Weekly Focus - Sacrifice
Mark 10:28-30 John 15:13
When we speak of sacrifice, we understand it to mean that we are giving up something very important or special for something else. In Mark’s Gospel we see Peter telling the Lord they have left all to follow Him and Jesus responds by telling Peter he would receive rewards in this life and in the world to come eternal life. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is preparing for the cross and explains to the disciples that the greatest act of love is to sacrificially lay down your life for a friend.
For many sacrifice means abstaining from pleasure. For others it may mean a financial surrender. Jesus had come down from the mountain of Transfiguration in Mark 9 and in Chapter 10:21 He reminds them true sacrifice is when we deny ourselves and take up his cross, In the modern contemporary age we have bought in to the lie that church attendance is sacrificial, that giving of tithes and offerings is sacrificial or that volunteering to serve is sacrificial. Unless we have the right heart, these can become religious acts to satisfy our conscience; however. With the right spiritual motivation and in the right circumstances these could be great sacrificial acts of love and obedience.
Jesus says to take up our cross. What does this means? In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. It means:
To be willing to follow Christ (Rev 22:17; Jn 7:17).
To deny self (Mar 8:34).
To take up cross daily, not periodically, or when it is convenient and profitable (Mar 8:34).
To follow daily to the end, not for a while (Luk 8:13; Heb 3:6-14).
To lose life, not gain it (Luk 9:24; notes, Mar 8:35).
To live free from love of the world (Luk_9:25; 1Jn_2:15-17; Jas_4:4; Jn_15:18-19; Rom 12:1-2).
To live unashamed of Christ and His words (Luk 9:26; Mar 8:38).
Jesus said the two greatest commands were to love God with all our spirit, soul and body and to love others as ourselves. One of the best ways we can show our sacrificial service to Jesus is to love unconditionally, forgive unconditionally and serve with no other motive than to bless others. You are blessed to be a blessing to others. Let us not focus on ourselves but be the servant and focus on others. Let us be careful not to turn this love for service into an exercise of religious futility.
This week please focus on the right motivation for sacrifice. Let us check our hearts. Pray and ask God to give us the desire to serve in love, to teach in love, to evangelize in love.
You exist to bring others far from God to New Life in Christ Jesus.
To Believe – Become – Belong!!
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