Holding Nothing Back

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "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."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Genesis 22: 6-14

Think about your most prized possession.... Is it your family, friends, computer, car, camera...? Is it something that can't be held like pride?

Abraham's whole life was wrapped up in this child. His future depended on the fact that this child was alive. He freely gave that up to the Lord.

How many times do we rely more on the things that surround us than we do the Lord? I love my family, we have our issues but we are always there for eachother. It would be easy for me to place my trust in them before the Lord. I am also a very pridefull person. I would rather trust in myself to get the job done and not allow anyone to help. This could lead me to not relying on God.

God asked Abraham to let go of his son, so he would realize that it wasn't his son that would determine his future but God. In the same way God is calling us to let go of everything that might take the place of God in our lives.

Don't worry about letting go... Like the passage said, "The Lord will provide."