Offering Up Our Children as Living Sacrifices

Worship.  That's what God wants.  I wrote about it the other day.  Then, that same day, I heard a few minutes of a sermon on Romans 12:1,2 that talks about being a "living" sacrifice.  We worship today without having to sacrifice an animal.  We are to offer ourselves as the living sacrifice, but not just ourselves.  The preacher then talked about how the first time the word "worship" is used is in Genesis when Abraham is about to take Isaac up to the mountain to be sacrificed.  He doesn't know how this is going to work, as Isaac is supposed to be the beginning of many generations to come, but Abraham believes God is in control just the same and is willing to sacrifice him if that is what God wants.

The preacher then said that, in the same way, we are not just supposed to offer ourselves, but also our children, as living sacrifices, just as Abraham did.  Suddenly offering ourselves seems like a walk in the park.  I find it much harder to hand over my children as living sacrifices.

My one friend did this.  She had a plan for her children this summer.  She knew they needed to work and make money. She wanted them to learn business/entrepreneurial skills.  She wanted them to learn how to farm.  She wanted them near her, being discipled by her and her husband.  So what did she do, she offered her children to the Lord as living sacrifices, giving her dreams and plans to Him, knowing He could do a way better job of pulling all those dreams together.  She also fasted, knowing Satan was alive and well and wanted nothing more than to take her children away.

Then a miracle happened.  Her children applied for grant money that would teach them how to run a summer company.  Quite a few applied and both of her children got it!  The more amazing thing is that they both wanted to do agricultural businesses, but how do you do this if you don't have a lot of land?  She approached a neighbour who wasn't using his land for anything at all and unbelievably he was open to her children using his property for their businesses!  It meant a lot of cleaning up and tremendously hard work for it to come together, but it has happened.

I think this has to be one of the greatest examples of offering up our children.  She gave the Lord her dreams and plans for them.  She did all that was required of her, to train them, to prepare them, to encourage them.  She took the initiative on their behalf when it was necessary, but the rest was up to God.  And He blessed her efforts.  He made a way where no way was even on the horizon.  She and I talked the other night and both of us were just in awe.  It was so obvious that God had done this, we could only give Him all the glory.