Who Has First Place in My Life?
Genesis 22:1–19; 10/11/2026; BCBC/IOUC; Minister Flora Chen
Introduction
Brothers and sisters, peace be with you! Today, I would like to share with you a very important question: Who has first place in my life? Perhaps our immediate answer would be, “Of course, God does!” But, brothers and sisters, what if what God asks us to give up is precisely the person we love the most? What if what God asks us to surrender is actually the very blessing that He Himself has given us? And what if God’s will conflicts with our own plans? Can we still say, “Lord, You are still first in my life”? That is the question we are going to reflect on today.
Today, we are going to look at Abraham, the father of faith. From Genesis 12 all the way to Genesis 22, we can see that God’s discipleship training in Abraham’s life became deeper and deeper, step by step. First, God called him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household. Then God taught him to learn how to trust Him. In the midst of Abraham’s weaknesses, God disciplined and shaped him. And when Abraham faced a choice concerning Lot, God taught him to yield and put others before himself. Then, in Genesis 22, God brought Abraham to an incredibly profound—and deeply painful—test. God said to him: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac … and offer him as a burnt offering.” — Genesis 22:2 Brothers and sisters, what an incredibly difficult lesson this must have been! Why would God train Abraham in such a way? Because God was not only interested in giving Abraham His promises; God also wanted to shape Abraham’s life. So today, let us reflect on this passage from three perspectives: First, Called to Follow. Second, Tested Through Trials. Third, Moving Forward by Faith.
Called to follow
Brothers and sisters, Abraham’s journey of discipleship began with God’s call. God did not place every lesson before him all at once. Instead, He led Abraham step by step. First, Abraham had to leave the familiar. Then, he had to learn to trust God. And eventually, he had to learn to put God first in his life. So, following God is not a one-time decision. It is a lifelong journey of continually learning to follow Him. So how did Abram begin this journey of following God?
First, leaving the familiar
In Genesis 12, God said to Abram: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” — Genesis 12:1 Brothers and sisters, notice this: Did God give Abram a complete blueprint for his life? No. Did God say to him, “Abram, let Me tell you everything that is going to happen over the next twenty years. Once you know everything that is ahead, then you can decide whether or not you want to follow Me”? No. God simply said, “Go to the land I will show you.” And Abram heard God’s call, and he went. Faith does not mean going only after we can see everything clearly. Faith means that even when we cannot see the whole picture, we are willing to go because we trust God. So often, we want God to tell us what lies ahead: “Lord, let me know what is going to happen before I take the next step.” “Lord, let me know how everything will turn out before I obey You.” But many times, God only shows us the next step. He says, “My child, follow Me.” And we ask, “Lord, what is ahead?” And He says, “Just follow Me.” That is faith.
Actually, this is not merely an abstract idea for me. On January 28, 2009, I sensed God calling me into ministry. At that time, I could not see where that calling would lead. I did not know what the future would look like. God did not show me everything that would happen over the next ten or fifteen years. I simply knew this: God was calling me, and I needed to learn to step out, just as Abram did. Later, on July 15, 2012, I was ordained into ministry. Looking back on this journey, God has helped me understand more and more that following God does not mean that we have seen the whole picture. It means that we know who is calling us.
Second, learning to trust
After Abram was called by God, he did not remain strong and confident every step of the way. Genesis 12 tells us that when Abram went down to Egypt, he became afraid and told others that Sarai was his sister. (Genesis 12:13) He tried to protect himself in his own way. Brothers and sisters, don’t we sometimes do the same thing? We believe in God, but when we face difficult situations, we still think: “I can handle this situation myself.” “I am capable of planning my own future.” We say with our lips that we trust God, but in our hearts, we are still holding tightly onto control of our future. But thank God, He did not abandon Abram because of his weakness. Instead, God continued to train him through the circumstances he faced. So, a true disciple is not someone who never becomes weak. A true disciple is someone who, after becoming weak, is willing to return to God.
Third, putting God first
Later, Abram and Lot faced a conflict because their herds had become so large that the land could no longer support all of them. Their herdsmen began quarreling with one another. Abram could have claimed the right to choose first because he was the elder. But instead, he said to Lot: “If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” — Genesis 13:9 Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar. It was well watered and looked like the best land, so he chose what appeared to be the better place. (Genesis 13:10) But Abram did not fight for it. Why? Because he understood something important: true blessing is not found in our circumstances; true blessing is found in the hands of God. So when we put God first and make Him the highest priority in our lives, we gain the freedom to let go of the things we are holding onto. Brothers and sisters, the core value God was teaching Abram was this: Losing an opportunity does not mean that I have lost God. Giving something up for someone else does not mean that God has shortchanged me. When God is first in our lives, we are free to let go. Amen?
