OBEDIENCE STEP BY STEP

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to
him, "Abraham!" And
he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and
go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of
the mountains of which I
shall tell you."
-- GENESIS 22:1-2

Our difficulty is not that we don't know God's will. Our discomfort comes
from the fact that we do
know His will, but we do not want to do it! When God first spoke to
Abraham, His commands
were straightforward. "Go to a land I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). Then God
led Abraham through
a number of tests over the years. Abraham learned patience as he waited on
God's promise of a
son, which took twenty-five years to be fulfilled. Abraham learned to trust
God through battles with
kings and through the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The pinnacle of
Abraham's walk of faith
was when God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant more to him
than anything else. Abraham's
previous obedience indicated that he would have quickly and decisively
sacrificed anything else God
asked of him, but was he prepared for this? God did not ask Abraham to make
such a significant
sacrifice at the beginning of their relationship. This came over thirty
years after Abraham began walking
with God. As the Father progressively reveals His ways to you in your
Christian pilgrimage, you, like
Abraham, will develop a deeper level of trust in Him. When you first became
a Christian, your Master's
instructions were probably fundamental such as being baptized or changing
your lifestyle. But as you
learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match
bigger tests, and with the
greater test will come a greater love for God and knowledge of His ways.
Are you ready for God's
next revelation?


Pastor Tai