Today I choose sacrifice. To praise God for the sacrifice that his Son made on the cross and to make sacrifices in my own life that bring glory to Him.
A true sacrifice is giving up something that hurts, that costs and that brings about change in our lives. We have to make sure that we are making sacrifices for the right reasons and we must be willing to give up everything for Jesus.
In America we have it easy. We have so many conveniences available to us that we can forget what is really means to make a sacrifice. We aren't persecuted by our government for our faith and our lives aren't threatened by them for believing in God. Compared to much of the world we are wealthy, even if we don't feel so. The question that I keep asking myself then, is what does it look like for me to sacrifice? What do I need to change in my life so that I can live a life a sacrifice?
Jesus tells a rich man in Matthew 19:21-22 "'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." How do we view our material items and money? As something that we have earned because we work hard, or as a blessing from God? I want to see all of that "stuff" as blessings from God and I have to hold those things with an open hand, always being ready for God to use them as he sees fit. I want God to use me and the blessings that he has given me for his glory, not for my own comfort.
I found a great quote in my Life Application Study Bible today about Romans 12:1 and it really summed up what I have been thinking about. For some background, Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. The quote helps to explain how this verse can apply to our lives today. "When sacrificing an animal according to God's law, a priest would kill the animal, cut it in pieces, and place it on the altar. Sacrifice was important, but even in the Old Testament God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important. God wants us offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices - daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting in him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven."
We should desire to sacrifice because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us, he gave up his life so that we might have eternal life. So I choose to change my priorities, to not hold on tightly to the things that I have on this earth and to look for ways that I can make an eternal impact.
So, today I choose sacrifice.
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