My Provider!!
Verse for Today: Sunday, October 07, 2012
Genesis 22:14 – And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
When God tests His beloved children, they are never pushed to the end of the rope and left helpless. His tests are to examine their level of commitment and faith. When He tests, He also supports them in the process so that they would not be discouraged. God wanted to remind Abraham that it was He who provided everything Abraham ever had including his beloved son Isaac. God’s message to Abraham was that He was the source of all of his blessings and so he is under obligation to give all of it back to God as a mark of his commitment and loyalty to God. But then, giving back to God what belonged to Him is to be considered as a privilege and a blessing and not as a punishment. Abraham was also reminded that God was more interested in his heart rather than anything that he gave to God. At Mount Moriah God saw that Abraham was willing to give his absolute allegiance to God. It pleased God and so God counted Abraham as righteous. God also found that Abraham believed with his whole heart that Isaac being a son of promise would be given back to him even after being sacrificed as per God’s command. Such a commitment to God made Abraham find God as Jehovah-Jireh, his Provider, who showed a way even in the midst of the most difficult test of his life. In this severe test, God got what He desired: the heart and absolute commitment from Abraham. And Abraham got his beloved son back even after giving him to God with all sincerity and loyalty. Yes, our God is the Provider and He meets all our needs. But what He wants in return is our hearts with which we love Him ardently. He is far less interested in our material gifts as He is in our hearts with which we love Him and owe our allegiance to Him. Today God wants to challenge us to demonstrate to Him that we truly love Him with our hearts, souls and minds.
Dear reader, are you the kind of giver God wants you to be in your sacrifices to God? Are you giving God a few material things and be satisfied that you have given all that can be given to God? Remember, He is not interested in your materials which He has given you. He is interested in your heart and your commitment. He wants to use your life if it is given to Him to use for His glory. But often you are asked to show your commitment by giving up some things that you love deeply in life. It could be some relationships, possessions, prestige, positions, power and prominence that you hold on to. When your love for any of these worldly things is more than your love for your Lord, you are encountering a spiritual problem. God wants you to demonstrate to Him that you truly love Him more than anything else in this life. When you make your commitment to God and renew it day after day, He will see to it that He is your Jehovah-Jireh to meet all your mundane needs. He will not deprive you of your needs, but may not give you any of your wants. To Abraham, God became more important than Isaac or Sarah and he proved it as he walked boldly towards Moriah and sacrificed Isaac. But God was His Jehovah-Jireh on the same mount by providing him with a sacrificial lamb. He was permitted to walk back to his tent with Isaac who was offered as a sacrifice and regained by faith. Now Isaac belonged to God, and so also Abraham and Sarah. Today we are challenged to give our best to the Lord to show that we love Him more than any of the earthly possessions. In response, God will remain faithful in meeting our needs so that we can continue with our sojourn.
Luke 12:34 – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Thought for Today
When we are faithful to God in our obedience, He proves to us that He is our Jehovah-Jireh every day of our lives.
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