Experiencing trials
Brothers and sisters, God’s training of Abram did not stop at simply teaching him how to follow. When a person is willing to follow God, God continues to lead us into deeper lessons of faith and deeper areas of our lives. Then we come to Genesis 22:1: “Some time later God tested Abraham.” — Genesis 22:1 Brothers and sisters, let us pause here for a moment: “Some time later.” What does “these things” refer to? Let’s look back at Abraham’s journey. He left his country, his people, and his father’s household. He experienced famine. He experienced his own weaknesses and failures. He separated from Lot and allowed Lot to choose the land first. He waited many years for God to fulfill His promise of giving him a son. He even tried, at one point, to fulfill God’s promise in his own way. And finally, the son God had promised—Isaac—was born. So, “some time later” is not an insignificant phrase. It shows us that the test in Genesis 22 did not happen suddenly or randomly. God had already been working in Abraham’s life for many years. Step by step, God had been training and strengthening his faith. And now, God brought Abraham to an even deeper and more challenging lesson: “Abraham, you have learned to believe that I can give you Isaac. But now that you have received the Isaac I promised you, are you willing to put Me above Isaac?” And so, the purpose of this test was to reveal exactly what we are talking about today: Who has first place in my life?
God called, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Brothers and sisters, these words are precious. When God first called Abraham, he followed. Now, when God tested him, he still responded, “Here I am.” To be a disciple of Christ means that we do not say, “Lord, here I am,” only when God is blessing us. Even in the midst of difficulties and challenges, we can still say, “Lord, here I am.”
First, facing what we love most
God said: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac…” — Genesis 22:2 Brothers and sisters, have you noticed how God describes Isaac? “Your son.” “Your only son.” “The one you love.” “Isaac.” God describes him layer by layer. Why? Because God knew that Isaac was the deepest love in Abraham’s life. Isaac was not just an ordinary child. He was the son God had promised Abraham—the son he had waited many years to receive. And yet, now God was asking Abraham to offer Isaac to Him. It is as if God was asking: “Abraham, whom do you love most?” Brothers and sisters, God asks us the same question today: “Whom do you love most?”
Second, nothing can take God’s place
We need to be especially careful here: God is not saying that we cannot love our families. The family God has given us is something we should treasure and care for. The real question is this: Has anyone or anything taken God’s place in your heart? Jesus said in Matthew 10: “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” This does not mean that we should not love our parents or our children. Rather, Jesus is calling us to reorder our priorities. Today, the “Isaac” in our lives might be our children, our marriage, our health, our career, our gifts and abilities, our money, our dreams, our reputation, our sense of security—or even the very blessings that God has given us. None of these things is necessarily wrong in itself. But the question is: Have the blessings God has given us taken the place of the God who gave them to us?
Sometimes, it’s not that we don’t love God. We simply love the blessings He has given us too much. Little by little, we begin to place our sense of security in those blessings. We find our satisfaction in them. And eventually, we may even come to believe, “I cannot live without these things.” So sometimes, God’s discipleship training is not about taking away something bad. It is about putting something good back in its proper place.
Third, learning to surrender
As Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah, he was learning a very deep lesson: Isaac was given to me by God, but Isaac does not belong to me. Our children are a heritage entrusted to us by God. Our families are gifts from God. Everything we have has been given to us by God. Even our very lives are gifts from God. So what does true surrender really mean? It does not mean saying, “Lord, I can give this to You, but You must give it back to me according to my wishes.” True surrender says: “Lord, whatever the outcome may be, I will still trust You. You are God, and You are the Lord of my life.” The Bible tells us that Abraham traveled for three days with Isaac.
For those three days, he did not know what would happen in the end. He did not know how God would provide. But he did not stop. He kept moving forward. Brothers and sisters, sometimes faith does not mean that we have no struggles in our hearts. Faith means that even in the midst of our struggles, we continue to walk toward God.
