Over the last few days I’ve been reflecting on the word sacrifice. There are many different meanings of the word sacrifice. Historically, animals were sacrificed in or to obtain forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament. The ultimate sacrifice was given when Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross for our sins. God, the Father sacrificed His son. John 3:16 puts it this way: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
I believe that to sacrifice something one must give up something. There is surrender involved in sacrifice. Sometimes we give up our time for someone else. Maybe someone in your life needs a listening ear. Sometimes we are called to give up something financial to help someone else or to help a group of people. Maybe you’ve been thinking about giving to a specific charity or mission. When we give to someone else or to a group we are blessed. We gain from giving to others.
Living a life that is sacrificial is not easy. In fact, making sacrifices should be a challenge. If you find sacrifice easy, it may not really be the authentic sacrificial situation that I’m referring to. Luke 9:23-24 says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Living sacrificially is part of being a disciple or follower of Christ and it is something that must be lived out daily. Will you join me in the adventure?
