God requires everything of us!

Scripture:
Genesis 22:12  “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Observation:
Many years after Isaac had been born, God told Abraham (hereafter known as Abe) to offer his only son as a sacrifice to God on Mount Moriah. Abe, being the faithful follower of God that he was, took Isaac and the needed elements of wood and fire to that location, bound his son, prepared the fire, and proceeded to slay his son in accordance with God’s command. As he drew back the blade with which to slit Isaac, an angel of God stopped him and told him no to complete the sacrifice because God knew that Abe would not withhold his son from God. Isaac represented all that Abe had based on the promise of God that a male heir of his would bring forth a nation of innumerable people. Abe trusted God to even raise his son from the dead if necessary because God had said earlier that the promise would come through Isaac.

Application:
Just as Abe offered up all that he had to God in obedience, are we willing to turn over everything to God and trust him to provide, as He said He would? God promised Abe that Isaac would be the one through whom the blessing to the world would come. However, God required Abe to give up his son, the very promise he’d been given. Once God knew that Abe would not hold back the most cherished part of his life, and in essence everything he had, God accounted Abe as being righteous because of his faith. Abe was an obedient follower of God. He held nothing back from God and believed in God enough to trust Him to do what He’d promised.

Are we, the Christians, really living at that level of faith? Do we trust God with all that we have? Or, are there areas of our lives that we withhold from God and say, “No!” to those things? Most people cannot say that everything is totally turned over to God. Most of us have that one area of life where we struggle to truly believe in God to provide and accomplish in and through us what He said in His Word. The beauty of it is that God works with us in those areas where we struggle most IF we are willing to take that lion’s leap of faith and trust God. God will not force Himself upon us at any time. He respects our free choice even if it is the wrong choice. Our wrong choices grieve God’s Spirit because we are disobedient in those times, but He doesn’t force His will upon us. Abe could have refused to sacrifice Isaac, but he would not have been the chosen one to bring about the Blessing to the world, Jesus.

Imagine that! Not obeying God would have changed Abe’s destiny forever. Even in the face of possibly losing his son for even a moment of time, he stayed true to God and carried out the command until he was stopped by the angel. Are we willing to go the distance and persevere and finish the race even in the face of adversity and difficult challenges? Abe did. He was willing to give up everything in order to please God. For without faith it is impossible to please Him. God would never actually require someone to kill a child in sacrifice to Him, yet He will require everything of us. Jesus even said that if we don’t love Him more than everyone else, then we are not worthy to be His disciples. We must turn over everything in our lives to God and not just some things. EVERYTHING!

Prayer:
Father, I live and am judged by my own words today. I desire to be fully submitted to you even though I know there are areas where I have withheld myself from You. I repent today of keeping back any part of my life and not fully submitting it to You. Please forgive me. You required the son of Abe, the heir of promise, knowing that Abe cherished no one or nothing greater in this life than the miracle baby You gave him at 100 years of age. What in my life is more precious than You? Nothing! Take all of me and do with me as You desire. I yield to Your kingship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.