Returned Gift

~~~ Genesis 22:1B-19 ~~~ Psalm 115 ~~~ Matthew 9:1-8 ~~~

Abraham was faithful to God; 

when God called to him he answered.

God asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice.

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.

When he sent Hagar away he put her son onto her back.

Hagar carried life on her back out into the wilderness.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering

and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,

When Abraham went out to the place where God said

he placed the dead wood on his son's back.

Abraham did not yet know what God would say when they arrived.

Perhaps Abraham was expecting to teach his son

how to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

God has other plans.

It is doubtful that Abraham would have chosen

to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain that day.

Abraham and Isaac engage in meaningful conversation

 as they go on their three day journey. 

Abraham talks to Isaac about the importance 

of being faithful to God.

He again tells him the story of how God had Blessed 

him with a son in his old age.

Abraham speaks with a heavy heart

for he knows why he and his son

 are heading to the place chosen by God.

Imagine how heavy was the heart of Abraham knowing

God told him to sacrifice his own son.

I do not know if I could be that obedient.

Abraham was prevented from killing his son

just as he drew up the knife.

God took him all the way to the brink of sacrificing 

his son before he intervened.

Abraham passed the test...

Abraham answered God's unasked question...

'do you love me?'

If you love God,

what are you willing to give up?

Abraham was willing to give back 

to God the gift of his son.

The temptation could have been to ignore God's request...

to happily live out his remaining years

with Isaac.

What gifts have you returned to God lately?

There is a freedom through giving 

our gifts back to God.

God accepts our gifts making 

them perfect in his love.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.

Blessings of life saved for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Blindness of Deception

~~~ Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29 ~~~ Psalm 135 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-17 ~~~

 

Today we have the curious story of deception in the first book of the Bible...Genesis.

When reading the book of Genesis we are given the full scope of our creation...

from the creation of everything through the first

sin in the garden leading on to deception and murder.

 

Isaac was old and his eyesight was greatly diminished.

As customary of the time, a special blessing was bestowed

on the first born son by the father.

For whatever reason the mother, Rebekah, plotted to deceive her husband.

She wanted her son Esau to receive the special blessing from Issac.

 

When you lose one of your senses the others become more sensitive.

They almost become hyper sensitive to the environment.

Having lost his vision Issac now mostly relied on his sense of hearing, smell, and touch.

Rebekah went to great lengths; she covered the arms and hands of Jacob with animal fur.

This was the deception of touch.

When Issac felt the hand of Jacob he thought is felt like the hand of Esau.

 

Even though Issac has questions about the timeliness of the hunt,

he trusts his son's word.

 

But Isaac asked,

“How did you succeed so quickly, son?”
He answered,
“The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me.”

 

Lying creates its own world apart from the real world.

As we know one lie leads to another etc.

 

“Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s.”

 

The deception and lies continue...

Issac once again asks...Are you my son?

Still not convinced it is Esau before him;

 Issac combines his sense of touch with his sense of smell.

 

Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, and kiss me.”
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.

 

The ultimate deception is one shrouded in false love

 and empty gestures of affection. 

 

 Jacob undoubtedly loved his father and his mother.

Unfortunately he was not strong enough to disobey his mother's plot of deception.

 

 

With that, he blessed him saying,

“Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!

 

Isaac gives the blessing to the wrong son in good faith.

The lies and deception were a success.

 In blind faith, Isaac gave his special blessing to Jacob instead of Esau.

Imagine the sadness and disgust when the truth is revealed to Isaac.

 

Deception is selfish and unworthy of any type of blessing.

The truth will set you free in all circumstances.

Imagine the disappointment experienced by Esau upon learning

what his brother and mother had done.

He was not deprived of his rightful blessing.

 

Those who would plan to deceive may go to great lengths

 to create a plausible scene.

Unfortunately we must be vigilant to those who

wish to deceive others. 

 

Blessings lie in the Truth.

Questions of Sacrifice

Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 ~~ Psalm 116 ~~ Rom. 8:1b-34 ~~ Mark 9: 2-10

Sacrifice

It is good that we are here!

What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you able to sacrifice? Is sacrifice a personal decision? Or is sacrifice a chosen state of mind?

Sometimes we think we are making a sacrifice when in reality we are not.

Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?

Maybe not when you think about Abraham willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.In the Old Testament they were required to sacrifice animals as part of their religious practices. Blood shed and terminating a life was common and acceptable then.

 I think of the those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Did they chose to sacrifice their lives? Is 'paying the price' an essential part of sacrifice?

The price for our salvation was the life of Jesus. Those killed in action in our military sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 'Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones'. Was that part of the deal when they signed on the dotted line?

Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?
If we practice small sacrifices does that prepare us for greater sacrifices? I think it is the greater deeper love that prepares us for greater sacrifices.

Our religious heritage is rich with the sacrifices made by those holy men and women whom we call martyrs. Some of them took the opportunity to come forward and offer their life in exchange for anothers life.

Paul writes, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

There is no greater love than to give one's life for another.

The magnificent vision of the Transfiguration was God revealing the Glory of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus, his beloved son, was making for us. Jesus sacrificed his divinity to take on our human flesh. He did in any was lose his divinity through this act. It was just less evident to those who were not ready to see clearly.

We can only bow down in appreciation for this ultimate sacrifice made for us.
The Ultimate Gift!

Prehaps our greatest sacrifice is to step out of the way;
  allowing God to create us for himself.
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for God?
I will take this question into my prayer time.

Will you join me?