family and move at the age of seventy-five without even knowing where he was moving to.  After, Abram built God several altars as a reminder of God's promises.  After, Abram allowed his nephew Lot to have his choice of  land.  After, God told Abram to lift up his eyes and look to the north, south, east, and west an gave Abram all the land he could see. After, Abram rescues his nephew Lot form the choices he made in the land he chose.  After, Abram gave Melchizedek, a tenth of everything.  After, all of this a word came from the Lord, do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.

Wow!!! The Lord called him by his name, as if he was a friend, he told Abram do not be afraid, I am your shield your great reward...Do you hear God talking to you???  If it has grown silent, maybe there has not been many "After This", moments in your life....Maybe, God is waiting for you to do the last thing He said before He gives you something else...Don't get me wrong Abram was not perfect remember he lied about his wife to Pharaoh and said she was his sister so they would not kill him right before God said, After this and he went on to make many, many more mistakes. But, I believe in my heart Abram's heart was right, his actions did not always reflect it, but his heart was right...Abram would hear God's voice and obey. I know God is speaking, or has spoken to each and every reader today the question is...Are you obeying???? I am???
I want to challenge you to go back to the last thing God told you to do, and check and see if you did it... God has promises just for you for such a time as this...Don't be afraid. God is your shield He is your great reward... Choices are for the living...