God made Abraham some great promises, then He asked him to sacrifice his son.

Genesis 12:1-3
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you,
And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 22:17
“Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
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 on a mountain I will show you.”

Yes, Jesus loves us. He wants everyone to be saved – He wants none to perish. But ultimately, the goal is for us to be transformed into His image. And that can be a painful process. If we learn one thing during this process – it’s that God’s grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. God is holy. Are we to be any less?

Living the Christian life is not a honeymoon. As in a marriage the honeymoon phase, when it seems everything will always be this good, wears off.

God is rich in His faithfulness and His promises, but one day – all is going good – then wham! trials and tribulations set in. And we are hard-pressed to understand why. How could a loving God allow such tragedy, heartache, pain and suffering? We ask, “Why Lord? What have I done to offend You…?

Was it not God who built this house? Shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. The Lord is the great God… King above all gods.

A people who go astray in their hearts do not know My ways, says the Lord”. It is the Lord that searches the heart. It’s what comes out of a man that defiles him. Gird up the loins of your mind. The gospel is veiled to those that are perishing. That’s not us. It’s not the outward appearance that counts most, yet somehow we think otherwise. Let’s walk in our own home with a perfect heart. Let’s not think to highly of ourselves.

Let the mind be set on things above. Put to death the carnal thoughts and behaviors. As the elect of God – there is neither Greek, nor Jew. Let us set our minds on the things of the Spirit. The heart unleashes only evil thoughts. For each is tempted by his own desires. Where do fights and wars come from? Our own covetousness – our own selfish desires.

Make no provision for the flesh.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139: 23-24

Think on these things and the God of peace will be with you.

Scriptures:
Hebrews 3:4; Psalm 95:1; Psalm 95:3; Psalm 95:10; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:15-16; 2 Cor. 10:7; 2 Cor. 3-4; 1 Peter 1: 13-16; Psalm 101:2; Romans 12:2-3; Col. 3:5,5,1-12; Romans 8; Mark 7:21-22; James 1:12-15: James 4:1; Romans 13:14; Phil. 4:8