It's Not About Me

It's not about me—it's a lesson we all have to learn.

Let’s think about the connection to Abram in the genealogy where it says, "Abram was the father of Isaac." We know that Abram was asked to sacrifice his son. Now, that's a double whammy. But let me tell you, I used to think that story was about me.

Let me explain. This is the transformation that's happened in my life in these last few years.

I thought the story—and preached about it—was about my need to sacrifice, my need to prove to God that I loved Him. What could I do to get or earn God's favor? In the story, the conclusion is that God knows Abram loves Him. But hold on a minute. All this time, I believed that the story was about God proving that He loves me.

That's a 180-degree turn.

The purpose of the story is actually about revealing The Scarlet Thread of Redemption, a revelation of Jesus—and not at all about my application. I think we're too quick to look for application. God indeed loves us, and God is showing us that love, the full extent of His love, what He is going to do Himself through His Son.

This revelation is not about what Abram did, as admirable as it might be. This is about God providing the sacrifice, and it's all wrapped up in that one line of the genealogy: "Abram was the father of Isaac."

I want you to ponder on that, because I believe in the church today, our need is for this revelation—not an application.

Application says, "I can be good enough. My genes are not too bad. I have a good ancestry. I'm a good person. I can make it on my own. I can sacrifice occasionally. All I have to do is just prove to God that I love Him."

That’s wrong. It's dead wrong.

This is love—not that we love God, but that God loved us.

See you soon.