The Supreme Climb
April
26, 2015
Take now your
son…and offer him…as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall
tell you. —Genesis 22:2
A person’s character
determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he
had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind
through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other
way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break
us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such
beliefs which must be removed– for example, that God removes a child because
his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the
true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb
and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But
if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve
to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.
The great lesson to
be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything
for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might
be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or
else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was
actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will
remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right
into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be
willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional
beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are
willing to do anything, even “to go …both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply
remained true to God, and God purified his faith.
(Taken
from Oswald Chambers – “My Utmost for His Highest” April 26)