Introduction

Last time, I shared with you Recovering the Initial Love. The feelings our brothers and sisters had when they first loved the Lord were quite unique. If you haven't experienced it, now is the time to love God. Why did you come to believe in the Lord? Have you ever thought about it? I am very clear that I came to believe in the Lord to be blessed. At that time, I did not know God, nor did I understand what this group of people was doing in the church, but I encountered many difficulties and didn't know who to turn to, really didn't know, it was very hard. You may not have believed in the Lord in a near-suicidal situation, but I did. I didn't want to live a cursed life; I really wanted to live well. I have asked many people if they want to live well, but if you want to live well, you must know how to live well.

When I first believed in the Lord, I read the English Bible. I started reading from Genesis, and I was very eager to know what being blessed was all about. I read it word by word, and if I didn't understand, I would check the English dictionary. I read the English version of the Bible because I went to an English church, and the Chinese churches were quite dilapidated at that time. I discovered one thing: Abraham was an expert, a master of being blessed. If I had seen Abraham being blessed at that time, I would definitely have said that he was a master, too amazing.

If you don't emulate Abraham, how can you be blessed? Today, I want to talk to you about an important key to being blessed, which is to emulate Abraham. The promise is given to Abraham and his descendants. As long as you are a descendant of Abraham, you can become a blessed person. Today, you must know about being blessed and know how to emulate Abraham; you cannot not be blessed. If you emulate Abraham and do not experience God, it is also very strange.

Only those who emulate Abraham are descendants of Abraham. For a while, I wanted to give myself a nickname online and found that the name Abraham was too long, so I thought of taking Abe, but found it didn't work; calling myself Raham also didn't work; so I named myself Abraham, a bit long but so be it. But deep down, I had something called emulating Abraham. Later I understood that only those who emulate Abraham can receive Abraham's promise and are descendants of Abraham, this is very important.

Many people are born with things that don't work well. If you are not trained, you cannot become talented, you cannot be blessed. To be blessed, one must go through training. Training is not external but an internal change. You must emulate the experts in this area. If you want to be a carpenter, you must find a famous carpenter and emulate the master. There is a saying: A famous teacher produces excellent students. Look closely, and you will know how to do the work. If you learn carpentry, you will become an excellent carpenter.

The master of carpentry is Lu Ban. Some time ago, I asked the renovation worker, Have you heard of the Lu Ban lock? Whether you have heard of it doesn't matter, there is a Master Cui, who is one of our brothers. His name was given to him by his master. He went from a state of ignorance to a state of skill. After I said this, he ordered a Lu Ban lock and played with it. The real carpentry masters don't use nails; they use rivets and Lu Ban locks to build, which is too amazing, that is a master. Today, we talk about three-in-one connections, various tools, and greatly improved efficiency. But in ancient times, masters did not use nails, truly amazing.

When we talk about being blessed, we talk about Abraham. To be blessed, emulate the master of being blessed, which is Abraham, this is very important.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

If you have the likeness of Abraham, you must emulate him. Today, we must all know about emulation, this is very important.

Scripture

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Galatians 3:7-9)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I ask that you work on us today, let us understand what it means to truly emulate Abraham; let us know what kind of people are the descendants of Abraham; Lord Jesus, let us take on the Mingding Destiny to be a blessing to all nations and peoples, and let all nations also become our blessing; Lord Jesus, open our hearts today, and let us understand the meaning of emulation. Pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

Abraham is a Model of Blessing

We have to harp on the same old tune, this old tune must be played. The initial old tune is called the initial love, this old tune is still emulation. Now some people have children and walk with them on the street. Someone asks him, Who is this? It's my son. Why doesn't he look like you? He feels very uncomfortable. In the generation we live in, many people feel that their children don't look like them. Now there is gene technology, and through gene comparison, you can see if it is your own son. It's really tangled! Having a child that doesn't look like you, and you take the child, and the child looks like one of your friends, that's terrible. Some people have children who look like them, and the father is very happy.

Abraham is a model of blessing, and his descendants must have the model of Abraham. When I first read the Bible, I thought the Bible should be about a lot of great principles. I didn't see it at that time. I just read it, and when I read about Abraham, it also talked about a lot of people's names, all foreign names. I didn't know who was who. But I know that the story of Abraham runs through to the end. I thought the Bible was about principles. I like to tell stories in my sermons. If I don't tell stories all the time, I will be very tangled. God likes to tell stories, and I like it very much too.

