DCLM Daily Manna 4 December 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — The Biggest Test
TOPIC: The Biggest Test (DCLM Daily Manna 4 December 2024)
KEY VERSE: “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Genesis 22:12)
TEXT: Genesis 22:1-14 (KJV)
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
MESSAGE:
Sometimes, we use the expression, “acid test”, loosely, without contemplating its full ramification. The term originated during the earliest times when gold was widely circulated. Nitric acid was applied to an object of gold to see if it was genuine. If it was fake, the acid decomposed it; if it was genuine, the gold was unaffected. All sorts of things are tested to prove that they are real. When you go to a bank, for instance, and give a currency bill to the cashier, she holds it to a special light. She is checking to make sure it is genuine. Does our character survive the “acid test” of this world?
God tested Abraham to determine the genuineness of his faith. Having waited 25 years for Isaac, the son of promise, he must have found the demand to sacrifice the object of his love, as a difficult command to obey. However, Abraham took his son and went in the direction he was told. He knew God was in control. That was the reason, when Isaac asked the question about the lamb for the sacrifice, Abraham responded that, “God will provide.” When it was time to offer Isaac, the Lord brought a lamb as substitute. God commended his obedience and blessed him greatly. The greater the test, the bigger the reward.
Before we start singing ‘Abraham’s blessings are mine’, let us pause and ponder his obedience. Several obstacles confronted him on his path of obedience. Informing Sarah about the request could have botched the whole plan. And if Isaac himself had not cooperated and submitted, it would have been difficult for old Abraham to compel him.
What comes to us today as we read this is that our faith will be tested before it can be accepted. Our love must be proven to ascertain its genuineness. How deep is your love? And how genuine is your faith?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The quality of love is determined when tested.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Isaiah 9-12
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