At this point, I would also like to share a little from my own experience with you, brothers and sisters. I am not standing here today to tell you that I have the kind of great faith that Abraham had. Quite the opposite. The more I serve God, the more I realize how many weaknesses I have, and how many areas of my life still need to be trained and shaped by God. Over these years of ministry, I have come to understand more and more that God’s discipleship training is not something that is completed once and for all. It happens step by step, and each time, God takes us deeper. Sometimes I call it “Advanced Level—the ultimate upgrade!” God continually brings me back to questions about my family, my children and grandchildren, my health, my ministry, my future, and my relationship with Him. It is as if God is asking me: “Are your children and grandchildren, and your family, things you cannot let go of?” “Is the Gospel truly what matters most to you?” “Are you willing to step out and go wherever the Gospel leads you?” These are not easy questions to face. There are times when we worry. There are times when it is hard to let go. So I often come before the Lord and pray: “Lord, I am willing. But You also know my weaknesses. When I am weak, strengthen me. When I am afraid, give me courage. When it is hard for me to let go, help me surrender. And when I cannot see what lies ahead, help me keep moving forward by faith—trusting in You alone.”
Brothers and sisters, I believe this is also the prayer of every one of us. We are not Abraham. We will be afraid. We will struggle. There will be things we find difficult to let go of. But thank God, He knows our weaknesses, and He is willing to continue leading us even in the midst of our weakness. As our Lord Jesus said: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” — Matthew 19:26
Moving forward by faith
Brothers and sisters, when God brings us into a season of testing, He does not want us to stop. He wants us to learn to trust Him even when we do not know the outcome; to obey Him even when we do not understand; and ultimately, to see how He provides. So Abraham’s faith did not stop there. He kept moving forward.
First, trusting God’s promise
On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place from a distance. He said to his servants: “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” — Genesis 22:5 Notice what Abraham said: “We will come back to you.” Then Isaac asked, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered: “My son, God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” — Genesis 22:7–8 Brothers and sisters, what a statement of faith! Abraham did not know how God would provide. But he knew this: God Himself would provide. That is faith. Faith does not mean saying, “I know God will do exactly what I have planned.” Faith means saying, “I do not know what the outcome will be, but I know that my Lord has a good plan.” I do not know what the future will look like for my children. But I know that God is faithful and keeps His promises, and He will remain faithful to the end. Even if God were to take Isaac, the son I love, He would still be my Lord.
Second, obeying to the end
Abraham built the altar, arranged the wood, and bound Isaac. Then the Bible says: “Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” — Genesis 22:10 His faith did not remain merely in his thoughts. His faith moved into action. And at that very moment, God called out: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered again: “Here I am.” God said: “Do not lay a hand on the boy… Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” — Genesis 22:12 Brothers and sisters, Abraham did not make it this far simply because he was strong in himself. Through years of discipleship training, he learned to trust and obey. He learned, by faith, that God’s covenant and His promises would never change. He came to understand that the only way forward was to surrender the ownership and control of his life to the One who gave him life. Abraham chose to let go and place his beloved son in God’s hands. He chose God above everything else. Thank God!
Brothers and sisters, when we come to a place where we say, “Lord, this is just too difficult. I can’t do it,” we can say to Him: “Lord, I admit that I cannot do this. I admit that my faith is weak. But I am willing to trust You. Lord, please help me.” God’s grace will always be sufficient for us.
Third, seeing the Lamb
Just as Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. So Abraham named that place, “The LORD Will Provide,” or “Jehovah Jireh.” Abraham believed that even if God were to take away his beloved, only son, Isaac, God would still provide.
His greatest desire was to fulfill God’s will, and his greatest satisfaction was found in God Himself. Brothers and sisters, this passage also gives us a glimpse of the Gospel. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” On Mount Moriah, God provided a ram for Abraham. But at the cross, the heavenly Father gave us His one and only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. So on Mount Moriah, Abraham said: “God Himself will provide.” And at the cross, we see the fulfillment: God Himself provided His one and only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel. It is not that we loved God first. God loved us first. It is not that we sought God first. God took the initiative to seek us. It is not that we first prepared salvation for ourselves. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and prepared salvation for us. Therefore, we can surrender—not because we are strong. We can follow the Lord—not because our faith is powerful. But because of this: God loved us first.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, today, God is also asking each one of us: “Are you willing to let Me have first place in your life?” Perhaps each of us has our own “Isaac.” What God wants to teach us is not necessarily to give up everything He has given us, but to allow everything He has given us to return to its proper place. Because the One who is truly worthy to sit on the throne of our lives can only be God.
Now, let us be still for a moment and ask ourselves: “Who has first place in my life?” Is it my family? My children and grandchildren? My health? My career? My ministry? Or my plans and expectations for the future? May each of us come willingly before the Lord and say: “Lord, here I am. Lead me and strengthen me. May Christ alone be first in my life. May Christ alone be the Lord of my life and the treasure of my heart.” We pray all these things in the victorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Genesis 22:1-19
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
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.”
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.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
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.”
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
