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Sacrifice "The Soul of Abraham"
(Gen 22 NIV) Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. {2} Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Recently I was watching a segment of Law & Order, an actor portrays a detective with a gambling history. He finds himself being investigated for a crime he didn't commit. The truth be known is that the detective is offering himself as a sacrifice for a friend of his past. This devotional message is about sacrifice and spiritual poverty. We will began by looking in the book of Genesis and comparing Abraham's love for God when he is challenged to sacrifice his son. Have you ever had to sacrifice yourself for what you believe is right? The detective in the movie makes a critical decision to accept the blame for the discharge of a weapon and allows himself to be arrested for the crime his friend has committed. What would provoke anyone to surrender his or her freedom? What happens when a soldier decides to give their life to save a child from being harmed? In the last two weeks, our mission effort has faced two situations that would test the morality of anyone who has compassion for human life. Have you ever had to choose between keeping something for yourself and giving it to a family in poverty?
Recently, two families entered the Purple Ark by way of outreach and church referral. One family, a grandmother, her son and six small grandkids need help moving out of a one room motel and into an apartment. The sacrifice here is that the grandmother has refused to abandon these kids that need her help to survive. The grandmother works cleaning homes during the day and at night she is challenged with taking care of six grandkids that no longer have their mother or father around to care for them. With little food and clothing, the churches with Purple Ark have been gathering resources to help save this family. A second case of sacrifice is another family that took in seven other homeless families. A woman came to us during an evangelistic outreach, with a broken spirit in her eyes, she explained she needed beds, clothes and blankets for some souls that had no place to live. My heart dropped when she told me that they were all sleeping on the floor and have been keeping warm by bundling their bodies together on the floor. Everyday that I think of this woman, I cry. The example of sacrifice is the family that would give their home to the homeless. In my final question to each reader, how can we become a living sacrifice for the glory of God? How can we honor God's will when the less fortunate begans to rest at the front doors of our churches? How important is the act of selfless sacrifice?
Devotional Prayer Dear Lord, take away anything that keeps us from knowing you. Give us less so that we will appreciate you more. Teach us how to love the lost and hungry souls that need saving. We pray for provision and repair to the body of our communities. We need you oh God! We need You! Teach us how to give more of our selves to the poor and the lost. In Jesus Name Amen. Please pass this devotional message to a friend or a stranger that does not know how much God loves them!
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