Meditation

What does sacrifice really mean and are we willing to sacrifice the things we love the most for God?…In Genesis 22 Abraham is required by God to offer his son Issac as a burnt offering on a mount in the land of Moriah…The excerpt reads…’And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.’…How many of us would be willing to do what Abraham did? Obedience and sacrifice are the themes we encounter in this passage and Abraham demonstrates that his complete faith is in God and that he is willing to do whatever God requires even though it may seem to his detriment…We grow spiritually when we give up (sacrifice) the old and enter into the new way God has provided through Christ…When our faith in God is steadfast then good is always the end result…Dear Father God, we ask only that you strengthen our faith and that we grow in obedience to your will for us…Willing to sacrifice the things that are keeping us from the true experience of life that you have provided for all your children…You have shown us what you are capable of accomplishing and we know that yours is the way of truth…Keep us in your care even as we walk in the paths of righteousness..
.In Christ’s name we ask this…Amen.