OBEDIENCE, EVEN IN LITTLE THINGS
SONG
Trust and obey,
for there's no other way,
to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.
TEXT
"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." (Genesis 22 verse 2)
Great faith begins with little steps. Are you having trouble trusting God for something big? Maybe it’s because you’ve ignored those “small” and “insignificant” promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Lord considers each of His commands important and promises to reward every act of obedience to them, regardless of your feelings.
By the time Abraham was asked to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, remember that he had already sent Ishmael away, the son born to him by Hagar, probably to where he might never see him again. Abraham had a great and long time relationship with his God and he already knew that his God would always be faithful to His promises. His previous experiences had taught Him to trust the Lord.
God was able to make good what He promised to Abraham, even at the time it was most unlikely to happen, considering the age of Sarah his wife who had ceased to be after the manner of women. In due time, according to God's promise, she conceived and bore Abraham a son at his old age.
God's commandments to us are more of tests to prove our love and faithfulness to Him. It was so with Abraham in the matter of His demand to sacrifice Isaac unto Him. Abraham's positive response to God's demand earned him God's approval for being obedient to Him.
"And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (Genesis 22 verse 12)
Abraham knew for sure following his past experience with God, that he could make good anything, no matter how bad the thing might be. He believed that even if he killed his son, God was able to raise him back to life (Hebrews 11 verses 17 to 19)
In the same way, our steps of obedience, whether little or otherwise, solidifies our confidence in God. In consequence thereof, when He challenges us with a more difficult assignment, a firm foundation of assurance enables us to trust and obey Him. It's a proven fact that great acts of faith flow from past interactions with the Lord. By neglecting His simple commands, we miss priceless opportunities to witness His faithfulness.
Had Abraham refused God his son, I don't know what God's plan of salvation would have been. Abraham's gift to God of his only son was a type and picture of God giving His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to humanity as propitiation for our sins.
Abraham’s simple obedience to God's request was what brought about salvation to mankind.
Our obedience in little things can do lots more than we can ever imagine or envisage.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I thank you sincerely for my life and family. I want to be obedient to You. I choose to honor You. Show me any areas of my life where I need to make changes, in Jesus name. 🙏 🙏 🙏