The Sacrifice of Ourselves
by Lisa McDonald
James 1:22-25 - But prove yourselves doers of the Word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, for once he has looked at himself and gone away he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
Rom 12:1-2 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
If you ask my parents, I’m sure they would tell you all about the times when I was less than obedient as a child. But in MY one-sided memories, I seemed to remember being a rather compliant offspring. Yes, there were probably times when I caused my parents grief, but overall, submission was not a problem for me. I wanted to please my parents. The thoughts of disappointing them devastated me.
But one incident in particular where my obedience was in question happened during my fifth grade school year. During this year I discovered boys. It was a higher priority to me to find out whether the boy of my dreams, Jimmy, liked me as a girlfriend rather than being able to name all the major continents or to explain the digestive system. I though I had everything under control, doing the bare minimum in school work while putting a priority upon notes, slam books and learning how to bat my eyelashes in the most alluring way. Inevitably, the six-week grading period came to an end. When I held my report card, and saw the three Ds, I knew I was in major trouble.
Why does the world look at "obedience" or "submission" in the same negative respect as a four-letter word? One reason could be that our society wants freedom first and foremost. The worldly view thrives upon it. The thoughts of being submissive to an authority figure, as so society wants us to believe, makes us feel belittled, inferior and less of a person. Being told what to do is degrading. We are told to take control of our lives! Be on top! Be in control! Tell others what to do!
If we have been listening to the false prophets of today and believing that obedience is a thing of the past, or that God only tells us "no" and keeps us from having fun, than obedience is just too difficult to achieve. In order to learn more about obedience, a look at Genesis 22:1-19 might help. If you have ever questioned, as a result of a difficult situation, "Why am I here?" then take a look at this story in the book of Genesis. These verses contain the account of God calling Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
When God is calling us to obedience, let us ask ourselves these questions:
What is He asking us to give us, and are we willing? (v.2)God was commanding Abraham to give up his most precious possession, his son Isaac; and not only to give up his son, but also to brutally sacrifice him upon an altar. Isaac was the son God had promised years earlier, the one to whom was to be the beginning of a great nation. God knew all this and He knew how hard it would be for Abraham. That is why He asked him. God is asking us, when He calls us to obedience, to give up one of our most precious possessions too – ourselves. By offering ourselves up to Him we are demonstrating our love and devotion to Him. We are giving an outward display of our obedience. We are telling Him, "Your will for my life, even if it may be uncomfortable right now, is more important than anything else in my life."
What should our attitude be? (vs.3)Abraham left "early" the next morning after receiving his assignment from God. He didn’t put it off. He didn’t want God to have to wait on him. It also states in the verses that Abraham cut the wood for the burnt offering. When we are called to a task, we need to be anxious to begin, joyful in the fact that God wants to use us, not begrudging the fact that He has bothered us. Just think about it, Abraham knew a sacrifice was going to take place. Imaging him cutting each log of wood, knowing what they were to be used for. He also told the young men who came with them that they would "worship" then return. But he continued to trust God. Do we live in a continual attitude of worship, no matter our circumstances? Are we excited about obeying God and trusting Him to help us accomplish His mission for our lives?
- How long will it take? (vs.4)
This trip that God had planned for Abraham took at least three days, and that was just getting to the base of the mountain. He still had to climb the mountain. It wasn’t an easy journey (physically or emotionally) but he did it because of his faith in God. In this fast-paced microwave world, if someone infringes upon our time, we deal with the interruption quickly in order to get back to our own business. Is that how we deal with God when He dials our number?
- How strong is our faith? (vs.5,8)
Before Abraham started walking up the mountain he spoke to his servants. He told them that he and the boy would go up to the mountain and worship and then said "we" would return. In verse 8 Abraham affirms that God alone would provide the offering. He knew what God had told him to do, but he also had remembered God’s promise about his descendants. He had faith in God.
