It takes faith, trust, and the submission of one’s will to obey God when it’s difficult or when we don’t understand why we must obey His will. In Genesis 19, Lot was told by heavenly messengers that he needed to gather his family, get out of Sodom and Gomorrah, and head to the mountain. Even though he was told that the city was going to be destroyed, it says he had to be awakened by the heavenly messengers who helped hasten his departure and that he "lingered" long enough that they had to take him by the hand and escort him out of the city! Basically, Lot was told he needed to sacrifice his way of life, leave behind his current lifestyle and follow God's messengers, but he didn't seem ready or very willing to do it. His response seems to indicate that either he wasn't convinced of the danger he was in and/or he didn't trust the promise that he would find safety in the mountain. (Genesis 19: 12-19)
Contrast this story of Lot with what Abraham was asked to do and how he responded to God's request. In Genesis 22:1-3 we read about Abraham being commanded by God to head to the mountain where he would sacrifice his son Isaac. Not only did God not give Abraham an explanation for this, but Abraham doesn't even ask for an explanation of "why." His decision to leave early the next morning demonstrates his willingness to obey God's commandment immediately.
I can't think of any "Abraham-like" sacrifices that the Lord has asked me to make, but I can think of plenty of "Lot-like" sacrifices that I can make using "Abraham-like" obedience. As a family we talked about what some of these sacrifices might be; keeping the Sabbath Day holy, paying tithing, serving a mission, accepting callings, serving others and putting off the natural man. Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said that "many of us have sufficient faith to avoid the major sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions...such as encouragement, kindness and commendation." (Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father). It's good to remember that not only are keeping the Sabbath Day holy and paying tithing sacrifices, but being kind to others is also a form of sacrifice.
We need to hasten to listen to God's heavenly messengers that are telling us that it is time to sacrifice some of our lifestyle choices for something that can lead us to greater safety and security. They know that as we do this that we will be more willing to head toward the temple (the mountain of the Lord), a place where we will grow closer to Jesus Christ.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing Sister Bradford, your insight always helps me to find greater understanding. As I studied this week I also learned that Lot left many of his sons behind that would not join him. It is also interesting to note that Lot and his family pitched their tents toward the world as it were and Abraham toward the temple or righteousness.
Post a Comment