Much has to be sacrificed.

Letting go of something important to you is really one of the hardest things to do. But knowing that its what will please God, it will be worth it.

Much has to be sacrificed in order for greater things to come in. 

I bet this is one of the things God is dealing with me for the past week. God is telling me to let go of some things. So to speak, I just had another Isaac moment. 

I must admit, God has been telling me about this long time ago but I am too hardheaded. I tried to act as if everything's okay. I keep on telling myself we're on the safe zone, maybe because I think we're not seeing each other anymore. But I realized that its more than that. Being emotionally attached to someone when its not yet the right time. Its still not good. I remembered the status of my friend before. 

Wala ngang commitment, pero may attachment naman. 

It really struck me. And so last week I made a decision, to cut off our communications. I know that by saying those words, it means more. It also calls for us to really cut off our relationship with each other. It was really a leap of faith on my side. Yes, it is going to be hard, especially for the coming months and years. But its what God wants me to do, and so here I am, obeying His word. 

I know some of you will not understand why I did this decision. When everything seems to be okay, people may ask me what made me cut off my communication with him? Actually there's really nothing wrong. We're not even seeing each other anymore, but its all about conviction- my convictions. My leader once told this, 

Mahirap na tumanggi lalo na kapag wala nama kayong ginagawang masama.

But its more than that. Its not a battle of good or bad anymore. Its a battle between wise and unwise. And in my case, I believe its a wise yet painful decision. Its also one way of protecting myself (and his' too!).

God doesn't asks us to let go of things because He wants us to feel empty. He wants us to release these things because He is just preparing us for the greater things He have planned for us. Let go and let God. 

Don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe- and you're ready. (Song of Solomon 8:4 MSG)

Story of Obedience

The story of Abraham and Isaac is really my favorite story of all.

Abraham's greatest test of obedience to God involved Isaac.

He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on the mountains that I'll point out to you. " Genesis 22:2

Take your dear son Isaac whom you love..

Here, it emphasizes how Abraham value Isaac. Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah.
He loves his son so much.

But God asked him to sacrifice him as a burnt offering.
As I looked for the meaning of burnt offering I saw this entry.

 These offerings signified the complete dedication of the offerers unto God. (http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/burntoffering.html)

Isn't hard to offer something that is valuable to us? How much more with Abraham, its his' son, his only beloved son.

But we can see how Abraham responded to this in the following verses (v. 3-10) He got up early the next morning and went to the mountain where God instructed him to go. With no hesitation he did what God asked him to do no matter what the cost is. And just as Abraham was about to kill his son an angel came and commanded Abraham not to lay a hand on the boy (v.12). After that he saw a ram and he took it and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. (v.13). And in the following verse, we can see how God blessed Abraham because of his obedience to him. This is the start of the many blessings that he had received in his life.


Who's your Isaac?

In life, there are some things that we value so much. May it be a relationship that we have, or the position we have in school. Anything that is valuable to us. But what if God asks us to surrender it to him? I know its hard to give up something that we really value, especially when it comes to relationships. Its heart-breaking. Its hard to let go. But when we allow God to move in our life, we can actually do it. We can actually do what Abraham was able to do.

To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22

Its a matter of lordship in us. Who's actually the Lord of our life? Who do we really value? These things or God?

Now the question is who's your Isaac? That person, or maybe a thing, that is important to you but is actually the same person (or thing) that God is telling you to surrender to Him? How will you respond?

I pray that we will act like that of Abraham. With no hesitation, we will follow God. And just as God blessed Abraham because of his obedience to him, we too will  be blessed when we obey God.