Where Can We Find Healing?

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I’ve been thinking a lot about what it might take to heal our nation.


An image of Jesus on the cross keeps coming to mind. You see, our Creator, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, loving God knew. He knew what it would take to heal the world.



Sacrifice.


“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16


In Genesis 22 we learn the story of Abraham and Isaac. God told Abraham that He wanted Him to sacrifice His only son on an altar. It’s not something Abraham wanted to do.  It’s not anything he was comfortable with. In fact, I imagine that Abraham grieved over what he was asked to do, yet he still chose to be obedient. What he didn’t know is that God never intended to take Issac. He wanted Abraham to show his trust in God.


I don’t think many of us are asked to sacrifice our children in a literal sense, but I do believe that God calls for sacrifice in our daily lives. If we claim to hold the title of Christ-follower, we are called to a life of surrender. That means listening to what God says about putting others above ourselves. That may mean choosing humility by sacrificing our “rights,” for another person’s feelings. Choosing to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” -Philippians 2:3


I know, that totally goes against our human nature, but it is what’s right, and when we get down to the nitty-gritty of it all, it’s not truly taking anything away from us. Consider some of the things we are asked to do lately. Many of them may not be comfortable emotionally or physically. Hanging on the cross was not comfortable for Jesus either, but He did it for a bunch of selfish, hateful, and demanding humans anyway. 


Did you know that if we pray and ask God to help us surrender, to handle a situation without giving our opinion or interfering, He can do that? 


It’s true.



Because Abraham was obedient and willing to make such a large sacrifice of his only son, God rewarded him by 1: not taking that son away from him, and 2: rewarding him with so many descendants, he couldn’t even keep count. Abraham believed (trusted) God and it was credited to him as righteousness. God handled it.


There is one thing God has commanded us to do above everything else. 


It’s LOVE (Matthew 22:36-40). It really is that simple. Focus on that first, and everything else becomes so much more clear.


What small thing is God asking you to sacrifice in order to keep that commandment?



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