Sacrifice of Isaac

Hebrews 11:17-19,  "By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him,  'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.'  Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."

When God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, what thoughts do you suppose ran through Abraham's mind?  Surely not, God.  That doesn't make any sense.  Not only was Isaac the precious, beloved son of Abraham and his wife Sarah, doted upon like a grandchild, but Isaac was the key to the promises God had made to Abraham about his countless descendants.  Sometimes God's instructions don't seem to make sense to us.  Sometimes He doesn't explain his actions to our satisfaction.  Warren Wiersbe wrote,  "Our faith is not really tested until God asks us to bear what seems unbearable, do what seems unreasonable, and expect what seems impossible.  Whether you look at Joseph in prison, Moses and Israel at the Red Sea, or Jesus at Calvary, the lesson is the same: We live by promises, not by explanations."

One of Abraham's first thoughts must have been,  "How will I ever explain this to Sarah?"  Certainly he did not share God's instructions with his wife, nor with anyone else, because other people would have thought he was crazy and would have tried to stop him.

One of Abraham's traits which especially endeared him to his Heavenly Father was his instant obedience.  When God told him to do something, Abraham got right on it.  He made the arrangements and left with Isaac, two servants, the wood and the fire for the sacrifice and headed to the designated mountain to carry out God's command.  We do have some real insight into one of his thoughts in Genesis 22:5, which says,  "He said to his servants,  'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then  WE will come back to you."  Our Hebrews passage tells us that Abraham believed that if he slew Isaac, God could raise him from the dead.

    Abraham continued to trust God though the hardest test of his life, and God beautifully rewarded his faithful servant.  God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac.  He just wanted Abraham's willingness.  Sometimes that's all God wants from us--our willingness to make whatever sacrifice He asks of us.  Sometimes He requires the actual sacrifice itself.  Whichever the case, God will always be right there with us and will applaud our trust in Him.

Father, whatever You may ask of us, may we be as obedient and as trusting as Abraham.  Amen.   

Two Natures

John 3:6,  "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit."

Apparently Sarah thought that God was either unwilling or unable to keep His promise that she and Abraham would have a child, so she decided to help God out.  She gave her handmaid Hagar to Abraham so they could have a child by her, and Ishmael was born.  But Ishmael was Sarah's plan, not God's plan, and it caused much heartache.  After Ishmael was born, Hagar began to despise her mistress, and this greatly distressed Sarah.  After Isaac, the son that God had promised, was born, Ishmael must have been jealous because of the great excitement over the baby.  On the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast to celebrate the occasion.  That day Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, and she insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away.  This caused Abraham much unhappiness, but when God told him to send them away Abraham obeyed God.

    We can find a spiritual analogy in this story.  Christians have two natures--a fleshly, sinful nature with which all people are born, and a new nature, God's nature, which He gives all people who accept Jesus by faith.  When God gives Christians this new nature, He doesn't remove the old nature, so the two natures reside together and are in constant opposition with each other.  Each person decides which nature will be in control at any time.

    Ishmael, the result of Sarah's plan, represents the old sinful nature, the flesh.  Isaac is representative of the new nature,the spiritual nature, that only God can give, as only God could have given a baby to a couple as old as Sarah and Abraham.  The new nature urges us to put to death the desires of the old nature and be controlled by the Holy Spirit instead.  It was painful for both Abraham and Ishmael to separate, and it is often difficult and painful to give up our old habits and desires.  But, as John Phillips writes,  "That which was born of the flesh must be cast out.  There was to be no compromise, no middle ground.  There must be a complete break with the old nature if the new nature is to develop and occupy all the believer's heart."

Father, help me to give up all the sinful habits of my old, fleshly nature and allow Your Spirit to control my every thought, word, and deed.  Amen.    

Lot's Escape

Luke 17:33,  "Remember Lot's wife!  Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it."

    It's a good idea to stay close to people who are close to God.  Sometimes some of the benefits God bestows on them will overflow to us.  And those who are friends of God will pray for their friends, so even if people aren't praying for themselves, God will answer the prayers their friends have prayed on their behalf.  The angels went to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family in answer to Abraham's prayers.  Who has prayed for you and your family?  For whom are you praying?

