Seize the Moment – Day 407
The Life of Sacrifice!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 28.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to let go of an important relationship and entrust it to God? What did it feel like to make that sacrifice?
Genesis 22:15-18 describes God’s reward to Abraham for his faithfulness to let go of his most prized person, his son Isaac, the unique child of promise:
Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
While this ancient story has much in it that is confusing and upsetting to our modern sensibilities, the emphasis of the story is on God’s faithfulness to provide for His promise and for His people to trust Him, no matter what is asked of us.
The life of sacrifice can feel confusing and upsetting when we begin it, but as you learn to trust God, you truly learn of His faithfulness! It is not until you are willing to follow Jesus and obey Him that you learn of the greater rewards of the life of sacrifice.
Jesus invites you from Mark 8:34-35, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
Seize the moment and trust God with whatever it is you are clinging to. There are great blessings in a life of sacrifice.