Sacrifice

"Take your son,

your only son--yes, Isaac, whom you love so much--

and go to the land of Moriah.

Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."

Genesis 22:2

It was the only way to bring us close to God.  There was no other answer to mankind's sin problem.  The ultimate sacrifice had to be made in order to reconcile the image bearer to the Image.  God saw the necessity of giving up His one and only Son in order to right the wrong sin had committed.

The sacrifice of Jesus giving up His perfect life for those who fall short of God's glorious standard made relationship with a Holy God possible.  Sometimes, as grateful as I am for His love, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the expense of that selfless act.

God is gracious to have tested Abraham, not only to deepen his own faith, but to teach all of us something about faith, opening up a greater degree of understanding into the concept of sacrifice.

Jesus

He had never experienced separation from His Father.  They were together at creation, sharing in the formation of all things. (John 1)  They have always been one, setting up the example of how the body of believers is to operate of one accord (John 10:30, John 17:21). As close as the relationship is between Father and Son, they chose to experience separation for a time out of their great love for those they created in their image.

At the moment Jesus bore my sin so that I might become the righteousness of God, His Father turned His back on His Son. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 27:46)  As much as it hurt to see His Son suffer so, His holiness could not allow the usual nearness.  The oneness of Father and Son was broken for a time.

When I learn of the sacrifice God called Isaac to make, I can gain a greater understanding of the magnitude of God's love in giving up His Son for me.  While I may not be able to comprehend the closeness of the relationship enjoyed between the heavenly Father and Son, I can better relate to what Isaac was willing to give up out of obedience to the God he loved. Putting myself in Abraham's shoes and imagining me placing my own child on the altar is unimaginable;  yet that is what God did for me.

I learn of the expense of the sacrifice God made for me in giving up His precious Son when I study the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Life

He had waited for a child for so long.  In the man's old age, God finally fulfilled the promise made over 20 years before, giving him a son.  When Abraham finally held the life in his hands that was so long awaited, he never wanted to let him go.  This life was precious to him.

In a similar way, I can hold my own life as dear to me.  It is the only one I've been given, and I have many dreams about how to live it.  There is much I want to experience, places I want to visit, and goals I want to accomplish;  most of us believe that the best way to show respect for the life God has given me is to live each day to the fullest. The only way to truly worship God with my life, however, is to give it back to Him. (Romans 12:1)

In the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac, I can learn a little something about priorities.  While I tend to think my life is my own to live as I see fit, their act of obedience shows me that my life was bought at a price and now belongs to Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  

Just as Abraham was willing to place all the hopes and dreams he had for his son on that altar, trusting God for his future and fulfillment of his promises, my act of true worship is to leave my own dreams behind and take up God's plan for my life.  When I crave the attention I garner when I wear clothing that shows some skin, show off my talents for attention or impart the knowledge I've gathered over the years, I can also place that selfish desire on the altar and instead take up the humility of Christ.  (Philippians 2:3-8)  I can also forget what I think I know about God and His ways and simply trust Him with the days to come, leaving my desire to know the details on the altar.

I learn what it means to give up my life when I study the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Will

"She is a strong-willed child.  I can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do!"  The mother shared her struggles with raising her daughter.  To be honest, I can place myself in the same category as this stubborn child.  While I may do a good job of hiding it, deep down inside, I want to get my own way and don't want to bow to the bidding of anyone else besides myself.

The human will is strong, but if I am to walk in the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:16, I will need to let it go.  Doing things my way only leads to trouble, (v 19-21) but letting God show me His way produces His fruit.  (v 22-23)

Instead of following the ways of the world and assume I should go to college and pursue a career, I will only please God if I seek His will for my life.  In the place of stubbornly insisting on getting my way so I can feel comfortable, I will only please God if I tell Him He can use my life in any way He sees fit.  As a substitute for treating others the way they treat me, I will only please God when I let Him use me to love those who persecute me.

I learn what it means to bend to the will of my Father when I study the story of Abraham and Isaac.

It's easy to read the words found in the Bible and think it has no meaning for my life today.  In reality, though, I can learn much that can be applied to every facet of my life.  As an example, I can learn about sacrifice through the incident of Abraham's obedience to God's calling on his life.  There I will discover the costly nature of the sacrifice Jesus made when He freely gave His life on the cross.  I also will realize that I can give up my life as an act of worship to God and that the only way I can please Him is when I stop living my way and let Him lead me on the path He has prepared for me.  In these ways, sacrifice becomes more than just a word.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can take the lessons God teaches through Abraham's sacrifice to heart.

When do I worship only on Sunday instead of giving my life as an act of worship?

How do I insist on getting my own way instead of considering God as the head of my life?