“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NLT)
Ephesians 5:2 teaches that as an example, Jesus “loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us“. He was willing to die to save us. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He lived a life of sacrifice to save your soul. In the Old Testament, there were animal sacrifices offered in the Temple as a sign of repentance and faith. With Jesus in the New Testament, we have a sacrifice on the cross to cover our sins. His sacrifice saves you.
In response to Jesus’ sacrifice to save sinners, Paul felt that the faithful should “give their bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice” as a way to show true worship to God (Romans 12:1). Thus, in response to Jesus’ sacrifice of His life on the cross, you are called to make a sacrifice in your life. You are to offer your body up for God’s good works. You are to present your soul to God in a sacrifice of your eternal destiny. Jesus’ sacrifice inspires us all to make sacrifices that are holy and beautiful and blessed.
What is completely understood in the modern world is that we all make sacrifices. Some people sacrifice their time and effort to make a difference. Some people sacrifice their commitments for family obligations. There are many who sacrifice their hard work in order to support a needy family member. Parents often sacrifice their time and money and years of hard work to raise their children. Your personal sacrifices show what is most important to you.
Emily dearly wants a better life for her young daughter. Because of this, she not only works a full-time job to pay the bills, but she also attends night classes to further her education. She is learning how to be a nurse so that some day soon, she can get a better job with better hours and so better support her daughter. It’s a huge sacrifice of her time and commitment and energy and money. But, for Emily, it could mean a great difference for the future of her family.
Emily’s sacrifice shows that she values her daughter and their future.
Joe made a different kind of sacrifice. His best friend talked him into making a “quick buck”. In a scheme that didn’t work, Joe put all his savings into a rather shady business deal with his best friend selling stolen merchandise. Joe and his best friend bought a store, then renovated it with Joe’s hard-earned money. They planned to sell the stolen merchandise at a huge profit. Not long after Joe’s money was sunk into renovations, the gang that was stealing goods for the store were all arrested by the police. In the ensuing investigation, Joe was arrested. He spent several years behind bars. He lost his girlfriend. His family was humiliated. Now, Joe has been out of jail for two years. He still had a difficult time making ends meet, so he moved back home to live with his parents.
Joe sacrificed his savings and several relationships to make a quick buck doing wrongful things. He then sacrificed three years of his life in jail to make amends. To this day, Joe is sacrificing for his mistakes. Sadly, his sacrifices have not led to anything fruitful. These sacrifices only show that Joe valued a “quick buck” over his family, friends, and future.
Sacrifices tend to define you. They expose your character and beliefs. They demonstrate what you find important and worthy. They say so much about what you value and worship. Your sacrifices will live on long after you are gone.
In the scripture for today, the Apostle Paul declared that when he was saved, his “old self was crucified with Christ”. Paul gave up his sinful lifestyle, stopped persecuting Christians, and devoted himself to preaching the gospel. These changes were all part of Paul’s sacrifice for Jesus. It was what Paul chose to do because Jesus “loved him and gave himself for him” (Galatians 2:20). Paul was showing you and me that to become a child of God and follower of Jesus Christ, you too must make your own sacrifices. Because Jesus died for you on that cross, what sacrifices have you made? What sacrifices are you willing to make in the future?
Carolyn was sorting through pictures of her past. Her husband, Karl, had died only a few days before after a long illness. To help, Carolyn’s son, Jamie, was helping her comb through the boxes. They were looking for pictures from the past that would be used for a collage at the funeral for Karl.
Jamie opened one box and pulled out a photo of Karl. On the top of the photo, Karl had written, “My favorite car ever”. It was a picture of Karl standing in front of a brand new Chevelle from the early 1970’s. Jamie turned to his mother and said, “Dad really liked that Chevelle, huh?”
His mother replied, “He cherished that car. He spent hours on Saturdays cleaning and waxing it. He even won a few awards in the 1980’s at car shows with it. “
Jamie asked, “I don’t’ remember that car. I remember dad talking about it, but I don’t remember it. What happened to it?”
Carolyn smiled, and with tears in her eyes, she said, “He sold it. When you came along and you needed two surgeries during the first year after you were born, he sold it to pay for your surgeries. We didn’t have enough savings to cover all our bills. Karl gave up his favorite possession because he loved us more!”
And with those words, Carolyn and Jamie realized that Karl had made a big sacrifice out of love and concern for them. He gave up his prized Chevelle for something he valued even more… his family. Doesn’t Karl’s sacrifice define his life?