In the past, when I listened to sermons in church, I liked to take notes very much. Today, I must say something from the bottom of my heart. I didn't remember anything, but I remembered the stories and jokes the pastor told. That's why we tell stories. If we tell stories that sound good, I hope you will remember the stories I told after listening to them, such as the story I just told about having a son who doesn't look like you.

So the Bible talks about a lot of interesting things. Abraham had two sons, one was Isaac, and the other was Ishmael. Isaac emulated Abraham, and Ishmael did not emulate Abraham. This old man had two sons, one who walked the path of faith, and one who did not walk the path of faith. Ishmael lived by his own bow and arrow. Today, if you create your own Mingding Destiny with your own hands, you are living under a curse. This is what the Bible says. If you don't agree, go find Moses. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was not written by Dan Tianfeng. If you think it is not well written, you have to travel back to find the person who wrote it to reason with him.

A sister who came to me last year was finally brought by me to work in a big city. She liked to sell clothes and watch stalls in small cities. Abraham never watched stalls for people. I told her, Just come over. And she came. In the blink of an eye, a year has passed. She used to be a moonlight clan, nicknamed Moonlight Girl. When she came to the big city, I began to train her to be a customer service representative to sell things. In the first few months, she became an expert in being blessed, and her income every month exceeded ten thousand. A few days ago, I asked her how she was doing? Was she blessed? Did she have savings? In just one year, she had already earned tens of thousands. The way she walked was different, and the way she spoke was changed. There is more than one such thing; there are many.

The year before last, one of our sisters, whose parents were both dead, had no car or house, and came to work in a big city, living on borrowed money. Two years later, the sister was blessed, from being a moonlight clan to having a lot of savings in her hands. There are also those who are not blessed, that is, those who do not emulate Abraham and do not have the likeness of Abraham. Instead of inheriting the promise by faith, they rely on their own hands to fight, and what they get is a curse. The examples I have given, they don't like to rely on their own efforts, and their own abilities have not improved much. They emulate Abraham's faith. They have the likeness of Isaac and Jacob.

Abraham's two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, one walked the path of faith, emulating Abraham, and the other lived by his own sword. Abraham's two grandsons, Esau and Jacob, took different paths. Esau lived by the sword, and Jacob lived by being blessed. Today, ask yourself, what do I rely on? If you rely on your own ability, may God have mercy on you! Improving your own ability is very slow. Emulating Abraham is a shortcut to being blessed, ability will be discussed later.

I think the path of faith taken by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph is very good! They all have Abraham's blood flowing in them, and deep down they have Abraham's faith. Those who emulate Abraham are his descendants. Faith will be reflected in vision. Study Abraham's vision carefully!

Emulating Abraham's Vision

Buying a house depends on vision, and living this life depends entirely on vision. What can you see through that piece of land? When I bought a house, I studied real estate in major cities in China, and it rose in price as soon as I bought it. I relied on emulating Abraham's faith and emulating Abraham's vision in faith. I never grab things that everyone is grabbing. Things that no one buys are worth looking at. Abraham's vision was amazing because after Abraham saw his subordinates arguing frequently, he felt cold. He felt that Lot was too messed up and had not managed his shepherds well.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. (Genesis 13:8-9)

Abraham gave the advantage to Lot. Lot specifically looked for places that everyone was grabbing. He looked with fleshly eyes, the plain of the Jordan River was fertile, like the garden of Jehovah. Abraham saw things of faith through very barren places. If I were Abraham, I would say that in this barren land, my God can still make me a rich person. As a result, after Lot left, God said this to Abraham:

And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, 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. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. (Genesis 13:14-16)

This is good. We must remember that being blessed is key, and it has nothing to do with how the land is. This is called the 'Blue Ocean Strategy'. We must know to see the created market through emptiness and chaos. Innovation and creation are all through a state of chaos. Before there was WeChat or QQ, people made a lot of money through these two software, which is called vision. After WeChat became popular, the most popular thing was Moments. Classmates who hadn't seen each other for many years could contact each other in the group. In the past, the relationship between classmates was in a state of emptiness and chaos. You couldn't find me, and I couldn't find you. Changing from emptiness and chaos to orderliness is through creation. Ma Huateng is very amazing and caught the opportunity at once. Facts have proved that Abraham's vision is to see the key to being blessed through emptiness and chaos. Whether you can be blessed on the land is the key, which is called the 'Blue Ocean Strategy'.

