BIBLE PASSAGE:
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built
an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac
and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his
hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called
out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
“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.”
(Genesis 22:9-12)
MEDITATION:
There was a time when commitments were honored most of the time,
but we live in a world today where people often fail to honor any of
the commitments they have made. Years ago, a handshake would be
treated as a guarantee, because people were dependable. If someone
said they would do something, you could depend on them to do it.
In the world we live in today, an agreement often needs to be on a
written document that is signed and notarized. Even then, lawyers
can intervene and sometimes get the agreement nullified. Then
other lawyers file lawsuits to force the agreement to be honored.
A lot of time, energy, paperwork and money are wasted, simply
because commitments are no longer as important and honorable
as they should be.
When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son (the one he had
waited for all his life), it was an opportunity for Abraham to prove
his commitment to God. He began proving his commitment when
he and his son left on a three-day journey to make a sacrifice.
They carried everything required for the sacrifice, except the sacrificial
lamb. Abraham showed God that he was obedient to Him by making the
journey, but the ultimate confirmation of his commitment still remained,
which was sacrificing his son. When reading the story, we discover that
he didn’t have to sacrifice his son after all, because God provided a ram
to be sacrificed instead.
God waited until Abraham was at the point of killing his son before
stopping him. Since God reads the hearts of men, He knew that
Abraham’s commitment to Him was real. So why did he need to
prove he was sincere in his love of God? It must have been so that
Abraham would prove to himself that God was number one in his
life, right?
ACTION:
Questions we could ask ourselves:
– Is God number one in my life?
– What sacrifices do I make to prove my commitment to Him?
– Do other desires prevent me from worshipping Him?
If so, isn’t that an indicator that He is not number one in my life?
Doesn’t it mean that I have allowed other things
to take God’s rightful place as Lord of my life?
In the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac, we read that when
Abraham was about to kill his son Isaac, an angel stopped him
by calling out his name, not once, but twice!
Whenever we are about to do something that God doesn’t want
us to do, or when we plan to avoid doing something God wants
us to do, how many times does the angel need to call our name
to remind us of our commitment that God will be first in our life?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I want You to always be first in my life. Forgive me
for the times I have failed to honor my commitment to You. Remind
me of my commitment and help me to think of it whenever other things
try to distract me from loving You. Show me what I need to do to prove
to myself (and possibly others) that my faith in You is sincere and not
just something I do when it is convenient for me. Instead of focusing
on the faults of others, teach me to focus on Your goodness. Instead
of being guilty of gossip, give me a heart of love for You, and for others.
Reveal to me any selfishness in my life and show me how to change it
to selflessness, so I can bless others in the same way You bless me and
forgive others with the same sincerity that You forgive me. Give me a
strong desire to honor my commitments to You and to others.”
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