“Abraham literally, totally, irrevocably gave Isaac back to God.” These were the words I shared with the 16 Ingham County Jail inmates in the Reformers Unanimous Discipleship Service last night at about 9:25 PM. The inmates were listening intently to see what this middle aged pastor could say that would make any difference in their life. My words were not important, but God’s Word is and it impacted some of them square in the face, Genesis 22:13 was where we were heading, “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” God has a provided “a ram” for your life, but He requires for you to make the faith step of offering your very best to Him first!There is always a “best thing” a person, a dream, a possession in the believer’s life that is pivotal to all else. Your wife, your child, your health, your car…it is so important. Yet God requires for you to hand it over to Him. The faithfulness of God must be center place, it must be the only true north of your life. Anything less than giving God your best is nothing short of second best.
The inmates responded in a precious way to the message of the Lord. With the thoughtful prayers of many outside the service, I believe God can do it all over again in your life. Would you dedicate your “best thing” to God today? He will supply “a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.”