There is a well-known story of Abraham in the Bible. He had been a father of many nations. One of the story's main points is sacrificing what was most precious.
Although Abraham did not do everything according to God’s plan, He blessed him and credited Abraham with righteousness because of his obedience.
Specifically, Abraham was willing to sacrifice what was most precious to him—his one and only son, Isaac —before God as He told him to do this (Genesis chapter 22, verses 1-18).
This story of Abraham links to the occurrence when God had to send His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world for His life to be sacrificed for human beings.
The answer for sacrifice in both incidences is love.
Love
Abraham loved God more than anything, and he illustrated this by obediently preparing to sacrifice his son on the altar until God stopped him.
God loved Jesus more than anything, too, as He shared His divine nature with Him.
But why did God command Abraham to sacrifice His son, Isaac, and why did God send His Son, Jesus, into the world to be sacrificed for human beings?
Faith
God wanted Abraham to stretch his faith up to its limits.
Imagine if we have to sacrifice someone who is most precious for someone, who is even better? I cannot even comprehend what Abraham had to go through.
However, he obediently obeyed God. Then, God said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy… Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis chapter 22, verse 17)
Therefore, “sacrifice requires obedience which starts with trust.” (Chriselle Lees-Thomas, Abraham: The Cost of Sacrifice)
God also stretched His faith to its limits when He sent His Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed for human beings. He knew they had sinned, are sinning, or will sin in future. Nonetheless, He has hoped that everyone will come and worship Jesus forever (Philippians chapter 2, verses 10-11).
Relationship with God
Jesus promised them they would get acknowledged before God if they believe and accept Him as the Lord and Saviour (Matthew chapter 10, verse 32). Furthermore, He also proclaimed they are given the right to become God’s children (John chapter 1, verses 12-13).
How can we ignore this fantastic opportunity? Through faith in Jesus, we can connect and have a relationship with the Sovereign and Creator God.
Although life can be challenging, we have an all-powerful and all-knowing God who never leaves or forsake us if we follow Jesus.
We do not always feel He is there for us, especially in tough times, but He always works within us through the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 8-10). When Jesus was resurrected and went to heavenly realms, the Holy Spirit has been given to His followers (John chapter 16, verses 7-15).
Life can be tough
I am a Jesus’ follower, and my life is tough. My mind processes things slow. Due to this, I need more time to complete a specific task than others. Furthermore, I am the kind of person who has to get things done as soon as possible.
I often get frustrated that I take longer to complete particular tasks than others.
For example, I always was the last person to complete exams in my high school that I always required an extension time. As I often take theological courses at Carey Baptist College, I often past the due dates to complete assignments.
From 2022, I have to do level seven, the final level of the Bachelor of Applied Theology. But, to be honest, I have no idea how I can handle level seven assignments, especially if they are part of theological papers.
Thinking processes
Due to my passion for delving into Christianity, I have to remember that it does not matter if I take longer than others as long as my thinking process operates rightly. Even if my thinking process is incorrect, I can learn from assignment tasks more when receiving feedback from lecturers.
I believe thinking processes are central to internal productiveness.
Despite my circumstances, I know that God is working within me as I have received a gift of encouragement. I can encourage others to live their Christian lives as best as possible through writing. I have been writing devotionals from 2013 to 2017 and articles from 2017 to 2022. I also have been writing testimonies and sharing them with various churches.
In conclusion, since my mind processes slowly, I have to sacrifice some things and manage my time properly to spend more time doing necessary tasks.
Sacrificing particular things are part of worshipping God for all believers if those things would hinder them from worshipping God in their entire devotion.
“I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans chapter 12, verses 1-2)
Kevin Park is studying at Carey Baptist College and finds that Christian-writing is his ultimate will of God and his ultimate method to build the kingdom of God. He started to become a Christian writer from 2013. Other than his writing life, Kevin desires to see that each finds everlasting satisfaction in God, the Almighty. You will be able to contact him at kevin.park1991@gmail.com. He loves to encourage others spiritually.
Kevin Park’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/kevin-park.html