I've spent a lot of time thinking about the sacrifice of Isaac over the years.  I think it fascinates me because I can't envision a dad tying up his kid on an altar and preparing to slit his throat.  I also can't imagine a kid letting his dad do that to him.  Nonetheless, I believe the story is true, and I think that it can teach us a lot about worship.

The problem for Abraham was that he had allowed his son to become the object of his worship, and God wanted to remind him that worship should be given to God alone.  Abraham, as he leaves his servants behind, makes the statement: "I and the boy will go over there and worship…" (Genesis 22:5).  Abraham truly believed that he was going to worship the Lord, and a part of his worship was sacrificing his son.  We know from Hebrews 11 that Abraham never doubted God's promise of bringing a nation out of Isaac's lineage and that he believed God would raise Isaac back from the dead.  Abraham did receive Isaac back, but after the experience, God was given His rightful place in Abraham's life.

Abraham had to sacrifice something in order to put God first, and we need to sacrifice to put God first, too.  That's really what worship comes down to.  It's a recognition of Who God is and removing anything from our lives that challenges His place in our lives.  Is there anything in your life that is vying for God's place?  Perhaps you need to sacrifice it to God in worship just as Abraham did.