A Yielding Nature

When Abraham and his nephew Lot’s herdsmen contended over what belonged to who, Abraham took matters into his own hands to resolve the matter. Now he could have done whatever he wanted to do about it, seeing he was the one in chief authority in the family. But what he did do exemplified much about himself, and why he found such favor with God. He offered to Lot the choice of whatever land he wanted to occupy, and he would take seconds in the matter (Gen. 13:5-9). So Lot chose to go to Sodom because it appeared to be a good land for cattle to dwell in. After Lot left for Sodom, the Lord appeared unto Abraham with this promise: “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (Gen. 13:14,15). It was no coincidence that God appeared to Abraham at this time. He was pleased with his inclination to yield, rather than to take; and God confirmed his favor toward Abraham because of this. When his son Isaac was grown, he sought to claim some wells that belonged to Abraham, that the Philistines had stopped up. But when he digged up the first well, the Philistines strove with him over it, claiming that the well was theirs. He could have fought over the well, but instead he just moved along to one of the other wells. But after he digged up the second well, the Philistines strove with him over it also. Again Isaac merely moved on to another well, and this time the Philistines did not strive with him over it. The same night God appeared to Isaac and gave him this promise: "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake" (Gen. 26:18-24). Again it was not a coincidence that God appeared to Isaac after he demonstrated a yielding nature regarding the wells that were rightfully his. God was pleased with him demonstrating the faith of a true pilgrim and follower of the Lord, and thus his favor with God was confirmed with the promise of the covenant that he had made with Abraham.

The requirement of having a humble and yielding nature has not changed since ancient times, because God has not changed (Mal. 4:6). Jesus made this clear when he gave the following instructions to all who would follow after him: "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again" (Lk. 6:29,30). And certainly Jesus demonstrated the greatest yielding nature of all, being the creator of the world, and yet willingly laying down his life for our sake. The apostle Paul scolded the believers in Corinth for NOT exemplifying a yielding nature to one another: "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?… Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”(I Cor. 6:1,7) A yielding nature is evidence of someone who is not living for this life, but rather for God and for the life to come. Speaking of Abraham and the patriarchs of faith, the scripture says that they “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” And because of this, the scripture goes on to say, "For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country… But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Heb. 11:13,14,16). Having a yielding nature shows that someone is trusting that God will cause “all things to work together for [their] good” if they choose to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Rom. 8:28; Mat. 6:33). Serving God in reality and truth is all about yielding one’s will to God, in favor of doing their own will (Lk. 22:42; Mat. 16:24). If one cannot yield his will in things pertaining to men whom he can see, how can he yield his will to God, whom he cannot see? (I Jn. 4:20) A yielding nature will show up in many ways in the lives of those who possess it, as will the lack thereof in those who do not. It is also certain that no one will be saved who is NOT of a yielding nature toward men and toward God. Amen.