February 25, 2014

Sparing nothing for God...

Genesis 22:10-12

Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” He then replied, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.”

Personal Challenge...

What does God want from us? He wants our all! He wants us to be willing to give up, to sacrifice, everything that is dear to us, even those things that He has miraculously given to us. If we are willing to do this it will keep us focused on worshipping Him alone and not these things. Abraham's faith in God was so strong and so deep that he was willing to sacrifice his son, a miracle given to him in his old age, because his Lord asked him to. Am I willing to do the same? Is it my comfortable home, or my regular paycheck, or my motorcycle or car, or my precious time, or what, that God is asking me to set aside for Him? In Abraham's case all God wanted was to know that he would be willing to give up his son. He did not want his son's life as a sacrifice, for He knew that through Isaac His own Son would be born and one day sacrificed for all of mankind and creation. Is our God more valuable than our stuff and ourselves? This is the question that He is asking us throughout our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!