Skip to main content

Is Your All...?

So now seems as good a time as any to tell you all that I am totally and completely in love with the most amazing man that I have ever met...other than my dear sweet daddy. I cannot even begin to describe him. He is everything that I have always prayed for a husband to be...and he loves me. For me. Exactly as I am.

Unbelievable and unbeatable.

But before you start wondering about church bells and wedding dates, it occurred to me the other day that I might truly be called to singleness. The scripture is clear on a single woman's dedication to ministry (see 1 Corinthians 7). I am nearing 40 at an alarming rate and have never been married and never had children. Marriage to this wonderful, amazing man might just be what God has planned for me, but what if it isn't?

I've been thinking long and hard about how I would react if the Lord asked me to walk away from this relationship and serve Him undistracted. My mind keeps landing on the story of Abraham. God promised Abram (before the name change) that he would be the father of many nations and the his posterity would number like the sands of the seashore. Yet, at the time that God made the promise, Abraham was an old man and married to a woman who was childless and beyond her fertile years. Long after the promise was made, the Abraham's wife Sarah finally gave birth to a son, Isaac. It is that same son that God told Abraham to offer as a sacrifice.

How hard must that have been for Abraham? Isaac was the son of promise and much beloved...and God asked for him as a sacrifice? Interestingly enough, the Bible does not even record a moment of hesitation in Abraham. Instead, he got up early the next morning to head up Mount Moriah to make the requested sacrifice.* No questions asked.



So I asked myself: would I do the same? Would I, without a moment's hesitation, walk away from Mr. Wonderful if that is what God required? I struggle with that question. Such a request, if made, would be really inconvenient.

I would like to think that I would walk away. I would love to believe that I truly have no other gods before the Almighty...but honestly, I truly hope I never have to make that decision.

Sometimes God requires us to sacrifice the very thing we love dearest just to prove that there is truly nothing between him and us. Are you willing to do that? Am I?

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your all does the spirit control? You can only be blessed and have peace and sweet rest when your all on the altar is laid.

 *God sent an angel to stop Abraham and Isaac's life was spared. Read Genesis 22.

Comments

  1. unveilingMarch 24, 2016 at 2:46 PM

    Very insightful

    ReplyDelete
  2. KathleenMarch 26, 2016 at 1:19 PM

    Giving Christ our all is not easy, but it is necessary if we want Him to be Lord of our lives. He will bless our obedience. Great post. Congratulations. I am approving your membership into the Fellowship of Christian Bloggers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Josie JamesMarch 26, 2016 at 2:04 PM

      Thank you, Kathleen. Obedience is certainly the key. God bless!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ride or Die

I love this phrase. There are quite a few subtle variations on the meaning, but it is an urban colloquialism that means loyalty, no matter what. I thank God that I have been blessed with a few people that have that kind of loyalty to me and I to them. It's a rich blessing that have true friends. They are with me and in my corner no matter what (or "regardless of what" as one of them would say). This week we had Vacation Bible School at my church and I was privileged to be a teacher. The first lesson was taken from Daniel chapter three. The very well known story of the three Hebrew boys: Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego. It is a wonderful story of faith, but something jumped out at me so profoundly that it almost knocked me over. We always focus on the deliverance. But the Hebrew boys did not. Their focus was on God and Him alone. They were ride or die for the Lord. Literally. If you read the story, they never once pray for deliverance. They talk about God's a
2 comments
Read more

Rocks, Gravel, Sand and Water

Let me first start by saying that I cannot take credit for the following example, as I did not originate it. In fact, I was listening to Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah and I was so touched by what he shared that I thought I would share it with all of you. Let's say I have a large, empty 5-gallon jar. If I place fist sized rocks into the jar until no more can fit, is it full? Before you answer, let me say that after I place the rocks in the jar, I pick up a bag of gravel and begin to pour that into the jar. Where does the gravel go? In between the spaces left by the rocks. After I fill the jar to the brim with gravel, is it full? Before you answer, consider this: I pour a bag of sand into the jar. Where does the sand go? Into the spaces left by the gravel, of course. After filling the jar to the brim with sand, is it full? Before you answer, consider this: I pour a pitcher of water into the same jar. Where does the water go? Into the spaces between the grains of sa
2 comments
Read more

Simple Mathematics

If you're like me, you're probably thinking there is no such thing as "simple" mathematics... and the picture above does not help! For some of us, even the simplest calculations require technological assistance. But don't lose heart, loved one! The equation I am about to give you is so simple even a pre-school student can understand it (I think!). So here it is, in the form of an "if/then" statement: If a=b, then b=a Simple, right? Of course it is because it is logical. The equal sign ("=") means that whatever is on either side of that sign is the same. So even if you reverse the order in which you list the items on either side of that equal sign, they are still equal. So then, how does this simple premise, simple equation apply to this inconvenient Christian journey. Here it is: Christian = Christ follower, Christ follower = Christian.  Again, simple, no? Or is it? It seems to me that we as Christians do not always act like Christ
4 comments
Read more