Today, we see that the real estate in this place is no good, but if you can see through spiritual eyes, this place should be very good in the future, and your return should be very high. Everyone must know that it is not a problem for people with vision to make money, it is a problem for people without vision to make money. As a result, facts have proved that Abraham became a very rich man. If we want to be rich, we must emulate Abraham. Lot's vision was not good, and as a result, many years later, Lot became bankrupt, and all his investments and real estate were burned to ashes.

Today, we should not go against God no matter who we go against. If you go against God, even if your business is very prosperous, one day it will return to the original point. Returning to the original point is not bad; it would be troublesome to return to a negative number. We must emulate Abraham's vision. Vision is related to faith. Because what the eyes see is not faith, what the eyes cannot see is faith. Barren land becomes rich, and fertile land becomes poor. It is being blessed that works, and being blessed is very important.

Emulating Abraham's Interpersonal Relationships

Abraham was also very good at interpersonal relationships. To emulate Abraham's vision, you must emulate Abraham's interpersonal relationships. One day, Abraham heard that Lot had been captured, so he took 318 trained men with him.

And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. (Genesis 14:13)

Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Genesis 14:24)

Abraham brought Lot back, not only with these 318 people, but also with the three brothers Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner. These three brothers had a very good relationship with Abraham, and they established an alliance. When Abraham went out to fight, they also went out to fight. When they went out to fight, Abraham's servants followed them out to fight. We must not think that Abraham was a socially disabled person.

Among the preachers I know, there are not many like Abraham. Some people emulate the loser-type Abraham because they are really poor. I listened to a pastor give a testimony, and after listening to it, I felt depressed for many days. This pastor was very poor, but he especially wanted to eat sausage, so he said, God, I want to eat sausage. The next day, someone stood at the door and brought a string of sausages. I thought this was too low. The real Abraham not only had vision but also established good interpersonal relationships, and his interpersonal relationships were excellent. We think about it, if your interpersonal relationships are not good and your reputation is not good, we have to think about it.

Abraham was a very amazing person. He was very clear that he did not live in a paradise. If you hide in the deep mountains and old forests to cultivate, that is not called Abraham. Abraham never hid in the deep mountains and old forests to cultivate. If every one of us emulates Abraham, then it will be amazing, and the things you encounter will be like the things Abraham encountered. Abraham allied with Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, which is called using leverage. Establishing an alliance is actually a reflection of his own interpersonal relationships.

Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner were local snakes. Abraham was a foreign immigrant. It was actually very difficult for him to establish relationships with the locals, but Abraham was very good at handling interpersonal relationships. If we mess up interpersonal relationships today, we must emulate Abraham. I find that I myself have quite a bit of Abraham's likeness. I like to think about things. After I think about them, I think I want to be like Abraham, how good! You will find that Abraham not only has a good relationship with people, but also has a very good relationship with God. Abraham often makes others feel that he is very noble. For example, when God was destroying Sodom, God said this:

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? (Genesis 18:17)

The key to handling interpersonal relationships lies in our personal image. For example, if you like to take small advantages and are untrustworthy, do you think anyone will be friends with you? When have you ever seen Abraham beg someone? He actually also faced some difficulties, but as long as those who worked with him benefited. Abraham and his brothers rescued Lot and defeated the king of Sodom.

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Genesis 14:22-24)

People who work with me basically don't suffer losses. I value people who are related to me very much. What I think in my mind may exceed the imagination of many people. Abraham's thinking and logical system is not to let others suffer losses. He never takes advantage of others. He does what he can do, and he doesn't do what he can't do. I never ask to borrow money. I don't want others to borrow money from me because a person's image is very important. To emulate Abraham is to be a noble person, otherwise we cannot establish good interpersonal relationships. So we must become noble princes. Look at what the locals said when they saw Abraham.

Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. (Genesis 23:6)

You have to start listening to what others say about you. For example, there was a sister once, and I asked her, What do you think we think of you? She said she didn't know. I said, You are an ungrateful and selfish person. She asked me why I said that. I told her, Because the image you have shaped is like this. Some people think it is foolish not to take advantage of something, but in fact, it is the real fool who takes advantage of something. You have to let others know that they will not suffer losses if they associate with you. You have to know who you are. In fact, your own image is shaped by yourself, not by others. So don't be self-righteous and think you are noble. Others don't think so. This is what Abraham said in the Bible.

I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. (Genesis 23:4-9)

And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. (Genesis 23:10-16)

## Build a Good Reputation and Start Doing Real Things

Abraham knew he was being taken advantage of, but he valued his esteemed image and chose to overlook these minor matters. Today, if there are brothers and sisters in our church who highly value their reputation, they must emulate Abraham. Building a good reputation is key. There is so much we can learn from Abraham.

