April
14, 2004
Reading: Genesis 22:1-14
“By faith Abraham,
when he was tested, offered up Isaac” Heb 11:17
I recently heard a message preached by Adrian Rogers that spoke to my heart. It was the right message at the right time for me. I would like to share the gist of it with you today. The message was titled, “The testing of our faith.”
In 1 Peter 1:7 we read, “That the
genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ.” There is no getting around it, God will test our
faith. Satan tempts us to make us fall, but God tests us to enable us to stand.
That testing may come in many various forms, but with Abraham, in this particular
case, God asked him to give up something extremely precious—his promised son,
Isaac. It is easier to give up some things such as lying, cheating, adultery,
etc., than others such as business, health, finances, etc. Isaac was the
fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham; he was the most precious blessing God
could have given him. The big question facing us is, are you willing to give
your blessings back to God should He ask it?
Can I trust God with the possessions He has given me? Whatever
blessing(s) we have received from the hand of God, do we love it more than we
love God? Could it be that Abraham was loving the gift more than the Giver? God
will not take second place in our life—He will not be a part-time God with a
duplex as His throne. God teaches an amazing principle in Malachi 2:2, “If you
will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My
name," says the LORD of hosts, "I will send a curse upon you, and I
will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not
take it to heart.” God does not want a place in our heart, or prominence in our
life, He desires, no, He demands preeminence. If the blessing, the gift, the
possession means more to us than He who gave it, and we are unwilling to give
it back to God, do not be surprised if it becomes a curse rather than a
blessing. We must all ask the question, Is there anything I love more than God?
If there is, we must take it up to
God may ask you to relinquish something precious. Anything God has given to you, you can trust God with it. Anything He has not given you, you do not need. There is only one alternative to obedience—disobedience, and disobedience may cause your blessings to be cursed.
Can I trust God with the promises He has given me? God had promised
Abraham a son through whom the world would be blessed—Isaac was that son. Now
God asked for him back. Abraham’s faith was being tested, “By faith Abraham,
when he was tested, offered up Isaac” Heb
We do not live by explanations, but by promises. If God has made us a promise, it is not ours to question why or how, but to believe it no matter what. If God asks us to give back to Him the means by which we think He will fulfill it, we must do it. If you love it, let it go. If God asks for it, give it to Him. If we knew the whys and hows, faith would be unnecessary.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.