Doesn't every Male senior citizen excitedly want to cut off some tender skin with a sharp knife?
What could possibly go wrong?
As believers in the Messiah of Israel, many of us have told God we're willing to be used by Him and do whatever He wants. However, how many times have we turned back when it gets painful?
You don't have to be male to Get the point (Jewish pun intended).
Being obedient to be pruned--and to prune yourself in areas God doesn't want you to have that actually contribute to a simple God-given pleasure of life--even when it is NOT a sin thing? Ouch.
That's tough, right?
About 4,000 years ago, 99-year-old Abraham circumcised himself. Being different was his thing, opening his tent to feed strangers and travelers of all sorts, and teaching them about God. When asked to cut he complied without question. Even his large household (think Estate + Cattle Ranch + Farmers, with many servents and Soldiers) who all willingly consented. What did they witness that none held back their immediate obedience to God's Word spoken through Abraham!?
We are children of Abraham by/through/with faith? Maybe the circumcision of Hearts should be more painful than the other kind of circumsizion?
God told Abraham's physical inheritors that He preferred obedience rather than sacrifice.
Sometimes obedience is the sacrifice.
How hard can it be if Abraham did it? He was obedient to go through BOTH forms of circumsizion: Circumcision of Heart (remember that Isaac incident?), AND circumcision of body.
Why did he do both? Obedience.
So he could be our Father of many nations of Faith in the One True God.
- Tov Rose
5am meditation on Psalm 19's perspective for a believer after a whole night of no sleep
25Oct