Abraham had 318 trained and skilled men in his household. Abraham himself was an expert in warfare. These men trained daily at home; they not only herded sheep but also fought battles. Abraham's actions were always practical. I often see or hear of brothers and sisters who are overly religious. For example, when facing difficulties, they entrust everything to God and do nothing themselves. In reality, God wants us to manage and take responsibility. For instance, Abraham personally trained these 318 men. Only when individuals are not weak can they become noble princes. When others hear of your reputation, they fear engaging you in battle. Abraham was such a man.

The 《Bible》 does not detail how Abraham trained the 318 men, but Abraham certainly did not engage in pretense. He could describe things very clearly. We brothers and sisters should emulate Abraham's practicality. I often find small pastors in the church playing games. For example, I ask them, When was the last time your pastor trained you? And they say, I can't remember. You will find that I do not like playing虚的 (pretending). Last night, a sister who works as an accountant came to me. The last time I saw her, I asked her to bring me an accounting book because she said she couldn't understand it. Later, I asked her how her reading was going, and she said it was good. I asked her what she was reading recently, and she told me she was reading about investment. I asked her, How many aspects of investment are there? She looked at me and couldn't answer. I said, Then you still haven't understood it. Is it debt or equity? But this sister couldn't describe it clearly.

Brothers and sisters, we must be practical in what we do. Clear is clear, and unclear is unclear. I find that many people like to do superficial work. But do you think we can continue to do superficial work when it comes to battle? Some time ago, I saw a Tai Chi practitioner who boasted greatly about himself, but he was knocked down by a single punch from a Sanda fighter. We cannot evade the responsibilities we should bear. For example, you cannot pray 24 hours a day at home and then expect to pass the university entrance exam. Today, we brothers and sisters must confront the bad habits we have, such as playing虚的 (pretending) and being fake. These things easily attract evil spirits.

## Offering Is the Beginning of Blessing

Therefore, we brothers and sisters must all learn a lesson, learning to emulate Abraham. Today, let's focus on being practical and emulate Abraham's offering. He offered his most precious possession to God, trusting and relying on God with all his heart. God said to offer his only son to God. Abraham knew God's promise: Through Isaac shall your offspring be named, and that his offspring would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. Abraham believed in God, and he believed that God's promise would be fulfilled. That is faith, the faith of offering. Offering is the beginning of blessing.

Offering represents us entering the gate of blessing. Will we rely on money to live our lives, or will we rely on God? Will we rely on blessing, or will we rely on our own hands? If we rely on blessing, then learn to be a person of offering. We must not only train our brothers and sisters to have good interpersonal relationships, but also to become people who create value. We must shape our brothers and sisters into people of offering. The church is a place for shaping offering.

I used to buy very good food for the church, which attracted many undesirable people. Later, I gave fruit, and then there was no food at all. In the past, we even used large buses for transportation because we had money and it was任性(we could do whatever we wanted), but the church is not a place to attract flies and mosquitoes. It is a place to attract people of offering, people who are willing to be a blessing to all nations and peoples, and who are willing to offer and give. The church is a place to train you to offer. If you do not even offer a tenth, you will not be able to continue. If we offer ourselves completely, how can we not be blessed?

**What we think in our hearts is not about taking advantage, but about having a mindset of giving, offering our whole lives completely to God, to be a blessing to this generation.** If you play假 (pretend), and your offering of life and money is merely testing God, you will live a miserable life. We brothers and sisters must constantly be shaped. Religious flavor is useless, such as those who say, I feel peace! I thank the Lord! Today, let's remove all these religious terms.

Some people pray for a very long time while eating. With a table of ten people, praying in a circle, the food gets cold. This society does not need people with religious flavor. Our God needs people like Abraham. Abraham was not a full-time priest, but he trained people, formed alliances with people, and was a mighty prince. If 《Genesis》 is the foundation of the entire 《Bible》, and Abraham is the model, then let us emulate Abraham, worshiping God in spirit and in truth. We must all do serious work and not draw circles.

One person did not do well in his master's degree, and he was full of religious flavor. He told the teacher why he did not do well in his master's degree, because he spent a lot of time believing in the Lord. I want to give such brothers and sisters the most sincere advice: worship God in spirit and in truth. If your body and finances are not blessed, it is because you have not emulated Abraham. Today, **be a person who is meaningful to society, not a person full of religious flavor**. May God bless everyone!