Abraham built an altar . . . ; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar . . . —Genesis 22:9
This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”
We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.
It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.
Journal DJR
Good morning Lord, This concept seems clear to grasp but harder to implement. Kind of like the man who said, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. Yes, I choose to sacrifice my life for you and your kingdom but help me with the part of me that doesn’t.
Know that it is a process. You see my men and women in the Bible who were in process. Abraham in this story and David and Paul and Peter and all the others. They wrestled the same fight with their flesh that you are wrestling. Try to learn from their experiences. What you can learn from others will be valuable, but limited. What you will learn most from is your personal life and our personal relationship. I will teach you and you will learn quickly and well as you walk closer and hear better. So let’s walk this life together. It’s the best way to live. Best for you. Best for me.
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