Are we thinking that if we give up our loneliness, our depression, our unforgiving spirits, our anxiousness, that God will forget about us? What else could we possibly pray about but our hurts and pain? We have no problem dwelling on our problems but when asked to give them up to God and let Him handle them, well, that’s another story. Do we think that unless we sound totally desperate that He will forget to answer our prayers and not give us a replacement sacrifice? What will be our ram in the thicket? What we need to remember is that God tells us what we need to do, not the other way around. If He has called us to something, He will fulfill it through us, enabling us with His strength.
- What if people do not understand my call?
The scriptures are silent on what the other men were thinking during this trip as well as Isaac. The only remark Isaac makes to his father concerns the absence of a sacrifice. Put yourself in Isaac’s place for a moment. What was he thinking or saying while his father tied him up, placed him on the altar, and held a knife over him? I’m not trying to put a doubt in anyone’s mind about the faithfulness of both Abraham and Isaac, but it is a valid question. What did Isaac think about it and what problems did Abraham encounter from his wife Sarah, when he left home, to sacrifice their son?
Serving God is very rarely easy or popular. There will be people who question your commitment, question your sanity, and question your friendship to them if you start acting different or "religious". How many other fathers were asked to sacrifice their sons during that day? Just because Abraham may have been the only one we know about, does not mean it was not from God. If friends and family have not received the same call as yourself, it may be difficult to have them understand. People want security; a need to be comfortable with what they know and can see and feel. If it is different from what they already know, it has to be wrong.
Take heart, my dear reader. If God has given you a clear call, a definitive ministry, has called you to be on mission for Him and are getting opposition…..GREAT! That means you are on the right track. Satan is nervous and is trying to get you to change your mind. Again there are no remarks shown in scriptures of the young men on the trip. They may have known about the sacrifice, they may not. But I believe Abraham had the type of faith that inspired him to continue up that mountain, even amidst possible opposition.
- What has God promised us? (vs. 15-18)
God told Abraham that because of his obedience, He would bless him. The blessing included the fact that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars or the sand, they would take possession of the cities of their enemies and through his offspring all nations would be blessed. Because Abraham had faith, trusted in God’s promises and was obedient, he was blessed. What is our incentive for obedience? It’s normal to want to know "why" we are to do something or how it will benefit us. If we are obedient to Him during a difficult situation, we want to know our blessings are on the way. (And we make sure God knows it by reminding Him from time to time.) But remember in Abraham’s case, the blessings were not given until after the test of faith. When God calls us, we know of His promises of love and protection (intellectually at least), but He more than likely will not give us the specific details of what our reward will be all at once. One of our problems is that we try to be obedient to God just for a reward or a blessing. The true reason for obedience to God should be because of our love for Him. It’s all in the way we look at it. A love relationship with Christ should be our incentive, our motive and our focus.
By the way, are you wondering what happened with the report card and my parents? As you already probably surmised, my parents were intensely upset and as calmly as they could, discussed with me how my priorities had gotten jumbled. But if I learned nothing else that night, it was the fact that my parents loved me very much. Through their unconditional love they encouraged me to do better in my grades and to leave the boys alone; just as knowing the extent of God’s love for us should give us incentive to love Him in return with a sacrifice of ourselves.
Through our Heavenly Father, when we are obedient to Him we receive blessings (either tangible, relational, or spiritual). A problem arises when we let our priorities slip and fall. God may allow us to go through this lesson (this problem, this situation, this circumstance) in order for us to understand completely the important of listening to Him. Nothing is ever wasted upon God. He uses every situation we are in or will be in to lead us back to him.
Questions To Ponder in Our Hearts As We Close:
- Name 2-3 areas where it is very difficult to be obedient to God in my life?
Prayer:
Awesome Heavenly Father, it is so hard to give you control over my life. I have become so used to being in control of so many areas of my life that it has become natural for me to try and fix things myself and to make all the decisions myself. Forgive me, Lord, for not letting You help me. Show me in what areas I am being rebellious and lead me in the right way, toward total obedience to you. Thanks for still loving me even when I mess up, repeatedly. I love you Lord! Help me give myself to you! Amen.
