FAITH CAPSULE: Abraham love God with all his all.
Genesis 22
Imagine the love of Abraham for God when he heard from God in Genesis 22:2, “Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” With love and with no hesitation, Abraham responded to God’s request without withholding his son from God’s request for sacrificial offering of Isaac. Abraham, in the process of sacrificing his son he heard from God, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven…” (Genesis 22:16-17) Abraham’s demonstration of giving love to God as he received love from God.
Giving love to God demands giving all to God. Deuteronomy 6:5 recorded what giving love in all to God, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Again, Abraham is an example of giving all love to God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength.
Abraham’s love with all heart, with all soul and with all strength: Abraham responded to the calling of God for him to move away from his family at age seventy-five and with no child (Genesis 12:1). With his love to God with all his all made him to attempt to slay his only son(Isaac) for sacrificial offering as God requested.
Jesus buttressed loving God with all when He stated, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
Above all, giving love to God is making the choice to live life. The word of God admonished, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16)
Why not give your love to God?
Will you turn around in your way of living life by giving your love to God? The evidence of not giving love to God is turning away heart from God as stated in Deuteronomy 30:17-18, “But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days…” God is a caring and He is mindful of us because He loves us. As a jealous God, He expects our love for Him to avoid making the choice of the consequence in place for not loving Him.
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of understanding to love Him.