- Sep 8, 2022
- 4 min read
“Sacrifice without obedience is sacrilege.”
William Gurnall
We can’t change if we are the same. The New Testament speaks at length about the new self, about transformation, about the power that comes from starting anew in Christ. And that newness comes from sacrifice daily.
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]” (Romans 12:1-2 AMP).
There is a lot to which we can be burdened from our past lives. There are a lot of burdens we carry forward daily. There are many obstacles, trials, and problems that abound in just our normal lives of surviving this side of eternity. We can look to YHWH for guidance or we can look around at our fellow men. The same broken and fallen folks that we acknowledged we needed salvation from are sometimes the same folks we return to for guidance. Sometimes we lean on our own knowledge and experience rather than leaning on YHWH. But, take heart, because the process is one of progressive change. All things take time and patience to work out. And there is always a plan even when we can’t see the plan or we question our journey.
We may be confused by what we are being asked to do. BUT I don’t think anything can be more confusing than when Abraham and Isaac made that journey in the Genesis scroll. They were both acting on faith. Both were willing sacrifices for YHWH despite not understanding the reasons behind the journey. Both were willing to submit their sovereignty to the sovereignty of YHWH.
“Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then he got up and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day [of travel] Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham said to his servants, “Settle down and stay here with the donkey; the young man and I will go over there and worship [God], and we will come back to you.” Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on [the shoulders of] Isaac his son, and he took the fire (firepot) in his own hand and the [sacrificial] knife; and the two of them walked on together. And Isaac said to Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering.” So the two walked on together” (Genesis 22:1-8 AMP).
Absolute trust in the journey despite not understanding is one of the main problems folks have with their walk. We want to know the reasons. We want to question the motives. We want to know the path BUT we don’t have it all. We can only see as far as our headlights on the road before us at night BUT we have faith that there is still road ahead of us. We can only see the small part of the journey through Waze as we start out a new trip BUT we still have faith that the app knows where to go. How much more faith should we have in YHWH? Why do we trust these man-made constructions of roads and apps more than YHWH? Instead we should be saying, as is echoed many times in the Torah, “Here I am.”
I need to stop trying to crawl off the altar. I need to stop thinking I am in charge. I need to stop trying to be in control. What does my control get? Where does my knowledge lead? What makes me think I have a better plan?
The old self doesn’t want the new self to arrive. The old self is comfortable with doing things the way they always were. The old self is set into its rut. The old self is always fighting to stay comfortable. BUT I have to give it away. I have to give away the comfort. I have to give away the routine. I have to give away the rut. I have to stand up and say, “Here I am”, with a heart of service and sacrifice.
Here I am.
Peace to your home. Bless your being. The reign of God is now. Be a blessing to God and others.