Faith : Giving Up What you Value Most, Your Right To Having Your Own Way

My Utmost For His Highest

 

Take now your son…and offer him…as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. —Genesis 22:2

 

“A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. […] The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. […] If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs.” CHAMBERS

 

Faith .. what is hoped for … evidence of what is not seen … (Hebrews 11:1)  What proof do you need to obey God?  Faith and obedience are a pair.  James talked about faith and works.  (James 2:17)  Ephesians 2 tells us that we are saved by faith, not by works, yet “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  Obedience begins in the heart when we place our faith in God and not ourselves.  Then obedience springs out of that faith.  Abraham was asked to do something that would cost him what he had waited decades to receive, his son. I believe that in Abraham's mind, Isaac was already sacrificed when he began packing for the trip.  He did not know how God would do it, but he knew that God is faithful and would keep His promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that would happen through Isaac.  But how could that be if Isaac was dead?  The supernatural truth did not make natural sense.

 

God still asks His children to do by faith today.  Every day we are face with faith decisions in small ways and in big ways.  Our life in Christ is a spiritual test.  Do we trust God and walk in obedience to His leading, or do we trust ourselves and go our own way, clinging to a hollow religion, calling it being a Christian.  Abraham could have said “no” but he didn’t.  He was not perfect, but his faith was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:9)  Abraham was confident in God.  (Genesis 22:5) “Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”  He told the men, “we” will return.  He did not know how God would do it, but he knew in his “knewer” that God would be faithful, even with what Abraham valued most.  What is it that you value most?  Are you willing to give it to God?  Are you able to trust Him with it?  You’ve got to have faith. And then you have got to give it up.  You won’t be disappointed.  ELGIN

 

Charley Elgin