The Apostle Paul sacrificed “his old ways” out of love for Jesus (Galatians 2:20). What sacrifices have defined your life so far? I wonder what sacrifices will follow your name long after you are gone. Jesus sacrificed his life on a cross out of love for you. What sacrifice might you make in the near future to show you cherish Him, as well?
In response to Jesus’ sacrifice to save sinners, Paul felt that the faithful should “give their bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice” as a way to show true worship to God (Romans 12:1). Thus, in response to Jesus’ sacrifice of His life on the cross, you are called to make a sacrifice in your life. You are to offer your body up for God’s good works. You are to present your soul to God in a sacrifice of your eternal destiny. Jesus’ sacrifice inspires us all to make sacrifices that are holy and beautiful and blessed.
What is completely understood in the modern world is that we all make sacrifices. Some people sacrifice their time and effort to make a difference. Some people sacrifice their commitments for family obligations. There are many who sacrifice their hard work in order to support a needy family member. Parents often sacrifice their time and money and years of hard work to raise their children. Your personal sacrifices show what is most important to you.
Emily dearly wants a better life for her young daughter. Because of this, she not only works a full-time job to pay the bills, but she also attends night classes to further her education. She is learning how to be a nurse so that some day soon, she can get a better job with better hours and so better support her daughter. It’s a huge sacrifice of her time and commitment and energy and money. But, for Emily, it could mean a great difference for the future of her family.
Emily’s sacrifice shows that she values her daughter and their future.
Joe made a different kind of sacrifice. His best friend talked him into making a “quick buck”. In a scheme that didn’t work, Joe put all his savings into a rather shady business deal with his best friend selling stolen merchandise. Joe and his best friend bought a store, then renovated it with Joe’s hard-earned money. They planned to sell the stolen merchandise at a huge profit. Not long after Joe’s money was sunk into renovations, the gang that was stealing goods for the store were all arrested by the police. In the ensuing investigation, Joe was arrested. He spent several years behind bars. He lost his girlfriend. His family was humiliated. Now, Joe has been out of jail for two years. He still had a difficult time making ends meet, so he moved back home to live with his parents.
Joe sacrificed his savings and several relationships to make a quick buck doing wrongful things. He then sacrificed three years of his life in jail to make amends. To this day, Joe is sacrificing for his mistakes. Sadly, his sacrifices have not led to anything fruitful. These sacrifices only show that Joe valued a “quick buck” over his family, friends, and future.
Sacrifices tend to define you. They expose your character and beliefs. They demonstrate what you find important and worthy. They say so much about what you value and worship. Your sacrifices will live on long after you are gone.
In the scripture for today, the Apostle Paul declared that when he was saved, his “old self was crucified with Christ”. Paul gave up his sinful lifestyle, stopped persecuting Christians, and devoted himself to preaching the gospel. These changes were all part of Paul’s sacrifice for Jesus. It was what Paul chose to do because Jesus “loved him and gave himself for him” (Galatians 2:20). Paul was showing you and me that to become a child of God and follower of Jesus Christ, you too must make your own sacrifices. Because Jesus died for you on that cross, what sacrifices have you made? What sacrifices are you willing to make in the future?
Carolyn was sorting through pictures of her past. Her husband, Karl, had died only a few days before after a long illness. To help, Carolyn’s son, Jamie, was helping her comb through the boxes. They were looking for pictures from the past that would be used for a collage at the funeral for Karl.
Jamie opened one box and pulled out a photo of Karl. On the top of the photo, Karl had written, “My favorite car ever”. It was a picture of Karl standing in front of a brand new Chevelle from the early 1970’s. Jamie turned to his mother and said, “Dad really liked that Chevelle, huh?”
His mother replied, “He cherished that car. He spent hours on Saturdays cleaning and waxing it. He even won a few awards in the 1980’s at car shows with it. “
Jamie asked, “I don’t’ remember that car. I remember dad talking about it, but I don’t remember it. What happened to it?”
Carolyn smiled, and with tears in her eyes, she said, “He sold it. When you came along and you needed two surgeries during the first year after you were born, he sold it to pay for your surgeries. We didn’t have enough savings to cover all our bills. Karl gave up his favorite possession because he loved us more!”
And with those words, Carolyn and Jamie realized that Karl had made a big sacrifice out of love and concern for them. He gave up his prized Chevelle for something he valued even more… his family. Doesn’t Karl’s sacrifice define his life?
The Apostle Paul sacrificed “his old ways” out of love for Jesus (Galatians 2:20). What sacrifices have defined your life so far? I wonder what sacrifices will follow your name long after you are gone. Jesus sacrificed his life on a cross out of love for you. What sacrifice might you make in the near future to show you cherish Him, as well?