The Important of SACRIFICE

By: Fred Reid

I really feel like GOING IN ON THIS ONE!! But I’ll try to keep it short. Sacrifice is a big part of our Christian walk! These days everybody is a Christian if you ask them, and while I’m not the one who is capable of judging or deciding who is or isn’t save you can DEFINITLEY tell a tree by its fruit. And by that I mean if you claim Christ your life will reflect it. Jesus specifically said to follow Him you need to DENY YOURSELF first, then take up your cross and follow Him. If you are doing everything your flesh SUGGUESTS (not forces) you to do then you are not sacrificing and Lord is not head of your life…your urges are. But nevertheless let’s get biblical.

Sacrifice has been part of a relationship with God from way back! So I want to put out the level of quality of sacrifice and how it relates to your position in God. Sacrificing animals was a religious practice and it was good and very commonly done. However, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, whom God had given him. A tough sacrifice none-the-least, but look how great Abraham is consider some two or three thousand years later. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham refers to the sacrificial process as “worship”. Thus we learn that sacrifice, not slow songs, are a form of worship. But it gets even tougher in verse 7 when Isaac asks Abraham, Father where is the sacrifice? Dddannng put yourself in the story for a second. What is something you KNOW God has given you, would you willing to sacrifice it if He told you too? Would you doubt it was Him and generalize that He would not give you something only to have you sacrifice if later on, or would you have the faith of Abraham and trust God completely at His word?

I pointed out that story to relate it to present day sacrifice. Some people wake up to go to church even though they are tired from working all week, Saturday night drinking, partying or whatever late night activities they’ve been doing and that’s good. But what valued item do you have that you’d sacrifice for God? Maybe you’re really nice car to drive people without cars to church or carpool some of the saints that struggle to pay for gas and other bills? Maybe your nice apartment or house church functions or get togethers. Maybe (dare I say it) some of your money to help cover church expenses or younger believers that are struggling to get by? Or maybe the most valued thing you have…your life! Will you truly lay down your life to make all your desires second to the will of God? Would you truly be ok with God taking you a totally different direction than you’ve been trying to go thus far because that’s not His will for you? I mean let us not forget that we were crucified WITH Christ and now live THROUGH Him, therefore making us the best definition of dead men/women walking.

I honestly don’t mean to “ruffle” anyone’s feather’s, or make anybody feel bad about what they are currently doing for Christ. But I fully intend to tell the truth and challenge my brother and sisters to do better in Christ because I want you to be everything you possible can be in Christ. There are other people that NEED you to be in your place so they can receive what they need from God. Think not? Where would we be if Jesus hadn’t sacrificed His life? Wow

Over and Out J