Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Genesis 21:1-5
Gen 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Gen 22:2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Gen 22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Gen 22:4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Gen 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you."
Abraham’s promised son was nearly seventeen years old at that time. God used an unusual test as He continued to work in the life of His choice servant. The Lord asked Abraham to do something that seemed to be totally out of line with the teachings which had been given up to this time. He asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. We see from the text that God was going to test Abraham, but what a test. This was the child of promise that God said would be the heir and the father of multitudes. How could God ask him to sacrifice this son and still fulfill the promises which had been made? God had already told Abraham that with God nothing was impossible, so can his faith stretch that far and trust God by obeying?
Now we get to see why Abraham is called a man of faith. So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Abraham obeyed! What would you have done in his place? Would you have been able to trust God to that extent? I know that I would really have to stretch my faith in order to obey what God was asking.
Without hesitation, Abraham arose and prepared to go as God had said. The journey would take at least three days. During that time, I can imagine that Abraham and his son had much to talk about. What did the servants think? This was an unusual trip for all of them. Finally, after three days, they came to the place they had been seeking. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Gen 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." What a great statement of faith Abraham gave to his servants. How could he say that they both would come back? He knew that God had told him to sacrifice Isaac, and a sacrifice did not get up and walk home after it had been slain. Where did this faith come from? The answer is found in Hebrews 11:17-19. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, Heb 11:18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." Heb 11:19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. The secret of Abraham’s faith was that he considered God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. What a step of faith! There had not been any resurrections in the Bible prior to that time, and why would he have believed that it could happen? The answer comes back to the statement which God Himself made when He said, “Is anything too hard for God?” Abraham took God at His word and was willing to trust Him whether he understood or not. Could our faith have been that strong?
Abraham sacrificed his son, but he did not have to kill him. Yet when it was time for Jesus to be sacrificed, He had to be put to death. Jesus paid the sin debt for all of us, and only the blood of the pure Lamb of God could take away the sin of the world. This is why John 3:16 is such a special verse. For God so loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. In this verse, we see God’s love displayed. God’s love is beyond understanding, but I am so very thankful that He loves me that much.
Bible Reading for the Year
June 16th, Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 3
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. She received the lab results Monday. She has lymphoma cancer, not lung cancer. However, they have not given her the treatment plan yet.
Please also pray for Kenny Deans. He is continuing treatment for his leg. He will also be seeing a doctor about kidney stones on the 17th.
Praise the Lord! Jennifer Teboe Buchamer was able to leave the hospital today. Thank you for praying! Continue to pray for her complete recovery.
Please continue to pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He is doing physical therapy but still has a long way to go.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. He seems some better; however, he still has a lot of pain.
Please pray for Carolyn Tyson’s sister, Shirley Deal. She had a stroke after having an infusion port taken out because they thought she was getting an infection.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia