Acts 12:1-16 (Click on reference to read the Scripture text)
It is the night before your big trial and more than likely you will end up dead. What do you do? I don't know about you, but sleeping would not be high on my list. Praying, freaking out, trying to figure out a way to turn into MacGyver and escape using my trusty Swiss army knife, some shoelaces and maybe gum... but sleep?
Yet, this is exactly what we find Peter doing (vs.6-7). In time of crisis, when his life was literally at stake, Peter trusted God so much that he was at peace enough to sleep. He literally was able to grasp and understand John 16:33. He was not even sleeping lightly. The Bible says that the angel literally had to strike Peter in the side to wake him up (vs. 7).
Peter was at complete peace in God's will for His life and also His timing. Verse six states, "The night before Herod was to bring him to trial." God kept Peter in jail until the night before the trial. What a test of faith! God waited until the last moment to rescue Peter. God was not late. God's timing is not always our timing, but God's timing is always perfect (Isaiah 55:8-9). We see that when God came through, Peter did not question the angel or God. He simply acted in obedience and did what the angel told him to do. God provided the means of escape, but Peter had to get up and walk out, and in a timely manner. Has God provided deliverance for you, but you are too scared to stand up and get out? Are you dragging your feet? Delayed obedience IS disobedience!
I included these last few verses because they strike me as funny, yet extremely convicting. The saints were praying for Peter's rescue and deliverance, yet when he showed up at the door they didn't believe it was possible enough to immediately open the door (vs. 13-16). Do you pray to the Lord but not really believe He will answer? Are you actually surprised to see Him do the impossible? Pray in confidence and without a doubt (James 1:5-7), and while you're at it... get some sleep!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Obedience or Sacrifice?
Genesis 22:1-18 (Click on reference to read text)
Some of our trials and tests are brought on by God. This may seem harsh, but the opposite is true. He uses these trials to refine us to make us more like Himself and to reveal to us just exactly who He is and what He is made of! Abraham was a perfect example of this truth!
Abraham was a follower of God if there ever was one! He lived in a state of readiness: spiritually, physically and emotionally. When God called, he answered immediately (vs.1). Yet, God asked this great man of Faith to do something that seemed unfair and horrible, to sacrifice his own son... the fulfillment of a promise from God.
Instead of running away, we see Abraham following the Lord and trusting Him (vs. 4-8). He did not begin to act in obedience and then stop when He did not see God providing an escape. No! He trusted God the entire time and was going to be obedient above all else. Even if it meant sacrificing what he held most dear. I think one of the reasons he was willing to walk in obedience is because he KNEW God. He knew God was compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8). He knew God could be trusted because God loved him passionately. Abraham had the faith that God would give Isaac back to him. When he left the servants to go on with Isaac, he said to the servants, “We will go and sacrifice” and then “WE will return" (vs.5). Abraham knew that God would not go back on His promise of his son, even though current circumstances did not show it.
However, there is a huge point from this story that we cannot miss. When God called Abraham to stop and sacrifice the ram instead... Abraham listened! (vs. 12-14). Abraham could have gone ahead and slain Isaac, because after all, at some point didn't God tell him to? When God said you don't have to do this, Abraham could have responded in the flesh, saying "I will show my devotion to God by killing my son, my most precious blessing." As important as it is to instantly obey God and be willing to sacrifice to Him all you hold dear, it is just as important to listen to the voice of God and not sacrifice on the altar what He does not require of you. This is why to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). It is not about the object of the sacrifice we lay down, but the attitude of our hearts. The world looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Are we truly willing to give everything to the Lord? Our hopes, dreams, possessions, jobs, family, children?
God's timing is perfect. He is never too early and never too late, despite what we think (2 Peter 3:9). Even though Isaac was never sacrificed, God says to Abraham, "Because you have not withheld your only son whom you love" (vs. 12). To God, the act of putting his son on the altar and raising the knife WAS not withholding his own son. What is God asking you to give over to Him? Are you holding on tightly in fear? Trust that He loves you and has your eternal best at heart!
Some of our trials and tests are brought on by God. This may seem harsh, but the opposite is true. He uses these trials to refine us to make us more like Himself and to reveal to us just exactly who He is and what He is made of! Abraham was a perfect example of this truth!
Abraham was a follower of God if there ever was one! He lived in a state of readiness: spiritually, physically and emotionally. When God called, he answered immediately (vs.1). Yet, God asked this great man of Faith to do something that seemed unfair and horrible, to sacrifice his own son... the fulfillment of a promise from God.
Instead of running away, we see Abraham following the Lord and trusting Him (vs. 4-8). He did not begin to act in obedience and then stop when He did not see God providing an escape. No! He trusted God the entire time and was going to be obedient above all else. Even if it meant sacrificing what he held most dear. I think one of the reasons he was willing to walk in obedience is because he KNEW God. He knew God was compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8). He knew God could be trusted because God loved him passionately. Abraham had the faith that God would give Isaac back to him. When he left the servants to go on with Isaac, he said to the servants, “We will go and sacrifice” and then “WE will return" (vs.5). Abraham knew that God would not go back on His promise of his son, even though current circumstances did not show it.
However, there is a huge point from this story that we cannot miss. When God called Abraham to stop and sacrifice the ram instead... Abraham listened! (vs. 12-14). Abraham could have gone ahead and slain Isaac, because after all, at some point didn't God tell him to? When God said you don't have to do this, Abraham could have responded in the flesh, saying "I will show my devotion to God by killing my son, my most precious blessing." As important as it is to instantly obey God and be willing to sacrifice to Him all you hold dear, it is just as important to listen to the voice of God and not sacrifice on the altar what He does not require of you. This is why to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). It is not about the object of the sacrifice we lay down, but the attitude of our hearts. The world looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Are we truly willing to give everything to the Lord? Our hopes, dreams, possessions, jobs, family, children?
God's timing is perfect. He is never too early and never too late, despite what we think (2 Peter 3:9). Even though Isaac was never sacrificed, God says to Abraham, "Because you have not withheld your only son whom you love" (vs. 12). To God, the act of putting his son on the altar and raising the knife WAS not withholding his own son. What is God asking you to give over to Him? Are you holding on tightly in fear? Trust that He loves you and has your eternal best at heart!
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