It is Important
Paul says to us, "I urge you..." The word translated "urge" in our English Bibles is not a command but neither is it just a mere 'take-it-or-leave it' request. It is a passionate appeal. Paul is serious-- this is important. 'I want you to seriously consider this and do this' is the essence of his appeal.
Jesus himself challenged us with the importance of this call. He told His disciples in Matthew 16:24-26, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Salvation is free but Jesus repeatedly spoke of the sacrifice that would be needed to follow him.
I believe Paul urged his readers to answer the call because it is important that we remember that sacrifice is expected in true love.
It is costly
Paul urges us to give our life to Jesus as living sacrifice. The living part implies cost, even pain. Dead things don’t feel sacrifice but living things surely do.
When Paul calls you to give your life as a living sacrifice he’s letting you know that doing so will be costly. Jesus himself said we would have sorrow and tribulation in following him.
In spite of what the prosperity preachers tell you on TV, God never promised you that following him would result in a life of happiness. Happiness is an emotional state. He did promise you JOY, which is a spiritual state. In stead he often said that you would have to give up the things that you want the most. He said it would cost you, that people would persecute you and kill you and many would be tortured.
I don't believe that we need to view life bleakly, or be afraid, but we do need to understand that following Jesus often is accompanied by a great cost and when we lay down our lives in a living sacrifice we will most likely feel the pain.
So laying down your life as a living sacrifice is very important and most likely will be accompanied by some cost, even pain, but I promise you that in the end it will be worth it. In the end we will see why and how God's will for us is perfect and good. We have not seen or understood all that God has prepared for those who love Him, so us responding to His love with sacrifice of our own will surely seem insignificant in the day we see Him face to face!
2 comments:
Hey Jimmy, your thoughts today reinforce something we've been studying lately. Meekness is another way to say sacrifice....yielding my personal rights and expectations to the Lord. Yesterday, we studied that in terms of marriage. In the wedding ceremony, the bride and grooms'family and friends sit on opposite sides of the room symbolizing the blood sacrifice of the OT in the making of a covenant. (An animal was slain, divided in half and the two parties walked between the halves.) As we walk down the aisle, we should be thinking of the sacrifices our families made to raise us and be purposing to yield our lives as a sacrifice to our intended as they have. Some days are definitely more costly than others! Smile.
I agree. The most common place we are called to sacrifice is in our families. Sometimes we end up having to sacrifice the ultimate.
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