Give Up!
by Kamal Manik, Associate
India International Church
“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:2
In Abraham’s life so far we have traced three areas of willingness in his heart that constituted his faith. [Click here for Part 1, or here for Part 2, or here for Part 3]. He was willing to get out of his comfort zone when God called him to do so; he was willing to come out of the tent of his impossibility and look at God’s possibility; and he was willing to give in out of love and depending on God to supply His promises. But his greatest test came when God asked him to sacrifice his promised son. Right after God’s instruction, we read an act of immediate and simple obedience - “So Abraham rose … and saddled his donkey”. No arguments, no asking for explanations, no hesitation. He was willing to give up the very promise that he had so patiently waited for. The very promise for which he got out of Mesopotamia, for which he came out of his tent to see the stars, for which he gave in the seemingly good land to Lot, he was now willing to give up.
I think perhaps the hardest test of faith arises when one has to choose between the promise itself or the promise giver; between the One who has blessed us and the blessing itself. Often, in our journey of faith we tend to fall in love with what God has blessed us with, and forget that it is the Lord who is the central Person. It is to Him we are committed to. We can be thankful for the promises, and the blessings, but be ever ready to give up anything, even the most precious thing. It was Corrie Ten Boom who once said that she held on to things lightly so it would not hurt when God pried them away.
Are you willing to give up anything today for God’s sake? Are there things in your life you would never give up? I pray you look at Abraham’s life and resolve that you will be willing to not only get out of your comfort zone and walk in your called zone, come out of the tent of your limited thinking and see the God of the impossible, give in out of love even when you have a legitimate right, but also give up your most precious possession if God so desires. That is a heart of faith.
May I tie this all together. See, when Abraham was willing to get out of the country, he was trusting in the goodness of God; when he was willing to come out, he was trusting in the power of God, when he gave in, he was trusting in the justice of God, and when he gave up, he was trusting in the sovereignty of God. The Bible says Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham never saw the cross yet he believed in God. What about us those who live after the cross? In Jesus, God has shown us His manifest goodness, justice, power and sovereignty. Will you not believe?
Kamal Manik
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"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ. If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
India International Church
“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:2
In Abraham’s life so far we have traced three areas of willingness in his heart that constituted his faith. [Click here for Part 1, or here for Part 2, or here for Part 3]. He was willing to get out of his comfort zone when God called him to do so; he was willing to come out of the tent of his impossibility and look at God’s possibility; and he was willing to give in out of love and depending on God to supply His promises. But his greatest test came when God asked him to sacrifice his promised son. Right after God’s instruction, we read an act of immediate and simple obedience - “So Abraham rose … and saddled his donkey”. No arguments, no asking for explanations, no hesitation. He was willing to give up the very promise that he had so patiently waited for. The very promise for which he got out of Mesopotamia, for which he came out of his tent to see the stars, for which he gave in the seemingly good land to Lot, he was now willing to give up.
I think perhaps the hardest test of faith arises when one has to choose between the promise itself or the promise giver; between the One who has blessed us and the blessing itself. Often, in our journey of faith we tend to fall in love with what God has blessed us with, and forget that it is the Lord who is the central Person. It is to Him we are committed to. We can be thankful for the promises, and the blessings, but be ever ready to give up anything, even the most precious thing. It was Corrie Ten Boom who once said that she held on to things lightly so it would not hurt when God pried them away.
Are you willing to give up anything today for God’s sake? Are there things in your life you would never give up? I pray you look at Abraham’s life and resolve that you will be willing to not only get out of your comfort zone and walk in your called zone, come out of the tent of your limited thinking and see the God of the impossible, give in out of love even when you have a legitimate right, but also give up your most precious possession if God so desires. That is a heart of faith.
May I tie this all together. See, when Abraham was willing to get out of the country, he was trusting in the goodness of God; when he was willing to come out, he was trusting in the power of God, when he gave in, he was trusting in the justice of God, and when he gave up, he was trusting in the sovereignty of God. The Bible says Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Abraham never saw the cross yet he believed in God. What about us those who live after the cross? In Jesus, God has shown us His manifest goodness, justice, power and sovereignty. Will you not believe?
Kamal Manik
________________________________________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ. If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
posted by Danesh Manik | 3:59 PM
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