Skip to main content

Follower or Imitator - Where is Your Sacrifice?



The Ultimate Sacrifice- Once For All

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul tells us what is the most important aspect of discipleship. He expresses the fullness of the gospel in a few succinct sentences,

 “For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 

No Christian really needs anything greater than these three truths: 

Christ died. Christ was buried. Christ rose again.

But what prompted the gospel story to come to fruition? One word – Sacrifice. 

The ultimate sacrifice. The once-for-all sacrifice. The complete sacrifice.

The Greek word for sacrifice is thusia, meaning “an offering”. Jesus was the fragrant offering before the Father as remission for our sin. 

The necessity of sacrifice dates all the way back to the days of Cain and Abel. And the concept of “proper sacrifice” dates to the same time. Cain brought an unacceptable sacrifice before the Lord. Not because he was unaware or ignorant of what he should present. No…it was the hardness of his heart towards the Lord, his selfishness to keep the best for himself, that kept him from bringing his best for the Lord. Abel, on the other hand, brought the best of his flock to present before the Lord. He gave out of a heart of obedience and love to God what he knew was required and what would be a fragrant offering to the Lord.

So it is with us today. We are presented, on a daily basis, with the choice of the sacrifice we will offer to the Lord. Are we willing to give up our time? Our money? Our dreams and desires? Are we truly willing to lay down all for the Lord, just as He was willing to lay down all for us? 

In contrast, are their things we just cannot let go of? Things we are not willing to part with because they are too dear to us?

Further still, are we willing to sacrifice for our fellow man? There are countless brave souls who currently serve, and have served through the ages, in our armed forces, police forces, and emergency services. These men and women face the worst of humanity to protect and ensure the safety of those they love and treasure, as well as complete strangers. They do not count life as “less”. They do not count their own life as more valuable. They are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep peace and safety for people.

Jesus sacrificed. Military forces sacrifice. First responders sacrifice. But what about us? Normal, everyday people. Moms and dads, employees, students, disabled, elderly, crippled? 

 Every person can sacrifice something. Your best will likely be completely different than your neighbor – but you know what your best is. 

 Are you willing to give it?

Questions:

1.   What can we do to begin to sacrifice, a little more, every day?

2.   What is our best? What are the things that we know God is calling us to lay on the alter that we have yet to let go? 

3.   In what ways have we put ourselves before others? Is there anyone that we have held in hatred or jealousy because their offering was acceptable before God and ours was not, as in the story of Cain and Abel? Do we need to seek forgiveness or restoration in a relationship, or forgiveness from the Lord so our future offerings will be acceptable before God?

Scriptures to Consider:

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this; than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Eph 5:2 “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Luke 9:24 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Prov 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.”

Mark 10:45 “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom to many.”


“A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your weakness “  - Mother Teresa
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The "Birthing" Season

                  Anyone who tells you that childbirth is easy is lying. This person is not your friend, and you should run…run away as fast as possible 😊                 The reality is, birth is likely the hardest task a woman will ever undertake in her life. Pregnancy and birth is the culmination of “giving up” of self – of one’s physical appearance and body image, of one’s normal bodily functions, of one’s time and freedom, but most of all…of one’s heart and soul.                 As a mother prepares for the arrival of her child, she passes through many levels of self-sacrifice. There are the countless hours spent nursing nausea and fatigue. The constant press on your body to provide; not only for your life and sustenance, but that of the o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Let Us...

Have you ever wondered what it would take to have a successful year? Not just the kind of year that you get through, or the kind that you feel OK about. I am talking about a truly life-altering kind of year. The kind that causes you to look back and shout "Hallelujah!!" when you see all the growth and transition God has brought forth in you. What would it take for 2018 to be that year for us? At the beginning of 2018, when everyone was knee-deep in their resolution making process, I had the privilege of listening to a series of messages by world-renowned Bible teacher, Derek Prince. If you have not experienced the pleasure and the challenge of his teaching, I would encourage you to seek him out (derekprinceministries.org) .  In this series, entitled Twelve Steps to a Good Year , Derek walks us through the book of Hebrews, and points out twelve specific verses that point us towards a life more set on God -- more set on service -- and much less s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spare Change...How Do You Spend It?

It’s Friday afternoon, and I am beginning my weekly countdown to 5 pm. Only a few more hours to go, and then I will be free for the weekend to do whatever I please. Or will I? How many times a day do you think this way, "I am free to do as I please"?  I realize many of us spend our days dictated by someone else’s schedule or agenda. We have jobs that tell us when to arrive and when to leave. We have expectations and goals to meet each day, and they are rarely set by us. It would stand to reason that when we break out of that routine, we wish to control the remainder of our time - our “spare change” if you would. We rarely value time as a commodity, until we run out of it. Our desperate attempt to grab hold of whatever extra minutes we can find and hoard them for ourselves is a natural reaction, but not the most valuable or advantageous. We all have obligations in life. We must eat. We must have shelter. We must have clean clothing. We must be able to pro...
Post a Comment
Read more