Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest

Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (KJV)

This is the most famous passage in Scriptures used to illustrate faith. It is also easy to look at the surface of this story only and get the lesson on faith-the story about a father willingly. However when we read about Abraham's life up until that point, then we see that all the promises of God rests on this son. Abraham is giving up much more than just his own son.

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

If we are followers of Yshua, then we are called to preach His Word. It is dangerous to measure success in ministry in the first place, let alone counting the number of spirits we have saved. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Our mission is to preach His Good News. And the way we do this is to encourage as well as to correct, and to do this with patience and correct teaching. This is to be done all the time, not just some time we set aside for this purpose.

Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven

Luke 10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (KJV)

If we rejoice in the spiritual power we yield, then we may have missed the point. Similarly if we keep count of material success, even if it is counting the number of people we led to Christ or the size of our church, we have also missed the point. Every single spirit is important to God, like the Shepherd finding the lost one lamb out of a hundred. Salvation itself is the work of God. So what is our purpose? To bring the Good News to the unsaved and to disciple the saved. One commentary mentioned that Jesus never forced others, He usually begins His instructions with "If ....", not imposing on others with "You must ...."

For we are labourers together with God

1Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God:ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. (KJV)

We are God's children, His chosen ones, His image, and we are also His tools here on Earth to fulfill His desire. And his desire is that all should come back to Him and that none shall perish.
Knowing this, as we work to serve God, the main thing that should occupy our minds is that we are working for Him. It is not about our agenda or about how our success in ministry can please God. Rather it is about accomplishing His tasks however mundane or not useful it may seem.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord

2 Cor3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (KJV)

The glory of the Lord cannot be fully understood by us at the moment. But there will be a time when we will behold the Lord's Glory and it will shine through us as if we are transparent. This is the promise of God and we will one day be made into His image, by the Holy Spirit.

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me

John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (KJV)

Three disciples were with Jesus for about 3 years. Jesus had told them several times about His Divine nature and oneness with God. Yet none of them fully grasp this before the resurrection. Before we start criticising them, it is also useful for us to reflect on how well we actually know our Lord Yeshua. Some of us may have attended church for many years, or followed Him closely for many years. How well do we know what He is like, what He wants, what He dislikes and so on. Perhaps the more we know the real Him, the easier it is to follow Him.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (KJV)

The promises of God made to us are dependent on His ability and trustworthiness. On both counts, we can be sure that God is perfect. Hence there is no reason to doubt God's promises. The reason we may doubt is because the timing is slower than we think, and that we don't fully trust God enough because we don't know Him well enough,