Hey everybody! It looks like it’s been pretty close to two months since I last posted. Sorry about that! Things have been busy. I’ve held a few fundraisers and the things I learned from those will be another blog for another day. And I’ll try to be better about keeping you updated.
This is Memorial Day weekend. One of the big themes of Memorial Day is the theme of sacrifice. Brave men and women who have laid down their lives to protect our country and our freedoms. That is a big sacrifice to make, and it should be honored with the utmost respect.
However, there are so many other sacrifices that people make every day for family, friends and even strangers. My devotions lately have been in Romans and today I ran across Romans 12:1 which calls for Christians to lay down their lives as a living sacrifice.
In John 15:13 Jesus says “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” So, what does that mean and how do the two verses connect?
We call sacrificial death the Ultimate Sacrifice? Why? Because it’s a sacrifice that can only be made once.
Living sacrifices are different because it’s a continuing sacrifice. D.L Moody once said “The trouble with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.” That’s true. I find it in my own life. I have intentions of serving friends and family, coworkers and strangers sacrificially and with love. But then my sin nature, my selfishness, steps in and I crawl off the altar and my good intentions are thwarted.
The past six months and the next 16 are going to be spent pursuing that ideal. I want my life to be a reflection of Jesus’ life while he was on Earth. He didn’t live a perfect life by hiding in a dark room, not seeing anyone and not talking to anyone. He was drug out into the desert and tempted by Satan, he lived life with his family and friends. He healed people, taught people and rebuked people when necessary.
I’m not claiming that that’s how that’s going to work out while I’m out there. I’m still going to fail and fall flat on my face, but I will also have victories. There are people out there who need to hear the Gospel and have their practical needs be met. I want to be Jesus’ hands and feet for those people.
In the last six months, I have been completely overwhelmed by the sacrifices that so many people have made in order to make this happen. Financial sacrifices have been abounding, but also time and encouragement. And so many people have been praying, not just for me, but for the persecuted church, for the people who don’t know the truth, for my squad and for the World Race in general.
All of those sacrifices are of the utmost importance. All of those things are part of being a living, breathing sacrifice.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
