Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
(Hebrews 13:16 (NIV))
What do you think of when you think of making a sacrifice?
Is it surrendering something that you love? Is it giving up something? Perhaps you even think that making a sacrifice requires offering something up as an appeasing offering.
What do you notice about all of these options?
Did you recognize that all of these are self-centered acts and are all based on what "I" can do. They draw attention to the person giving the sacrifice and not the recipient of the sacrifice.
The passage from Hebrews tells us to shift our focus from what "I" can give to who can I give to, who can I help?
This changes our priorities from ourselves to others. It requires us to be more like Jesus in our thinking, in our motives, and in our giving. Think about that in relation to these words.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
(John 15:13 (NIV))
You don't lay down your life if you are focused on yourself. You don't lay down your life if you don't value others above yourself. You don't lay down your life if you think that this life is all that we have.
The kinds of sacrifices that please God are those that are not focused on what you will receive in return.
Consider the parable of the Good Samaritan. He did not sacrifice based on what he would receive in return. He simply did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
What kind of sacrifices are you making?
Copyright 1998 - 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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