    At dawn the angels urged Lot and his wife and daughters to hurry out of the city to escape its destruction.  But Lot hesitated, so the angels took the hands of Lot and his family and pulled them out of the city.  Apparently they were reluctant to leave their worldly possessions.  Does God ever have to urge or push or pull us in order for us to obey Him?

    Lot and his family were warned not to look back, but Lot's wife disobeyed those instructions, and she turned into a pillar of salt.  She became a monument to a divided heart and a warning to us all.  Do you think that you would have looked back?  Could you leave your house and possessions and friends and lifestyle and never look back if God called you to do that?  Or do we look back with longing when God calls us onward?  Where are our hearts?

    The lack of godly men in Sodom is a sad commentary on Lot's life.  When the angels arrived in Sodom, Lot was sitting at the gate of the city.  This was the place where business was transacted.  Lot's seat there indicates that he had a position of some power and influence, but we do not see any evidence that he used it to bring men to God.  I can't help but compare my own life to Lot's.  God has blessed me greatly, and it is a real temptation for me to just sit back and enjoy all that I have, as Lot apparently did.  He wasted his life and his influence as far as furthering God's kingdom.  But God wants, and expects, us to use all the resources He has placed at our disposal to tell others about salvation, about the way of escape that He has provided for all people.  He wants us to take every opportunity that is presented to us to share Christ with those who do not know Him.  Who told you about Jesus?  Who might you tell, or influence, to know Him?

Father, thank You that You have made a way for us to escape the penalty and power of sin through the cross.  May we take every opportunity to share that wonderful news with those around us.  Amen.

Intercessory Prayer

James 4:2c,  "You do not have because you do not ask God."

James 5:16b,  "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

God decided to take His friend Abraham into His confidence and tell Abraham of His plans to destroy the wicked city of Sodom.  Abraham's nephew Lot and his family had moved into that city and were living there.  Abraham's concern for Lot prompted him to pray the first intercessory prayer recorded in Scripture.  His plea was based on God's justice, with the hope that God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked.  He asked God to spare Sodom if fifty righteous people were found in it, and God agreed to do that.  Notice Abraham's courage as he continues to lower the necessary number of righteous people in Sodom to forty five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and then ten.  As long as Abraham prayed, God answered affirmatively.

    What a tragedy that there weren't even ten righteous people to be found in Sodom.  This does not speak well for Lot's influence in the city.  What was Lot thinking anyway when he moved his family into such a wicked place?  Were it not for Abraham's intercession, Lot and his wife and daughters would probably have been killed along with everyone else when the city was destroyed.

    God did more than answer Abraham's prayers.  He spared Lot and his family in spite of the fact that there weren't ten righteous people in the city.  Many times God, in His wisdom and love, gives us even better answers to our prayers than we have asked.

    We are probably more like Christ when we are praying for others than any other time, because Jesus is presently interceding for us in heaven.  God has warned us that He is going to judge this world as He judged Sodom.  We stand in the place where Abraham stood--in the place of intercession for those we love.  Remember, God kept answering as long as Abraham kept asking.  Will you keep praying?

Father, may I not be guilty of neglecting to pray for those I love and for all You put on my heart and mind.  Thank You for the privilege and promises of prayer.  Amen.

The God of All Possibilities

Matthew 19:26b,  "With God all things are possible."

Hospitality was considered an obligation in Biblical days.  There were few inns, so when strangers came by, people usually fed them and often took them in to spend the night.  Abraham hurried to prepare a meal for the three men who came to his tent, and he shared generously.  He told Sarah to bake bread for them with the finest flour, and Abraham himself chose a choice, tender calf to cook.  I don't believe that Abraham knew that he was entertaining two angels and God Himself when he first greeted the three strangers and began to prepare food for them.

We, too, are exhorted to show hospitality to others.  Romans 12:13 tells us to "Share with the Lord's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality."  I Peter 4:9 says we are to "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."  And Hebrews 13:2 adds,  "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."  Who knows  what people we may be entertaining, or what blessing may be in store for us, as we share our homes and meals with others.  Actually we will be ministering to our Lord every time, because He has said if we show kindness to the least of people, we are showing kindness to Him.

