Right Obedience

When God blessed Abraham with a son, Abraham was overjoyed. He loved Isaac so much that God began to wonder if the child had taken first place in Abraham's life. To test Abraham's loyalties, God asked Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to Him.

When Abraham heard the Lord's request, he didn't argue, he didn't complain, and he didn't talk back. He simply obeyed. Literally, the next morning, Abraham got up and set out to follow the Lord's command.

Abraham's heart had to be in turmoil and his mind utterly confused. Yet, he chose to obey the word of the Lord. Even when Isaac asked how they were going to make a sacrifice without a lamb, Abraham merely replied, "The Lord will provide the lamb."

When God saw Abraham's obedience, when He saw that Abraham was indeed willing to give his most prized possession up as an offering to Him, God intervened and spared Isaac's life. And the Lord did provide a ram in the bush to serve as the sacrifice instead. (Genesis 22)

Abraham endured this emotional test and passed God's challenge with flying colors. He obeyed immediately, he did not obey grudgingly or with the wrong spirit, and he kept his words in line.

Has God placed you in a challenge situation? He may not have asked you to sacrifice your child, but maybe He's asking you to sacrifice some time. Maybe He's challenging you to sacrifice in the area of giving. Perhaps He's testing you in the workplace.

Are you being like Moses? Are you simply obeying God without complaint? Or, are you talking back, questioning God's instructions, or even ignoring them altogether?

Our Father wants to know that He has first place in our hearts. He should take precedence over our jobs, our favorite hobbies, our friends, and even our families. He should be first always.

As our first love, we should have a deep enough relationship with Him to know that whatever He asks of us, He has our best interests in mind. We should trust that He will never lead us astray or cause us to fall. We should be assured that He loves us far beyond what we could think.

Maybe you are in a difficult spot. Maybe you feel that what God is asking you to do is unfair or painful. But, if we act in obedience like Abraham, the end result is God showing up and showing His love for us far beyond what we could have imagined.

Verse of the Day: If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. Job 36:11, 12