I…will multiply you exceedingly. Genesis 17:2
After thirteen years God appeared to Abram and told him that he should walk before God faithfully and be blameless. God transformed Abram to Abraham to be the father of many nations. God made a covenant with Abraham. When God makes a covenant He promises something and calls for something in return. God promised Abraham an amazing future and God called Abraham to serve him faithfully. As a sign that he and his family belonged to God Abraham was to circumcise all the males in his whole household.
God did not make the covenant with Abraham to hold him back or take something away but to place Abraham in a position to multiply and be blessed. Giving things up is not always easy but it makes room for the blessings God wants to give us. God never wants us to give something up to hurt us but only to prosper us. When God tells us to give something up, let us not look at it as a loss but as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to listen, to grow, and to open our hands for Him to bless us.