God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of descendants too numerous to count.  The three visitors added some important information about that promise on this visit.  Sarah would be the mother of all these offspring, and she would have a baby within a year.

Sarah and Abraham were old, and Sarah was past her child bearing years.  God had waited until this couple would need a miracle from Him to have a baby.  It was obvious that only God could make it happen.  But what is impossible with men is always possible for God.   Nothing is ever too difficult for the Creator of this incredible universe.  No problem, trial, or temptation we will ever face will be beyond His power to bring us through.  And God is faithful.  His promises are always true and dependable.  We can count on Him even when we are facing a seemingly impossible situation.  He wants us to continue to trust Him, as Abraham did, and see what wonders He will perform on our behalf.

Father God, thank You that You can do all things.  May I always trust Your power, Your goodness, and Your love for me.  Amen.

The Christ Candle

Today we light the fifth candle of the Advent wreath, the Christ candle.  This is the most important candle of all because, without Christ, we would not have the hope, peace, love, or joy represented by the other four candles.  All of these qualities originate in God and come to us through Christ.

We would still be in our sins, without hope for the future, had Christ not died so we could be forgiven and know that we have an eternal home in heaven.  Colossians 1:27 tells us,  "God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the HOPE of glory."  I Timothy 4:10 gives us these words,  "That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our HOPE in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe."  And Psalm 146:5 says,  "Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose HOPE is in the Lord their God."

Our peace comes to us through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Ephesians 2:14a tells us of Jesus,  "For he himself is our PEACE..."  In John 14:27 we read these words of Jesus,  "PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give you."  In John 16:37a Jesus said,  "I have told you these things so that in me you might have PEACE..."  Isaiah 26:3 has this wonderful promise,  "You will keep in perfect PEACE those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

We are able to love God and to love others with God's love, which comes to us because Jesus Christ died for us.  Romans 5:5b,  "God's LOVE has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  When Jesus returned to heaven, He sent us the Holy Spirit, Who gives us God's love.

    Truly it is knowing Christ and walking closely step by step with Him that floods ours hearts with joy,  That joy nourishes our spirits and enables us to endure the trials and tribulations of life with full and grateful hearts.  We might each say with Acts 2:21, "You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with JOY in Your presence."

Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God, given to us because of His precious, holy Son, the Christ of Christmas and of everyday.

Father, thank You for giving us hope, peace, love, and joy.  Most of all, thank You for giving us Jesus, through Whom You have given us so many good things.  Amen.

The Joy of the World

Nehemiah 8:10c,  "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Every Christmas season my heart returns to the past, to the house where I grew up, and to the wonderful Christmases I spent with my parents, my brother, and the rest of my family.  I can still picture my Aunt Bill unmolding gelatin salads on a tray and piling the carved turkey high on a platter.  I still thrill with excitement when I remember my Aunt Johnny and Uncle Fred arriving from out of town with big smiles on their faces, hugs all around, and a car packed full of presents.

    The scene often shifts to the Christmases my husband and I spent with our children when they were growing up and Santa Claus was real to them.  I could barely contain my excitement on Christmas Eve as I laid out their toys and anticipated their reactions on Christmas morning.  These are such happy memories, and I yearn to relive those times and see those precious faces again.

    The Christmas season this year has changed for me and my family.  My children, and even some of my grandchildren, are grown, and there are seven great grandchildren.  Because there are so many of us, it is no longer feasible to gather the whole crowd at one time, so we are having several smaller Christmas celebrations.  It is not the same, and I miss our traditions.

    Christmas past and present can be bitter sweet, but the future holds only joy for those who will one day celebrate this holiday with its honoree, Jesus Christ.  Jesus came that we might rejoice in the sweet memories of the past and in His constant presence with us in the present, but, most of all, so we can rejoice in the eternal future which He has lovingly prepared for each of His children.  So there can be, and should be, joy even in the middle of our losses in the past and our problems in the present because of all that the future holds for us.  Rejoice!

Father, I rejoice in the sweet memories of the past, in Your constant presence with me now, and in the future You have prepared for us. Thank You.  Amen.