Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moorish. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” -Gen. 22:2 NIV
It's really not a sacrifice unless it is something of value to us, something that we love. God is always about requiring sacrifice of the things that have a hold on us. It may be our pride, it may be our need for control, it may be a relationship that consumes us, it may be our need for freedom, it may be our need for power, our love of comfort, our co-dependency or something as simple as our pride in our appearance. If there is something in our life that we love more than God, we will be asked to sacrifice it. There are two sides to sacrifice: there is the outcome that results from our giving up that which is most precious to us, and there is the alternative which results from holding on for dear life. Sacrifice is always a choice. We can refuse just as Abraham could have refused. Where would we be if Abraham had refused? The whole of history would have been changed and Abraham would not have received the blessing that God promised.
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Gen. 22:15-18 NIV
We can hold on to the things we love most, but we will become as Gollum, sacrificing our entire existence for something with a power we cannot control, or we can give our most precious possessions freely, knowing that God will provide, that he will fill in all the missing pieces. What will our story be if we give up that which is most precious?
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