Choose Whom You Will Love – Part 1
Genesis 22:2 (NIV)
“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering…” – Genesis 22:2 (NIV)
Today, we can examine the power of choice. I have been at a crossroad, with a choice between God’s ministry and a career as a diplomat in Switzerland. The latter was my dream and the culmination of years of studying, sacrificing, and even fasting and prayer. Yet God had now placed His hand on my husband to serve in ministry in Guyana. What would you have chosen (to love): career or Christ?
This is our everyday reality, navigating a world of choices about where to study, what profession or business to pursue, relocation, housing, our spouse, or whether to pursue that call of God to ministry over secular success.
I call it the Mount Moriah dilemma as a reminder of the place where God tested Abraham’s resolve to offer his son as a burnt sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19). If we recall, Abraham had the choice of Ishmael, another son. Yet God’s guidance was clear – your only son, meaning the one that God had promised Him and Sarah. Abraham’s love of God caused him to lead Isaac towards the place of prayer and sacrifice, even if this was his promised son.
My dilemma was nothing compared to Abraham’s, but I made my choice to put God’s work first and believe in Him to bless me wherever He plants me. Today, I have served eleven years in that diplomatic post alongside my husband, who has served the same number of years in the church ministry as a deacon and assistant pastor in the diaspora.
God made a way for our family to experience both blessings, all as ministry to Him. His Word reminds us that when we put God’s work first and do what He wants, then the other things will be ours as well (Matthew 6:33).
Our prayer today should be for unwavering faith in God’s prophetic plan for our lives so that our Mount Moriah dilemmas will turn into mighty testimonies. Remember, God shows us whom we must love, but He leaves the choice to us.
Read: Genesis 3:2-3 (NIV); John 21:15
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 23; Mark 4:30-41; Mark 5:1-20; Exodus 25; Exodus 26
