Give It Up

My Bible study took me to Genesis 22 this morning.

The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac. 

(I can still see the scary, creepy picture card from my childhood Sunday School class 

that showed Isaac on the altar and the big angel in the sky coming down. 

It still kinda scares me.)

The verses of course made me think of Abraham and his faithfulness to God,

his willingness to sacrifice his only son, how much he trusted God.

Are you amazed by Abraham?

I always have been.

But maybe for a few minutes we can remember that Abraham was just a man, human 

("but flesh" as my man likes to remind me lol) just like us. 

Can we think for a few minutes about the SACRIFICE,

 instead of how "super-Christian" Abraham was.

If I/you were the main character of these verses, how would the story change? 

What has God asked me to sacrifice that I just keep holding on to?

What am I willing or unwilling to sacrifice?

I admit that I don't think God is calling me to literally put my Jack on an altar 

like he asked Abraham to do with Isaac. 

But I do believe that HE calls us to sacrifice things and 

yes, sometimes people in our lives.

I think there are things that I/we willing give to God, some things feel easy,

right now church on Sunday is easy for me, tithing right now is easy for me,

 right now Bible study is easy for me 

(I say right now because we all go through seasons).

But, what am I holding on to?

What am I not willing to sacrifice?

kids? our money or lack of? bills? jobs? marriages? etc.

And WHY?

Why can't we let some of these things go?

We don't trust HIM.

We don't think HE will handle it correctly.

We don't think HE will take care of it the way we would.

We don't want to give it up.

We're afraid that HE will take it and keep it from us.

We don't want to give up our worry over it.

(I think if I'm worrying about something then it's part of the problem solving process.)

This list could go on and on.

The bottom line is that it really doesn't get much more serious 

than being asked to sacrifice your only son.

Let's remember that HE walked Abraham through it, 

HE will do the same for us!

Let's all check and see what we're holding on to today and give it up.

Let HIM have it, whatever it is.

It will be much better off in HIS hands anyway.