This post was last updated on February 13, 2026

Day 341, Year 1

Be Prepared to Put What You Love on the Altar

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.'” (Hebrews 11:17-18 NKJV)

God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac (17), which directly challenged his faith. It is evident that Isaac was identified as Abraham’s descendant, and they would be multiplied. So, Abraham’s making Isaac a sacrifice to God contradicts what He had said to him, “In Isaac your seed shall be called” (18). But if Isaac had died in that sacrificial offering, how could God’s earlier promise be fulfilled? 

We don’t know much about whether Abraham was confused and struggled at the time, but he clearly followed God’s latest instruction and eventually chose to obey God’s words. Similarly, in times of confusion, do you allow God’s Word to be your guide alone? We believe in God’s promises, and even more important, we must believe in Him to the greatest extent. That is, even if you feel that what God wants you to do is the opposite of what he had done or commanded, you must also trust Him closely and always follow His recent commands. This is consistent with Abraham’s faith in the offering of Isaac, and thus, he was acceptable to God.

When we think of God’s “contradictions,” we naturally wonder: Is God still “good” to me? Imagine how Abraham felt: God promised to give him a seed in Canaan, so he was happy for more than ten years. But then, God was going to take him back from Abraham. How would you feel if you were him? If we weigh what we gain and what we lose in this world, many people may find it difficult to believe that God is good. However, if believers remember the previous verses and consider ourselves to be only travelers in the world, we might not take the loss on earth so seriously. When we really make heaven our home, we can despise all the hardships on earth. In fact, Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16). It implies that even if we are beggars all our lives and our bodies are full of poisonous sores, at the end, we can be blessed and comforted in eternity and freed from any suffering. As we can see, the belief that God is good is not based on our experiences in this world but is based on the perspective of our eternal homeland. God is good, and good to those who trust in Him. This conviction is derived from the promises of God in the Bible and should not be shaken by immediate loss or suffering.

Reflection questions:

1) Are you willing to do God’s latest commands, even ignoring the promises or blessings you had already received?

2) Have you ever felt that sometimes God’s commands are inconsistent? If so, how do you deal with it?